A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



Four stones found in an adjoining field, bearing 

 the initials e.r.,' three of tliem dated 1654, are 

 now built into the house, one in the north gable 

 and the others at the baclc. The front, which faces 

 west and is about 56 ft. in length, retains many of 

 its original characteristic;, though all the windows and 

 the bnrge-boards are new. The end wings are gabled, 

 with plaster coves marking the line of floor and eaves. 

 The spaces between the framing seem to have Had 

 straight and curved pieces forming quatrefoil orna- 

 ments, and some of these remain. There is a 

 projecting stone chimney at the south end, and at 

 the baclc a good brick chimney of three detached 

 shafts with zigzag filling between. The interior is 

 uninteresting, being much modernized. The hall is 

 entered through a porch in the north wing and 

 measures 15 ft. by 17 ft. 6 in. The floor is fl.iggej 

 and the ceiling, which is 9 ft. 6 in. high, is plain 

 and crossed by a single beam. In the kitchen in 

 the north wing is a fireplace opening 10 ft. wide. 

 Some other names appear in the inquisitions.^ 

 As already mentioned, the Hospitallers had an 

 estate in the township.' 



In addition to Hugh Anderton and his mother, 

 several others of the township had their lands 

 sequestered in the time of the Commonwealth for 

 religious or political reasons,' John Smith's being 



confiscated altogether.' Richard Moore, William 

 Roscow, and Elizabeth Woodcock, widow, as 'Papists,' 

 registered small estates in 1717.° Tlie principal 

 landowners in 1786 were the heirs of James 

 Longworth, paying about a seventh of the land tax, 

 William Anderton (double assessed), the trustees of 

 Goosnargh Charity, Peter Brooke (afterwards Townley 

 Parker) and John Johnson (double assessed).' 



A chapel, of which traces are extant, 

 CHURCH existed in the 14th century, and is 

 supposed to have been rebuilt by one of 

 the Molyneux family in 1 513.' The curate from 

 1548 to 1563 was Thomas Shorrock." After the 

 Reformation the chapel seems to have been allowe.i 

 to fall into decay,'" and it is said that the only use 

 made of it as a pl.ace of worship was by the missionary 

 priests, who occasionally said m.iss there." It had, 

 hoivever, a minister in 1650." In the time of 

 Charles II Lord Molyneux claimed it as his private 

 property," but it was recovered for the Church of 

 England about 1 700, repaired, and provided with a 

 small endowment through Thomas Armetriding, vicar 

 of Lcyland," whose heirs had the patronage. The 

 present patron is the widow of the late Col. R. 

 Cokayne-Frith.'^ No dedication is known. The 

 registers begin in 1774. In the churchyard is a 

 sundial, dated 1775. 



' Probably for Edward Robinson. 



' Thomas Hcsketh of RufFord pur- 

 chased land in 1520 from Edward Rishton 

 and Margaret his wife (Pal. of Lane. Feet 

 of F. bdle. II, ni. 205), and in 1523 

 held 10 acres in Euxton of the Hospi- 

 tillers and Sir William Molyneux by a 

 rent of \6J. \ Duchy cf Lane. Inq. p.m. 

 V, no. 1 6. Dame Elizabeth Kiglilcy ap- 

 pears to have held the same in 1524 of 

 Sir William Molyneux ; ibid, v, no, 

 61. 



Sir Thomas Hesketh in 1554 sold a 

 messuage and land to Thomas Dicconson j 

 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdlc. I 5, m. 1 10. 

 This seems to have descended to the 

 Dicconsons of Eccleston, but the tenure 

 is variously stated. In 1604 William 

 Dicconson held his lands in Euxton of 

 William Whalley by dd, rent \ while in 

 1639 John Dicconson held part at least 

 of Lord Molyneux in socage by suit at 

 the court baron of the manor of Euxton ; 

 Lanes. Inj, p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), i, 19 i Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. 

 xxviii, no. 71. 



Sir Alexander Hoghton, who died in 

 1498, held land in Euxton of William 

 Molyneux, which descended to William 

 Hoghton J Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iii, 

 no. 66 ; v, no. 66. Richard Hoghton, 

 who declined knighthood in 1631, is de- 

 scribed as *of Euxton'; Misc. (Rec. 

 Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 214. 



John Sumner died in 1640 holding a 

 messuage in Euxton of the king ; his heir 

 was his brother Christopher, aged forty- 

 three years ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. 

 XXX, no. 53. 



The Rigbys of Harrock also had land 

 in Euxton ; Duchy of Lane. Plead. Ixi, 



R4. 



