A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



of the 1 8th century. A licence for an oratory dated 

 1400 probably gives the -date of its erection, and frag- 

 ments of masonry sai<cLto belong to it have been dis- 

 covered from time to time, and are lying about in 

 front of the present house. 



The timber building already referred to consists of 

 two rooms on each floor divided by timber partitions 

 which are not at right angles to its outer walls. This 

 may be accounted for by the supposition that the 

 south wing of the building, which must have abutted 

 near this point, was not set at right angles to the east 

 wing, and that the internal divisions of the east wing 

 followed the lines of those which adjoined them in 

 the south wing. The south wall, however, which is 

 now of brick with a central stone chimney, is at right 

 angles to the outer walls, having superseded a timber 

 end which followed the line of the partitions. 



The east front is the most interesting portion of 

 the building with its projecting wooden bays forming 

 an almost continuous line of mullioned and transomed 

 windows. The added corridor on the west front is 

 of timber and plaster on a lower stage of brick, the 

 gable of the staircase being filled in with half-timber- 

 work, while on the roof is a cupola containing a bell. 



The newer northern part of the building has 



Scale of Teeb 



Plan of Clayton Hall 



little interest, being built entirely of brick, with 

 a central entrance doorway and windows on each side. 

 At the back (east side) it stands about 8 ft. in front of 

 the older structure, but the length of its frontage is 

 about the same. By reason of the skew in the cross 

 walls already mentioned there is a cavity between the 

 walls of the older and newer parts of the building at 

 their junction, diminishing in width from east to 

 west. There is a door connecting the two houses 

 between the corridor and the parlour of the later 

 house, otherwise the buildings are quite distinct. 

 The dining-room (parlour) of the 18th-century por- 

 tion has a large projecting fireplace, and in the room 

 above is a large hole behind the chimney - breast. 

 The fireplaces in the older part of the house are of 

 stone, but have been rebuilt. 



Both parts of the house are covered with stone 



slates, the pitch of the 1 8th-century building being 

 the flatter of the two. Over the timber building the 

 original roof timbers remain at a fairly steep pitch, 

 and the east slope is still intact. Over the west slope, 

 however, a roof of flatter pitch running over the added 

 corridor was constructed in 1863. 



A very thorough restoration of the hall was made 

 in 1 900. The south wall on each side of the great 

 chimney was then rebuilt and the 18th-century wing 

 remodelled inside and new windows inserted in the 

 front. The front of the older building was stripped 

 of its coat of plaster and patched in brick, but the 

 general aspect of the house remains unaltered. In 

 front of the entrance is a mounting block with the 

 date 1686 and the initials J. C. (James Chetham). 



The bridge, as before mentioned, is built of stone, 

 and is of two arches with a cut-water pier in the centre 

 forming angular recesses above. It has a low parapet, 

 and on the side next the house a tall iron entrance- 

 gate between two well-designed stone piers. The 

 bridge was originally very narrow, but was widened 

 at the beginning of the 19th century, when it assumed 

 its present appearance. 



The inside of the house contains nothing of its 

 ancient fittings. The building now belongs to the 

 Manchester Corporation, and the 

 newer portion is used as a care- 

 taker's house. The older part re- 

 mains unoccupied, but some old 

 furniture, said to have belonged to 

 Humphrey Chetham, is kept in the 

 lower rooms, a proposal to use the 

 building as a museum having been 

 at one time put forward. 



The bell in the turret over the 

 staircase bears the inscription : 'Je 

 atende meleor,' together with a 

 rose and crown."* 



The old road from Clayton 

 Hall after crossing the bridge ran 

 eastward along the edge of the 

 moat till it .joined an old bridle 

 path leading in a south-easterly direction to the Fold, 

 an inclosure of about 4 acres, in which stood three 

 timber buildings. From the Fold a narrow and 

 winding lane led to Manchester. These buildings 

 were designated the wheat barn, the oat barn, and 

 the great barn. The wheat barn was converted into 

 a farm-house (which is still standing) ; the great barn, 

 which is described as having been a picturesque 

 edifice with a steep-pitched thatched roof and with 

 carved oak roof principals, was burnt down in 1852 ; 

 the oat barn, which stood till about the year 1877, 

 was a fine example of a building on crucks, 1 1 6 ft. in 

 length and 25 ft. in width. It contained six pairs 

 of crucks internally, but none in the gables, giving a 

 span of a little over 1 6 ft. to each bay. 



Among the ancient families which occur was 

 one that assumed the surname of Droylsden." The 



'*^ Tradition says the bell was removed 

 to Clayton from the parish church at 

 Manchester when it was coUegiated, 

 and was one of four hung in the chapel 

 till its demolition in the i8th century. 



'^ William de Droylsden granted to 

 Alexander son of Richard de Withnell 

 certain land with Ellen his daughter in 

 free marriage ; the bounds began at the 



middle of Hustude Clough, went down to 

 the Medlock, up this to Cockshoot Gate, 

 up this to the Hardings, and thence to 

 the starting point, at a rent of 6d. ; Byron 

 Chartul. no. 20/8. The grantor had 

 been free of multure in the mill of the 

 lord of Clayton. 



Gilbert son of William de Droylsden 

 made a grant to Thyerit his sister at a 



286 



rent of Sd, ; and afterwards sold his lands 

 to Sir John de Byron for jf 10 ; ibid, 

 no. 4/i2 ; no. 5/13. 



In 1354 Robert son of Thomas del 

 Snape granted to John son of Sir James 

 de Byron lands in Droylsden which had 

 formerly belonged to Gilbert son of Wil- 

 liam de Droylsden ; ibid, no. 27/10. 



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