A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



It i;, however, probable that the descendants of 

 Ralph Clayton held the greater part of the tene- 

 ments under John Osbaldeston, for Thomas Clayton 

 gave puture to the sheriff about 1440 in respect of 

 his tenement here. John his son is described as 

 of Little Harwood, yeoman, in 1443, when with 

 Nicholas his son he was sued for debt by Lawrence 

 Bana^tre of Altham.'" In 1462 Ralph Abbot of 

 Whalley granted licence to Nicholas son and heir of 

 John Clayton of this place to make a weir on Black- 

 burn Brook running between Little Harwood and 

 the ' tovvne hey ' of Blackburn, and another weir on 

 the conventual land called Chirche Holt," which he 

 held of the abbot as parcel of the Blackburn glebe. 



In 1493 Thomas Osbaldeston passed the manor 

 to feoffees, apparently for the purpose of effecting 

 a sale to the Claytons." 

 Nicholas Clayton died with- 

 out issue, and was succeeded 

 by his brother Geoffrey, who 

 died seised of the manor in 

 or about 1503." John son 

 and heir of Geoffrey married 

 Rose daughter and sole heir 

 of Richard Bushbury of Bush- 

 bury, CO. Staff. He made a 

 settlement in 1 503 limiting 

 the manor to himself for life 

 with revi,r>ion to Edward 

 Stanley, then knight, after- "' 

 wards created Lord Mount- 

 eagle, as mortgagee, providing for the redemption 

 of the manor in case Sir EJward obtained a sufficient 

 consideration for the marriage of Clayton's two 

 daughters." Under this deed Lord Mounteagle 

 assumed the entire ownership of the manor in I 5 I 5, 

 after the death of John Clayton, and obtained a stay 

 of proceedings on the part of the heirs at law, Robert, 

 Giles and William, sons of George Clayton younger 

 brother of Nicholas and John, by granting to them 

 life estates in certain tenements parcel of the manor.''' 



In 1523 Lord Mounteagle died seised of the 

 manor, having devised it by will with other estates 

 towards the setting up of a chantry at Hornby. His 

 successor Thomas, acting wisely, did not so apply the 

 estate, but granted numerous leases, and finally sold 

 it in 1545 to William Clayton, surviving son of 

 George CLi\ton before mentioned, upon the redemp- 

 tion of the original mortgage."' William Clayton 

 thus restored the fortunes of his family, having acquired 

 from his elder brothers their estates and interests in 



Clayton. Argent on 

 a bend lable three roiej 



the manor, including Tonghill in Pleasington, 

 Churchholt and Beardworth Green in Blackburn, 

 and, before the termination of a successful and lengthy 

 career, re-purchased the manorial estate from Lord 

 Mounteagle. He married late in life (about 1550) a 

 lady belonging to one of the local families of Live-cy, 

 by whom he left issue at his death, about 1568, John 

 his heir ; Thomas, sometime servant to Mr. Justice, 

 afterwards Sir Thomas, Walmsley, kt. ; Edward, 

 M.A. of Brasenose College, master of the free school 

 of Manchester ; and Ralph of London." 



John Clayton died without issue in 162; holding 

 the manor of Sir Gilbert Hoghton, kt., in socage 

 by 4/. yearly rent ; John son of his brother Thomas 

 Clayton of Church, who died in 1 608, was his next 

 heir, aged nineteen and a-half years. By his will he 

 devised his estate of Lentworth in Upper Wyresdale 

 to his nephew Thomas, younger brother of his 

 heir.'' John Clayton successfully defended a suit 

 brought by William Fleetwood, kt., to recover 

 possession of the Churchholt estate in Blackburn, of 

 which his uncle died seised." He married in 1625 

 Alice daughter of George Cockshott of Great Har- 

 wood, and, dying in 1 660, was succeeded by his 

 second, but eldest surviving, son John, to whom in 

 1660 he had made a release of the manor.'" The 

 heir, who had been apprenticed in 1647 to John 

 Bolton of Dublin, merchant, married, first, Jane 

 daughter of Roger Whalley of Todehole in Blackburn, 

 who died in 165S, and, secondly, in 1660, Susan 

 daughter of Nicholas Rushton of Antley. 



