LEYLAND HUNDRED 



PENWORTHAM 



Pleasington,^ Sutton,^ and Werden ^ occur in 

 pleadings and inquisitions ^ ; and Lord Mounteagle 

 held lands, probably as successor to James Harring- 

 ton.^ William Farington of Worden acquired an 

 estate in Penwortham known as the Lower Hall.*' 

 There were many disputes as to the mossJ 



In 1783 the principal landowners were James 

 Barton, Serjeant Aspinall and the heirs of Sir 

 William Farington, who together paid about half the 

 land tax.^ 



The parish church has been described above. At 

 Middleforth Green are the iron church of St. Leonard 

 and a Wesleyan chapel. 



Farinton, 



FARINGTON 



1212; Farington, 1246. 



Farrington 



was a common spelling till a few years ago, being 

 used, for example, in the Census Report of i 83 I, 



This entirely inland township has an area of 

 1,860 acres.^ The population in 1901 was 2,005. 

 The River Lostock runs through it diagonally from 

 north-east to south-west, and on each side of it the 

 land rises to over 100 ft. above sea level, a height of 

 about 130 ft. being attained on the south-east border. 

 The principal village is near the northern boundary, 

 but other considerable hamlets lie near the southern 

 boundary. 



The chief road through the township is that along 

 the west bank of the Lostock, going north to Preston, 

 and passing through the village ; another important 

 thoroughfare is that from Wigan to Preston, which 

 is within the eastern boundary for about a mile. 



years j Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxix, 

 no. 12. A pedigree of the family (as 

 Norris of Middleforth) was recorded in 

 1664; Dugdalc, Visit. (Chet. Soc), 219. 

 For a continuation see Gregson, Frag- 

 ments (ed. Harland), 199, 200, and the 

 account of Davy Hulme in Eccles. 



^ William de Tatham, rector of 

 Mitton, in 1338 gave to Henry de Plea- 

 sington lands in Penwortham to be held 

 of the chief lords by the service of mak- 

 ing daily passage across the Ribble by 

 boat at his own charge, as In times past, 

 and enjoining those who crossed to pray 

 for the soul of Henry de Lacy and 

 others ; Dods, MSS. cxlix, fol. 138^. 



From later deeds it appears that Albert 

 Bussel had granted a messuage and an 

 oxgang of land to one Henry de Pleasing- 

 ton for maintaining a boat for foot pas- 

 sengers ; in 1358 the lands, which had 

 been taken into the duke's hand because 

 Robert son of Henry de Pleasington had 

 not conveyed horsemen also, were restored 

 to Robert on his showing that this was 

 outside the charter 5 Dep* Keeper's Rep, 

 xxxii, App. 345. But in 1385 Sir Robert 

 de Pleasington was further charged with 

 withdrawing the free passage, it being 

 this time alleged that Henry de Lacy had 

 given lands to Robert the Ferryman for 

 maintaining a free boat, and that Sir 

 Robert had taken possession of the lands 

 while the ferryman charged a toll ; Lanes. 

 Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc), i, 22. John the 

 Ferryman died in August 1383 holding 

 2 acres in Penwortham of the Abbot of 

 Evesham as of his priory of Penwortham 

 by a rent of ^d., but having committed 

 suicide his land was taken into the duke's 

 hand. Cecily his daughter and heir was 

 fourteen years old in 1395 ; Lanes. Rec. 

 Inq. p.m. no. 15, 16. 



In 1387 Sir Robert and John de 

 Pleasington made a settlement of lands 

 in Penwortham, &c. ; Final Cone, iii, 29. 

 John Fleetwood in 1582 purchased 

 Robert Pleasington's messuage, &c., in 

 Penwortham ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. 

 bdle. 24, m. 175, Fleetwood had in 

 1557 purchased the estate of Alice 

 daughter and heir of William Smallwood ; 

 ibid. bdle. 20, m. 1 1 6. A Thomas 

 Smallwood had held a messuage and 

 land in Penwortham in 1504; Pal. of 

 Lane. Plea R. 97, m. 9. 



2 Gilbert Sutton of Penwortham 

 (son of Richard and Joan) in 14 1 4 

 agreed to marry Joan daughter of John 

 Farington and sister of William ; Piccope 

 MSS. xiv, 86. He appears to have mar- 

 ried some years earlier Margaret a daughter 

 of Henry de Howick ; ibid. 56. 



Gilbert Sutton was in 15 18 found to 



have held land in Penwortham of the 

 king as Duke of Lancaster ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. v, no. 67. This 

 descended to Gorsuch of Searisbrick in 

 the same way as the other Sutton 

 estates ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F, bdle. 

 63, no. 94. 



^ Roger de Werden had a lease of 

 part of the moss in 1401 ; Dep. Keeper's 

 Rep. xl, App. 530, The administrators 

 of the goods of John Werden (viz, 

 Lettice the widow and James Werden) 

 claimed a debt from Sir Alexander 

 Standish in 1505 ; Duchy of Lane. 

