A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



'':imily.i Nicholas Rigby died in Mny 1^57- holding 

 the capital messuage called the hall of Harrock of the 

 king and queen as of the late priory of St. John of 

 Jerusalem in socage by a rent of lid., other lands 

 similarly by a rent of \d., and the Town Carr of 

 Henry Kirkby by a rent of 2/. 6d? Nicholas his 

 son and heir, then aged thirty- two,"* died in 

 1599 holding the same lands and leaving as heir his 

 son Nicholas, thirty-seven years of age.^ This 

 Nicholas died in 1629, leaving a son and heir of the 

 same name and thirty-seven years old.^ The 

 inquisitions do not show the purchase of part of 

 the Hoghton of Hoghton Tower share of the manor 

 in 1567.'' The family for some time adhered to 

 Roman Catholicism and in 1628 Nicholas Rigby 

 was entered on the subsidy roll as a convicted 

 recusant.^ Pedigrees were recorded in 1567,^ 1613^** 

 and \66\.y^ The Nicholas Rigby who recorded the 

 last pedigree left a son Nicholas, who died in 1740,^- 

 and whose eventual heirs were the descendants of 



his daughter Anne by her husband, the Rev. Thomas 

 Baldwin, sometime rector of a medicty of Liverpool 

 and rector of Leyland. Their son John, rector of 

 North Meols, succeeded to the Harrock estates in 

 1787 and took the name and arms of Rigbye. His 

 third son, the Rev. Rigbye Baldwin, succeeded him 

 in 1791, and afterwards took the surname of Rigbye. 

 He was in 1829 succeeded by his son Captain 

 Rigbye Baldwin Rigbye. The estate was sold about 

 fifty years ago and in 1 894 was owned by Arthur 

 Ramsden Boulton. Mr. Gerard-Dicconson now 

 owns it. 



HJRROCK HALL is situated in a sheltered 

 position on the high ground north of Parbold 

 and the Douglas \''alley, in the north-west of the 

 township. It is a two-story stone building with 

 mullioned windows, apparently dating from the first 

 half of the 17th century, but internally the house 

 has been wholly modernized at the beginning of the 

 last century and extended at both ends. In this 



Wrightington next to his land on the 

 other side of Southbrook. \ Abstract 

 (c. 1660) in Agccrofl deeds, no, 359. 

 There is a note appended : *This is that 

 part of Pemberton's tenement which lieth 

 at the broolc side,* &c. Henry dc Scvcton 

 (? Shevington) and Alice his wife in 1256 

 surrendered 20 acres to the prior on being 

 received into the good works and prayers 

 done in the order; final Cone, i, 128. 

 Roger de Walton gave them part of his 

 land in Wrightington, the bounds be- 

 ginning at Blacklachc and going west by 

 the ditch as far as the cross ; Kucrden 

 MSS. V, fol. 8 2*. 



The rental compiled about 154.0 shows 

 the following tenants In Parbold and 

 Wrightington : Nicholas Rigby for Har- 

 rock, 5f. 6t/. ; Ralph Standish, Hanhey, 

 iJ. J James Barton, Lindlcy Close, 8j. j 

 Katherine widow of William Hornet (?), 

 The Cro<ik, iZi/. ; Richard Banastrc, 

 BewhoLise {'), iii/.; Nicholas Richardson, 

 i2i/. j Thomas Westhead, i z^/. ; Robert 

 Smith, 4^/. J M-irgcry widow of John 

 Strange, zoJ. ; Richard Lathom, 6J. ; 

 Edward Earl of Derby, zd. ; Bartholomew 

 Hesketh for Brkerfield, 4i/. j Thomas 

 Stopford for Dobhcy, iirf. ; Richard 

 Banastre, 4^. ; Richard Lathom, Broad- 

 field, 6J. ; part of Fishcrfield, zd. ; 

 Nuho'as Halliwcll for Dwerryhousc (?) 

 6J. ; James Scarisbrick, Christians and 

 Pighill, \J. ; heirs of Thomas Banastre 

 of Lostock, i6i/. ; ibid. fol. 8^-4. 



It was probably the Hospitallers' lands 

 in Harrock Hill, Wrightington and 

 Parbold which were sold by the Crown 

 to Lawrence Rawstorne in 1546; Pat. 

 37 Hen. VUI, pt. v. 



* There is a collection of R gby of 

 Harrock charters in Townclcv"s MS. 

 00, no. 12-0-1539. By one Robert 

 lord of Lathom granted to Henry de 

 Rigby land in Wrightington (no. 1272) 

 and by another Henry de Rigby gave to 

 Alan his son land held of St. John of 

 Jerusalem by izJ. rent (no. 1275). 



Henry de Rigby in 1284 complained 

 that Adam de Hoghton and others had 

 disseised him of common of pasture in 

 26 acres of moor, &c., in Wrightington ; 

 Assize R. 1268, m. 13. He was also 

 plaintiff in 1294; ibid. 1299, m. 15. 

 Edmund and Alan de Rigby appear in 

 1332 and Richard in 1351 j Excb. Lay 

 Subs, (Rec. Soc Lanes, and Ches.), 50; 

 Duchy of Lane Assize R. 1, m, 3 d. 