John Clayton died in 1668, having entered his 

 pedigree three years before at William Dugdale's 

 visitation." John his son and heir, aged seven at his 

 father's death, entered Brasenose College in 1679, 

 and by his second wife Margaret daughter of Thomas 

 Crook of Abram Hall left at his death in 1 72 1, 

 among other issue, Thomas, a doctor of medicine. 

 Thomas Clayton acquired, by a devise in the will of 

 Alexander Osbaldeston of Osbaldeston, the chapel, 

 pews and burial-place of the Osbaldeston family 

 in Blackburn Church, with the right of nominating 

 the parish clerk and one churchwarden. He 

 married in 1723 Abigail daughter of John Darby- 

 shire of Warrington, and died in 1759. John his 

 son and heir, born in 1729, acquired the estates of 

 Carr Hall, in the forest of Pendle, and Barnside in 

 Colne, by his marriage in 1754 ^° Margaret 

 daughter and heir of Richard Townley of Carr." 

 He was a major of the Royal Lancashire Volunteers, 

 J. P. for CO. Lancaster, and an active promoter of the 



" MS. at Huntroyde j Pal. of Lane. 

 Pica R. 5, m. 3. 



" Towndey MS. OO, no. 1020. 

 Churchholt was for many generations the 

 property of this family. 



^ Final Cone* (Rec Soc, Lanes, and 

 Ches.), iii, 143. A writ oi precipe issued 

 to Thomas Osbaldeston in 1493 to 

 hold an agreement touching the manor 

 and lands here with William Heton, esq., 

 and two others ; Pal. of Lane Writs, 

 Proton. Hen. VII. 



1^ Margaret relict of Geoffrey Clayton 

 recovered a third part of the manor in 

 1503 against John Clayton as her dower; 

 ibid. I 53. 



Wil'.iam Cbyton of London, clerk, 

 died 1476, was probably brother of Nicho- 

 las and Giles Clayton. 



" Townele/ MS. OO, no. 1023-4. 



It is somewhat strange that the stipu- 

 lated redemption did not take effect, 

 seeing that Jolm Clayton's two daughters 

 Ellen and Rose married into important 

 Staffordshire families — Leveson of Wol- 

 verhampton and Grosvenor of Bushbury ; 

 Staff. Hist. Coll. iii, 90, 107 ; v (2), 159. 



Eilen seems to have been first married 

 to Christ. Lister of Middop. 



^■' Towneley MS. OO, no, 1036. 

 William Clayton received Cunliffe House. 

 In 1536 the lease was renewed for 

 71 years; ibid. 1034. 



'^ Ibid. 1033, 1040; Duchy of Lane 

 Inq. p.m. V, 64. An attempt by the 

 Crown officers to claim the manor by 

 title of Lord Mounteagle's testamentary 

 dispositions was abandoned in 1564, and 

 the manor confirmed to Wi:Uam Clayton 

 by decree ; Towneley MS. OO, no. 1040. 



250 



^^ Clayton D. ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. 

 p.m. xxvi, 49. 



'^ Ibid. 



^* This messuage descended with the 

 manorial estate, and was sold with it to 

 Mr. Robinson in 1873 as Church Hill ; 

 Abram, Blackburn^ 561. 



^ Clayton D. penes W. Farrer. 



" yisit. (Chet. Soc), Ixxiiv, 84. 



"Clayton D. In 1754 the family 

 estates included property in Blackburn, 

 Manchester, Ribchester, Walton-le-Dalc, 

 Farington, Great Hoole, Hindley, West- 

 leigh and Pennington ; ibid. ; Hist, oj 

 heeds and Liverpool Canal, by H. F, 

 Killick ; Letters penes W. Farrer. 



In 1758 Lady Stourton appointed John 

 Clayton her gamekeeper of the manors 

 of Rishton, Biilington and Lower Dir- 

 wen ; Clayton D. 