 Ct. R. bdle. 78, no. loii. William Werden 

 in 1559 made a settlement of his messuage, 

 land, &c., in favour of his illegitimate 

 sons Arthur, Peter and James Werden ; 

 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 21, m. 140. 

 George Werden of Penwortham, as a 

 ' Papist,' registered a small estate in 

 1717; Esteourt and Payne, Engl. Cath. 

 Non-jurors, 96. 



■* In 1 394 it was returned that William 

 son of William Grayveson, outlawed in 

 1 391, had in right of Ellen his wife held a 

 messuage and land of the duke in socage ; 

 Margery wife of Robert de Charnley 

 was the daughter and heir of Ellen ; 

 Lanes. Rec. Misc. Inq. p.m. no. 4, 5 5 

 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc), i, 49. 



Thomas Kuerden purchased a messuage 

 and land in Middleforth in 1551 from 

 Nicholas and William Ambrose ; Pal. of 

 Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 14, m. 235. 

 Elizabeth Kuerden was in i579 a de- 

 fendant in a suit as to Estmar intakes ; 

 Diitatus Lane, iii, 62, 88. 



Oliver Breres of Preston died in 1572 

 holding the Spenee in Penwortham, but 

 the tenure was not stated ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. xiii, no. 13. 



John Charnock of Fulwood died in 

 1574 holding a portion of turbary called 

 Penwortham moss of the queen by the 

 fortieth part of a knight's fee ; ibid, xii, 

 no. 35. In his will he says that he had 

 purchased the turbary from Sir Thomas 

 Gerard and the copyhold lands from 

 Thomas Serjeant ; he bequeathed the 

 former to Robert Charnock of Astley 

 and the latter to Alice wife of Barnaby 

 Kitehin and widow of William Forshaw ; 

 Piccope, Wills (Chet. Soc), ii, 209-10. 

 William Charnock of Leyland in 1598 

 held messuages, &c., in Penwortham of 

 the queen in socage ; Duchy of Lane 

 Inq. p.m. xvii, no. 5. Robert Charnock 

 of Charnock Richard in i6i6 held a 

 messuage, &e., in Penwortham of the 

 king by knights' service ^ Lanes. Inq. p.m. 

 (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 38. 

 Charnock moss lies to the south of the 

 township. 



61 



William Kirkby of Up Rawcliffe in 1 596 

 held two messuages, &c, of the queen as 

 of her manor of Penwortham ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. xvii, no. i6. 



Richard Serjeant in 1628 held three 

 messuages, &c., in Middleforth, his heirs 

 being his ten daughters 5 ibid, xxvii, no. 

 27. 



Henry Banastre of Bank in 1641 held 

 a messuage in Middleforth ; ibid, xxix, 

 no. 15. 



^ Ibid. V, no. 64. The lands in 

 Penwortham seem to have been called 

 Cuerdale lands ; they were held of 

 Thomas Langton (of Walton-le-Dale) 

 by services unknown. 



John de Cuerdale had lands (Blodhey, 

 &c.) in Penwortham in the time of 

 Henry IV, which seem to have de- 

 scended to his son Geoffrey j Kuerden 

 fol. MS. pp. 211-13, 246. 



Banastre House seems to have been 

 part of the Mounteagle estate ; Ducatus 

 Lane, iii, 242. See Forshaw above. 



Thomas Hesketh in 1596 purchased 

 lands in Middleforth and Penwortham 

 from Lord Mounteagle j Pal. of Lane 

 Feet of F. bdle. 59, m. 338. 



^ Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec Soc. Lanes. 

 and Ches.), i, 181-4 j it was held of the 

 king by the hundredth part of a knight's 

 fee. His purchase of the Forshaw 

 estate has been recorded above. In 1572 

 he bought two messuages with lands 

 from Robert Aughton and Ellen his wife ; 

 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 34, m. 47. 

 About 1590 he had disputes with James 

 Ayscough and others as to tenements 

 called HoUins, Brandlewood, &c. ^ 

 Ducatus Lane, iii, 217, &c. 



^ References to the moss will be 

 found in preceding notes. In 1403 the 

 moss was let for ;^3 45. a year ; Lanes. 

 and Ches. Recs. ii, 304. The turbary in 

 the moss was included in the grani of 

 Ulnes Walton and other manors by 

 Edward IV to Thomas Molyneux of 

 Sefton in 1481 j Duchy of Lane. Misc. 

 Bks. xix, 20. For various claims see 

 Duchy Plead, ii, 183 ; iii, ii. 



In 1 5 5 1 it was with the same manors 

 sold to Anthony Browne \ Duchy of Lane. 

 Misc. Bks. xxiii, 70 d. His tenants had 

 disputes with others as to the right of 

 turbary in 1565, and there were later 

 conflicts } Ducatus Lane, ii, 304 ; iii, 109. 

 See also Lanes, and Ches. Rec. ii, 261, 

 279. 



In 1595 the people of Preston claimed 



right of way over Middleforth moor and 



Penwortham moss ; Ducatus, iii, 327, &c. 



^ Land tax returns at Preston. 



"^ 1,862 acres, including 18 of inland 



water j Census Rep, 1901. 



