A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



TK>n;;ton, Leyland and Euxton.^ This was probably 

 an imperfect account, and nearly a century later 

 Longton was found to be held in four equal portions, 

 8 oxgangs of land each being held by the abbey of 

 Evesham or prior}' of Penwortham, Peter and Gilbert 

 de Risley, William de Hesketh and Maud his wife, 

 and Reyner le Fleming, by the law of England, as 

 the estate of his late wife. 



Before this, howe^■e^, a mesne manor had been 

 created by Henry de Lacy, and in 1274 was given to 



William de la Mare in exchange for Tottlngton. 

 This manor descended in exactly the same way as 

 Croston, one moiety to Lea, Ashton and Traffbrd in 

 succession,^ and the other to Fleming and Hesketh.'* 



The inferior manor, as already stated, was in 1306 

 stated to be held equally by four lords.' The 8 

 oxgangs attributed to the Prior of Penwortham can 

 be traced to grants by the Bussels, formerly lords of 

 the fee*^ ; after the Suppression this fourth part was 

 granted to John Fleetwood,^ The Risley portion is 



' Lanes. Jnq. and Extents (Rcc. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, t, 5-4. Roger de Lacy 

 gave tc Robert Bussel two plough-lands and 

 2 oxgangs of land in Longton and Lej-land 

 to hold by knights' sen-ice. It is sup- 

 posed that 10 oxgangs lay in Longton, 

 The estate was held by Robert Bussel, pro- 

 bably the same man, in 1 242 ; ibid, i, 1 50. 



- Final Cone, (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 ChcB.), I, 152. The manor of Longton 

 was to be held by a rent of 501. and pro- 

 viding ' bode and witnessman.' The 

 grant no doubt included all the rights the 

 Earls of Lincoln could give. In 1311 

 accordingly the heirs of William de la 

 Mare held their tenements in Longton of 

 the Earl of Lincoln by the scnice of 50J. 

 a year; De Laiy hij. (Chct. Soc), 21, 

 Similar entries appear in the De Lacy 

 Comftoii ; but in 1241-2 the return from 

 Longton to the earl had been £6 1 21. o^./. ; 

 Lii'us. In^. ami Extents^ i, 157. 



It wa?, perhap":, on account of the sub- 

 ordinate lordships already existing that 

 this manor was often called a moiety of 

 the manor of Lonpton, as will be seen 

 from subsequent notes. The present 

 division into four equal parts is probably 

 the result of an agreement between the 

 claimants to lordship. 



• Sec the account ot Croston. 



Henry de Lea in i ^03 claimed the 

 performance of a covenant respecting four 

 messuages, ^ oxgangs of land and half a 

 mill in Lonct' n, the defendant being 

 Maud widow of William dc Lea ; De 

 Banco R. 145, m. 178. 



Robert Bussel in ^Ji^ claimed land in 

 Longton against John Fleming and 

 William dc la Lcn, who held It as grand- 

 sons and heirs of Margery de la Mare ; 

 she had received it from the plaintiff, but 

 he alleged that his charter was made 

 while he was under age ; Dc Banco R. 

 230, ni. 1^5; 251, m. 50. The con- 

 nexion of this Robert with the older 

 Bussel family is not known. 



In a settlement by William dc Lea and 

 Isolda his wife in 1572 a fourth part of 

 the manor of Longton was included ; 

 Final Cone, ii, 18 v From a grant by 

 Abel son of William son of Abel dc 

 Longton it appears that his messuage was 

 held of Sir William de Lea by a rent of 

 12./. i Towneley MS. DD, no. 16-6. 



The fourth part of the manor was by 

 inheritance vested in the Ashtons of 

 Croston ; Pal. of Lane. Pica R. -^3 

 (1468), m. 7 d., 12 d. 5 34, m. iS. Yet 

 Thomas Ashton, who died in 1496, was 

 stated to hold a moiety of the manor of 

 the king as of his duchy by the eighth 

 part of a knight's fee ; Duchy of Lane 

 Inq. p.m. iii, no. 93 ; iv, no. -9. The 

 moiety also is claimed in later inquisi- 

 tions, though the tenure is changed to 

 socage and a rent of 2 5 J. ; ibid, xiv, no. 17 ; 

 xxix, no. 6. In a valuation of the Ashton 

 estate m 1542 the moiety of the manor of 

 Longton was said to be worth £% izs. a 

 year, and to be held of the king by the 



eighth part of a knight's fee and the 

 service of 255. ; Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), 

 XXV, 295. In 161 7 Thomas Ashton, by 

 producing the original charter from Henry 

 de Lacy Earl of Lincoln, showed that a 

 socage tenure was created ; ibid. 305. In 

 1622 the estate was called the fourth part 

 of the manor ; Lanes. Inq, f>,m. (Rec. Soc 

 Lanes, and Ches.), iii, 331. 



In 1 771 the Traffords claimed a third part 

 of the manor, but in 1797 only a fourth 

 part i Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 61 ^, m. 10 ; 

 Assize R. 1 1 of Aug. Assizes 37 Geo. III. 



* The Fleming share was not entirely 

 derived from the De la Mare marriage, 

 whatever may have been the origin of the 

 fourth part of the subordinate manor held 

 by them, 



Reyner Fleming in 1309-10 demised 

 to William son of Abci and Alice his 

 wife land on the lower side of Longton 

 windmill, called Crowncst and Apaldsyke, 

 at 1 3J. rent; Towneley MS. DD, no, 

 1 747. In the following year Reyner 

 agreed with Jordan Bussel as to the 

 moiety of a mossdalc, the other moifly 

 of which was held by Roger Bussel of 

 William dc Hesketh \ ibid. n(>. 166^. 

