A HISiORY OF LANCASHIRE 



F.ccle^ton, Hugh Nelson and Henry Rawe (or 

 Rowe).' In 162S William Dicconson and James 

 U'aring, a convicted recusant, were the landowners 

 contributing to the subsidy.' 



A court leet and court baron were formerly held 

 a fortnight after Michaelmas each year for the joint 

 manor of Eccleston and Heskin.^ 



The parish church has been described above. 

 There is a small Wesleyan Methodist chapel, built 

 in 1900, to replace one erected as early as 181 3.* 



HESKIN 



Heskyn, 1301. 



This township, formerly united with Eccleston, 

 lies on the northerly slope of the hills of Parbold 

 and Wrightington, the surface descending from the 

 200 ft. to the 1 00 ft. level. The north-east 

 boundary is formed by the Syd Brook, on which lies 

 the hamlet of Heskin Green. Barmskin is in the 

 south-west corner. The area is 1,242 J acres,* and 

 in 1 90 1 there was a population of 537. 



Three roads go north through the township ; the 

 two on the eastern side join at Heskin Green, while 

 the third joins at Eccleston Green, just beyond the 

 northern boundary. From the last-named road a 

 branch goes north-west to Croston. 



Pedestah of ancient crosses are known at Oxhey, 

 Heskin Hall and Cooper'^. Lanc.^ 



There were sixty-seven hearths recorded for the 



tax in 1666. The prin* ip.il house was the Nlw 

 Hall, Alexander Mawdesley'., with fifteen hearths, 

 the next being Mr. Dicconson's. with seven.' 



ThomaB Heskin, a Dominican divine of the 

 Reformation period, is supposed to have been of this 

 township. Being deprived of his preferments by 

 Elizabeth, he went abroad.^ 



The manor of HESKIN was originally 

 MJKOR included in Eccleston, but seems to have 

 been regarded as separate after coming 

 into the possession of Sir Richard Molyneux. It 

 has no independent history ; for though one Robert 

 de Heskin in 1^23 asserted that he and Randlc de 

 Dacre were lords of Heskin, a separate hamlet in 

 Eccleston, his claim to lordship was rejected.* The 

 Heskin family, though of long continuance, have 

 left little or no record.'** Thurstan Heskin, described 

 as of Wrightington, died in 1591, leaving a son and 

 heir Nicholas under age." Nicholas Heskin, who 

 died in 1640, held lands in Heskin, Parbold and 

 Wrightington, to which his son Thurstan, aged 

 fourteen, was heir." 



Many of those who have been described as 

 owning estates in Eccleston also had land in Heskin ; 

 indeed, as the former place-name included the latter, 

 it is not always possible to tell in which portion 

 land * in Eccleston ' was situated ; but among those 

 who were more especially concerned in Heskin were 

 the families of Hoghton of Hoghton," Rutter,'* 



Thomas Shircburnc, * esquire,' died at 

 Eccleston in 1607 holding lanHs of Sir 

 Richard Molyneux by \od. rent 5 Lanes. 

 Inq. p.m. (Rcc. Soc, Lanes, and Ches.), 1, 

 113. 



Sir Thomas Hesketh of Rufford died 

 in 1588 holding lands in Eccleston, of 

 which the tenure was unknown ; Duchy 

 of Lane Inq. p.m. xv, no. 56. 



Richard son and heir of Henry Croston 

 gave all his lands in Eccleston to Thomas 

 Hesketh in 1530 j Townclcy MS. DD, 

 no. 20+. The Croston holding was per- 

 haps derived from a grant by Stephen de 

 Walton to Adam son of William de 

 Croston, of land in the field called Long- 

 furlong and abutting on a menegate ; ibid, 

 no, 69. 



In 1623 the Hesketh lands were stated 

 to be held of Sir Richard Molyneux in 

 socage ; Lanes. Imj. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), iii, 357. 



James Anderton of Euxton held lands 

 in 1552 of Thomas Fleetwood by a rent 

 of 3(/. ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. ix, no, 

 14. Ewan Edmundson's messuages in 

 15S7 were held of Sir Richard Molyneux 

 by knights' service ; ibid, xvii, no. 36. 



William Gradddl in 1608 held lands 

 of the king by knights' service ; Lanes, 

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

 92. William Farington, 1611, held his 

 lands of Sir Richard Molyneux ; ibid, i, 

 184. Peter Mason, 161 2, held his of 

 the king by the two-hundredth part of a 

 knight's fee \ ibid, i, 215. 



William Moore, who died in 1641, held 

 a messuage and lands, with common of 

 pasture ; his son and heir John was 

 twent)'-cight years of age ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. xxii, no. 71. James 

 Pilkington, who died in the same year, 

 held a similar tenement of Sir Richard 

 Molyneux ; James the son and heir was 

 nine years old ; ibid, xxix, no. 56. 



