BLACKBURN HUNDRED 



BLACKBURN 



Robert son of Roger de RadcHffe for term of his life 

 in 1332." In 1340 Adam de Radcliffe held a 

 messuage and a plough-land here of Queen Isabella by 

 knight's service and ^d. for castle-ward rent." In 

 1345 he was outlawed for felony at Lancaster for 

 burning the houses of John de Pudsay, but, antici- 

 pating trouble, had previously enfeoffed the vicars of 

 Whalley and Blackburn of his estate here, and they, 

 obtaining the royal assent, alienated it in 1347 to the 

 Abbot and convent of Whalley, together with lands 

 acquired from John son of Adam de Ireland.'* 



The demesne of Witton thus passed into the hands 

 of the monks of Whalley, and there continued until 

 the dissolution of the house. It was sold to Richard 

 Crombilholme of Button, yeoman, on 20 May i 544, 

 together with other possessions of the house, and 

 he conveyed it four days later to George Astley of 

 Stakes, gent., and William his son," in whose line it 

 continued at least as late as the latter part of the 17th 

 century, and possibly until the Rev. George Astley 

 dispersed the family estates early in the reign of 



Tyrr-^ 



Astley. Azure a Feilden of Witton. 



cinquefoil pierced ermine. Argent on a fesse cotised 



azure bet'ween two mart- 

 lets in chief sable and in 

 base a rose gules three 

 lozenges or, 



George III." Witton Hall was acquired by Joseph 

 Feilden of Blackburn, who paid land tax in 1788 

 amounting to £^ 10s. z\d. out of ^i i 10/. charged 

 upon the township." It is probable that he also 

 acquired the manor from the Holme family. His 

 predecessors are said to have commenced purchasing 

 lands here in 1690. Samuel Bower of Highgrave 

 also acquired numerous messuages here in the latter 

 part of the i8th century, which are said to have 

 been sold after his death in 1793 to Mr. Henry 

 Feilden of Witton." James Hawley Gilbert Feilden 



of Witton Park, late captain in the King's Royal 

 Rifle Corps, fourth in descent from Mr. Joseph 

 Feilden, is the present owner of the Witton estates 

 and reputed to be lord of the manor. 



Richard son of Richard de Holden gave his 

 tenements in Witton to trustees before 1387.^^ 

 COO HILL w.is the property of Richard Holden 

 in 1444. He had issue Henry, father of Thomas, 

 who was in possession in I 5 14. Thomas Holden, 

 who died in 1591 seised of ' Coohyll ' and other 

 estates, was the father of another Thomas, who died 

 so seised in 1 6 1 7, holding the estate of Ralph Standish 

 for I zd. rent. Thomas his son was a freeholder 

 here in 1650," and Mr. Francis Holden in 1666 

 was the only person who paid tax on more than 

 two hearths." 



Christopher Marsden died in 1605 seised of three 

 messuages in Witton held of Ralph Standish by 

 the rent of a glove. Miles his son being aged fifteen 

 years. Miles Marsden was in possession of Redlam in 

 1622, and Christopher Marsden paid 4^^'. wapentake 

 rent in 1662 for ' Redlome. ' ^^ 



Thomas Cowburne had an estate here at the 

 beginning of the 15 th century, which was settled in 

 1404 upon his relict Cecily, then the wife of Thomas 

 Livesey of Feniscowles, with remainder to her son 

 Thomas Cowburne, who was living in 1427." Henry, 

 living in the time of Henry VIII, was father of 

 John, who was possessed of THE EKES, in Witton, 

 in 1557. George son and heir of John Cowburne, 

 gent., passed by fine in 1583 to Lawrence Duxbury 

 of Great Harwood, gent., messuages called ' Le Eyes ' 

 and Todehole, in Witton and Livesey. Lawrence 

 Duxbury died in 1619, leaving Nicholas his son and 

 heir, aged thirty-seven^' years, who held a messuage 

 here at his death, in 1628, of Ralph Standish by 

 the yearly rent of a pair of gloves.*' The Eyes was 

 in the possession of Lawrence Duxbury of Dean 

 in 1660. 



