LEYLAND HUNDRED 



STANDISH 



Alexander, his son, succeeded him about 1468.' 

 He was knighted in Scotland in 1482,' and died in 

 1507 holding the manor of Standish of Sir Edward 

 Stanley, Sir Richard Shirebume and Lady Le Strange 

 in socage by a rent of ^s. yearly, together with other 

 manors and lands. Ralph, his son and heir, was 

 twenty-eight years of age.' 



Ralph also married an heiress — Alice, one of the 

 daughters of Sir James Harrington of Wolfage.* 

 He died in 1538 holding the manor of Standish, the 

 advowsons of the church and the three chantries, with 

 lands, &c., in Standish, Wigan, Shevington, Worth- 

 ington and Coppull ; a third part of the manor of 

 Chadderton, and lands in Chadderton, Glodwick, 

 Witton and Rochdale ; lands, &c., in Duxbury, 

 Chorley, Blackrod, Heath Charnock, Charnock 

 Richard, Ormskirk and Wrightington. The manor 

 of Standish was held of the Earl of Derby, Lord 

 Mounteagle, and Richard Shirebume by a rent of 

 6s. id. Alexander son and heir of Ralph was then 

 thirty-six years of age.' Alexander died within a 

 year of his father, in 1539, leaving a son Ralph, only 

 nine years of age,° who was taken into the king's 

 wardship and died in 1546,' his younger brother 

 Edward, bom in July 1532, being the heir.' 



Edward Standish thus grew up in a time of great 

 religious and social changes, and, though notoriously 

 hostile to the Reformation,' he seems to have been 

 able to avoid conviction for recusancy. His method 



was thus described in 1577 by the Bishop of Peter- 

 borough : ' There is one Mr. Standish, supposed to 

 be a man of 500 marks yearly revenue and worth 

 j^iooo in substance, that dwelleth some time at 

 Wolfage, a house in Northamptonshire in the parish 

 of Brixworth ; but for the most part he dwelleth in 

 Lancashire as I am informed — where he is said to be 

 ever when I send for him, so that I could never get 

 him to any conference as yet. But I am certified by 

 very credible report, and do believe, he never came 

 to the church since the queen's majesty's reign.' " 

 He added to his estates by purchase," and by the 

 marriage of his son Alexander with Elizabeth 

 daughter and heir of Adam Hawarden of Woolston 

 secured another increase." He died in 16 10 hold- 

 ing the manors of Standish and Langtree, and the 

 advowson of the church, of Richard Shirebume and 

 Edward Rigby in socage by a rent of 6s. id., various 

 other lands in Lancashire and the manor of Brixworth 

 in Northamptonshire. Alexander his son and heir 

 was over fifty years of age." 



Alexander resided at Woolston, and Standish was 

 assigned to his son Ralph, who had married Frances 

 Gerard,'* and who succeeded to the whole inheritance 

 about 1623." Ralph Standish also avoided conviction 

 for recusancy, and perhaps on account of his age took 

 no part in the Civil War.'* The eldest son Edward, 

 described as of Woolston, took the king's side, and 

 his estates were sequestered by the Parliament and 



Ralph seems to have died in 146S, 

 when there was a settlement of family dis- 

 putes ; Standish D. {Local Glean.), no . 1 5 2. 



^ In 145 1-2 Ralph de Standish con- 

 veyed his estates in Lancashire, Cheshire, 

 Warwickshire and Essex to feoffees in 

 order to make settlements on the marriage 

 of Alexander his son and heir with Sibyl 

 daughter of Henry Bold ; ibid. no. 135, 

 136, 140—2. Sibyl is mentioned again in 

 1484 ; ibid. no. 171. 



In 1476 Alexander Standish made a 

 further agreement with the lord of Lang- 

 tree respecting the approvement of the 

 waste ; ibid. no. 155. In 1479 he made 

 a declaration to the Abbot of Norton of 

 his innocence in the affray at Wigan with 

 Sir Thomas Gerard of Brynn ; ibid. no. 

 162. In the following year the disputes 

 between the families were referred to 

 arbitration and Sir Thomas was ordered 

 to pay j^io 151. SJ. to the 'uses of the 

 fellowship of the said Alexander that have 

 had bloody strokes in the said matter ' ; 

 ibid. no. 1 67. A feoifment of the manor 

 of Standish was made about the same 

 time ; ibid, no. 165. 



" Metcalfe, Bk. of Knights, 7. 



' Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iii, no. 25. 

 Sibyl his widow was living at Bromley in 

 Wigan at the date of the inquisition. 



