LEYLAND HUNDRED 



CROSTON 



endowments for the poor,' and shares to a small extent 

 another sum with Bispham.' For the poor of Ulnes 

 Walton the gifts of James Glassbrook and others yield 

 over £zs 3. year.' 



CROSTON 



Croston, 121 2, and generally; Croxton, 1237; 

 Croxston, 1259. 



The central township has an area of 2,361 acres,' 

 and the population numbered 2,102 in 1 90 1. The 

 old course of the Douglas forms the western boundary, 

 the straighter artificial course being within the town- 

 ship. The River Yarrow flows west to join the 

 Douglas, and receives the Lostock brook coming 

 from the north-east. The greater part of the surface 

 is moss-land, below the 2 5 ft. level ' ; the more 

 habitable land, with the village and church, is 

 chiefly in the north-east. 



The principal road is that from Wrightington and 

 Mawdesley going north-west through the village 

 towards Bretherton and Hoole ; a road to Rufford 

 branches off to the west with bridges over the old 

 and new courses of the Douglas, and another road 

 goes east to Chorley. The Lancashire and York- 

 shire Company's railway from Liverpool to Preston, 

 formed in 1 848-9, crosses the township and has 

 a station called Croston at the north-west end of the 

 village. 



There are four bridges over the Yarrow, one of 

 which, west of the church, is called Castle Bridge. 

 Dob Cross lies on the northern boundary and 

 Highfield in the north-east. Part of the market 

 cross remains." 



The wake was held on the Sunday next to 

 St. Michael's Day ; it now begins on the Monday 

 following this feast. Cattle fairs are held on the 

 Monday before Ash-Wednesday and on the Monday 

 after 12 October. 



The curfew bell is rung from March to September. 



Croston is governed by an urban district council of 

 nine members. There is a police station, with court 

 room. 



In 1666 there were 113 hearths recorded for the 

 tax. The principal house w.is that of John TrafFord, 

 with thirteen hearths ; the rector's house had five.' 



The commons were inclosed by an Act passed in 

 1724.' 



The soil is mostly clay and peat. Wheat, oats and 

 potatoes are grown, also quantities of fruit. There 

 is a cotton factory, and bricks and tiles are made. 



Ten plough-lands and 6 oxgangs of 

 MANORS land in CROSTON were by Roger de 

 Montbegon, lord of Hornby, given to 

 John Malherbe his half-brother to be held by 

 knights' service.' This knight's fee included not 

 only the township of Croston, but Mawdesley, which 



Sunday afternoon by the rector and 

 churchwardens. 



Thomas Norris, named in the text, 

 left a net sum of ^1,350 to augment the 

 Poor's Stock ; this has been invested in 

 consols and produces j^5o 75. id. 



The income of all the above, together 

 with the township's part of Dr. Layfield's 

 charity, but excepting the ^^4 loj. lO;/. 

 for bread, is applied by the trustees in the 

 purchase of clothing or materials for it. 

 A distribution is made on the Monday 

 after Christmas Day ; in 1898 the recipi- 

 ents numbered 266, viz. 45 men, 84 

 boys (each boy having a suit of clothes), 

 62 women, and 75 girls. 



All the Croston charities, by a scheme 

 sanctioned in 1897, arc controlled by the 

 same body of trustees, the objects of the 

 several benefactions not being interfered 

 with. 



A school of industry for girls was 

 founded in 1802 and continued till 1870. 

 The income of the endowment is now 

 given in prizes, &c. 



1 John Stopford in 1657 and his son 

 David Stopford in 1669 left rent-charges 

 of 40J. and 1 01. respectively for the poor of 

 Mawdesley; but 6s. 6d., part of the charge, 

 had been lost before 1828, and more re- 

 cently another part, 351. 6d., has been with- 

 held by the owner of the land charged. 

 Thomas Crook in 1688 charged his estate 

 with £z a year for the same. Margaret 

 Blackburn in 1718 left ^50 for mone- 

 cloth, or other necessaries for the poor, 

 •poor Catholics to be preferred before 

 others' — a request still respected. The 

 income of the above is given in small 

 money doles. 



2 Richard Durning in 1691 gave ^12 

 a year for the poor, repairing the roads, 

 binding children apprentices, and providing 

 a preaching minister in Douglas chapel. 

 He also founded a school at Bispham. 

