A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



ASTLEY. Azure 

 cinquefoil ermine. 



in 1617.^1 Thomas his son survived his father six 

 years and died seised of the ' hall of Stakes ' in Livcscy, 

 leaving Thomas his son, aged 

 nine years.^^ The last-named 

 Thomas was father of Thomas 

 Astle}-, who entered his pedi- 

 gree in 1664.^^ and died in 

 1667. His great-grandson the 

 Rev. George Astley, who was 

 the last representative in the 

 main line, sold the estate 

 before his death in 1777. It 

 passed to the firm of Turner, 

 calico printers, who demolished 

 the hall and erected print 

 works upon the site. The 

 locality bears the name of ' Stakes Hall.' In 1843 a 

 portion of the estate was purchased by Mr. Joseph 

 Eccles and has since been largely built upon.^ 



A messuage and tenement named Ewood was the 

 property during the i6th and 17th centuries of the 

 family of Holden, who held it of the Astleys of 

 Stakes in socage.^^ 



WHITE ALGH (Quithalwe, Quithalc, 1300; 

 Withalgh, 1339) in Livesey was given in the time of 

 Edward I by William son of Henry de Livesey to 

 Richard his brother subject to a yearly rent of 2/. 

 Other land here was also given by Adam de Livesey in 

 the time of Edward II to his son William Pakoc, who 

 resigned it to William son of Richard de Livesey in 

 the next reign.^^ This William adopted Whithalgh as 

 surname and was ancestor of Uriel son of Henry 

 Whithalgh, who released lands in Livesey called 

 ' Streket croft' and 'Pighel' in 141 3 to John 

 Livesey.*' James Whithalgh probably held the 

 estate in 1524 and was father of Richard, whose 

 eldest son James died in 1568 seised of a capital 

 messuage in Livesey held of Richard Livesey in 

 socage by a yearly rent of 2/. zd., and other lands in 

 Mellor, Cuerden and Oswaldtwistle. His brother 

 Lawrence's son, John Whithalgh, aged twenty, was 

 heir to the estate,'** but died shortly after and appears 

 to have been succeeded by his brother Richard, who 

 passed the estates by fine in 1 5 8 1 to trustees for 

 settlement upon himself and Joan his wife.*' His 

 son James Whithalgh succeeded in 1601 and in 

 1625 conveyed the messuage and tenement known 



as Whithalgh House to trustees for the benefit of the 

 grammar school at Blackburn.*" Richard Whitehalgh 

 still owned a house and property here in 1666. 



Feniscowles (Fennyshales, Fenniscoles, 1307-9; 

 Fanyscowles, Fenisco.ales, xvii cent.) gave name to a 

 family of whom Adam de Fenniscoles was a surety for 

 Henry son of Robert de Livesey, non-suited at Lan- 

 caster in 1309.'^ In the 16th and 17th centuries it 

 was the property of the Livesey family.^- Broad- 

 halgh (Bradhaleigh, 1 309) was the property of the 

 same family in the 1 7th century.^' 



Feniscliffe (FanisclifFe, 1522) was exchanged by 

 John son and heir of William Woodcock of Walton- 

 le-Dale with John son and heir of John Garstang of 

 Stanworth in 1522 for tenements in Walton-le- 

 Dale,** and was conveyed to Robert Harwood of 

 Livesey in 1564 by James Garstang, gent. Robert 

 Harwood of Feniscliffe occurs in the time of 

 James I.*' 



In 1 666 the hearths which paid duty numbered 

 eighty-three, Ralph Livesey with five and Richard 

 Whitehalgh with four being the chief contributors.'" 

 The second largest contributor to the land tax in 

 1788 was Mr. Edward Haworth, the largest being 

 Mrs. Wilson. 



The church of Immanuel at Feniscowles, com- 

 menced in 1835 and consecrated the year following, 

 contains a monument to Sir William Feilden, bart., 

 who gave the site and the stone for the building and 

 partially endowed the living. A parish was assigned 

 to the church in 1842." The registers commence 

 in 1837. The living is a vicarage in the gift of the 

 vicar of Blackburn. 



