LEYLAND HUNDRED 



STANDISH 



wood of Rossall in 1 5 70 was perhaps a purchase of 

 some of the old religious endowments.' 



In 1542-3 the landowners contributing to the 

 subsidy were the wife of Richard Langtree, John 

 Langtree and Ralph Bradshagh," and in 1564 

 Edward Standish, John Langtree and Seth Foster.' 

 The sequestrations and confiscations of the Common- 

 wealth period had their effects in Standish,* and 

 a number of 'Papists' registered estates in 17 17.' 

 James Blundell, yeoman, incurred forfeiture for treason 

 in 171 5.' Edward Standish was the principal land- 

 owner in 1786, paying about a fifth of the land tax.' 

 The parish church has been described above. 

 The Wesleyan Methodists have a small church, 

 built in 1897, and the Primitive Methodists one 

 built in 1 89 1. 



The Society of Friends had a meeting place In 

 Langtree in the 1 8th century. The burial-ground 

 still remains.' 



In a place where many of the inhabitants long 

 adhered to the ancient religion with great resolution ' 

 it is probable that mass was said frequently during 

 the severest times of proscription " at Standish or 

 Langtree Hall or elsewhere." The succession of priests 

 is known from about 171s-" The existing church 

 of Our Lady of the Annunciation was built in 1884, 

 the chapel at Standish Hall, built in 1742, having 

 been used till then. A pre-Reformation chasuble, 

 with ancient chalice and altar stones, have been 

 preserved. 



SHEVINGTON 



Scheuynton, 1 2 5 3 ; Sheuington, 1277 ; Sewinton, 

 1288; Sheuynton, 1292; the spelling with 'g' 

 became usual about 1350. 



Shevington has an area of 1,728 acres." It is 

 bounded on the south-west by the River Douglas, on 

 the east by the Mill Brook and on the west by 



another brook, which has two small tributaries, the 

 Calico Brook and another, crossing the township 

 westwards. The surface gradually rises from these 

 streams, attaining about 350 ft. at the northern 

 corner. There was in 1901 a population of 1,753'* 



A road winding north and west from Wigan tra- 

 verses the southern end, passing the hamlets of Crook, 

 Shevington and the Vale, at the second of which it 

 is crossed by another lane from the south. From 

 the Vale, on the western boundary. Back Lane goes 

 north-east and east through the hamlet of Shevington 

 Moor to the village of Standish. The southern part 

 of the township, bordering on the Douglas, is known 

 as Gathurst. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Com- 

 pany's line from Wigan to Southport runs near the 

 south-western boundary, and the Leeds and Liverpool 

 Canal passes through Crook. 



The soil is clay, with marl subsoil ; wheat and 

 oats are grown, and there is some pasture land. There 

 are large glue-works. 



In 1666 the hearth tax return shows that there 

 were eighty-six hearths chargeable. The largest 

 house was that of Mr. Catterall, with nine hearths." 



The township is governed by a parish council. A 

 school board was formed in 1875. 



The history of SHEVINGTON is 

 Mj4N0R obscure. The manor appears to have 

 been greatly subdivided from an early 

 time, and none of the resident families attained a pre- 

 dominant position. It appears to have been assessed 

 as one plough-land and to have been given by the 

 lord of Penwortham, of whose fee it formed part, 

 to Randle de Marsey,'° and in the 17 th century 

 land in Shevington was said to be held of the lords of 

 Leylandshire." On the other hand the heir of Robert 

 Banastre in 1242 held of Penwortham the fourth 

 part of a knight's fee in Shevington, Charnock 

 Richard and Welch Whittle " ; the Shevington part 



1329 ; De Banco R.279,m. i8od. About 

 1 540 Ralph Standish was the tenant, paying 

 a rent of iZii. ; Kuerden MSS. v, fol. 83^. 



^ His lands in Standish were held of the 

 queen as of her manor of East Greenwich ; 

 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xii, no. 2. 



^ Subs. R. Lanes, bdle. 130, no. 126. 



^ Ibid. bdle. 131, no. 210. 



* John Prescot^ a minor, in 1651 

 desired to compound for the delinquency 

 of his late father, Robert Prescot ; Cal. 

 Com, for Comp. iv, 2795. 



James Rigby in 1653 desired to com- 

 pound, his estate having been ordered for 

 sale ; ibid. It, 3103. 



