BLACKBURN HUNDRED 



BLACKBURN 



of Balderston of Thomas in socage by homage and 

 fealty and the yearly service of ^s. ^j., Thomas re- 

 serving the advowson of the grange of Sunderland. 

 Later in the year he recovered damages against 

 Thomas, vi^ho had seized one of his horses in a place 

 called Longhurst, unjustly claiming a yearly service of 

 5/., a sparrow-hawk and a pair of spurs.^^ He married 

 Alice, possibly daughter of Alexander de Cuerdale, 

 junior, by whom he had issue a son John and daughter 

 Katherine, married in 1336 to Gilbert son of John 

 son of Gilbert de la Legh. He died in or shortly 

 before 1339.^-' 



John de Balderston married Roesia, said to have 

 been daughter and heir of Thomas de Roos of Man- 

 ningham, co. York.-'' In 1347 he settled his estates 

 in Balderston and Cuerdale upon himself and Roesia 

 his wife for their lives with remainder to their issue,^' 

 and died soon after, leaving two young sons Richard 

 and William in ward of their mother Roesia, who 

 married for her second husband William de Scargill 

 of Thorpe Stapleton, CO. York. ^^ In 1361 Richard 

 son of John de Balderston held this manor of the lord 

 of Osbaldeston by the service of ^s. o,d. yearly.-^ He 

 probably attained his majority towards the end of 

 1369, and seems to have taken up arms at an early 

 age, for in 1372 he is described as ' chivaler ' in a 

 demise made to him by Thomas de Southworth, chr., 

 of the manor of FoUyhall, co. York.-^ He had licence 

 in 1374 for an oratory at Balderston for three years. ^' 

 In the account of the aid levied in 1378 he was 

 returned as holding with Richard de Greenacres, chr.. 



and Thomas Banastre of Osbaldeston half a knight's 

 fee in Balderston, Osbaldeston and Thornley with 

 Wheatley.'** He married Agnes and died about the 

 end of the year 1382.^' 



William son and heir of Sir Richard was aged about 

 nine years at his father's death and was in ward of 

 Agnes his mother, then Lady Savile.^^ Before 1400 

 he married Constance only daughter of Edward 

 Banastre and heir to her grandfather Sir Thomas 

 Banastre, K.G., by which match he greatly augmented 

 the family estates and wealth. '' Like several of his 

 predecessors he died at a youthful age. On 2 1 August 

 1405 at Thorpe, preparatory to setting forth to take 

 part in the expedition against Glendower and the 

 French, who had lately landed in Wales, he made his 

 will, desiring to be buried in the church of Badsworth, 

 near the tomb of his wife Constance. Apparently he 

 perished in the campaign, for his will was proved 

 towards the end of the year.''' In 1621 Dodsworth 

 noted his tomb in the quire of Badsworth Church 

 bearing a lion rampant and an imperfect inscription.'^ 

 Richard his son proved his age in 1422 and had 

 livery of his estates.'^ In 1 43 1 he was returned as 

 holding half the manor of Claughton by knight's ser- 

 vice,'' and in 1444-5 as holding half of a knight's fee 

 here and in other places.'* He married Joan daughter 

 of Sir James Harrington of Wolfage, kt., by whom he 

 had issue William his heir and Richard, who died 

 without issue, and three daughters, Elizabeth the wife 

 of John Osbaldeston, Ellen the wife of Thomas Rad- 

 cliffe of Winmarleigh and Isabel the wife of Sir William 



2^ De Banco R. 296, m. 430 d. In 

 1315 Robert son of Thomas de Biriegh 

 gave to Richard de Balderston and Alice 

 his wife lands in a field here called * Byr- 

 legh' (Birley) and the same year Simon 

 de Balderston gave them his lands here ; 

 Dods. MSS. cxlix, 3, 17. In 1337 

 Richard de Balderston and Joan his 

 mother demised land in Blyndehurst to 

 Hugh son of Geoffrey del Brok ; ibid, 



'7- 



23 Dods. MSS. cxlix, ^^h, 18. In 

 1 3 1 4- 1 5 Alexander de Cuerdale granted to 

 Richard de Balderston and his heirs the 

 right to approve 14 acres of woodland in 

 Balderston, adjoining land which Richard 

 had by his gift (ibid. 41) ; and in 1322-3 

 Mary relict of Alexander son of Alexander 

 de Cuerdale released to Richard and Alice 

 his wife and their issue her dower right 

 in lands and tenements here \ ibid. 



