LEYLAND HUNDRED 



LEYLAND 



Andrew Dandy in 1674 left money to found a 

 school at Cuerden.' 



CLAYTON-LE-WOODS 



Claiton, 1 21 2; Claytun, 1288; Clayton in 

 Laylondschire, 1301. 



This township has an area of i,4iOj acres,' with 

 a population of 1,002 in igoi. It is divided by the 

 Lostock, here flowing north through a rich valley 

 between hills rising to over 300 ft. on the east and to 

 250 ft. on the west. 



The principal road is that from Chorley to Preston, 

 which p.asses along near the eastern border, going 

 through Clayton Green, the chief hamlet, and 

 Clayton Brooic ; while the road from Wigan to 

 Preston goes north through the western part of the 

 township. These roads are connected by a cross-road 

 through Clayton Green to Brindle and Blackburn. 



The soil is a dark loam, with subsoil of sand ; grass 

 is the chief crop. There are large bleach and calico- 

 printing works. 



The township is governed by a parish council. 



There are remains of an ancient cross.^ 



In 1666 the only considerable house was that of 

 James Anderton, with fourteen he.arths ; no other had 

 as many as six. The total number was fifty-five.* 



A native of the township was John Clayton (born 



1778), a Nonconformist minister of note, being pastor 

 of the Wcighhousc Chapel from 1778 to 1826. He 

 died in 1843.* 



The manor of CL.O'TON was a 

 MJNOR member of the fee of Penwortham, and 

 having been about 1160 granted by 

 Richard Bussel to Richard Fitton," descended through 

 Lea to Hoghton,' the mesne lordship long remaining 

 in the latter family.' 



Of the Clayton family, the immediate lords, but 

 an imperfect account can be rendered. The earliest 

 of whom anything is known, Gerald de Clayton," 

 died in or about 121 3, and was succeeded by his son 

 Robert,'" who was in possession as late as 1242." 

 Next occurs John de Clayton," living in 1288, when 

 it was found that he paid i zd. yearly to the lord of 

 Leylandshire for castle-guard." His son Warine ap- 

 pears to have succeeded in or about that year '* ; and 

 then followed Robert de Clayton (i 302),'^ and John,'" 

 who died in 1 3 1 2, holding lands, &c., in Clayton of 

 Sir Henry de Lea by knights' service and the 

 payment of 6d. a year in the name of ' sake, bode, and 

 fode,' and I zd. for castle-guard." 



Adam the son and heir of John was only six years 

 of age, and became the ward of Sir Henry." He 

 lived many years,'^ and left a son John, who at his 

 death in 1401 held the manor of Clayton of Sir 

 Richard de Hoghton as heir of Sir Henry de 



witliin the township, and forbidding any 

 assembly to hear mass, &c. ; Salford Dioc. 

 Almanac, 1880. 



J End. Char. Rep. 



' 1,431 acres, including 14 of inland 

 water J Census Rep. 1 90 1. 



^ Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. xvii, 27. 



* Subs. R. 250, no. 9 (hearth tax). 



* Diet. Nat. Biog. He was born at 

 Wood End Farm. 



^ It was part of a grant of eight plough- 

 lands which were to be held by the fourth 

 part of a knight's fee ; Farrer, Lanes. 

 Pipe R. 374. 



' See the account of Hoghton. 



' The lordship is recorded in the 

 Clayton inquisitions, and in 1422 was 

 regarded as part of the Hoghton lordship ; 

 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc), i, 145. It 

 is not named in later Hoghton inquests. 



Later John Fitton's plough-land in 

 Clayton appears to have been considered 

 distinct from the eight plough-lands in 

 Hoghton, &c. 5 Lansdowne MS. 559, 

 fol. 33, quoted in Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1870), 

 ii, 692. 



Perhaps for this reason it has been 

 identified with a plough-land given to 

 Robert Hickeling j Lanes. Inq. and Extents 

 (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 31. 



^ Gerald de Clayton occurs in the 

 Pipe Roll of 1194-5 as owing 5 marks 

 for himself and his esquires, * because he 

 was with Count John,' i.e. in the latter's 

 rebellion against Richard I ; Lanes. Pipe 

 ff. 90, &c. He had received the serjeanty 

 of the hundred of Leyland from Count 

 John, and this grant was confirmed to 

 him in 1199, when John had become 

 king ; Cal. Rot. Chart. (Rec. Com.), 27. 

 Gerald had also been seneschal for Albert 

 Bussel, lord of Penwortham (1164-90), 

 and held 4 oxgangs of land there as re- 

 compense ; Lanes. Inj. and Extents (Rec. 

