A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



went with it, Bi^pham, Chorlcy and Tarleton. John 

 Malhcrbc dying without issue, Croston reverted to Sir 

 Roger de ]VIontbegon, who enfeoffed John de la Mare 

 of this knight*s fcc.^ William de la Alare followed^" 

 By about 1300 the manor had descended to the two 

 daughters and co-heirs of John de la Mare, whose 

 relationship to ^^'illiam de la Mare is uncertain. - 

 Their moieties for nearly six centuries descended in 

 distinct lines, but have now been reunited. 



Sir John le Fleming, of Wath in Yorkshire, who 

 married Isabel, one of the sisters, made a settlement of 



the manor of Croston in i 3 1 S, the remainder, how- 

 ever, being to 'the right heirs of John.'^ This 

 moiety descended regularly "* to \\'illiam Fleming of 

 Wath, who died about 1470, leaving two daughters 

 as co-heirs, both named Elizabeth.* One Elizabeth 

 married Richard Dalton, lord of the neighbouring 

 manor of Bispham, and her fourth part of the manor 

 of Croston descended like Bispham until 1558, when 

 it was sold to Sir Thomas Heskcth of RufFord, who 

 held the other fourth by inheritance.*' The other 

 Elizabeth had married his ancestor Thomas Hesketh, 



Pontefract ChartuL (York?. Arch. Soc), 

 ii, introd, 



A Thomas Malherbe acquired lands in 

 CroBton in 1316 ; Add. MS. 32104, no. 

 29, 1414. 



^ Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 145. The 

 grant may have been made because Mabel, 

 one of the sisters and co-heirs of John 

 Malherbe, married William dc la Marc, 

 kinsman of John. 



John dc la Marc is described as * lord of 

 Croston' in a Tarleton charter, which speaks 

 nevertheless of fourteen plough - lands 

 forming 4 knight's fee, instead ofio^; 

 Cockersand Charttil. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 460. 

 He is styled * Sir ' in Burscough charters ; 

 Def>. Keeper s Ref>. xxxvi, App. 1 97-202. 



John dc In Mare aj-pcars in the re- 

 cords in 1237 and 12^6; Orig. R. 21 

 Hen, III, m. 10 \ 38 Hen. HI, m. 1 1. 

 In the latter year he had a dispute with 

 Warine dc Walton and others nfptcting 

 a tenement in Croston \ Close, 6S, m. 

 4 d. In 1259 Hugh de Mcynil claimed 

 that John dc la Mjre, Rcyncr de Croston, 

 Robert son of the Priest and others 

 should hold to an agreement respecting 

 looj. rent in Crost^in, Chorlcy, Tarleton 

 and Much Hoolc (?) ; Curia Regis R. 

 162, m. 20 d. 



'•* William dc la Mare was probably 

 the son of John. He granted to John 

 de la Mare, his * cousin,' the field In 

 Croston called le Thennay (Finney) at 

 the water of Douglas and forest of Maw- 

 dcslc)', at a rent of ^3 is, a year. Jews 

 were excepted from common of pasture ; 

 Raines MSS. (Chct. Lib.), xxv, p. 293. 

 A% stated In the text, he in 1283 pro- 

 cured a charter for a market and fair. 



'In I ^02 the 'heirs of John dc la 

 Mare,' holding of the fee of Hornby, had 

 one knight's fee in Croston and its mem- 

 bers ; Lanes, Inj. and Extend^ i, 315. 



' Final Cone. (Rcc. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), ii, 26. 



Re\'ncr le Fleming, probably father of 

 Sir John, was in 1292 non-suited on 

 claiming a tenement in Croston against 

 John de Walton and others ; Assize R. 

 408, m. 22. 



An inquiry made in 1324 shf w9 that 

 a mesne lordship of Cronon had been 

 givcn to Sir Robert dc HoJ'.and, for John 

 le Fleming in that year held the moiety 

 of the manor * of the king in chief by 

 reason of the lands of Robert de Holland 

 being in the king's hands,' by the service 

 of half a knight's fee ; Inq. a.q.d. file 

 ' 74, no. 2 (iS Edw. II). 



Sir John Fleming and Isabel his wife 

 vlth Sir William dc Lea and Alice his 

 wife were plaintiffs in 1^47 in a suit re- 

 garding 100 acres of turbary in Croston, 

 Jnhn de Bi:r=.cough of Rycroft and other 

 Mawdesley people being defendants ; 

 Assize R. 1435, m. 17 d. Isabel widow 

 of Sir John was defendant in 1356 ; 

 Duchy of Lane, Assize R. 4, m. -. 



In 1346-55 the heirs of S-r William 



dc Lea and of Sir John Fleming held one 

 knight's fee In Croston of the Duke of 

 Lancaster, which John de la Mare for- 

 merly held of the manor of Hornby j 

 Feud. Aids, iii, 90. William Ashton and 

 William Fleming held the same in 143 1 ; 

 ibid. 93. 



* The pedigree is thus traced In a 

 pleading of i4:'2 : John le Fleming 

 and Isabel -5. Thomas -s. Thomas -s. 

 John -s. William -s. William ; Pal. of 

 Lane. Pica R. 39, m. 14 d. 



There is a pedigree of the family In 

 Foster's Torks. f'isit. 358, 



There are a large number of Croston 

 and Mawdesley deeds In Towneley's MS. 

