BLACKBURN HUNDRED 



BLACKBURN 



room on the south side, however, appears to be of 

 rather later date, and there is another staircase with 

 flat pierced balusters in the west wing. The build- 

 ing was allowed to fall into neglect when it ceased to 

 be the residence of the Asshetons, and is now partly 

 used as a farm-house. On the north side are two 

 well-designed stone-cased gate piers with coupled 

 Corinthian pilasters and urn ornaments ; but the 

 gardens no longer exist, though there are still traces 

 of the great avenue of trees on the south side by 

 which the house was approached from the high road. 

 The family of Cliff, probably descended from 

 Richard a younger son of Warine de Cuerdale, held 

 lands here which John de Elleslegh in right of his 

 wife Alice daughter and heir of Richard del Cliff 

 claimed in 1354 from the Abbot of Whalley, but 

 unsuccessfully." Gilbert de Styholme was the grand- 

 father of Richard, whose son was charged in 1353 

 with depasturing the crops of John son of Alexander 

 de Longleigh in Cuerdale.'^ William Langley held 

 at his death in 1592 a messuage here which descended 

 to his nephew Robert Woodroffe of Walton-le-Dale." 

 Christopher Smyth died in 1589 seised of a small 

 estate here which was held of John Osbaldeston, esq., in 

 socage and descended to Edmund Smyth his son, who 

 held of RadclifFe Assheton, esq., in 1620.'* The 

 subsidy rolls record no persons assessed on lands 

 except the lord of the manor. In i6z6 Robert 

 Langton and William Cowpe were assessed upon 

 goods.'^ 



SAMLESBURY 



Samelesbure, xli cent. ; Samelesbiry, Schameles- 

 byre, Schampelesbyri, Samplesbiry, xiii cent. ; Sames- 

 bury, xiii— xvi cent. ; Samlesbury, xiv— xx cent. 



This rural township lies in Lower Ribblesdale, and 

 extends from that river over undulating ground into 

 the valley of the Darwen and upwards as far as 

 Arley Brooic in Woodfold Park, a distance of 3 miles. 

 From this point the eastern boundary extends over 

 the slope of Hoolster Hill, the highest ground in the 

 township, to the village of Mellor Brook. To the 

 north the Preston and Clitheroe road forms the 

 boundary for some distance, but is not in the town- 

 ship. To the south the River Darwen and its 

 tributary the Beasting Brook form the boundary 

 until the hundred of Leyland is touched. 



Towards Mellor Brook the subsoil consists of the 

 Yoredale rocks, which extend south to Hoolster Hill, 

 in the southern, central and northern parts of the 

 Millstone Grit, and towards the Ribble of Bunter 

 pebble beds. From Rowley Fold to Beasting Brook 

 a small area of the Permian rocks occurs. The soil 

 is generally of a clayey nature. There is some arable 

 land and a considerable area of woodland in Seed 

 Park and scattered over numerous ravines, but the 

 land principally consists of meadow and pasture.' 

 The area of the township is 4,379 acres, and the 

 population in 1901 numbered 860 persons.'' 



The main road from Preston to Blackburn passes 

 through the township, crossing the river at Brock- 

 holes Bridge ; half a mile to the east of the village 

 the main road to Clitheroe branches from it, and is 

 again connected with it by a short link which turns 

 soyth from Mellor Brook. In the opposite direction 

 a country lane leads to Walton-le-Dale. The nearest 

 railway station is at Hoghton on the Liverpool, 

 Blackburn and Accrington line of the Lancashire and 

 Yorkshire Railway Company. The principal employ- 

 ment is agriculture ; there are paper-mills on the 

 River Darwen at Roach Bridge and Samlesbury 

 Bottoms. The sewage disposal works of the Black- 

 burn Corporation are within the township, and the 

 Thirlmere conduits of the Manchester Corporation 

 Waterworks pass through the middle of it, crossing 

 the Ribble and Darwen upon aqueducts. 



There is a parish council. 