Alan de Rigby made a settlement of 

 land in 1337, the rema'nders being to his 

 daughters Apncs (wife of Richard dc 

 Pcrburn) .thI M.iud, and then to Richard 

 son of Robert de Wrightington ; Towneley 

 MS. 00, no. 1280. The feoffees in 

 I 342 granted certain lands to Rich:ird 

 Fon of Edmund de Rigby and Ibota his 

 wife, daughter of Henry de Byrom ; ibid, 

 no. 1 279. 



Richard son r.f Edmund de Rigby in 

 1357 made a grar.t of a Pighill by Ellen- 

 clitf and Tumetcliff to Henry son of John 

 Banastre, Alice his wife and Robert their 

 son ; Towneley MS. RR, no. 893. In 

 1380 Richard dc Rigby gave land to 

 William de Croft j Add. MS, 32104, 

 no. 1354-5- 



Nicholas dc Rigby appears in 1379 

 obtaining leave to take turbary from Sir 

 Adam de Hoghton, Richard de Catterall, 

 Edward de Lathom and Robert de Kirkby; 

 Towneley MS. OO, no. 1292. John Rigby 

 of Wnchtington in 1387—8 released to 

 Nicholas all his right ; ibid. no. 1 288. In 

 1391 Nicholas made a grant of Gayes- 

 crooks (elsewhere Kailscrooks) to Robert 

 Banastre ; ibid. RR, no. 902. In 1408 

 the feoffees released lands to Nicholas de 

 Rigby and Katherine his \^ife, daughter 

 of Ralph de Standish ; ibid. OO, no. 

 131-. 



The long succession of Nicholases ren- 

 ders it difficult to distinguish between 

 them. In 1433-4 Nicholas son of 

 Nicholas Rigby had lands in Wrightington 

 and Derby from the feoffee ; ibid. no. 

 1302. Nicholas Rigby made a settle- 

 ment of lands in Wrightington, Parbold, 

 Eccleston and Heskin in 1457 ; Ibid. no. 

 1298, Then in 1474 Nicholas Rigby 

 the elder granted to Nicholas the younger 

 and Agnes his wife, daughter of Gilbert 

 Urmston, lands called Alansfields, Priest- 

 field, &C., in Wrightington ; ibid, no, 

 1 307. Another Nicholas Rigby the 

 elder in 1507-8 made a settlement in 

 favour of his son and heir Nicholas, who 

 was to marry Margaret daughter of Hugh 

 Anderton of Euxton. 



' Nicholas Rigby of Harrock Hill in 

 I !;47 settled his capital messuage, wind- 

 mii:, houses, lands, Sec, in Wrightington 

 on his sen and heir Nicholas and male 

 issue, with remainders to younger sons — 

 John, Edward, William, Alexander and 

 Ralph J Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdlc. 13, 

 m. 211. 



174 



' Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. x, no. 12. 



■* A fcoftrnent of lands in Wrightington, 

 Parbold, &c., was made in 1 568 by 

 Nicholas Rigby, Mary his wife and 

 others ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 30, 

 m. 159. 



* Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xvii, 

 no. 62. 



It seems to have been a younger 

 son of Nicholas named John who was 

 executed at St. Thomas Waterings, 

 London, in 1600 for having been recon- 

 ciled to the Roman Church. The process 

 of beatification in his case was allowed 

 to be introduced by Leo XIII in 1886. 

 Sec Gillow, Bihl. Diet, of EngL Catk, v, 

 420. 



« Towneley MS. C8, 13 (Chet. Lib.), 

 p. 1000. The Town Carr was held of 

 Richard Lathom, the Pighill of the king 

 as of the priory of St. John, and the 

 re«t in Wrightington of William Earl of 

 Derby as of the same priory. 



' Sec above j Towneley MS. OO, no. 



1330-4. 



There was, it should be noticed, a 

 minor Rigby family in the township, or 

 perhaps more than one. Robert Rigby 

 acquired land from Richard Mawdesley 

 in 1557 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdlc. 

 19, m. 86. John Rigby died in 1619 

 holding land of the Earl of Derby as of 

 his manor of Woolton by a rent of zd, ; 

 Lanes. In^. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), ii, 1 17. 



s Mise. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 

 i, 169. In 1631 Nicholas Rigby (perhaps 

 on his father's account) paid ;^io on 

 refusing knighthood ; Ibid. I, 214. 



Nicholas Rigby, the son, must have been 

 a Protestant ; he fought for the Parlia- 

 ment in the Civil War, being a captain, 

 and was appointed a county commissioner 

 in 1645 ; Cal. Com. for Com/>. i, 745 ; 

 ii, 1117; Civil War Traets (Chct. Soc), 

 210. 



Peter Rigby of Wrightington conformed 

 to the established religion in or before 

 1 628, as appears by the composition lists ; 

 80 did John Bank of the same place, 



» Visit. (Chet. Soc), 74. It beg ns 

 with the Nicholas of 1474. 



" Ibid. 24. 



" Ibid. 243. 



*' For the later descents see Piccope 

 MS. Pedigrees (Chet, Lib.), ii, p. 197; 

 Farrer, North Meols, ^4 ; Raines in 

 Nonna Cestr. (Chct. Soc), ii, 374, 



