A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



roof in 1862 is said to have had shaped braces forming 

 quatrefoils in the spaces between the principals and 

 purlins, showing that it was originally intended to 

 be seen. The rooms, however, had been so much 

 modernized that every trace of antiquity had been 

 removed or concealed, though in the second story 

 there were muUioned and transomed windows with 

 diamond glazing.*' 



The south wing was thought by Higson to be not 

 o'der than about 1500, or probably later. It had 

 three square-headed windows on each floor of two 

 trefoiled lights, and was flanked at each end by a 

 round tower standing a little in advance of the main 

 wall, and rising considerably higher than the roof. 

 The walls of the towers were about 2 ft. 6 in. thick at 

 the bottom, and the interior was square to the height 

 of two stories, above which it finished off as a circular 

 tower. The roofs were of stone with a central finial, 

 and the towers had evidently served the purpose of 

 garderobes. 



At this time there was no trace of the two court- 

 yards mentioned by Aikin. ' The gaoler's chapel 

 was probably an offshoot or irregular continuation 

 to the dungeon wing and some old buildings since 

 removed,*' but then seeming to form a third side, 

 and probably there had been a fourth, rendering the 

 building quadrangular.' " 



Still later the front of the south wing appears to 

 have had new and longer windows of three lights 

 inserted, those on the first floor having pointed heads. 

 The building, whose original appearance had long 

 been marred not only by alterations to the structure, 

 but by the change in its surroundings, was pulled 

 down in 1890 by the Manchester, Sheffield, and 

 Lincolnshire Railway Company, who had purchased 

 it prior to extensions and improvements of the Park 

 Parade Station. With so little trustworthy evidence 

 to go upon, it is difficult to assign any date to the 

 erection of the hall or to convey any but a vague idea 

 of its plan and disposition. Mr. Higson inclined to 

 about the year 1480 for the west wing, with portions, 

 perhaps, a little older, but there was some work be- 

 longing apparently to alterations in the 17th century. 



A Gallows Meadow adjoined the hall. 



The manor mills were closed in 1884., and have 

 since been removed. 



The manor of ALT has been mentioned above as 

 part of the holding of the lords of Ashton. The 

 tenure is uncertain, it being sometimes stated to be 

 held of the barony of Manchester,** but more usually 

 of the king as Duke of Lancaster as of his manor 

 of Salford.** It seems at one time to have been held 

 by a local family,*' and there is no record of its 

 acquisition by the Ashtons.** It disappears from 

 notice as a manor in the 1 6th century. 



The custom roll of the manor of Ashton for 1422 

 has been printed.*' The lord gave a dinner to his 

 tenants and their wives on Yule day, the tenants at 

 will making regulated ' presents ' to him at the same 

 time. A tenant was to plough one or two days, 

 according as he had half a plough or a plough ; to 

 harrow one day, to cart ten loads of turf from 

 Doneam Moss, ' shear ' four days in harvest, and 

 cart corn for one day ; at death each paid a ' princi- 

 pal,' i.e., the best beast he had after the due of holy 

 kirk. The tenants were to grind at the lord's mill 

 to the sixteenth measure ; if they bought corn they 

 should ' muUer ' to the Love sucken, i.e. to the 

 twenty-fourth measure." The names of the tenants 

 at will, with their services and rents, follow : John of 

 the Edge farmed both corn mills at 16/. 412'., 'the lord 

 to hold up the mills at his costs, as it has been cus- 

 tomed.' The ' gyst ale ' of the town of Ashton 

 amounted to 20^. in all ; the tolls of fairs and markets 

 2- marks ; " the courts and fines, 40/. There were a 

 few tenants for life, but the list of free tenants is a 

 long one. The tenants at will took their farms, &c., 

 from Martinmas to Martinmas, and were bound to 

 leave everything in as good condition as they found 

 it. The free tenants took part in the business of the 

 hallmote and assisted in preserving order. By an 

 agreement made in 1379—80 the tenants' swine, if 

 ringed, were allowed to range over the demesne from 

 the end of harvest until sowing-time. 



A manor court is still held every six months, its 

 jurisdiction extending over the whole parish. 



