A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



and his son Thomas aKo gave land to Cockcrsand' 

 and to the Hospitaller;.' Henry*s eventual heir was 

 another son Roger/ who made grants to the 

 Woodcock famil}/ and was succeeded by h:s son 

 Simon.* It may have been this Simon de Kuerdcn 

 who disposed of his manor to the lord of Vv alton.^ 

 In 1292 Richard de Molyneux of Sefton proved his 

 right to certain customs and services from Simon son 

 of Roger de Kuerden, who held of him a messuage 



and two plough-lands by homage and the payment of 

 I zd. yearly, contributing also 8;. to a scutage of 40// 

 No descendants of Simon arc known.* 



Other families adopting the surname of KuerJen 

 occur as holding portions of the land, but, though 

 many of the charters relating to them have been 

 preserved, it is not possible to give a detailed account 

 of any.^ One of the families is of special interc.tj" 

 as from it sprang Dr. Richard Kuerden, who planned 



the Lostock and the division between 

 Cuerden and Clayton ; Cockersand CJiartul. 

 (Chet. Soc), ii, 488. The bounds of a 

 second grant also touched the Lostock, 

 following the stream as far as Hollurd ; 

 ibid, ti, 489. 



* Ibid, ii, 490. The place-names 

 include Aldfield and Halvedland. 



2 Kuerden fol. MS. 1. The lands by 

 in several places, the names given being 

 Wiilleschaw, Wctrlding, and Wallgate. 



•* Henry de Kuerden son of Siward 

 granted 5 oxgangs of land to Richard son 

 of Adam de Blackburn, who had married 

 his d.iughter Avicc ; and Avice daughter 

 of Henry afterwards granted land in Fern- 

 croft to her son John ; Kuerden, loc. cit. 

 In Henry's grant the 16 oxgangs of the 

 vill are mentioned ; tuur of them were 

 held in demesne. Old Cuerden is named 

 in each of the charters. Avicc'a grant 

 w;is charged with \J. 3. year for incense 

 for Lcyland Church. 



Margery widow of Roger de Blackburn 

 in 1292 claimed dower in tenements in 

 Cuerden against Alice widow of Peter de 

 Kuerden and against John son of Henry 

 de Walton j Assize R. 408, m. 64 d., 59. 



WMliam de Blackburn ga\e all his land 

 in Cuerden to his son William, and the 

 latter granted It to John son of Richard 

 son of Ralph of Much Hooie and Robert 

 i.in of Finian of the same; Kuerden 

 MSS. iv, K 5. 



* Roger de Kuerden son of Henry 

 released to John son of William Wood- 

 cock and Cbtrt his brother common of 

 pasture in Cuerden for all cattle belonging 

 t'> them ; ibid. 2. Roger confirmed to 

 Gilbert land which the latter had formerly 

 held uf Thomas the brother of Roger 

 together with mastfall for his pigs in 

 Cuerden wood j ibid. He also made a 

 grant to Uctrcd son of Gilbert ; Ibid. 



^ In 1253 Simon son of Roger de 

 Kuerden agreed with the brothers John 

 and Gilbert Woodcock that he would nut 

 sell or alienate their homage or service 

 without their consent, under a penalty of 

 20/. to be paid to the fabric of Lancaster 

 Castle ; Kuerden fol. MS. 3. Simon 

 exchanged a croft with Robert son of 

 Thomas de Clayton and made grants to 

 Roger son of Gilbert de Kuerden 

 (? Woodcock) and to Robert son of Roger 

 Woodcock ; ibid. 



The above-mentioned Thomas de Clay- 

 ton is in another charter called Thomas 

 the Dispenser. Also Alice daughter of 

 Robert the Dispenser of Clayton in 1294 

 released to her son Thomas all right in 

 her hereditary' lands in Cuerden. Her 

 husband's name was John ; ibid. 4, 



" A sale appears to have been under 

 consideration in 1253, judging by the 

 charter quoted above. 



" Assize R. 4cS, m. 66 ; William de 

 Molyneux, father of the plaintiff, had been 

 seised of the service claimed. It will be 

 noticed that scutage was payable for the 

 hrth part of a knight's fee. 



•■^ Alice widow of Simon de Kuerden 

 in 1309 claimed dower in messuages and 



lands in Cuerden held by Adam del Kirk 

 and Avice his wife; De Banco R. 179, 

 m, II. 



^ One of C. Towneley's compilations 

 (Add. MS. 32109) contains a large 

 number of Kuerden deeds, referring, 

 apparently, to several families of the 

 name. There are also references in the 

 Kuerden MSS. (Coll. of Arms), iii, K 2, 

 iv, K 5 ; and Harl. MS. 21 1 2. 



Several references to the various 

 Kuerden families have been given above 

 from the charters and pleadings ; to them 

 the following may be added ; 



Tlierc was a dispute as to a tenement 

 in Cuerden in 1283 between John son of 

 Uctrcd de Kuerden and William son of 

 Henry the Cookson ; De Banco R. 49, 

 m. 19 d. ; s+i ni- 3^ d. 



In 1301 Uilliam and Tliomas sons of 

 Henry de Kuerden had disputes as to 

 their Inheritance ; Assize R. i 3Zi,m. 5, i 3. 



Thomas son nl Roger de Kuerden In 

 July 13^4 claimed land in Cuerden 

 against John and Robert dc Ardcrne 

 (brothers, who h-iJ the reversion and 

 warranted), John son of Robert de Hoole, 

 Robert Lemon and Richard Woodcock, 

 the last-named being tenant for life. The 

 verdict was for the plaintirf, v, lio had In 

 1325 released the land to Margaret 

 Banastrc. The Ardernes were ti.i com- 

 pensate Woodcock ; Duchy of Lane. 

