A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



pives access to the King's Room on the north and the 

 drawing-room on the south. From the King's Room 

 a door leads to another large room, now LaJy de 

 Hoghton's private room, over the entrance hall and 

 new porch. The fittings of the drawing-room, which 

 is the same size as the billiard room and library below, 

 belong to the latest period of the restoration, and are 

 a fine piece of modern Renaissance work, but the 

 panelling of the King's Room and the room beyond 

 is apparently the original late 1 7th-century wainscot 

 restored. 



Round both courtyards the walls are faced with 

 wide courses of squared masonr}-, irrespective of the 

 different periods of building, the only exception 

 being the well-house, where the walls are of rough 

 stone. Round the upper courtyard all the first 

 floor windo\v5 and those to the great hall have 

 moulded jambs and muUions, and the ground floor 

 windows hollow chamfers. Other parts of the 

 building show great difference in detail in this 

 respect, some of the windows having hollow and 

 some rounded chamfers, while others are moulded. 

 Most of the ground floor rooms are entered direct 

 from the courtyards, the upper court having at 

 present seven doorw.i)s in use, while two have been 

 built up. There was originally a doorway on the 

 south siJe of the entrance archway to what was 

 probably a porter's room, but this also has been 

 built up and a staircase erected in the room prob- 

 ably in the latter half of the 17th century after the 

 destruction of the tower. To the south of this in 

 the middle wing is an interesting room with panelled 

 wainscot called the Oak Room, 1 8 ft. by 20 ft., lit by 

 two windows on each side to either courtyard. 



The modern overhanging eaves gutter now hides 

 the original moulded stone eaves course, which, 

 however, is seen running across the bottom of the 

 hall gable on the north side of the upper court as a 

 string course, and similarly in the gable of the south- 

 east three-story w ing. The gables throughout 

 have plain copings with ball termination;, and with 

 one or two exceptions are curiously ornamented in 

 the apex by a very small carved human face. 



The other rooms on the ground floor are for the 

 most part unimportant, very little original detail 

 having been preserved, though some of the furniture 

 is made from timber belonging to the old house. 

 Much the same may be said of the first floor, where, 

 however, more structural alterations have perhaps 

 been found necessary, many of the bedrooms having 

 originally opened one from another, though the 

 number of staircases in the house rendered this 

 feature of 16th-century planning less objectionable 



than is usually the case. The bedrooms in the 

 middle wing between the courts however, ha\c been 

 curtailed in size by the introduction of a corridor 

 the full length of the east side facing the upper 

 court, and the curious room, south of these, known 

 as the Guinea Room, by reason of the character of 

 its panel decoration, has been mutilated and cut in 

 two.' 



The gardens lie on the south and cist sides of the 

 house, that to the east, which extends to the highest 

 point of the hill, having formerly been known as the 

 Wilderness. It is about 200 ft. long by 160 ft. wide, 

 and is inclosed by embattled stone walls. These walls 

 have been rebuilt, but in conformity with those which 

 previously existed. On the north side, parallel with 

 the wall, is a raised terrace walk.' On the south side 

 of the house are two flower gardens at different levels 

 inclosed by stone walls, from the upper one of which 

 the picturesquely broken up south front of the house 

 is best seen. In this garden is a well-designed 1 8th- 

 century lead vase, now in decaj-, and the lead figure 

 of a boy on a new pedestal in the centre of one of the 

 flower beds. There is also an old stone sundial shaft, 

 but the plate is missing. 



On the grass opposite the west front to the south 

 o( the entrance is a sundial shaft mounted on a high 

 circular stone base, the plate of which is also missing ; 

 it bore the inscription ' Mca Gloria Fides.'' 



The great barn, built by Sir Charles Hoghton in 

 1692, stands about 120 ft. to the north-west of the 

 lower courtyard, partly inclosing the north side of the 

 grass forecourt. It is i 39 ft. in length, with a central 

 projecting gable 34 ft. wide on the south side. The 

 cast end remains much the same as when erected, with 

 its narrow slit openings ; but at the west it has been 

 converted into stables, and modern w indows have been 

 inserted on both sides. Later buildings have been 

 added at the east end on the north side.* 



Manor courts were held till about thirty years ago.' 

 There are court rolls from 1672 to 1689* at Walton, 

 and later records. 



The Hoghton family having long been practically 

 sole landowners, few other names occur as holding 

 land in the township.' Sir Henry Hoghton in 1786 

 paid about a fourth part of the land tax.' 



Brimmicroft, now in Hoghton, is the ' Broomicroft 

 in Withnell' which was in 1293 given by Richard 

 son of Sir Adam dc Hoghton to his son Richard.' 



The Anglican church of the Holy Trinity was 

 opened in 1824. A district was assigned in 1842.'° 

 This is a vicarage in the gift of the vicar of Leyland. 



There is a Wesleyan chapel, founded as early as 

 1794. 



' It was originally iS ft. by 12 ft. and 

 is now reduced to i 2 ft. square. A por- 

 tion of the old wainscot remains. In 

 the four corners of each panel is a circular 

 gilt ornament about the size of a guinea, 

 the resemblance of which to the coin has 

 probably given rise to the name of the 

 room. The explanations given that the 

 complete number of 'guineas* on the 

 panelling indicated the rental of the 

 estate, and that the room was once a 

 gambling chamber, appear to have no 

 authority or foundation. 



* *The cast end forms the garden 

 formerly called the Wilderness, nov/ 

 nearly an acre of well-cultivated ground. 

 On this Bide other portions of the old 



building have evidently extended further 

 east, as is Indicated by portions of the 

 thick walls, a communicating doorway, 

 and other remains attached to the present 

 walls. It is stated, indeed, that a bjll- 

 room that stood here was pulled down 

 many years ago and the materials appro- 

 priated to the building of one of the 

 barn=.' .7 Description of Hoghton Toivsr^ 

 by J. Heseltine, 1S57. These 'remains' 

 have, of course, disappeared in the late 

 restorations. 



^ Heseltine, op. cit. 36. 



* A description of the building about 

 1840 was published at Preston by P. A, 

 Whittle. 



• Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1870), ii, 142, 



46 



^Withnell and Whcclton were included 

 for the appointment of constables, &c. 



' Henry Mouldcn, Richard Livesay 

 and Thomas Hodgson, tanner, as ' Papists,' 

 registered small estates in 171 7 ; Estcourt 

 and Payne, Engl. Caih. Non-jurors, 94, 

 loi, 130. 



* Land tax returns at Preston. 



" Dods. MSS. cxlii, fol. 2 1 A. There 

 are other deeds relating to Broomicroft 

 in Add. MS. 32106 ; e.g. Alice formerly 

 wife of Hugh del Broomicroft released 

 her right in the moiety thereof to Adam 

 de Hnghton; no. 911. Sir Richard de 

 Hoghton in 1+06 granted a third part of 

 it to John Lelois on lease ; no. 778. 



'» Lond. Gaz. 3 May 1842. 