' Misc. (Rcc. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 

 i, 244, 245. 



William Chorlcy o-.-. nci lands in 1 ^90 ; 

 Final Cone, iii, 37. A later namesake 

 died in 1^29 holding two messuages, &e., 

 of Sir Thomas Seymour by the rent of a 

 rose ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. vi, no. 

 17. They appear to have been sold to 

 John Crane in 1557-8 \ Pal. of Lane. 

 Feet of F. bdle. 18, m. 4. The same 

 John Crane afterwards purchased lands of 

 Sir Richard Shireburnc and others ; Ibid. 

 bdle. 26, m. 7 ; 2-, m. 87 \ 30, m. 99. 



Henry Rowe died in 1608 seised of two 

 messuages, &c., held of Sir Richard 

 Molyneux by a rent ol z\d.-^ his son and 

 heir John was six years old ; Lanes, Inq. 

 p.m. (Rce. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 93. 



* Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 

 i, I 69. The list of recusants at the same 

 time is printed ibid. 1 86-7. James 

 Waringa of Eccleston had his estate 

 sequestered by the P.irliament in the 

 Civil War \ Cal, Com. for Comp. iii, 1953. 

 A list of convicted recusants about 1670 

 is printed in Misc. (Cath. Rec. Soc.), 



^^ 97- 



^ Balnes, Lanes, (cd, 1836), iij, 469. 



* Ibid. 4-6. 



^ Including i of inland water. 



^ Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. xvii, 17. 



" Subs, R. Lanes, bdle. 250, no. 9. 



s Dicr. Xat. Biog. } Gillow, Bibi. Diet. 

 of Engl. Cath. iii, 292. 



^ Assize R. i) 25, m. 6 ; also 424, m. z. 



*** Adam son of Adam de Walton trans- 

 ferred to Adam son of Reynold de Heskin 

 the gift of land — namely, a third part of 

 his inheritance in Heskin — which Robert, 

 brother of the latter Adam, had given to 

 the grantor ; Dods. MSS. liii, foL 85^. 



Robert son of Richard de Heskin was 

 a juror in 1301 ; Lanes. Inq. and Extents 

 (Rcc. Soc Lanes, and Ches.), 1, 310. 

 Richard de Heskin in 1327 acquired 

 messuages and land in Wrightington and 

 Parbold from William the Fisher of 

 Rufford and Maud his wife ; Final Cone. 

 (Rcc Soc Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 67, 



166 



Robert aad Richard de Heskin contri- 

 buted to the subsidy in 1332 ; Excb. Lay 

 Subs. (Rec, Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 49. 



John de Heskin in 1376 complained 

 that Nicholas de Rigby, William his 

 brother, Cecily daughter of Robert de 

 Heskin and others had broken his close 

 at Heskin ; De Banco R. 463, m. 21 d. 



Richard de Heskin, outlawed for felony, 

 is named in 1408 ; Def>. Keeper'i Rep. 

 xxxiii, App. 7. John de Heskin about 

 the same time had the New Close in 

 Eccleston ; Towneley MS. CC (Chet. 

 Lib.), no. 459. 



" Manch. Cl. Leet Rec. ii, 67, 121. 



" Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxix, no. 

 61. Nicholas Heskin of Heskin had 

 paid ^10 in 1631 on refusing knight- 

 hood ; Miic. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), i, 214. 



'^ Among the Hoghton charters is a 

 grant of land in Heskin by Adam del 

 Fairhurst ; Dods. MSS. cxlii, fol. 56. 



Sir Richard Hoghton in 1446-7 had a 

 lease of lands reclaimed by his grand- 

 father Sir Richard ; Dep. Keeper's Rep. 

 x\, App. 539. Land in Heskin is 

 named in a Hoghton arrangement in 

 1497 ; Final Cone. (Rcc. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), iii, 146. See also Lanct. Inif. 

 p.m. (Chet. Soc), ii, 128. In 1559 and 

 later the land was said to be held of the 

 queen in socage ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. 

 p.m. xi, no. 2, 4c. 



Richard Hoghton of Park Hall in 

 Charnock died in 1622 holding land in 

 Heskin of Sir Richard Molyneux ; Lanci. 

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

 iii, 456. 



" Richard Rutter of Heskin had In 

 1400 and later years leases of land in 

 Heskin and Eccleston ; Dep. Keeper's 

 Rep. xl, App. 527-31. Similar grant! 

 were made to Thomas de Mawdsley 

 (Horse Carr), William Painter (Ermet 

 Bank in Heskin), Nicholas de Rigby and 

 Richard Cooper \ ibid. 524, &c. A 



