WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



WIGAN 



in the French wars, and died i6 March 1372-3 ;" 

 and to the latter's granddaughter Maud, who married 

 John Lovel, fifth Lord Lovel of Titchmarsh." She 



Holland. Azuri 

 semel de lis a lion ram- 

 pant guardant argent. 



a/XAA 

 fXPJUX 

 OAAA 



Lovel. Barry nebu- 

 lie nf six or and gules. 



survived her husband, and died 4 May 1423, holding 

 the manor of Upholland of the king as Duke of 

 Lancaster in socage by the ancient rent of I is. ; also 

 the manors of Halewood, Walton in West Derby, 

 Nether Kellet, half of Samlesbury, Orrell, and a 

 quarter of Dalton, burgages in Wigan and Lancaster, 

 and lands in Aughton, Cuerdley, and Ditton. The 

 other estates had descended to her father Robert's 

 brother John, as heir male, and he was succeeded by 

 Henry Holland, Duke of Exeter.'^ 



Lady Lovel's son John having died in 1414 

 Upholland was inherited by her grandson William, 

 seventh Lord Lovel and fourth Lord Holland. It 

 descended on his death in 1455 to his son John, 

 Lord Lovel, who died ten years later, and then to 

 the latter's son and heir Francis, created Viscount 

 Lovel in 1483. Adhering to the cause of Richard III 

 he had many oiEces and honours bestowed upon him ; 

 but was attainted by Henry VII in 1485 and his 

 honours and lands were forfeited. Two years later 

 he fought on the Yorkist side at the battle of Stoke, 

 and was either killed there or died soon afterwards. *' 

 Upholland and the other forfeited manors were 



retained by the Crown until 25 February 1488-9, 

 when they were granted to Thomas, Earl of Derby, 

 with the lands and manors of other Yorkists.'' It 

 continued to descend with Lathom and Knowsley 

 until 1 7 1 7, when it was sold by Lady Ashburnham, 

 as heir of William, the ninth earl, to Thomas 

 Ashhurst of Ashhurst in Dalton.'' In 175 1 Henry 

 Ashhurst sold it to Sir Thomas Bootle of Lathom,'" 

 and it has since descended with his manors, the Earl 

 of Lathom being the present lord." 



After the foundation of the monastery the prior 

 were the chief residents within the manor. As u; 

 the case of most other religious houses the extern.-:! 

 history was uneventful.'' After the suppression of th 3 

 house by Henry VIII in 1536 the site and all the 

 lands were granted to John Holcroft,'' who soon 

 transferred them to Sir Robert Worsley of Booths.'* 

 Seventy years later the site was owned by Edmund 



Bootle. Gules on a 

 cheveron engrailed be~ 

 ttveen three combs argent 

 as many crosses formy 

 fitchy of the field. 



WiLBRAHAM. Argent 

 three bendlett wavy gulei. 



Molyneux of London," who bequeathed it to his 

 nephew, Richard Leigh.'' It is said to have been 

 acquired by the Bisphams of Billinge, and descended 

 with their estates to the Leighs of Orrell and 



Aspull." 



*• G.E.C. loc. cit. Robert was sixteen 

 years old in 1328 ; Cal. Close, 1327-30, 

 p. 348. From tte fine above quoted 

 (Final Cone, ii, 193) it will be seen that 

 Sir Robert had three sons — Alan, Robert, 

 and Thomas. Of Alan nothing further is 

 known, and it is supposed that he died 

 before the restoration of the honours. 

 Thomas married Joan daughter of Ed- 

 mund, Earl of Kent, and granddaughter of 

 Edward I ; he was summoned to Parlia- 

 ment as Lord Holland in 1353 and as 

 Earl of Kent in 1360; G.E.C. op. cit. 

 iv, 237, 351, 352. 



