A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



families were those of Bingley" and Pierpoint.^* 

 Neighbouring lords, as those of Haydock," also ac- 

 quired lands in Newton ; the Leghs, besides inherit- 

 ing the Haydock estate, went on adding to it, so that 

 in 1660, when Richard Legh purchased the barony, 

 he already owned a large part of the township.^' 



The Blackburnes, afterwards of Orford and Hale, 

 acquired lands here in the latter part of the 1 6th 

 century." Their house, known more recently as 

 Newton Hall, was built by Thomas Blackburne in 

 1634.'' About a century ago John Blackburne, M.P., 

 sold it to the Leghs." 



Newton le Willows Hall is a small H -shaped house 

 standing north and south, with hall between living 

 rooms and kitchen. The front is towards the east, 

 the entrance being by a two-story timber porch 

 opening to a lobby between the hall and kitchen. 

 The hall is also of timber construction, with a line of 

 windows on the east, and has a large fireplace at the 

 north end with the royal arms of Elizabeth. The 

 staircase starts from the middle of the west side of the 



hall, and a panel above it. There are rooms over the 

 hall, it has a flat plaster ceiling, with simply moulded 

 beams. The north wing, containing the kitchen vvith 

 a large fireplace adjoining that of the hall, is of brick, 

 with low mullloned windows and plain round-headed 

 lights. The heads and mul- 

 lions are of brick plastered, 

 ornamented with raised lo- 

 zenges and fleurs-de-lys. The 

 wall surfaces are relieved with 

 raised patterns in brick-work 

 of a simple character. The 

 south wing has similar details, 

 but is modernized. 



The little estate of HET, 

 sometimes called a manor, ap- 

 pears to have been held by 

 a family so surnamed," who 

 were succeeded by the Brether- 

 tons or Brothertons, the tenants from the 1 6th cen- 

 tury to the beginning of the 19th." A pedigree was 



Bretherton of the 

 Hey. Argent a cross 

 fatonce raguled sable. 



rofFe meadow, lying by the Sankey ; 

 Raines, loc. cit. 173. The Woodrows or 

 WoodrofFes were known in the 13th cen- 

 tury. 



Henry Serjeant, outlawed for felony in 

 1528, held eight messuages, 200 acres of 

 land, &c., in Newton of Thomas Langton; 

 Duchy of Lane Inq. p.m. vi, no. 61. 



William Serjeant next appears ; he con- 

 tributed to the subsidy in Mary's reign ; 

 Mascy of Rixton D. At the end of 1556 

 he confirmed his father John's lease to 

 Peter Legh, junior, of his capital mes- 

 suage called Crow-lane Hall, dated 1554. i 

 Raines, loc. cit. 173 ; Ducatus Lane. (Rec. 

 Com.), i, 302, 304. In the will of Gow- 

 ther Legh of Winwick he directs ' Mine 

 executors to take yearly the whole profits 

 of Serjeant's lands to the bringing up and 

 finding to school of William Serjeant, 

 now heir apparent to John Serjeant, and 

 to the relieving of his brethren and sisters ' 5 

 Raines, Chantries (Chet. Soc), 73. Wil- 

 liam Serjeant had also an interest in the 

 Pembertons' estates in Sutton and Bedford. 

 Peter Serjeant was in 1592 found to 

 have held lands in Newton of the queen ; 

 also in Bedford ; Thomas, his son and 

 heir, was nine years of age ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. xv, no. 16. 



In 1660 a free rent of ,^1 13^. was due 

 to the lord of Newton from the free rent 

 of Peter Serjeant ; abstract of title in 

 possession of W. Farrer. Margaret, 

 daughter of Henry Ashhurst of Dalton, 

 married Peter Serjeant of Newton ; Dug- 

 dale, Fisit. (Chet. Soc), 9. Administra- 

 tion was in 1673 granted to the estate of 

 Thomas Serjeant of Newton. 



Crow-lane House, perhaps the hall 

 above mentioned, was in. 1673 sold by 

 William Blackburne, son of Thomas of 

 Blackley Hurst, to John Stirrup of New- 

 ton ; and about forty years later was pur- 

 chased by Peter Leg^ of Lyme. There 

 was a rent-charge ov ^^3 upon it for the 

 benefit of the free s(;hool ; abstract of title. 

 ^ Adam son of Hugh de Booth claimed 

 lands from John de Bingley and Kathe- 

 rine his wife in 1329 5 De Banco R. 279, 

 m. 1&3 d. ; 280, m. 127. Three years 

 later Adam de Booth released his claim in 

 favour of Katherine and her son Peter ; 

 part oftiie road leading from his house to 

 Br^BTey Bridge was included ; Raines 

 MSS. xxxviii, 143. Katherine de Bing- 

 ''^cy and Richard her son and heir granted 



part of their land to Henry de Haydock 

 in 1343 ; ibid. I45. 