John Rigby of Standish Wood desired 

 to clear himself of the charge of delin- 

 quency ; ibid, iv, 2815, For pedigree 

 see Visit, of 1613 (CheL Soc), 24. 



In addition to the estates of Prescot 

 and Rigby, the following were ordered for 

 sale by the Confiscation Act of 1652 : John 

 Brown, George Hornby and Lawrence 

 Standish ; Index of Royalists, 41, 42, 44. 



^ The following are given in Estcourt 

 and Payne*s Engl. Cath. Non-jurors : 

 Oliver Bibby (130), Thomas Blundell 

 (131), John Buller (125), Emir Grim- 

 boldston (129), William Smith (131), 

 Alexander Standish (99— he inherited 

 from his brother Edward), and Ralph 

 Taylor (106). It is remarlced that 

 the last-named had a son Thomas, who 

 entered the English College in Rome in 

 1695 ; Foley, Records S. J. vi, 445, 



* Forfeited Estate Papers, Lanes, L J. 



^ Land tax returns at Preston. 



^ Quaker Charities Rep. 1905, p. 44. 

 The ground was purchased in 1709. A 

 later meeting-house in Standish, i8i2, 

 was sold to the Wesleyans ; Note by Dr. 

 Shaw. See also Kuerden's statement 

 quoted in the introduction to Standish. 



^ Lists of recusants are printed in 

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

 176-9, for 1628 ; Misc. (Cath. Rec. Soc), 

 v, 102, for 1670 (about), and Trans. 

 Hist. Soc. (new ser.)j xix-xx, 246-9, for 

 1706. 



^^ Alexander Gardiner, a seminary 

 priest, ' used the parish of Standish * in 

 1588. The Ven. Edward Bamber, priest, 

 was once captured near Standish, about 

 1640 ; Gillow, Bihl. Diet, of Engl. Cath. 

 i, 120. 



"In 1 71 6 it was reported to the 

 government that ' Thomas Brockholes of 

 Standish, co. Lane, who is a popish 

 priest . . . has an estate in Standish 

 Wood . . . which he holds as a priest of 

 the Church of Rome, and is to go always 

 to popish priests ' ; Payne's Engl. Cath. 

 Rec. 95. 



'^ Trans. Hist. Soc. (new ser.), xiii, 

 155, A Dominican (Fr. James D. Dar- 

 byshire) was at Standish 1726-8. The 

 English Benedictines served the mission 

 from 1741 to 1873. In 1774 Bishop 

 Walton confirmed 247 persons and 

 Bishop Gibson 38 in 1784. 



'^ 1,727, including 29 of inland water ; 

 Census Rep, 1901. 



199 



** Including Gathurst. 



'^ Subs. R. Lanes, bdle. 250, no, 9. 

 The houses next in size were those of 

 Robert Almond, seven ; Mr. Holt, six ; 

 and John Finch, five, 



'^ Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 29. 



" Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec, Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), i, 261. 



'^ Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 150. 



In 1288 Adam Banastre held ofWilliam 

 de Ferrers the viU of Shevington by the 

 service of 81. yearly ; ibid. 269. This 

 may denote the Marsey grant first re- 

 ferred to. In 1302 the 'heirs of Robert 

 Banastre ' held the fourth part of a fee ; 

 ibid, 315. Sir Adam Banastre granted 

 to Sir William Banastre 24 marks and 

 5^i/. rent from messuages, lands and tene- 

 ments in Broughton, Salford, Charnock, 

 Adlington, Duxbury and Shevington j 

 Kuerden fol. MS. (Chet. Lib.), 366, R 30. 



To the aid of 1346-55 Sir John de 

 Harrington (and his partners) contributed 

 for the same fourth part ; Feud. Aids, iii, 87. 

 Nicholas de Harrington,Adamde Hoghton, 

 Geoffrey de Wrightington and William de 

 Charnock were the lords in 1378 ; Harl. 

 MS. 2085, fol, 423. In 1445-6 Thomas 

 Harrington, Richard Hoghton, Henry 

 Charnock and the heir of Robert Wright- 

 ington held the same ; the relief was 251., 

 which was ' put in respite because they 

 were ignorant what quantity each of them 

 held' ; Duchy of Lane, Knights' Fees, 

 bdle, 2, no. 20. 