St. Andrew's Church at Moorgate was erected in 

 1877, and a parish formed in the same year,'^ in 

 which also the registers commence. The living is a 

 perpetual curacy in the gift of five trustees. 



The church of St. Francis at Feniscliffe was erected 

 in 1890 and a parish assigned to it in 1893 ; the 

 living is a vicarage in the gift of the Bishop of 

 Manchester. 



The conventional district of St. Bartholomew's, 

 Ewood, has been formed, but no church has been 

 built ; the Bishop of Manchester collates. 



The Independent connexion first held services 

 about 1 844 in a farm-house at Stakes Hall, a small 

 chapel being erected three years later by Mr. Joseph 



*^ His will mentions various children 

 and his grandchild Thomas son and heir- 

 apparent of his son Thomas Astley. He 

 desired to be buried in Blackburn Church 

 in the quire and pew where he ordinarily 

 sat. 



" Vnit. (Chet. Soc. lixxii), 83 ; 

 Lanes. Incj, p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), iii, 380. 



<2 Viiit. (Chet. Soc. Ixxxiv), 1 9. 



" Abram, Blackburn, 575-7. 



'* An account of the family is given by 

 Mr. Abram, op. cit. 579. 



« Add. MS. 32109, fol. l8i ; Towneley 

 MS. DD, no. 506-10. The boundary was 

 thus described : Beginning at the leach 

 running into Smaleshagh Brook by le 

 menegate, following the leach to Ingram 

 stub, thence by ditches below a thorn 

 tree and Me sapling akc ' in ^ southward 

 direction to the brook, along that to the 

 * ryngyeard ' and so going around to 

 Smaleshagh Brook. 



" Add. MS. 32108, no. 79. 



*^ Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xiii, 22. 



In 1520 Thomas son and heir of Ughtred 

 Duxbury gave bond to James Whithalgh 

 that the latter with Ralph Wadington, 

 George Cowburn, Ralph Crichlaw and 

 Henry Felden should peaceably enjoy land 

 in Livesey called Bradley ; Kuerden MS. 

 (Chet. Lib.), fol. 95, no. 454. 



In 1563 George Livesey son of Thomas 

 paid part of a fine of ;^i8 for a lease 

 from Richard Livesey of the messuage 

 and tenement called Whitehalgh ; Towne- 

 ley MS. (Chet. Lib.), C 8, 13, p. 839. 



*^ PaL of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 43, 

 m. 139. ** Abram, op. cit. 595. 



*i Assize R. 423, m. 2 d. 

 In 1 307 the jurors of Blackburn Hundred 

 presented that Henry son of Helewise 

 de Livesey entered the grange (barn) of 

 Adam de Fennyshales in Livesey and 

 stole a thrave of corn worth 3^/., the door 

 being unlocked. Because of the very 

 small amount of the theft he was sent 

 back to prison^ * and after he has had the 

 penalty of prison let him be delivered ' j 

 Duchy of Lane Assize R. (2), m. 8 d. 



288 



^^ John Livesey of Feniscowles \% 

 described both as yeoman and gentleman 

 temp. James I ; Lana. Inq, p,m, (Rec. 

 Soc), ii, 78, 281. 



^^ Richard son of Richard Livesey of 

 Bradhaigh and his brothers were remainder 

 men in the settlement of the manor made 

 by James Livesey in 1618; ibid- 279. 

 Shorrock Hey was another property of 

 the family ; ibid, Richard Livesey of 

 Broadhalgh by fine of ^^lo compounded 

 in 1649 ^'•^'^ delinquency in arms at the 

 beginning of the war j CaL Com, for 

 Comp. 1994. 



^ Add. MS. 32109, fol. 97. 



" Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdlc. 26, 

 m. 145 ; Lanes, Inq, p.m. (Rec Soc), i, 

 90. 



^* Subs. R. Lanes, bdlc. 250, no, 9. 

 Richard Livesey, Lawrence Aiaaworth, 

 sen., Lawrence Ainsworth, jun., John 

 Gerard and Thomas Foole each paid 

 duty for three hearths. 



" Lond. Ga-z.. 20 Sept. 1842, 



" Ibid. 18 Dec 1877. 