* The marriage settlement is dated 1 6 

 Aug. 1497 ; Standish D. {Local Glean.), 

 no. 183. (Perhaps it should be a year 

 later; ibid. no. 182.) The manor of 

 Wolfage or Brixworth was on division 

 assigned to the Standishes. From the 

 same deeds it appears that Ralph Standish 

 secured a lease of the rectory and made 

 many purchases of land in Shevington, 

 Duxbury, Wigan, &c 



A pedigree was recorded in 1533 ; 

 Fis'tt. (Chet. Soc), 103. 



6 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. viii, no. 

 21. Ralph's will is given in Standish D. 

 {Local Glean.), no, 299 j Alice his wife 

 is named in it. 



* Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. viii, no. 

 23. The heir, not married, was at that 

 time in the custody of Alice Standish, 

 widow (his grandmother). 



Alexander's will is in Dods. MSS. xxii, 

 p. 233. 



An annuity out of the manor of Chad- 

 derton with the wardship and marriage of 

 Richard (Ralph) son and heir of Alex- 

 ander Standish was granted to the Earl 

 of Derby in 1540 ; D(^, Keeper* s Rep. 

 xxxix, App. 560. 



In 1518 an agreement was made for 

 the marriage of Alexander son and heir- 

 apparent of Ralph Standish with Anne 

 daughter of Sir William Molyneux of 

 Sefton ; Standish D. (Mrs. Tempest's 

 abstract), no. 201. 



^ Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. vil, no. 17. 



In the will of Thurstan Tyldesley of 

 Wardley, 1547, it is stated that his 

 daughter Mary had been espoused to 

 Ralph Standish, and a desire is expressed 

 that the match should be continued by 

 her marriage with Edward the brother 

 and heir of Ralph ; Piccope's Wills 

 (Chet. Soc), i, loi. 



In 1583 Edward Standish was suing for 

 woods called Gillotts and Hayhurst in 

 Chadderton, Coppull and Duxbury, the 

 defendant being Mary widow of his 

 brother Ralph, and afterwards wife of 

 William Tatton ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 

 257, m. 9. 



8 Edward Standish obtained livery in 

 '553 i Standish D. {Local Glean.), no. 

 107. 



' He was reported to the queen's 

 ministers as disaffected in 1584 and 1586; 

 Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 227, 239. He 

 was, however, a justice of the peace in 

 1600; Misc. (Rec, Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), i, 244. 



Two of his sons were convicted recu- 

 sants ; Standish D. [Local Glean.), no. 365 



1" Birt, Elin. Settlement, 386 ; quoting 

 S. p. Dom. Eliz. cxviii, no. 29. 



^^ Standish D. {Local Glean.), no 311, 

 316, &c. On the other hand he sold hiB 

 interest in the manor of Brighington in 

 Norfolk, part of his grandmother's in- 

 heritance ; ibid, no, 312. See also Pal, 

 of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 16, m, 37 ; 43, 

 m. 206 J 47, m. 31. 



^^ Standish D. [Local Glean.), no, 326. 

 *The new mansion house of the said 

 Edward called the Hall of Standish* is 

 mentioned in the covenant. 



^^ Lanes, Inq, p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), i, 185 ; various family ar- 

 rangements are given in detail. Edward 

 married Ellen daughter of Sir William 

 Radcliffe of Ordsall, and recorded a pedi- 

 gree in 1567 ; Fish. (Chet. Soc), 102. 

 Edward's widow was Elizabeth Towneley ; 

 her will was proved in 16 14. 



For a settlement by Alexander Standish 

 in 1610 see Pal, of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 

 75, no. II, 



i-i Standish D. {Local Glean.), no. 338. 

 Ralph's second wife, the mother of his 

 children, was Bridget Molyneux of Sefton. 



^^ Alexander Standish was living in 

 1616 ; ibid. no. 341, The inquisition 

 after the death of Elizabeth Standish, 

 widow, who died in 1623, was taken in 

 1627. It refers to the manor of Wools- 

 ton and states that Ralph Standish, her son 

 and heir, was forty years of age ; Towneley 

 MS. C8, 13 (Chet. Lib.), p. 1090. 



Settlements of the manors of Standish, 

 Shevington, &c., were made by Ralph 

 Standish in 1613 and later ; Pal. of Lane. 

 Feet of F. bdle. 81, no. 8 ; 121, no. 5. 



^^ In his petition to the Parliament in 

 1652 Ralph Standish stated that he was 

 'neither recusant nor delinquent' ; CaL 

 Com. for Comp, iv, 2812. 



He had in 1632 paid ^^30 on refusing 

 knighthood ; Misc, (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), i, 222. A survey of part of his 

 estate seems to have been made in 1634 ; 

 Towneley MS. C 8, 13 (Chet. Lib.}, 

 p. 1091. 