 Soc, Lanes, and Ches.), i, 33. 



Gerald de Clayton was a benefactor to 

 Cockersand Abbey, giving part of his 

 land within bounds beginning at the 

 clough under Scalecroft (on the east side 



of the king's street) and going by the 

 waingate to the clough dividing Leyland 

 and Clayton, and by BLicklache to the 

 starting-point ; Coekersjnd Chartul. (Chet. 

 Soc), ii, 49S. 



From later notices Gerald de Clayton's 

 land seems to have been one plough-land 

 in Clayton 5 as his successors held Clayton 

 of Lea and Hoghton their manor must 

 have been included in the grant to 

 Richard Fitton, though in some ways it 

 is regarded as held directly of the lord of 

 Penwortham. On the other hand in 

 1346-55 Sir Adam de Hoghton was 

 found to hold three parts of a knight's 

 fee, formerly held by Robert de Clayton 

 and Richard Fitton ; FeuJ. Aids, iii, 86. 



'" Robert de Clayton in I 21 5 owed 12J 

 marks and a palfrey on succeeding to the 

 office of bailiff of Leylandshire ; Lanes. 

 Pipe R. 252 ; Lanes. Inq. and Extents, 

 \, 132. He afterwards sold this office to 

 William de Ferrers. 



Robert confirmed the grant made by 

 his father Gerald to the canons of Cocker- 

 sand, and added further portions of land ; 

 from the bounds it appears that Werdcn 

 brook fell into the above-named clough 

 dividing Clayton and Leyland ; Coekersand 

 Chartul. ii, 499, 500. 



" Of the heir of the Earl of Lincoln 

 (as lord of Penwortham) Robert de 

 Clayton in I 242 held the tenth part and 

 the twentieth part of a knight's fee in 

 Clayton and Penwortham ; Lanes. Inq. 

 and Extents, i, 149. The ' twentieth part ' 

 in Penwortham being the 4 oxgangs named 

 in a preceding note, it seems to follow that 

 the ' tenth part ' in Clayton was a plough- 

 land. 



'^ Mentioned simultaneously in 1242 ; 

 ibid. His name also occurs among the 

 jurors at inquisitions and the witnesses to 

 charters. 



Richard son of Robert (son of) Gerald 

 de Clayton was defendant in 1270 ; Curia 

 Regis R. 199, m. 15. 



" Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 270 ; the 

 date is February 1287-8. 



29 



^Mbld. 273; December 1288. John 

 de Clayton and Warine his son attested a 

 local charter ; Add. MS. 32109, fol, 22. 



The homage of John de Clayton -was 

 included in the grant by Edmund Fitton 

 to Henry de Lea ; Dods. MS. cxlii, fol. i zb. 



^^ Lanes. Inq. and Extents, J, 3 1 5 ; 

 Robert held of the Earl of Lancaster the 

 tenth part of a fee in Clayton and the 

 twentieth part in Penwortham. 



In the same year Agnes and Mabel, 

 daughters of William de Crook, with 

 William Cuckoo and Alice his wife, did 

 not prosecute their claim against Robert 

 son of Warine de Clayton touching land 

 in Clayton ; Assize R. 418, m. z. 



From later pleadings it appears that 

 Alice was a Clayton. She was plaintiff 

 in 1 3 1 5 and later against Gilbert de 

 Swiney ; De Banco R. 208, m. 118 d.; 

 261, m. 227 d.; 296, m. 364. 



^^ Perhaps a brother of Robert. 



^^ Lanes. Inq, p.m. (Chet. Soc), i, 3. 



'^ Ibid. In 1 3 13 Adam claimed two 

 parts of two parts of the manor against 

 Henry de Lea (who said he was guardian 

 in chivalry), Robert son of Adam 

 Banastre, and William son of Richard 

 Banastre, asserting that his father John 

 de Clayton held the manor by a rent of 

 \%d. yearly and not by knights' service. 

 The jury, however, found that John had 

 held it by the eighth part of a knight's 

 fee ; Assize R. 424, m. 7 d. The in- 

 crease of service from the tenth part to 

 the eighth part will be noticed. 



^''' In 1332 Adam de Clayton and 

 Hawise his wife made a settlement of 

 the manor of Clayton ; Final Cone. 

 (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 88. The 

 same year Adam and Robert de Clayton 

 contributed to the subsidy ; Exch. Lay 

 Subs. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 44. 



In 1345 Adam de Clayton claimed 20 

 acres of moor against John son of Adam 

 de Charnock, it being uncertain whether 

 the land was in Clayton or in Cuerden. 

 The jury divided it between them; As- 

 size R. i435> m. 36. 