 He also demised to Thomas son of 

 Robert de Hesketh and Alice his wife 

 land in Longton at a rent of loj. g^/. ; 

 ibid. no. 1666. Sir Thomas Fleming in 

 1408 demised to Henry son of Adam 

 Brctherton the whole of hin demesne in 

 Longton for 21 years; ibid. no. 1770. 

 Thomas son of Henry Brctherton con- 

 tinued in possession nf" the Fleming 

 quarter, as tenant at will, dying in 1443 ; 

 ibid. no. 1490. Hugh, his son, was four 

 years old. AMcr\\ar'lf;, in 1466, Hugh 

 Brctherton grandson of Henry released 

 his right in the fourth part of the manor 

 to William Fleming ; ibid. no. 1757. 



After the division of the Fleming 

 estates between Hesktlh and Dalton, the 

 lattcr's moiety included an eighth part of 

 the manor of Longton ; Pal. of Lane. 

 Plea R. 90 (1500), m. 5. It seems to 

 have been sold soon afterwards to Thomas 

 Hesketh, whose successor finally acquired 

 the other moiety, it appears, in 1526 

 (Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 1 1, m. 165), 

 and the estate of the family was after- 

 wards described absolutely as the * manor * 

 of Longton. In the earlier inquisitions, 

 however, nothing is named except mes- 

 suages and lands, the tenure being of the 

 Crown in socage ; Duchy of Lane Inq. 

 p.m. v, no. 16 ; xv, no. 56. The *manor' 

 appears in 1602 and became the usual 

 description ; e.g. Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. 

 bdle. 64, no. 7; 2^7, m. 52; Lanes. 

 Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc Lanes, and Ches.), 

 iii, 3^1-7. In a recover}' in 1798 only 

 a fourth part of the manor was named 

 among the RufFord estates ; Pal. of Lane. 

 Assize R. 7 of Lent Assizes 38 Geo. III. 



The Hesketh portion of the manor 

 was sold lately to Mr. Thomas R. Wilkins 

 of Longton, together with a farm in the 

 township. 



70 



^ Joan wife of Alan del Karr (see a 

 later note) claimed land against Peter dc 

 Risley and Geoffrey his brother, who in 

 reply asserted that they held 8 oxgangs 

 of land in partnership with the others 

 named in the text. The plaintiff's land 

 had to be ploughed and sown in Lent ; 

 the defendants were alleged to have reaped 

 the corn in August and carried it away. 

 A verdict for plaintiff was recorded ; 

 Assize R. 420, m. 9. 



^ Warine Bussel gave to Fvcsliam 2 

 oxgangs of land in Longton, to which his 

 son Richard added 4. Albert Bussel 

 confirmed these gifts and promised 2 

 oxgangs more at his death. Hugh Bussel 

 son of Albert ratified his predecessors' 

 acts. See Penwortham Priory (Chet. Soc), 

 3-6. The 6 oxgangs were occupied by 

 Robert son of Geoffrey and the 2 oxgangs 

 by Reyner son of Steinulf. 



Albert Bussel'a grant of 2 oxgangs 

 of land included the man of Reyner son 

 of Steinulf thereon dwelling, also land 

 between Dcrncclough and Blackshaw- 

 brook and Swain son of Walter ; Kucrden 

 fol. MS. (Chet. Lib.), 54. 



Robert Bussel gave a small piece of 

 land in Longton, adjoining the Hospi- 

 tallers' land, to Evesham ; Penivortham 

 Priory, 10. The abbey received other 

 gifts. John the miller of Longton released 

 a messuage and water-mill which he had 

 had from Philip dc Sheldesley, formerly 

 prior of Penwortham ; Kucrden fol. MS. 

 250. There were several similar releases. 

 William son of Ralph dc Nateby granted 

 the homage and service of his tenants for 

 half an oxgang of land in the Beremarsh 

 and other lands, and a fishery ; ibid. 270. 

 Robert son of Sibyl dc Longton gave 

 lands viithin bounds which named the 

 Ingesyke, &c. ; ibid. 236. Walter son 

 of Adam de Howick a ridge on the South 

 furlong of Breck; Halleturncr and Brckes- 

 gate are named among the bounds ; ibid. 

 170. William son of Geoffrey Loxham 

 gave all his land in the Strinds ; ibid. 



234- 



The grants by tkc abbots include one 

 of 2 acres to Swain son of Michael, at a 

 rent of i8(/., another to William son of 

 Hulle of a plot in Tyrole field ; and to 

 Sansom, brother of Albert Bussel's wife, 

 the z oxgangs received from Albert, at 

 a rent of zod. ; Ibid. 1 10. Swain son of 

 Michael dc Longton granted land to 

 Geoffrey son of Thomas Bussel, who 

 had married Margery daughter of 

 Swain ; it lay next to land of Warine son 

 of Robert Bussel ; Piccope MSS, xiv, 78. 



In 1474 the abbey tenants, Lewis 

 Longton, Thomas Shcrdley and John 

 Strickland, agreed to pay 131. 4//. a year 

 to the abbot for a certain fee farm due to 

 him from Longton ; Towneley MS. DD, 

 no. 1766. 



^ Longton was not named in the grant 

 by Henry VHI, but was in that by Eliza- 

 beth in 1564; Penivortham Pn J rj^ 127. 

 The * manor' is named in the inquisitions 



