A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



licences for his oratory at Walton in 1367, 1372 

 and 1374, and as ' Rauf de Langeton, baroun of 

 Neweton,' was a witness in the Scrope and Grosvenor 

 case in 1386.'^ He had licence for oratories in his 

 manor-houses at Newton and Walton in 134S, and 

 died in 1406, leaving issue by his wife Joan daughter 

 of William RadcIifFe of the Tower, who survived 

 him, a son Henry, then aged forty, upon whom he 

 had settled lands in Walton in 1 39 1 worth ^^20 a 

 year on the occasion of his son's marriage to Agnes 

 daughter of John de Davenport.^- Henry died in 

 1419, leaving Ralph his eldest son, then twenty- 

 three years of age, who probably received knighthood 

 after the fall of Meatix in 1422, in which year he is 

 described as knight.'^ He married Alice, whose 

 parentage is unknown, and died in 143 I, Henry his 

 son being then but twelve years old.^^ Henry died 

 in 147 1, his son Richard being of full age and 

 married before 20 April 1467 to Isabella daughter 

 of Peter Gerard of Brynn.^' 



Richard Langton was made a knight by Lord Stanley 

 in Scotland in 1482 and died in i 500, Ralph his son 

 being twenty-six ye.ir of age and already married 

 during his father's lifetime to Joan daughter of 

 Christopher Southworth of Samlesbury, kt.'" Ralph 

 Langton, esq., settled his cst.itc^ in I 503 and by will 

 bequeathed :o marks 'towards the making and re- 

 pairing of the L'jA church if the pariliioners will 

 builJ the same.' He died the same year, leaving 

 Richard his eldest son, aged nine year>, who dicJ in 

 I jl 1 I during his minority, his brother Thomas being 

 then aged fourteen years. Joan Langton, l,a\ing 

 acquired the wardship of her sons, sold it :hortlv 

 before her death in I 50+ to Edward Stanley, kt.," 

 afterwards created Lord Mounteagle, who married 

 Thomas Langton to his base daughter Elizabeth.'* 

 Thomas was made a knight in I 533, had licence with 

 his second wife Anne, base daughter of Thomas 

 Talbot, in 1545 for an oratory to be erected in their 



manor-house of Walton, and was sheriff in 1556 and 

 1567." He died in 1569, Edward his eldest son 

 and his issue having predeceased him before 1558, 

 when the family estates were entailed upon Leonard, 

 then his eldest son and heir. Leonard died before 

 his father, leaving issue by his wifr Anne daughter 

 of Thomas Leyburn of Cunswick, co. Westmorland, 

 and relict of William Singleton, an only son, Thomas 

 Langton, heir to his grandfather in 1569, and 

 then aged eight years.'"* Thomas was contracted 

 in marriage during his minority to Margaret daughter of 

 Richard Shireburne of Stonyhurst, from whom he wj> 

 divorced in 1580 when he married Elizabeth second 

 daughter of John Savage of Clifton, kt., by whom he 

 had no issue. Owing to various encumbrances upon 

 his estates he alienated the manor of Walton in 1597 

 to Messrs. Sweeting and Hobbes, clothworkers of 

 London,^' but this transference may have been con- 

 nected with the fatal affray at Lea Hall in 1589 and 

 the complications which that misfortune brought upon 

 the last of the line of Langton, barons of Newton.^^ 



After this fatal conflict Langton and some forty- 

 seven other persons were arrested and indicted for 

 murder before special sessions of the justice^ summoned 

 for the purpose, but three jurors only appeared." 

 Xo presentment could therefore be made. After 

 abortive proceedings extending over more than two 

 and a half years the Earl of Derby recommended to 

 Cecil Lord Burghley the petition of those indicted, 

 praying for their release, and deprecated further pro- 

 ceedings on the ground that some of the defendants 

 were illiterate and unable to plead, whilst others 

 ' are so great in kindred and affinity and so stored with 

 friends as, if they should be burnt in the hand, I fear 

 it will fall out to be a ceaseless and most dangerous 

 quarrel betwixt the gentlemen that any county of her 

 Majesty's hath this many years contained.' ''■' It is 

 probable that Langton made peace with Mr. 

 Hogh ton's widow by the payment of a large sum of 



elder Robert and hit iisuc by Margaret 

 hit wife, in 1335 descended to the 

 Langtons of Lowe ; Finai Cone. (Rec 

 Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 194. For the 

 in<}ue9t after Robert's death sec Lane:. 

 Inj. f>.m. (Chct. Soc), ii, 98. His manor 

 of Walton comprised a chief messuage. 

 So acres of land worth looj., 20 acres 

 pasture 20j., two water-mills and a 

 fishery Sd.-., renti of free tenants, 

 104J. 9 J,/., at Christmas and St. Giles, 

 rents of tenants at will £t) iji. 4^. 