 BB (Add. MS. 32104). The following 

 are given as illustrating the connexion of 

 the Ficming family with the township : 



Sir John le Ficming in 13 16 granted 

 to Rcyncr son of Gcrvase de Croston and 

 Maud his wife land called the Falrland, 

 &c. ; also to Richard dc Kirkham, clerk, 

 and his lawful Issue a messuage in Croston 

 formerly held by Amery the Clerk, an 

 oxgang of land formerly held by Thomas 

 le Fleming, &c., a rent of i is. being pay- 

 able ; ibid. no. 1432, 13. In 1322 Sir 

 John released to William dc Rufford all 

 his right in lands, Sec, formerly belonging 

 to Alice daughter of Amery the Clerk in 

 Croston, viz. a house in the Drinkhouses, 

 an acre and half-virgatc in the Moss- 

 acres, a burgage in Caynok-lache Street, 

 and 4 acres in Hordorne ; a rent of zs. 

 was to be paid ; no. 98. He made a 

 further release of a messuage near Pad- 

 dock lachc in i ^28 ; no. 1430. 



Isabel le Fleming, as widow of Sir 

 John, In 1152 made a grant to Robert 

 son of W.irine de Bispham, Alice his wife 

 and otheri ; no. 1428. 



Thomas Fleming in 1^71 granted a 

 hoijsf, &c., in Croston to Richard the 

 Smith and Margaret his wife j and in 

 I3"7 gave a hou<e with garden, an acre 

 of meadow in Osmond sleigh, and the 

 moiety of his water-mill at Croston to 

 Roger Bond the miller, at a rent of 2^ 

 marks ; no. 3, 4. 



Sir Thomas Fleming, lord of Croston, 

 in 1386 granted a messuage and lands in 

 Croston to Richard Smith and Richard 

 his son ; Towneley MS. RR (Add. MS. 

 32108), no. 633. 



In 1403 Sir Thomas demised to 

 Lawrence del Hermitstead (Armitstcad) 

 a place called Capelhedhcus ; ibid. BB, no. 

 1424. The will of a Thomas Fleming, 

 dated 141 2-1 3, was among the Hesketh 

 deeds ; he desired to be burled at Cros- 

 ton, and mentions a son Gilbert and 

 a daughter Joan j Piccope MSS. (Chet. 

 Lib.), Hi, p. 34. 



Richard son and heir of William 

 Fleming released to his father in 145 i all 

 his right in the manor of Crostnn, &c. ; 

 Towneley MS. BB, no. 1440. William 

 son of William Fleming was in possession 

 in 1468 J no, 1433. 



92 



In 1464 a jury was summoned to 

 recognize if William Fleming father of 

 William and formerly the husband nf 

 Anne then wife of John Nevill had been 

 seised of forty messuages, a water-mill, 

 &€., in Croston, Mawdesley and Long- 

 ton ; Pal. of Lane. Writs of Assize ; 13 

 Aug. 4 Edw. IV. 



* In June 1472 John Wombwell, as 

 trustee of John Ficming, granted to 

 Elizabeth late wife of William Fleming 

 and then wife of Roger Coton various 

 lands, Ac, In Worth, Melton and Cramp- 

 ton for her life, with remainder to Eliza- 

 beth and Elizabeth, daughters and heirs 

 of the said William; Add. MS. 32104, 

 no. 1503. 



* The descent of the manor to Hesketh 

 and Dalton is stated in the pica of 1472 

 above cited ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 39, 

 m, I4d. 



In 1482 Robert Dalton claimed a 

 moiety of the manor of Croston, with 

 twenty messuages, &c.. In Bispham, 

 Mawdesley and Dalton, against Margaret 

 Dalton widow, Richard Dalton, esq., 

 and Elizabeth his wife ; ibid. 55, m. 8. 

 Richard Dalton was In possession of the 

 moiety of the manor in 15005 ibid. 90, 

 m. 5, In the same year Roger son 

 and heir of Richard Dalton granted to 

 Bartholomew son of William Heskcth 

 the reversion of messuages, &c,, in 

 Longton and Croston, including the 

 fourth part of a water-mill in Croston, 

 and the third part of lands, &c,, called 

 Selynhurst in Croston and Mawdesley ; 

 ibid. 92, m. I. 



In 1477 Richard Dalton and Elizabeth 

 his wife conceded to John son of William 

 Fleming an annuity of 461. $d. charged 

 on lands, &c., in Croston and Mawdes- 

 ley ; Towneley MS. BB, no. 1638. 

 Richard and his wife in 1478 released 

 to Thomas Heskcth and Elizabeth his 

 wife all their interest in the lands of 

 William Fleming; no, 1547. They 

 made a feoffment of their estate in 

 1482, with remainder to Roger son of 

 Richard; no. 1551. Disputes between 

 Thomas Heskcth and Richard and James 

 Dalton were In 1489 referred to arbitra- 

 tion ; Add. MS. 32107, no. 1162. 



Again in 1500 Roger son of Richard 

 Dalton granted various lands, &e,, in 

 Croston and Mawdesley, reserving only, 

 it would seem, the manor and demesne 

 lands; Towneley MS. BB, no. 1538. 

 Sec also Deff. Keeper's Rep. xl, App. 554. 

 Roger Dalton and William his son and 

 heir-apparent gave an acquittance for 

 money owing by Thomas Hesketh in 

 1520; Towneley MS. BB, no. 1542. 

 William Dalton In 1533 demised to 

 Thomas Hough an acre on the hill and 

 half an acre in the town meadow in 

 Croston ; no. 1475. 



Robert Dalton of Bispham and Joan 

 widow of William Dalton in 1558 sold 

 to Sir Thomas Heskcth the fourth part 



