A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



Blackburn,'' and in 14S3 Katherine widow of the 

 next Sir Ralph was tenant." 



The Bartons and their heirs succeeded, but little 



^ 



Radcliffe. Argent 

 a bend engrailed table. 



Whallev Abbey. 

 Azure three zuhales 

 hauriant or ivitk croziers 

 of the second isiuant Jrom 

 their mouths argent. 



is on record as to their tenure/-* Thomas Belasyse 

 fourth Viscount Fauconherg, on selling his Lanca- 

 shire estates, disposed of his manor of Blackburn in 

 1721 to William Baldwin, Henry Feilden and 

 William SuJcll." Their descendants retained the 

 manor for >ome time, but by descent and purchase it 

 became vested in Joseph Feilden (heir of Henry) 



20 Duchy of Lane. Knights' Fees, bdlc. 

 ^, no. 20. 



2' Ibid. Misc. cxxx. 



*^ John Barton, who became an Obser- 

 vant Friar in i;i6, held lands, &c., in 

 Blackburn of the king as -lukc ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. iv, no. 82. 



Andrew Bartun In 15+9 held a moiety 

 of the manor of Blackburn, thirty mes- 

 suages, &c., and 4J. ^. rent of the king 

 39 duke in socage by a rent of 41. ; ibid, 

 ix, no. 27. 



Similar returns were made in later 

 inquisitions, but the * moiety of the 

 manor ' was sometimes called the * manor.' 

 It occurs in a settlement of the Barton 

 manors in 16^2 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of 

 ¥. bdle. 1^2, m. 67. 



^ Abram, Bbckburn, 255. 



*^ Raines in Notina Ceitr. (Chct. Soc), 

 ii, 275. 



^ Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1870), ii, 66; 

 see the account of Witt'm. 



'^^^ A record of the court held in Oct. 

 1703 has been preserved and is in the 

 possession of W. Farrer. It is entitled 

 the View of Frankpledge with court 

 baron of Thomas Archbishop of Canter- 

 bury and Thomas Viscount Fauconberg, 

 before William Prescot, steward. Fines 

 of 51. and loj. were threatened for 

 various offences, including the getting of 

 daub on the highway. 



^ The decree is printed by Abram, op. 

 eit. 256-60 ; the Archbishop of Canter- 

 bury and Thomas Barton were lords of 

 the manor. The moors were called 

 Coalpit Moor alias Whinney Edge, 

 Revidge Moor and Blakey Moor, Ten 

 acres adjoining Blackburn Town End 

 were to lie open for ever, for musters, 

 &c. A list of the freeholders is given. 



" Richard de Battestwisle allowed the 

 monks of Stanlaw to take their mill 

 stream through part of his land called 

 Cronekiscar 5 his widow Eva afterwards 

 released her dower right there ; fVhalley 

 Couch, i, 101-2. In 1 308 William son 

 of Richard de Battestwisle gave all his 

 possessions in Battestwisle in the viU of 

 Blackburn to Adam son of Award de 

 Brockholes ; Add. MS. 32104, no. 967, 



and his uncle John Feilden." After the death of 

 the latter in 1859 his share was acquired by his said 

 nephew, who thus became sole lord of this part of 

 the manor." It does not appcnr that any courts arc 

 held or that any rights of lordship are exercised."' 



The wastes and commons were inclosed in 161^. 



Down to modern times the lords of the manor 

 were not re^iident, and the yeoman occupiers of the 

 land are seldom mentioned in the pleadings or other 

 records.'' The families surnamed Blackburn appear 

 in other townships,*^ and some of the adjacent land- 

 owners had lands in Blackburn, as appears by the 

 inquisitions.*^ The great changes brought about by 

 the introduction of manufactures had some ill results 

 in an increasing population without proper govern- 

 ment, and the town became a byword for ' rudeness 

 and want of civilisation.' ^" This was gradually 

 remedied by the aid of suitable authorities and the 

 action of religious and social organizations. The first 

 Sunday school was opened in 1786 by the vicar, and 

 others quickly followed.'' 



Prior to 1803 the town was under 

 BOROUGH the authority of the constable, but in 

 that year a body of twelve commis- 

 sioners appointed by statute were invested with cer- 

 tain powers of local government. ^^ Under a local 



Agnes widow of Adam de Battestwisle 

 claimed dower in Blackburn in 1319 

 T^Tinst Adam the Tailor and against 

 Wil.iam de Battestwisle ; De Banco 

 R. 231, m. 83. Cecily de Battestwisle 

 in 1323 was non-suited in her action 

 against Richard de Hulton ; ibid. 248, 

 m. 160. In a f rthcr pleading Adam the 

 Tailor is called Adam de Blackburn j 

 ibid. 25-, m. 54 d. There were further 

 suits in 132S, Adam's son Henry being 

 concerned ; Assize R. 1400, m. 234. 