The ecclesiastical parish of St. Mark, formed in 

 1842 as a district chapelry in Blackburn ancient 

 parish, consists of the ancient township of Witton and 

 parts of Blackburn township.^" The church, standing 

 on the hill-side above the River Blackwater, and on 

 the edge of Witton Park, was erected in 1836-7^' ; 

 the mortuary chapel of the Feilden family was added 

 in 1870, and the church restored and enlarged in 

 1 88 1-7. The registers date from the year 1838. 



'' Towneley MS. DD, no. 2152, 2173. 

 Robert de Radcliffe contributed to the 

 subsidy of 1332 the third part of the sum 

 levied from the township ; Exch. Lay 

 Subs. (Rec. Soc Lanes, and Ches.), 77. 

 His widow Cecily married Marmaduke 

 Darell and in 1347 they demanded from 

 the vicars of Whalley and Blackburn the 

 third part of three messuages and 200 

 acres of land, &c, here ; De Banco R. 

 352, m. 263. 



" Inq. p.m. 14 Edw. Ill (2nd nos.), 

 no. 31. The mediate tenure of William 

 de Chadderton*s heir was ignored. 



'8 Towneley MS. DD, no. 2147-9 ; 

 Cal. Pat. 1345-8, p. 192 i Inq. p.m. 20 

 Edw. Ill (2nd nos.), no. 62 ; 47 Edw. 

 Ill, no. 43. The messuage was yearly 

 worth I2(/., 30 acres land 20r., 3 acres 

 meadow 3s., 24 acres pasture 6j. 



In 1345 (renewed in 1350) Radcliffe 

 was pardoned for this felony at the 

 request of Richard Earl of Arundel, con- 

 ditional upon his performing aerrice 



abroad for twelve months at his own 

 charges; Cal. Pat. 1343-5, p. 545! 

 1348-50, p. 553. 



John son of Adam de Ireland had been 

 enfeoffed of lands here by Radcliffe in 

 '335 ) Towneley MS. DD, no. 2150-2. 

 His deed to -Whalley had a circular seal 

 bearing a cheveron between three fieurs de 

 lis ; ibid. 2154. In 1347 Geoffrey son of 

 William de Chadderton gave his consent 

 to the acquisition of these estates by the 

 abbot and convent within his fee. His 

 deed was sealed with a circular seal 

 bearing a cross fleury ; ibid. no. 2153. 



" Pat. 36 Hen. VIII, pt. v, 20 May ; 

 Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 179, m. I2. 



2" Thomas Astley died in 1623 seised 

 of a capital messuage called Witton and 

 demesne lands held of the king in 

 chief by the twentieth part of a knight's 

 fee and gd. rent ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec, 

 Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), iii, 3 8 1-3. 



George Thomson answered in 1662 

 for a wapentake rent of 51. yd. due in 



265 



respect of * Witton,* i.e. the hall and 

 demesne ; MS. Survey penes W. Farrer. 



2^ Land tax returns at Preston. 



^2 Baines, Lanes, (ed. Croston), iv, 71 ; 

 Mr. S. Bower paid land tax in 1788 

 amounting to £z 131. id. for five tene- 

 ments ; Land tax returns at Preston. 



^ Add. MS. 32104, no. 436. 



"^ Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 6, m. 3 ; 

 Session. P. bdle. 4, 6 Hen. VIII ; Duchy 

 of Lane. Inq, p.m. xvi, 15 ; xxi, 9. 



2* Subs. R. Lanes, bdle. 250, no. 9. 

 There were only twenty-two hearths 

 taxed in the entire township. 



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

 and Ches.), ii, 197 ; iii, 305 ; MS. Survey 

 penes W. Farrer. 



«7 Add. MS. 32107, no. 1-25 ; Deeds of 

 Law. Duxbury of Dean in the forest of 

 Pendle, 1660. 



as Ibid. no. 23. 



^ Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxvi, 26. 



^ Land. Gaz. 20 Sept. 1842. 



'' Abram, Blackburn, 760. 



34 