The inquiry made in June 1 349, after 

 the death of Maud, widow of Robert de 

 Holland, showed that she had held the 

 manor of Upholland for her life, with re- 

 version to her son Robert and his heirs, 

 in socage by a rent of 125. ; and doing 

 suit to county and wapentake ; also the 

 manors of Hale, Sec. ; Inq. p.m. 23 Edw. 

 Ill, pt. I, no. 58, She died outside the 

 county ; Sir Robert, her son, was of full 

 age. 



A similar return was made after the 

 death of Sir Robert in 1373. The heir 

 to Upholland and other manors was his 

 granddaughter Maud (daughter of his de- 

 ceased son Robert), wife of John Lovel, 

 and seventeen years of age. The heir to the 

 moiety of the manor of Haydock, &c., 

 was his son John, aged twenty-four and 

 upwards ; Inq. p.m. 47 Edw. Ill (ist 



nos.), no. 19. See also Surv, of 1346 

 (Chet. Soc), 42. 



Sir Robert in 1367 increased the en- 

 dowment of Upholland by a grant of 

 Markland in Pemberton and other lands ; 

 Inq. p.m. 41 Edw. Ill (2nd nos.), no. 12. 



" G.E.C. op. cit. iv, 236 ; v, 164-6, 

 from which tins account of the Levels is 

 derived. 



^ Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc), ii, 1-3. 

 For the Exeter family see G.E.C. op. cit. 

 iii, 296. 



»? Diet. Nat. Biog. 



28 Pat. 4 Hen. VII. There is a later 

 grant of this and other manors to James 

 Lord Strange; Pat. 13 Chas. I, pt. 27, 



3 July- 



In the inquisition taken after the death 

 of Ferdinando, fifth earl, in 1595, it was 

 found that Upholland was still held by 

 the rent of \zs.; Add. MS. 32104, fol. 

 425. 



2^ James, Earl of Derby, seems to have 

 released his right in the manors sold, in 

 Sept. 1715; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. 

 bdie. 276, m, 52. 



Thomas Ashhurst and Diana his wife 

 were in possession in 172 1; Pal, of Lane. 

 Plea R. 512, m. 8. 



Baines (ed. 1836) gives the date 1717, 

 apparently from the Lathom D. ; iii, 559. 



»» Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 347, 

 m. 26, 



'1 See the account of Lathom. 



93 



'^ In 1350 Prior John took action 

 against a number of men who had in- 

 vaded his lands ; De Banco R. 363, m, 

 92 d.; 364, m. 78 d. 



" Dugdale, Mon. iv, 411; Pat. 37 

 Hen. VIII, pt. iv, 22 May ; the price 

 was jf344 12J, lod. 



In 1592 an annual rent from the site 

 and demesnes of Holland Priory was 

 granted to William Tipper and Richard 

 Dawe ; Pat. 34 Eliz. pt. iv. 



^ Mon. iv, 409 n. ; from Orig. 38 

 Hen. VIII, pt. v. Lane. R. 118; Lanes, 

 and Ches. Recs. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), ii, 385. 



8* Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes. 

 and Ches.), ii, 99, where it is simply 

 called * a messuage, mill, 50 acres of land,* 

 &c. in Upholland, held of the king by 

 knight's service. 



'' Gisborne Molineux, Family of Moli- 

 neux, 143. Richard Leigh was brother 

 of James Leigh of Orrell. Edward Leigh 

 of the Abbey gave a rent-charge of ^5 

 a year for Upholland School ; Gastrell, 

 Notitia (Chet. Soc), ii, 259. The Pres- 

 cott family also held land which had 

 belonged to the priory ; Duchy of Lane. 

 Inq. p.m. XV, no. 7 ; xviii, no. 21. The 

 site and lands of the priory were the 

 subject of suits in 1576 and 1580, Mar- 

 garet Parker being plaintiff; Ducatus 

 (Rec Com.), iii, 46, 115. 



*7 Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1836), iii, 560. 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



