A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



church there. Upon Mr. Butler's death in l8zi 

 without issue the estate passed to his sister Miss Mary 

 Butler, who bequeathed it to her cousin Mr. John 

 Bowdon,"^ and died unmarried in I 840. Upon suc- 

 ceeding to the estate Mr. Bowdon assumed in 1841 

 by sign manual the name of Butler in addition to that 

 of Bowdon, and dying in 1878 was succeeded by his 

 eldest son John Erdeswick Butler- Bowdon, late colonel 

 commanding the 3rd Batt. East Lancashire Regiment, 

 who is now lord of the manor. 





Butler. Azure a 

 cht'veTon hetvjeen three 

 covered cupt or, in chief 

 a croulet oj the tecond. 



Bowdon. Quarterly 

 sable and or, in the Jirst 

 quarter a lion passant 



In 1666 Thomas Ainsworth, gent., paid tax upon 

 ten hearths out of a total of forty-seven which paid 

 duty. Mrs. Butler paid one-third of the land tax 

 of j^ii 9/. loii. charged in 1787 upon the town- 

 ship.^* 



PLEJSINGTOy HJLL, a modern stone build- 

 ing in a plain classic style, possesses no architectural 

 interest. The old hall, however, which stands in a 

 more sheltered and picturesque situation to the south- 

 west, is a low two-story 16th-century stone house, 

 with central hall and projecting end wings, and though 

 a good deal altered and modernized and the middle 

 and west wings largely rebuilt, is still of considerable 

 interest. The front, which faces south, is 68 ft. in 

 length, the wings projecting 10 ft. at each end with 

 a porch in the western angle. The gables are without 

 coping or barge-boards, and a sash window has been 

 inserted in the ground floor of the west wing ; but 

 the east wing retains its original muUioned and 

 transomed window of seven lights on the ground floor, 

 with a similar window of four lights, now built up, 

 on the eastern return, and a five-light mullioned 

 window above. The front wall of the middle wing, 

 with its mullioned windows to the hall and rooms 

 above, appears to be of comparatively recent date, 

 though built no doubt on the old lines. The main 

 roof, which is covered with stone slates, is carried 

 down over the porch, which has a small two-light 

 window over the door, and the opening has moulded 

 jambs and head and a low four-centred arch. On 

 the door-head are three carved panels, the middle 

 one with the arms of Ainsworth and on either side 

 the crest and initials of Thomas Hoghton of Hoghton 

 Tower, and those of John Southworth of Samlesbury. 

 At either end, divided by the three panels, are the 

 date 1587 and the initials of Richard Hoghton. 



The hall, which is 22 ft. by 17 ft. and ha> a 

 flagged floor, is lit by a six-light mullioned window 

 on the south side, but retains few of its original 

 features. The screens were at the west end, but that 

 part of the house is now divided from the rest and is 

 used as a cottage. The ceiling, which is 8 ft. 6 in. 

 high, is crossed by three oak beams, but the fireplace 

 is modern, and the only object of interest is a small 

 recess 12 in. by 15 in. and 2 ft. 6 in. from the floor 

 in the front wall at the south-west corner, fitted with 

 an oak frame in which are cut the initials I. A., 

 probably referring to one of the Ainsworths. Locally 

 the recess is stated to have served as an aumbry at a 

 time when the hall was used as a chapel. The other 

 rooms are of little interest, but externally the house 

 shows many ancient features, especially at the east end, 

 where a large projecting chimney still stands, though 

 the fireplaces are built up inside. The old chimney 

 shafts, however, are gone and have been replaced by 

 a single new one. The upper floor at this end has 

 a succession of mullioned windows, but in the lower 

 part the wall has been much patched with bricks, 

 nearly all its old features renewed, and a large buttress 

 has been built against it. The back has two plain 

 gables, and the east \ving, which has a projection of 

 16 ft., appears to have been built at two separate 

 times, being partly constructed of large squared blocks 

 and partly of narrow stones with quoins at the angles. 

 The west wing, which projects only 2 ft. 9 in., and 

 the north wall of the hall are now quite plain, but 

 two large windows at the west end have been built 

 up. At the back of the east wing the old mullioned 

 windows in the upper floor remain, though the lower 

 transomed ones, together with a similar window facing 

 east, have been very much mutilated. There are 

 indications at the back suggesting that originally the 

 plan may have been slightly different, the west wing 

 possibly having had a greater projection ; but the 

 building has been so much altered and so much is 

 covered up with plaster and whitewash that any 

 definite conclusions on the subject are rendered 

 difficult. 



SHORROCK HEY was settled upon Margaret 

 daughter of John Shorrock in 1366, and in 1378-9 

 was apportioned between William de Redish and 

 Joan his wife, Roger de Whalley and Alice his wife. 

 It lay between the Greenfield, the Calf hey, Hollin- 

 greave and the water of Elisburne.^^ In 1467 John 

 son of William Redish conveyed his part to Christopher 

 son and heir of Richard Southworth, esq., then 

 deceased.^' John Southworth, kt., conveyed it in 

 1563 to Evan Holden, who passed it in 1579 to 

 Thomas Ainsworth, gent. John Ainsworth, esq., 

 held it in 1662 by a rent to the wapentake of \^d. 

 per annum.^' The other moiety was in the possession 

 of the Hoghton family in the time of Elizabeth.^' 

 James Livesey in i6i8 included a messuage called 

 Shorrock Hey in the settlement of his estates. It 

 probably passed to Mr. Richard EUingthorp in the 

 1 8th century, and was the property of his great- 

 grandson's trustees in 1 876.'" It was afterwards 



>* Charlotte Bowdon was the daughter 

 of John Eowdon by his third wife. Her 

 cousin John Bowdon was son of John 

 Peter Bruno Bowdon son of Henry son 

 of John son of the above John Bowdon 

 by his first wife. 



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

 L«nd t»x returns at Preston. The only 



other contributor of any moment was 

 Sir Henry Hoghton, bart. 



K Towneley MS. DD, no. 2201 ; Add. 

 MS. 32305, no. 1072. 



" Kuerden fol. MS. (Chet. Lib.), 360, 

 no. 641. 



" PaL of Lane Feet of F. bdle. 25, m. 

 247 ; 4i|m. 53 ; MS. Surv./'Mw W. Farrer. 



268 



*^ A settlement of the manor of Shor- 

 rock Hey, lands in PIcasington, &c., was 

 made by John Usherwood in 1563, the 

 remainder being to William ion of Roger 

 Usherwood ; Pal. of Lane Feet of F. 

 bdle. 25, m. 217. 



^ Lanct. lnq,p.m, (Rcc Soc. Lanci. and 

 Chef.), ii, 278 ; Abram, Blackburn^ 623. 