In 1364 John son of John de Bingley 

 gave seisin of land near the Sankey to 

 Sibyl his sister and Cecily de Haydocic, 

 her daughter ; ibid. 147. Five years later 

 Richard de Bingley, senior, granted the 

 reversion of certain lands to John, the son 

 of Henry de Haydock by Sibyl his wife, 

 the sister of Richard ; ibid. 148 ; also 159. 

 ^ Some account is given of this family 

 under Golborne. The seal of (John son 

 of) Richard Ic Pierpoint in 1350 showed 

 barry of six ; ibid. 153. 



^ Some acquisitions of the family have 

 been recorded in previous notes. 



The Orrells also had lands in Newton. 

 Robert de Holland granted to John de 

 Orreli and his heirs land which Robert 

 Banastre had given to his father Thurstan 

 de Holland ; the bounds began at Eyolfs 

 Brook by the Heuese in the north, went 

 south to Trastans Clough, thence by a 

 ditch to Haydock boundary, along this to 

 Eyolfs Brook, and so back to the starting 

 point ; half a pound of cummin was to 

 be rendered to the chief lord ; Raines, loc. 

 cit. 115. John son of Adam de Orreli of 

 Hardshaw in 13 18 granted to Henry de 

 Orreli land in Newton which Richard the 

 Baker had held ; and two years later 

 Henry son of John de Orreli made a grant 

 to Richard; Add. MS. 32106, no. 1185, 

 1634. 



Richard Bradshagh was in 1528 found 

 to have held lands in Newton of Thomas 

 Langton by a rent of 5s. ^d. ; Charles 

 Bradshagh was his heir ; Duchy of Lane. 

 Inq. p.m. vi, no. 54. 



The Southworths also had lands in 

 Newton ; ibid, vii, no. 23 ; Ducatus Lane, 

 (Rec. Com.), i, 201, 281. 



'^^ The abstract of title already quoted 

 shows that in 1660 the Leghs' free rents, 

 payable to the lord of Makerfield, amount- 

 ed to £f> 135. ^d. The other free rents, 

 payable by Peter Serjeant and John Bre- 

 therton, amounted to no more than 



£2.<)S. 



In 1687 Peter Legh purchased from 

 John Derbyshire two closes called the 

 'Ring Wines,' formerly the holding of Mat- 

 thew Eden (1647) and William Baxter 

 (1682). By an early deed Hugh Wait 

 and Cecily his wife made a grant of lands, 

 part of which lay in ' Ring Winit ' ; Raines, 

 loc. cit 117. 



In 1703 Peter Legh acqaired lands 

 from Richard Ball, which had in 1657 

 been purchased by Thomas Stirrup the 

 younger from Robert Slynehead ; the 

 last-named had in 1624 leased to Edward 

 Parr the tenement, with its buildings, 

 lands, landoles, meadows, fields, leasowes, 

 &c. 



^ Richard Blackburne acquired a mes- 

 suage, &c., from John Fairclough and 

 Anne his wife in 1586 ; Pal. of Lane. 

 Feet of F. bdle. 48, m. 212, 



^ Trans. Hist. Soc. xxix, 41 ; Rimmer, 

 Old Halls of Lanes, 



29 BameSyLancs, (ed. 1836), iii, 647. 



80 Richard del Hey and William del 

 Hey attested charters about 1300; e.g. 

 Raines, loc. cit. 125. John son of Richard 

 del Hey was joined with his father in 

 1311 ; ibid. 127. The father soon after- 

 wards disappears, and from 1315 or 13 16 

 John appears alone ; 129, 133. 



William del Hey was in 1292 defen- 

 dant respecting common of pasture in 

 Newton, but the plaintiff was nonsuited ; 

 Assize R. 408, m. 3 2d. A similar matter 

 was contested by Richard and William 

 del Hey in 1301, but the former did not 

 proceed ; Assize R.4X9, m. 13 d.; R.418, 

 m. z. William and Richard, sons of Wil- 

 liam del Hey, occur in 1324-5; Assize R. 

 426, m. 2, 9. John son of Richard del 

 Hey was defendant at the same time ; 

 ibid. m. X. William son of William del 

 Hey was a plaintiff In 1342 ; Assize R. 

 1435, m. 47. 



8^ Henry de Bretherton occurs in the 

 district in 1374 ; Coram Rege R. 454, 

 m, 13 ; but the known history of the 

 Hey family begins with a William Bre- 

 therton in 1523 ; Ducatus (Rec. Com.), i, 

 201. The same or a later William Bre- 

 therton, described as gentleman, who died 

 in 1566, was found to have held five mes- 

 suages, with gardens, lands, &c., in New- 

 ton of Sir Thomas Langton in socage, by 

 fealty and suit of court and a rent of i6j.; 

 John Bretherton, his son and heir, was 

 twenty-three years of age ; Duchy of 

 Lane, Inq. p.m. xi, no. 30. The estate 

 is called the * manor of Hey ' in a fine of 

 1573, John Bretherton being in posses- 

 sion ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle, 35, 

 m. 112. 



The same estate is shown in the inqui- 

 sition taken after the death (1590) of 

 John Bretherton the son ; his heir was 



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