In I 33 I the above-named trustee, Adam 

 de Brockholes, gave all his lands, &c., in 

 Battestwisle to Henry son of Adam the 

 Tailor of Blackburn; Add. MS. 32104, 

 no. 114!;. 



'^ See the accounts of Wiswell, &c., 

 also Garston. In 13^7 John son of 

 William de Ewood was pardoned for the 

 death of Adam son of Richard son of 

 Adam son of Alan dc Blackburn ; Cal. 

 Pat. 1345-8, p. 247. 



^^ Evan Holden had a messuage, &e., in 

 Blackburn in 1562 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet 

 of F. bdle. 24, m. 17. 



Thomas Holden of Coohill in Witton 

 died in 1582 holding a messuage called 

 Bastwell — probably the Batestwisle of ■■* 

 previous note ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. 

 p.m. xvi, no. i 5. His son Thomas died 

 in 1 61 7 holding the same of Thomas 

 Barton by a rent of zs. \ Lanes. Inq. p.m. 

 (Rcc. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 58. For 

 the family see Abram, Blackburn, 760, 



Robert Barcroft and Elizabeth his wife 

 had messuages, &c., in Blackburn and 

 Cliviger in 1594 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of 

 F. bdle. 56, m. 114, Robert died in 

 1 61 2 holding the moiety of three 

 messuages, &c., in Blackburn of Thomas 

 Barton as of his manor of Blackburn by 

 zs, rent, and leaving a son William, aged 

 fifty-six ; Lanes. Inq, p.m. (Ree. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 215. William Bar- 

 croft died in 1621 holding the same ; 

 his son and heir Robert was aged twenty- 

 seven ; ibid, iii, 400. For pedigree see 

 Whitaker, Whalley, ii, 220. 



John Clayton of Little Harwood died 

 in 1625 holding land in Blackburn of the 

 Archbishop of Canterbury as of his manor 



of Blackburn by a rent of 41. ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. xxvi, no. 49. 



Miles Aspin;ill (d. 1639) held a mes- 

 suage in Royshaw and land in Blackburn 

 nf Thomas Barton of Smithills by render- 

 ing the third part of two barbed arrows 

 yearly. His heir was his son Thomas, 

 aged thirty-five; Towncley MS. C 8, I 3 

 (Chct. Lib,), I. A later Miles Aspinall 

 in 1 68 1 settled his estate at Royshaw, 

 &e,, on his marriage with Grace grand- 

 daughter of John Broughton. He died 

 intestate, leaving three daughters as co- 

 heirs — Jane (by a former wife), Catherine 

 and Elizabeth (by Grace), Elizabeth 

 obtained Royshaw and married Robert 

 Osbaldeston of Mellor, and though she 

 died without issue It remained in her 

 husband's family ; abstract in possession 

 of W. Farrer, Some further notes on 

 the Aspinalls are given by Abram, op, 

 eit. 260. 



The same writer also gives accounts of 

 the following minor families residing in 

 the township in the 17th and i8th 

 centuries: Abbot of Whitebirk ; Bolton 

 of Brookhouse, whence sprang the Robert 

 Bolton already mentioned ; Bury of 

 Ousebooth ; Dcwhurst of Beardwood 

 Green ; Edge ; Law ; Mawdsley of 

 Ousebooth ; Sharpies ; Ward ; and 

 Whalley of Todhall ; op. eit. 260-70. 



Later (386-409) he gives * brief 

 sketches ... of a number of families 

 whose members have been foremost in 

 the affairs of the town or in the develop- 

 ment of the local trade during the last 

 and present [19th] century ; or have 

 attained to social or political eminence 

 within the same period,* Among them 

 are the families of Baldwin and Sudell, 

 who at one time had a share of the 

 manor ; Hornby, baronet, 1899 ; Pilking- 

 ton and Yates. 



^ Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1836), iii, 325. 

 Even in 1836 there was no proper market 

 place, and the prison was a room in a 

 public-house ; ibid, 



** Abram, op. eit. 370, 



^"^ Ibid. 375 ; the commissioners 

 themselves filled up vacancies on their 

 body. 



246 