In the absence of records no account can be given of 

 the descent of the various free tenancies in Audenshaw,'* 



^® Glover, op. cit. quoting Higson. 



®^ The wing shown on the plan of 

 1824. 



^■* Glover, op. cit. quoting Higson. 



^^ Hawise widow of Robert Grelley in 

 1295 claimed dower in one virgate in 

 Alt against Thomas de Ashton ; De 

 Banco R. no, m. Ii9d, In the Man- 

 chester Survey of 1320 it is stated that 

 John de Ashton held Alt by a rent of zu ; 

 MamecestrBy ii, 290. 



^® This is the more usual account. In 

 the survey of the Earl of Lancaster's lands 

 in 1346 John de Ashton was said to hold 

 half an oxgang in Alt in socage ; Add. 

 MS. 32103, fol. 146. In 1429 the rent 

 to the king as duke was given as lod. j 

 Lanes. Inq, p.m, (Chet. Soc), ii, 22. 

 Later still the holding was called one ox- 

 gang ; ibid, ii, 137. In 1514 the rent 

 was again stated as lod, and the clear 

 value of the manor was 20 marks j Duchy 

 of Lane. Inq. p.m. iv, 80. 



^? Alban de Alt occurs about 1200 ; 

 Lanes. Pipe R. 330. Eva de 'Halt' was 

 of the king's gift in 1222-6, and was to 

 be married ; her land was worth 12^. ; 

 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 130. Thomas 

 son of William de Alt in 1276 claimed a 



free tenement in Paldenley against Robert 

 son of Robert de Tounton and Margery 

 de Hache, but failed, because Paldenley 

 was not a town or borough, but only a 

 place in the field of Ashton ; Assize R. 

 405, m. I. In 1292 Richard son of 

 Robert de Turton unsuccessfully claimed 

 one tenement in Alt against Margery 

 daughter of Robert de Alt and Richard 

 son of Robert de Tong, and another (by 

 writ de consanguinitate) against Thomas de 

 Ashton; Assize R. 408, m. 32, 30 d. 

 Adam son of Ellis de Alt acted for 

 Thomas de Ashton in 1307 ; Final Cone. 

 i, 212. 



^^ Sir John Ashton who died in 1428 

 had assigned Alt as dower to his wife 

 Margaret at the door of the church on 

 the day he married her ; Lanes, Inq. p.m. 

 (Chet. Soc), ii, 22. In 1507 a later 

 Sir John had held Alt ' as Hugh de More 

 of Alston and Richard the son of Robert 

 Spymne had held it' ; ibid, ii, 138. 



"' Chetham Soc. Ixxiv, 93-116. 



7" Ibid. 95, 109, 112. 



T^ The charter for the markets and 

 fairs does not seem to have been pre- 

 served, but it is stated that an exempli- 

 fication was granted to Sir George Booth 



344 



in 1608, showing that the charter wa» 

 dated '13 February, 14 Henry Sixth 

 (141 3),' to Sir John de Ashton, for two 

 fairs yearly on the eve, feast, and morrow 

 of St. Swithin (2 July) and of St. Martin^ 

 and a weekly market on Monday ; Jas. 

 Butterworth, Ashton, 31. The dating is 

 obviously wrong ; perhaps it should read 

 '14 Henry Fourth (141 3),' which is a 

 possible date. In 1498 Sir Thoma* 

 Ashton was summoned to show by what 

 warrant he claimed to have view of frank- 

 pledge twice a year in his manor of Ashton, 

 a market every Monday, fairs on i and 

 2 July, and on the vigil and feast of 

 St. Martin in winter, &c. ; Pal. of Lane. 

 Writs Proton. 1 3 Hen. VII. 



1^ Richard de Birches and Margery his 

 wife in 1246 claimed the latter's dower 

 in respect of her former husband's (Martin- 

 son of Adam) land in ' Aldewainescath,' 

 against Adam de Audenshaw. Jordan son 

 of Adam de ' Tongton ' was a surety ^ 

 Assize R. 404, m. 9 d. 



The Rental oi 1422 shows that Richard 

 Mostou and William Audenshaw had 

 tenements there, paying 31. 6d. and 31. 

 respectively. The former's holding may 

 be the ' manor of Moston ' alluded to ii> 



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