 Sum, j^2 5 2j. \}tJ. 



" Lich. Epis. Reg. Stretton, v, jmuim. 

 Scrope Jiid Groti'cnor R:U, 389. 



" Lich. Epis. Reg. vi, 140. Henry 

 Langton and Agnes his \\ife had licence 

 for their oratories in 1401 ; ibid. 146. 

 Inq. p.m. inTownelcy MS. DD, no. 1 501. 

 Walton was worth -o marlcs ^ year in 

 ■ 416. 



'^ Lanci. Inj. p.T.. (Chet Soc.\ i, 137 ; 

 Hoghton D. 618. James Langton, a 

 yo•Jn^er son of Henry Langton, was 

 described as 'clerk' in 141 5, and about 

 sixteen years old when he had a dispensa- 

 tion to hold a benefice with cure in a 

 cathedral or coliej late church ; Cal. Papal 

 Ltrtir,^ Ti, 412. He became parson of 

 Wl^an in I4;2. 



'* Alice married secondly Richard 

 second son of Hamon .Miscy of RLiton, 

 and obtained a bond in 1431 from 

 Richard Shireburne, Nichohs Butler of 

 Ba»»c!irfe and Hamoo Mascy of Riiton 



for assignment of her dower ; Dep. 

 Keeper'i Rep. xjcxiii, App. 40. 



^* Hoghton D. 624. Tenements and 

 free rents ia Walton settled upon 

 Isabella by Henry Langton are recited in 

 Duchy of Lane Inq. p.m. iii, tot. 



'* Shaw, ^rj. of England^ ii, 19 ; 

 Duchy of Lane Inq. p.m. iv, 45. •' Ibid. 



•' /'»//. (Chet. Soc icviii), 12. 



" In 1 542 some trouble arose within 

 the lordship of Penwortham through Sir 

 Thomas' steward assembling certain of 

 his master's tenants in harness arrayed 

 for war, to wit, 'in jack, sallet, bowe, 

 arrce/, swords and other waypons 

 defensable ' on horseback and on foot, 

 ready to attend Sir Thomas to Berwick 

 for service in Scotland, but forbidding 

 them to wear the * rede rose ' or serve 

 the king under the rule of Henry 

 Farington, kt^ the king's steward of 

 Penwortham. He commanded them in- 

 stead to wear Sir Thomas's badge of ' the 

 madinshead' (his crest), and serve under 

 him ; Duchy Plead. (Rec Soc Lanes, and 

 Ches.), ii, 185. 



In I 549 Sir Thomas, -Marmaduke Tun- 

 stall nnd Piers Legh, kts., were com- 

 missioned by Prince Edward to furnish 

 sixty men of their tenants and others to 

 serve as pioneers and to ' playe the sould- 

 yercs' in Scotland. Two out of fifteen 

 persons appointed to serve from Walton 

 refused to do so or to contribute towards 

 the levy for their charges ; ibid, iii, 89. 



292 



*" Hoghton D. 833 ; Inq. p.m. xiii, 

 41. Sir Thomas' will is printed in Lanei. 

 irHh (Chet. Soc. old ser. Ii), 246. He 

 desired burial in the south side of the 

 chancel ' in the parish church of Lawe 

 among my ancestors there lying,' be- 

 queathed ,^20 towards the repair of the 

 church, to his grandson at twenty-one 

 years his gold chain, a standing cup of 

 silver with cover being gilt, ' wheare 

 upon ys graven this worde earhme,' other 

 silver plate, utensils, instruments of hus- 

 bandry and all his harness and armour, 

 also many legacies to kinsfolk and ser- 

 vants, among whom even his ploughboys 

 were not forgotten. 



<' Hoghton D. ii, 383 ; Pal. of Lane. 

 Feet of F. bdle. 58, m. 43, by which John 

 Dalston and Frances his wife, Thomas 

 Langton, Thomas Fleetwood and Richard 

 Fleetwood conveyed the manor and 

 other estates to John Sweeting and 

 William Hobbes. 



" See y.C.H. Lanci. i, 374. 



"Whitaker, M^halley (ed. 1876), 11, 

 334 D. 



*• Baines, Lana. (ed. 1836), iii, 347. 

 8 Mar. 1594-5, Thomas Fleetwood had a 

 writ of amoveat manut for the manors 

 of Newton, Walton-le-Dale, Wigan, 

 Mellor, Eccleshill, Over and Nether 

 Darwen, Cuerden, Makerfield and Little 

 Harwood, and the advowson of Wigan 

 Church, late of Sir Thomas Langton, kt. j 

 Fine R. 37 Eliz. pt. ii, no. 45. 



