LEYLAND HUNDRED 



CROSTON 



Banastre,' it became completely merged In his moiety 

 of Bretherton, and ceased to be noticed.^ 



The early history of the Banastres of BANK, 

 though apparently they were lords of the manor of 

 Bretherton, is very obscure,^ much of the uncertainty 

 resulting from the co-existence of several families of the 



same surname * in the township and neighbourhood. 

 Henry Banastre died in 1526 seised of a capital 

 messuage called the Bank and other messuages and 

 lands in Bretherton ; also lands in Tarleton, Becconsall 

 and Heslceth. The Bank estate was said to be held 

 of the king as of his duchy of Lancaster by the 



William de Ferrers by the service of loi. 

 yearly, and suit to the wapentake court 

 of Eccleston from three weeks to three 

 weeks ; Lanes. Inq, and Extents, I, 270. 

 There were at least three Williams at the 

 time, one (probably the above-named Wil- 

 liam) the son of Richard, another the son of 

 John, and the other the son of Hugh. In 

 1292 William son of Richard de Thorp 

 acknowledged that he ought to find Alice 

 daughter of Warine de Thorp competent 

 maintenance in victuals and clothing for 

 her life in respect of a certain tenement of 

 hers which he held ; Assize R. 408, m. 

 97 d. It appears that after Warine's death 

 Alice did homage to the Abbot of Cocker- 

 sand, chief lord, and afterwards John de 

 Thorp received her custody. After John's 

 death his son William held the said cus- 

 tody, but he displeased Alice, who went 

 to William son of Richard de Thorp and 

 enfeoffed him of the tenement ; ibid. m. 

 26. In 1293 William son of Hugh de 

 Thorp and Alice his wife sold land in 

 Bretherton and Thorp to Thomas Banas- 

 tre ; Final Cone, i, 177, In the same 

 year Richard son of John de Thorp agreed 

 to sell to Thomas son of Thomas Banastre 

 all his lands in Bretherton and Thorp ; 

 Dods. MSS. cxlix, fol. 4.0b. The same 

 or another is called Richard son of Richard 

 de Thorp ; ibid. fol. 37^, 



Robert de Thorp attested charters in 

 1325-6 and 1344 ; Dods. MSS. cxlii, fol. 

 54 ; cxlix, fol, 45*. In 1345 he claimed 

 the custody of the lands and heir of Sir 

 Adam Banastre, alleging that Sir Adam 

 had held of him by a rent of 8i. ; but it 

 was found that there was no knights' ser- 

 vice ; De Banco R. 343, m. 169 d. 



In 1 35 1 John de Thorp and Isabel his 

 wife received from the trustee lands, &c., 

 in Thorp, Bretherton and Croston, the 

 remainder being to Roger Knoll of Bow- 

 land ; Dods. MSS. cxlix, fol. 83. Twelve 

 years later Ralph de Thorp granted to Sir 

 Thomas Banastre the manor of Thorp 

 with its appurtenances, and lands in 

 Bretherton, Croston and Farington ; ibid, 

 fol. 40. 



* See the preceding note and Finai 

 Cone, ii, 177, Of the vendors William 

 del Howe and Isabel his wife it appears 

 from a pedigree in Dodsworth {cxlix, fol, 

 40) that Isabel was the widow of John 

 de Thorp. 



^ In 1457 Richard Balderston was 

 found to have held the manor of Thorp 

 and lands in Croston and Fanngton of 

 the lords of Leylandshire by a rent of I2j,; 

 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc), ii, 63. 



^ The first of the line known was an 

 Adam Banastre, living about 1200. He, 

 like Gamel de Thorp, was witness to 

 Richard le Boteler's charter to Cocker- 

 sand j CAartuI. ii, 471, Richard son of 

 Adam Banastre gave land upon Hull- 

 croft in Bretherton to Burscough Priory ; 

 Burscough Reg. fol. 54. Stephen, son of 

 Roger le Boteler of Warton, released to 

 the canons of Cockersand the homage and 

 service of Richard Banastre from 2 ox- 

 gangs of land In Bretherton held of 

 Stephen by a rent of izd. ; Cockersand 

 Chartul ii, 474. Richard Banastre gave 

 a piece of land on the Milnefurlong to 



the canons ; ibid. He gave land on the 

 High moor to the Hospitallers j Dods. 

 MSS. cxlix, fol. 82. Richard Banastre, 

 probably the same, appears again in 1 242 j 

 Lanes, Inq. and Extents, i, 149. Richard 

 son of Adam Banastre was defendant to 

 a claim for land made in 1246 by Adam 

 son of William son of Ulkelf, and his 

 title being assured he released his claim 

 for * nativity ' against Adam ; Finai Cone, 

 i, 96. Adam son of Richard Banastre 

 occurs in 1279 in a claim for the moiety 

 of Becconsall, which long descended with 

 Bank ; see the account of Hesketh-with- 

 Becconsall. 



About 1240 Robert Banastre of Mol- 

 lington in Cheshire granted lands in 

 Newton near West Kirby to his brother 

 Thurstan, and in later times the moiety 

 of Newton was found to be held of the 

 heirs of Adam Banastre of Bank (141 5 

 and 1460) and of Henry Banastre of Bank 

 (1495 and 1513) ; Ormcrod, C/ies. (ed. 

 Helsby), ii, 499, 574. 



* Another line of Banastre has been 

 traced above ; there were also the Banas- 

 tres of Walton-le-Dale. In 13 10 a grant 

 by Richard son of Adam Banastre to 

 William son of Master Richard Banastre 

 was attested by John Banastre of Bank 

 and John Banastre of Bretherton ; Towne- 

 ley MS. 00, no, 1558. 