 Assize R. 3, m. 4 d. Robert de Arderne 

 had a life estate in half an oxgang of land 

 in CuerJen, the reversion being to his 

 brother John. He forfeited It by felony, 

 and John was allowed to have It in i 360 ; 

 Dep, Kcepfr'i Rfp. xxxl\, App. 341. A 

 grant of bnd to Margery dc Holland in 

 1 346 by Robert son of Henry de Kuerden 

 is preserved in Add. MS. 32109, fol. 45^. 



At the same time Richardson of Adam 

 son of Alan de Kuerden unsuccessfully 

 claimed n messuage, &c., against Robert 

 Colcr, M.irgery his wife, and others ; 

 Duchy of Lane. Aisize R. 3, m. 9. There 

 arc some Coler deeds of a later time in 

 Add. MSS, 32104, fol. 41^; 32109, fol. 



81, &:C. 



The following pedigree of a family of 

 the time of Edward II and EJward III Is 

 shown by deeds preserved by Kuerden 

 (ii, fol. 250) : — Robert de Kuerden -s. 

 Roger -8. William -bro. Adam -s. John. 



Rogerde Kuerden in i3iogranted all his 

 lands, &c^ in the vill to his son Richard, 

 with remainders to other sons — Thomas, 

 Robert and John ; Add. MS. 32109, fol. 

 30. In 1 318 Roger son of Roger son of 

 Alice de Kuerden granted a parcel of 

 land, the bounds of which began at the 

 Wallshawsykes, to John son of Thomas 

 Woodcock ; ibid. fol. zjh. Thomas son 

 of Roger de Kuerden, who has already 

 been named, in 1355 gave his share of 

 Lostockhey to William de Walton ; ibid, 

 fol. 41. In 1366 Robert son of Thomas 

 de Kuerden made a feoffment of his lands 

 in the vill ; ibid. foL 3;. Robert appears 

 to have had the lands of John de Arderne ; 

 Ibid. fol. j^b. 



Ralph de Kuerden and Margaret his 



26 



mother came to an agreement with Robert 

 de Plnnington In 1374 respecting shares 

 of the Holt ; ibid. fol. 46^. A further 

 agreement was made ten years later j 

 ibid. fol. 48. 



W.Uiam Kuerden and M.irgaret his 

 wife made a feoffment of their lands in 

 Cuerden, CLiylon and Walton-lc-Dale in 

 1426; ibid. fol. 81. Margaret was a 

 widow in 1434 ; ibid. fol. 78. The 

 feoffees in 144* granted the bnds received 

 from William and Margaret to Adam de 

 Kuerden, who was to marry Margaret 

 d.iughterof Hugh Hilton ; ibid. fol. 79/', 8 v 



A short pedigree was recorded in i^d';' 

 (/Vj.V. Chet. Soc. 69), as follows : — 

 Richard -s. Edmund -s. Thomas -s. John 

 (1567) -s. Thomas. A settlement ot 

 land in Cuerden, Walton-Ic-Dale and 

 Clayton was made by Richard Kuerden 

 in 1506, the remainders being to his sons 

 Edmund and Hugh ; Add. MS. 32109, 

 fol. 92. Edmund was in possession In 

 June 1508; ibid, fol. gzh. John and 

 George Kuerden were parties to a fine In 

 1 568 respecting lands In Cuerden, Clayton 

 and Walton ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. 

 bdle. -50, m. 102. In i 589 John Kuerden 

 and Elizabeth his wife had not only lands 

 in Cuerden, &c., but a fourth part of the 

 manor of Longton ; ibid. bdle. 5 1, m. 2-;8. 



^^ A fanciful pedigree appears in Dug- 

 dale, I'iu'r. (Chet. Soc), 167. Kuerden 

 himself says : 'Within this manor standeth 

 an .indent fabric called Cuerden Hall, 

 belonging to Christopher Banastre de 

 Bank, and below It on the west side of 

 London [road] another fair square fabric, 

 a brick building adorned about with tall 

 pine and fir trees, situated pleasantly upon 

 the edge of Cuerden Green, not long since 

 built in a fair court, and a spacious orchard 

 and garden on the south side thereof 

 planted by Richard Kuerden, Doctor 

 of Physic, being an ancient inheritance 

 descended upon him, and hath continued 

 In his precedent ancestors from King 

 Stephen's reign, then given in marriage 

 to the original of that family, Siwardus 

 filius Auti. . . . This Inheritance hath 

 continued entirely in the Doctor's family 

 to this day, though the lordship itself hath 

 been twice or thrice alienated ' j quoted 

 in Baines' Lanes, (ed. 1870), ii, 14^. 



The family was long known as Jackson, 

 Dr. Kuerden (or Keurden as he spelt it) 

 adopting for himself the local surname. 

 A John son of William DIcconson of 

 Kuerden appears in 1391 ; he released to 

 Margery widow of Robert de Plnnington 

 his right In land called the Sheetacre on 

 the OldfieldinCuerden J Add. MS. 32109, 

 fol. 61. William was therefore probably 

 a brother of the Ralph son of Margaret 

 named in a preceding note ; Ibid. fol. 48. 



In 1401 Elisota (Elizabeth) widow of 

 William DIcconson made a settlement of 

 her lands in Cuerden, the remainders 

 being to William's sons — John the elder, 

 John and Thomas ; ibid. fol. 62, 63. In 

 1402 Elisota and her son and heir John 

 made a feofTruent of their lands ; ibid. fnl. 

 C5. A little later Jr>hn son of William 