 The scheme of 1878 provides that £\ 

 shall be given to the poor inhabitants of 

 Bispham, £i to the vicar of Douglas, 

 151. to the necessitous kindred of the 



founder, and ^5 to helping poor boys 

 and girls of Bispham, Parbold, Wright- 

 ington or Mawdesley to learn a suitable 

 trade. It is stated that there is no 

 demand for the last part of the charity, 

 and so the j^5 has never been paid. 



One John Ambrose left for the poor a 

 rent-charge of 35. \d. on land called 

 Bispham meadows, but the tenant in 

 1828 had refused to pay, and the gift was 

 lost. 



^ James Glassbrook in 1653 left 

 money invested in the purchase of the 

 Millholme and other closes in Ulnes 

 Walton for the use of the poor of the 

 township. The rent is now £17 ^ year, 

 and the net income is distributed at 

 Christmas by tickets for food. 



Ellen Waring in 1735 gave ^^40 (or 

 405. a year) for the poor. This was in- 

 vested in cottages and land in Euxton 

 which in 1826 were producing ;^I5 a 

 year. Now, however, there is only one 

 cottage standing in a little croft, and 

 producing £^ a year. The decline is 

 explained by the prosperity of the hand- 

 loom weavers who a century ago occupied 

 the cottages and could afford to pay high 

 rents. The rent, increased by interest 

 from ;^54 in the bank. Is now expended 

 in repairs and an occasional gift to some 

 poor person. 



An annuity of ioj. has long been paid 

 to the poor from 'Dandy land,' a field 

 belonging to Croston's almshouses. 



A sum of ,^40 was deposited In the 

 savings bank in 1825 for the poor of 

 Ulnes Walton. The interest was with- 

 drawn at irregular intervals, and after 

 the death of the trustee in 1869 the 

 whole was allowed to accumulate until 

 in 1896 ;^77 was available. The parish 

 council thereupon applied to the Charity 

 Commissioners, who sanctioned a scheme 

 for the administration of the Unknown 

 Donor's charity. The Income, ^^i 19s. %d., 

 may be given in money, or in clothes, 

 tools, medical aid. Sec, 



< The Cemus Rep, of 1901 gives 2,347, 



91 



including 6 of inland water ; there are 

 also II acres of tidal water. 



^ For a plan of low lands in Croston 

 and Riiffbrd see Lanes, and Ches. Rec, 

 (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 56. By 

 an Act passed in 1799 commissioners 

 were appointed to drain the lowlands out 

 of a fund to be raised by a rate. 'The 

 first operations under this Act were ill- 

 conducted, and attended with much un- 

 necessary expense, but the object was 

 ultimately effected ' ; Baines, Lanes, (ed. 

 1836). iii, 404. 



*" The pedestal and three steps remain. 

 The stocks and pump adjoined. See 

 Lanes, and Ches. Antiq, Soe. xvii, 10-13 

 for the crosses and the meaning of Hob 

 and Dob. 



^ Subs. R. Lanes, bdle. 250, no. g. 



® II Geo. I, cap. 5. 



^ Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes. an4 Ches.), i, 62. The service is 

 afterwards stated to be that of one 

 knight's fee. Later it was changed to 

 socage, a rent of i lb. of pepper being paid. 



The dependence on Hornby continued 

 to be recognized down to the 17th cen- 

 tury, as will be seen from the inquisitions 

 quoted later. Thus also Sir Robert de 

 Nevill was charged with 20J. in 1378 as 

 due from a knight's fee in Croston and 

 Mawdesley (Harl. MS. 2085, fol. 421, 

 &c.), and in 1445-6 Thomas de Har- 

 rington held ten plough-lands and 6 ox- 

 gangs of land in Croston and Mawdesley 

 for one knight's fee, the relief being 

 looj. J Duchy of Lane. Knights' Fees, 

 bdlc. 2, no, 20. Lord Mounteagle after- 

 wards held Croston as a member of 

 Hornby \ Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xi, 

 no. 1. 



It is probable that CrosLon and 

 Mawdesley together were assessed anciently 

 as six plough-lands, Chorley as two 

 plough-lands and Bispham as 6 oxgangs. 

 Tarleton was two plough-lands. 



John Malherbe seems to have died at 

 the end of 1215 j Rot. Lit. Claus. (Rec. 

 Com.), 244, 247, For the pedigree see 