The Richard Banastre of 1246 may 

 have had a son of the same name, for by 

 an undated charter Richard Banastre 

 granted 2 oxgangs of land to his son 

 Richard ; Ibid, no 1555, A Richard son 

 of Richard Banastre was living in 1295, 

 perhaps the Master Richard mentioned ; 

 ibid, no, 1557. 



About 1292 Adam Banastre seems to 

 have been the principal man in the town- 

 ship. He was defendant in claims for 

 common of pasture in respect of lands 

 which had been inclosed ; Assize R. 408, 

 m.22, 23, 66. Richard and Thomas Banas- 

 tre were defendants in other suits j ibid, 

 m, 34d., 26, 21. 



Adam Banastre in 1298 settled 8 ox- 

 gangs of land in Tarleton upon his sons 

 John, Thomas, William and Robert 5 

 Final Cone. 1, 184. Two years later he 

 settled two messuages, a mill, a plough- 

 land, &c., in Bretherton upon John, 

 William and Robert ; ibid, i, 189. This 

 was probably the Bank estate, the plough- 

 land being a moiety of the manor. John 

 Banastre of Bretherton was a juror in 

 the same year [Lanes. Inq. and Extents, 

 i, 305), and, as stated above, attested a 

 charter in 1310. 



Richard son of Adam Banastre of Bank 

 made a grant to William son of Master 

 Richard Banastre in 1313-14 5 Towneley 

 MS. 00, no. 1559. A settlement of an 

 oxgang of land, messuages, &c., in 

 Bretherton and Walton was made in 

 1306 by the said Master Richard in 

 favour of his son John, with remainders 

 to William son of John son of Richard 

 Banastre, and to John son of Adam 

 Banastre ; Final Cone, i, 208. Master 

 Richard had other children, William, 

 Adam, &c. ; ibid. 205. 



Adam Banastre of Bank occurs in 

 1326; Cal. Pat. 1324-7, p. 291. He 



105 



was probably the son of the Richard »on 

 of Adam of 1310 and 1313. 



In 1332 Adam, William and John 

 Banastre contributed to the subsidy in 

 Bretherton ; Exc/i. Lay Subs. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), 43. In the same 

 year John son of Richard Banastre and 

 Avice his wife obtained land in Brether- 

 ton, which was to descend to their son 

 William ; Dods. MSS. cxlii, fol. 84. The 

 witnesses included Sir Adam Banastre, 

 Adam Banastre of the Bank and William 

 son of Richard Banastre, In 1339 in a 

 grant by Richard de Bretherton to 

 Nicholas son of Sir Thomas Banastre 

 the witnesses included Adam Banastre of 

 Bank, William son of Master Richard 

 Banastre and William son of John 

 Banastre of the Moor ; Towneley MS. 

 00, no. 1 56 1. Hugh sou of William 

 Banastre of the Moor occurs in 1356 j 

 Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 5, m. 23 d. 



Adam Banastre of Bank (? the elder) 

 died ».. 1348, having an heir Thomas, 

 under age, whose wardship and marriage 

 were claimed by Sir Nicholas Ic Boteler ; 

 De Banco R. 354, m. 232 ; 364, m. 89 j 

 Duchy of Lane, Assize R, i, pt. iil, m. 

 5 d, ; 5, m, 7d. In 1358 Sir Nicholas 

 complained that Thomas had refused to 

 marry Isabel daughter of William de 

 Radcliffe and had instead married Isabel 

 daughter of Sir John Fleming j Assize R. 

 438, m. 16 d. It appears that Adam 

 Banastre the younger had left a daughter 

 Emma, on whose death Thomas brother 

 of Adam became the heir. He appears 

 to have been son of the elder Adam j 

 sec below. 



Thomas Banastre of Bank remained in 

 possession till about 1400, when he was 

 succeeded by another Richard Banastre 

 (1409—46) and he by a Henry Banastre 

 the elder (1459 on), not the Henry 

 named in the text, it would seem. A 

 Richard son of Thomas Banastre of 

 Bank was a grantee as early as 1381 ; 

 Towneley MS. DD, no. 98. In an 

 extent made in 1445-6 it was recorded 

 that Richard Balderston and Richard 

 Banastre held one plough-land In Brether- 

 ton for the tenth part of a knight's fee, 

 the relief being los., of which Richard 

 Banastre paid half ; Duchy of Lane. 

 Knights' Fees, bdle. 2, no. 20. Henry 

 Banastre of Bank is named in 1459 5 

 De/>. Keeper's Rep. xxxvii, App. 177. 



Thurstan Banastre of Bank {sometimes 

 called son of Adam Banastre, at others 

 brother of Thomas Banastre) occurs in 

 many deeds from 1370 to 1395 ; Towne- 

 ley MS. 00, no. 1580, 1588, &c. The 

 two brothers seem to have purchased 

 part or the whole of the inheritance of 

 the above-named William son of Master 

 Richard Banastre. 



Another Banastre family — perhaps 

 descended from Thurstan — appears in 

 the same collection of deeds (no. 1592 

 on) ; thus in 141 3 land in the- vlU of 

 Bretherton was settled on Hugh Banastre 

 and Ellen his wife, with remainders to 

 his brothers Ralph, Geoffrey (a chaplain) 

 and Edward and their sister Margaret 

 wife of Ralph Fairclough j to Thomas 

 Banastre of Bank, bastard, and to Richard 



14 