William Billington, operative, sceptic and poet, 

 was born at Samlesbury in 1827. He worked in 

 the cotton mills at Blackburn, and published volumes 

 of poems in 1861 and T883. He died in 1884.' 



SAMLESBURT was held in the latter 

 MANOR half of the 12th century by Gospatric 

 son of Swain in thegnage by the yearly 

 service of i zs. It is by no means improbable that 

 he was a younger son of Swain son of Leofwin, lord 

 of part of Hindley about the middle of the 12 th 

 century. In addition to his manor of Samlesbury 

 he held half the manor of Alston in Araounderness, 

 and in Salford Hundred half the manors of Harwood * 

 and Sharpies, estates which his son Roger held in 

 I 2 1 2 after Gospatric's death.^ Roger, having married 

 Margaret daughter and heir of Walter son of Osbert 

 (de Clifton) without the consent of the chief lord, 

 Theobald Walter, was summoned in 1 1 94 to answer 



" Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 3 (1), 

 m. 4 d. 



33 Kuerden MSS. iv, K 9 ; Assize R. 

 435, m. 32 d. In 1345 John Hare of 

 Cuerdale and Dicta relict of John de 

 Cuerdale were charged with assaulting 

 William de Longlegh ; De Banco R. 345, 

 m. 95 d. 



^-i Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xvi, 52. 

 In 1668-9 Jolin Woodroffe of Walton- 

 le-Dale made complaint as to certain 

 lands in Cuerdale and Walton and a 

 burgage in Clitheroe which had been 

 held by Robert Woodroffe forty-three 

 years previously. Plaintiff was son of 

 Christopher son of John Woodroffe, 

 cousin-german and heir of the said 

 Robert. The defendants were Richard 

 Woodroffe of Wheelton (brother of plain- 

 tiff) and Robert Woodroffe of Samles- 

 bury ; Croxteth D. 



85 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxii, 

 no. 40 (Rec. Soe. xvi, 154). 



'« Lanes. Lay Subs. bdle. 131, no. 317. 



* The agricultural returns for 1905 

 give arable land 142 acres, permanent 

 grass 3,645 acres, woods and planta- 

 tions 132 acres. 



^ The new survey gives 4,384 acres, 

 of which y6 are inland water. 



' Diet. Nat. Biog. ; Abram, Blackburn 

 Characters, 219 ; Gillow, Bihl. Diet, of 

 Engl. Cath. i, 212. 



* Kuerden MSS. (Coll. of Arms), iii, 

 B 2. 



' Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soe. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 16, 54, 58, 75. 

 The great inquest of service made in 

 1212 records several feoffments made in 

 the 1 2th century to Gospatric, whose son 

 Roger held the tenements in I2I2. They 

 are (i) half a plough-land in Hindley, 

 given in frank marriage to Gospatric by 

 Swain son of Leofwin, which Roger son 

 of Gospatric held in 121 2 of Thomas de 

 Burnhull ; ibid, i, 75. (2) One plough- 

 land in Lathom or its members which 

 Siward son of Dunning, ancestor of the 



Lathoms, gave to Gospatric for 45. yearly 

 service, of which Richard and John held 

 I oxgang for \zd. and William de Stain- 

 ford held 3 oxgangs for 31. of Roger son 

 of Gospatric in 1212; ibid. 16. 



It is significant that the heirs general 

 of Gospatric held three-fourths of the 

 manor of Alston, which manor Thomas 

 de Burnhull held in 1212. 



Gospatric also had issue Richard, Alan, 

 who married Amabel de Blakeburn, 

 Ughtred the clerk of Whalley, to whom 

 Geoffrey Dean of Whalley gave, and 

 Roger de Lacy constable of Chester con- 

 firmed, Clerk. Hill in Whalley (q.v.), and 

 a daughter who married Geoffrey the 

 younger, Dean of Whalley ; Whalley 

 Couch. (Chet. Soe), 285-8. 



Adam and Geoffrey Brun and Gilbert 

 de Samelesbury were amerced in 1187 

 before Geoffrey de Lucy for withdrawing 

 from pleas without licence ; Farrer, Lanes, 

 Pipe R. 69. 



