LEYLAND HUNDRED 



LEYLAND 



For over a century after 1662 there was a non- 

 conforming congregation at Hoghton Tower, the 

 banqueting room being used as a place of worship.' 



WITHNELL 



WithcnhuU, Wythenil, Whytenhull, 1290-2 ; 

 Wythenull, 1 306. Local pronunciation, Winnell. 



In the centre of this township is a valley with 

 a watercourse known as the Goit, flowing by a 

 channel artificially constructed from north-east 

 to south-west ; here are the principal villages. To 

 the north-west are the Heights, attaining 720 ft. 

 above sea level, and descending on the other side to 

 the valle}' of the Lostock, which is the north-west 

 boundary of the township. By the borders of this 

 stream is the hamlet of Withnell Fold and Ollerton 

 is near it. Part of the township stretches north from 

 the Goit, the land attaining 600 ft., and contains 

 the hamlet of Stanworth ; the eastern boundary of 

 this part is a brook flowing north to the River 

 Darwen. The part of the township to the south- 

 east of the Goit is occupied by the northern slope of 

 the Great Hill, a spur of the Rivington and Angle- 

 zarke hills, attaining a height of 1,249 ^^- O" ^^^ 

 north-east slope is the hamlet of Roddlesworth,* and 

 on the northern boundary are several reservoirs 

 formed in 1857 and belonging to the corporation of 

 Liverpool. The hamlet of Brinscall is in the south- 

 west corner. The area is 3,260 acres.' In 1901 

 there was a population of 3,349. 



The principal road is part of that from Chorley to 

 Blackburn, going through the north-west part of the 

 township, and crossed by another important road, 

 that from Bolton to Preston. These roads are also 

 connected by cross-roads through the Goit vallej'. 

 Through this valley runs the Chorley and Cherry Tree 

 (Blackburn) branch of the Lancashire and Yorkshire 



and London and North Western Railway Companies, 

 with stations named Withnell to the north and 

 Brinscall to the south (on the border of Wheelton). 

 The Leeds and Liverpool Canal passes along the 

 north-western boundary. 



The soil is varied and the subsoil rocky ; grass is 

 the chief crop. 



There are quarries in the hills and in the valleys 

 are cotton and paper mills and bleaching works. 



In 1666 there were eighty-nine hearths taxed in 

 this township. The largest houses were those of 

 Richard Girlington with eight hearths and John 

 Fishwick with six.' 



The township is governed by an urban district 

 council of twelve members. An isolation hospital 

 was built to commemorate the coronation of King 

 Edward \'II, chiefly by the Parke family. The 

 Blackburn manure works are at Stanworth. 



There is the pedestal of an ancient cross at 

 Ollerton.* 



This township was included in the 

 MJNOR district called Gunolfsmoors, an account 

 of v\'hich has been given above under 

 Hoghton ; sometimes, indeed, Gunolfsmoors is 

 described as in Withnell. The manor of WITH- 

 NELL, if it can be regarded as distinct, was long 

 held with Hoghton.' 



Formerly the township and its principal hamlets — 

 Roddlesworth, Ollerton, and Stanworth — gave sur- 

 names to freeholders, but very little can be stated 

 concerning them.' 



Roddlesworth is often found joined with Withnell 

 in the township name,' and is occasionally referred to 

 as a township." In the 1 3th century and later a 

 family named Whalley were prominent there.'" 

 Their lands were sold to Sir Adam de Hoghton." 

 Ollerton also was transferred to the Hoghton 

 family.'^ 



' Nightingale, Lanes, Nonconf. f, 

 68-75 ; ". 54. 188. 



^ Rothesword, Rothelesword, Roth- 

 leswrd, 1280-90 ; Rothelisworth, 13S7. 



^ 3,705 acres, including 85 of inland 

 water; Ctmus Rep. 1901. In 1877 a 

 small area was transferred from Hoghton 

 to this township ; Loc. Govt. Bd. Order 

 71 19. The township was again ex- 

 tended in 1899 by the addition of part of 

 Wheelton ; ibid. 39579. 



' Subs. R. 250, no. 9. 



' Lanes, and Ches. Antij. Soc. xvii, 30. 



' See the account of Hoghton. In the 

 Hoghton inquisitions Withnell is reckoned 

 as part of the quarter of a knight's fee in 

 Hoghton. 