3 Plac. He Quo JVarr. (Rec. Com.), 

 375. About 1540 the tenants were : 

 Sir William Molyneux, Js. ; Sir Robert 

 Hcsketh for John's field, \%d. ; Sir 

 William Molyneux for a messuage, lately 

 John Armctriding's, with a toft in Char- 

 nock Richard, 6d. ; Kuerden MSS. v, 

 fol. 83/). 



' Robert Hodgson, recusant, petitioned 

 to contract for his estate in 1653 ; Cat. 

 Com. for Comf. iv, 317;. So did Thomas 

 Moore, two-thirds of his estate being 

 Bcqxicstered for recusancy only ; ibid. ; 

 Royalist Comp, Papers (Rec. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), iv, 175. Inett Hodgson, 

 widow, was also a recusant ; ibid, 

 iii, 168. Thomas Hodgson was a tenant 

 of Lord Molyneux in 16525 ibid, iv, 

 162. 



Agnes Shorrock, widow, and William 

 Wright were other recusants who desired 

 to compound ; Cal. Com. for Comp. iv, 

 3187, 3193. 



John Rivington took arms against tlie 

 Parliament, and dying without issue his 

 brother James in 1649 desired to com- 

 pound for the estate whicll should descend 

 to him ; ibid, iii, 2054. For family 

 disputes see Exch. Dep. 27. 



For recusants 1660-80 sec Ai/i^. (Cath. 

 Rec. Soc), V, 103. 



" Index of RoyalistSj 44 ; Cal. Com. for 

 Comp.y iv, 3105. 



* Estcourt and Payne, Engl. Cath, 

 Non-jurors, 1 30- 1. 



' Land tax returns at Preston, 



' Over the west door of the present 

 building is an ancient dated stone ; 



R 



'513 '«c M 

 ao dm 



It was in use for worship in 1537 ; Duchy 

 Plead, ii, 113. 



According to Kuerden James Anderton 

 of Euxton in 1523 charged his lands 

 with stipends for three chantry priests to 

 pray for the souls of himself and Agnes 

 his wife, one priest each at Leyland, 

 Eccleston and Euxton ; Harl. MS. 7386, 

 fol. 217^. 



" Visit. lis!s at Chester. 



•" Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 

 II — an old chapel without a curate, 

 c. 1610. 



'1 A. Hewitson, Country Churches and 

 Chapels, 253-4. That it was used by 

 Roman Catholics seems clear from the 

 confirmation therein of Hugh Tootell in 



22 



1687 ; Gillow, op. cit. v, 549. But that 

 was in the time of James II. 



'- Commoirw. Ch. Sur%\ (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), 102. The incum- 

 bent was Mr. Seth Bushell, 'a godly 

 preaching minister, and conformable to 

 the present government.' His salary was 

 £,\o paid out of the sequestrated tithes of 

 James Anderton of Clayton. See also 

 Plund. Mins. Accts. (Rec. Snc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), i, 81. Bushell readily conformed 

 at the Restoration, and was made vicar 

 of Preston in 1663. 



'^ Raines in Notitia Cestr, ii, 384, 

 quoting Cartwright's Diary (Camd. Soc. 

 p. 28) of 1687. It was alleged that no 

 prayers had been said in it for twenty 

 years past. Bishop Gastrell himself states 

 (ibid.) that for twenty years before 1717 

 the chapel had been in ruins and without 

 service ; but he modifies this by saying 

 that divine service was performed ' about 

 1705.' In 1724 it had been repaired, 

 but no pulpit or seats were there. 



'* Mr. Armetriding (d. 1 7 1 9) gave ;^200, 

 and a grant from Queen Anne's Bounty 

 was also secured; ibid, ii, 385. In a 

 note arc given the proposals of the Rev. 

 C. Sudell, vicar of Lcyland in 1725, for 

 the management of the chapels of Euxton 

 and Hcapey. 



'* Manch. Dioc. Dir. 



The present vicar (a descendant of the 

 Rev, James Armetriding) has given some 

 details of the succession, as follows ; — 

 Thomas Armetriding, vicar of Leyland 

 1689— 1719, had no issue, and his heirs 

 were his nephews, sons of his brothers 

 James and Richard. James had sons 

 John, Hugh and Thomas, of whom John 

 was father of James Armetriding, incum- 

 bent of Euxton from 1774 to 1788, when 

 he became rector of Steeple Aston, Ox- 

 fordshire. His representatives about 1 890 

 were four grandchildren, who assigned the 

 advowson to the eldest, Major Coka}'ne- 

 Frith ; he gave it to his son, tlie Rev. 

 Colin Cokayne-Frith, who bequeathed it 

 to his brother Reginald, the latter's widow 

 now holding the patronage. 