' The partition between the co-heirs 

 of William de Withnell has been described 

 under Hoghton, and pedigrees are given 

 in Whalley Coucher (Chet. Soc), iii, 831. 



Henry son of Henry de Withnell 

 granted to Sir Adam de Hoghton a third 

 part of the waste in Withnell ; Dods. 

 MSS. cxlii, fol. 22A. Agnes the widow 

 of Henry at the same time released her 

 right to dower in the same ; ibid. fol. 2i. 

 In 1291 a third part of Withnell was 

 held by Adam de Hoghton and Adam son 

 of Henry de Withnell ; Assize R. 1291, 

 m. 9 d. ; see also Abhrev. Plac. 197*. 

 The latter Adam is probably the Adam 

 grandson of Margery de Withnell of the 

 pedigrees cited ; his story has been given 

 under Hoghton. Richard son of Adam 

 de Hoghton included a messuage and 



land in Withnell in a settlement of 1306 ; 

 Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 

 i, 207. 



Amery de Withnell in 1311-12 gave 

 half an oxgang of Hand to her brother 

 William son of Henry de Withnell ; 

 Dods. MSS. cxlii, fol. 22A. Two years 

 later Henry son of Richard de Withnell 

 granted a third part of the mill to Richard 

 son of Richard de Hoghton ; ibid. fol. 22. 

 John son of John de Withnell in 1336 

 gave Sir Richard de Hoghton the homage 

 of Alice and Cecily daughters of Henry 

 de Brereworth ; ibid. fol. 3;. A fifth 

 part of the manor of Withnell was in the 

 hands of Richard de Hoghton in 1313 ; 

 Final Cone, ii, 14. 



Roddlesworth also occurs as a surname ; 

 see Add. MS. 32109, fol. 34, 42*, 43. 



^ For example, in the Inq. Nonarum, 

 1341. 



9 W. S. White, Leyland Reg. 103 note. 



W In 1283 Ralph de Catterall granted 

 to Henry de Lea the service of Roger 

 de Whalley from I oxgang of land in 

 Roddlesworth ; Add. MS. 32106, no. 22. 

 Hugh son of Hugh de Mitton made a 

 like grant ; Dods. MSS. cxlii, fol. 21. 



Roger son of Henry de Whalley in 

 1285 complained that Adam de Hoghton 

 and Geoffrey son of Adam de Hoghton 

 had disseised him of his free tenement 

 in Roddlesworth, but it was held that the 

 land claimed lay in Withnell and not in 

 Roddlesworth ; Assize R. 1271, m. 11 d. ; 

 1274, m. 4. 



47 



Alice widow of Adam de Clough in 1333 

 gave lands in *the hamlet of Roddles- 

 worth in the vill of Withnell ' to John 

 son of Henry de Whalley and Margaret 

 his wife, with remainders to their sons 

 Robert, John and Roger ; Add. MS. 

 32106, no. 836. 



^^ In 1353 the Whalley estate appears 

 to have been mortgaged to Sir Adam de 

 Hoghton (ibid, no. 762, 766)f who in 

 1359 regranted it to John son of John 

 son of Henry de Whalley at an annual 

 rent of £2 lys. lod, for the first tv/enty 

 years ; the remainders were to Roger 

 brother of John and to Alice and 

 Katherine his sisters, With final re- 

 mainder to Sir Adam ; ibid. no. 31. 

 There are later deeds concerning the same 

 matter ; ibid. no. 764, 690. See also 

 Duchy of Lane. Assize R, 6, m. 8. 

 Lastly in 1366 Henry del Green and 

 Katherine his wife (probably the sister 

 above named) released to Sir Adam de 

 Hoghton all their right in John de 

 Whalley's land in Roddlesworth ; Add. 

 MS. 32106, no. 691. See also ibid. no. 



858, 854. 



'^ In 1282 Edmund Fitton sold to 

 Henry de Lea a rent of 41. 3</. due to 

 him from Ollerton; Final Cone, i, 160. 

 This would descend to the Hoghton 

 family with the other Lea estates. 



Richard de Ollerton, the immediate 

 lord, granted to Adam de Hoghton a 

 portion of his land for the rent of a pair 

 of gloves or id. ; Add. MS. 32106, 