'■* Plantagenet Harrison, Yorks. i, 293. 



25 Dods. MSS. cxlix, 17, 26, 27*. 

 In 1 341 Joan, formerly the wife of 

 William de Balderston, demised lands 

 here to Philip de Westewode and Agnes 

 his wife with remainder to John son of 

 Richard de Balderston ; ibid. zb. 



2* In Lent 1355 William de Scargill 

 and Rosa his wife and William son of 

 John de Balderston were defendants in a 

 plea of land in Preston and Mellor. 

 Richard son and heir of John de Balders- 

 ton is named in the pleadings ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Assize R. 4 (2), m. 8 d. ; 6, m. 7 d. 

 There was a long minority, for in 1364 

 William de Scargill chr. sued Cecily relict 

 of William Smalley of Balderston for 

 the abduction of William her son and heir, 

 whose marriage appertained to plaintiff; 

 Coi.m Rege R.414, m. 59. Again in 1369 

 Robert de Urswick and Margaret his wife 

 Impleaded William de Scargill and Rosa 

 his wife touching the custody of the land 

 and heir of John de Balderston who held 



his land of Thomas dc Southworth 

 father of Margaret, whose heir she is, by 

 knight's service ; Plantagenet Harrison, 

 Torks. i, 297. 



^ Dods. MSS. cxlix, 27. 



'^ Ibid, liii, 28. In the deed it is pro- 

 vided that if the yearly rent to be paid be 

 in arrears Sir Thomas shall levy distress 

 from the manor of Balderston as well as 

 from FoUyhall. In 1378-9 Aniiice de 

 Balderston, a nun of the abbey of Swine, 

 received from ' Mons. Rigaud de Balders- 

 ton,' chivaler, an annuity of 20s. ; ibid. 

 cxlix, lyb. 



^ Lich. Epis. Reg. Stretton, v, 30. 



»» Aid of I Ric. II, Duchy of Lane. 

 Misc. Bks. 130, fol. 20^. 



®^ Writ of diem cl. extr. I Feb. 1383 ; 

 Dep. Keeper's Rep, xxxii, 356. His daughter 

 married John Gerard of Brynn father 

 of Matilda wife of Robert Worsley ; 

 15th-century pedigree, MS. penes W. 

 Farrer. 



^^ In 1395-6 Thomas Banastre of 

 Osbaldeston and Katherine his wife 

 released to Agnes the relict of Richard 

 de Balderston, kt., all claim to the 

 wardship of William son and heir of 

 Richard de Balderston ; Dods. MSS. cxlix. 



Before 1405 Agnes had married John 

 Savile of Elland (ibid. 27*), and in 141 1 

 presented a clerk to the church of Bads- 

 worth ; Hunter, Doncaster ii, 438, 



^ Lanes. Inj. p.m. (Chet. Soc), i, 14- 

 16. In 1402 he and Constance his wife 

 enfeoffed Thomas Longley, keeper of the 

 privy seal, and Richard Balderston their 

 son of their manors of Little Singleton, 

 Broughton and Dilworth and rents and 

 services in Claughton, Bilsborrow, Cat- 

 terall, Woodplumpton, Sowerby, Freckle- 

 ton, Preston, Leyland, Elswick and 

 Whittingham, and of the third part of the 

 bailiwick of the hundreds of Amounder- 



nes8 and Blackburn ; Dods. MSS. cxlix, 

 ijb. In 1404 they obtained a papal 

 indult to have a portable altar and plenary 

 remission as often as they pleased j Cal. 

 Papal Letters^ v, 622-3. 



^^ He bequeathed a marriage portion to 

 his sister Isabel, j^io to William Balders- 

 ton ; no expense to be incurred about 

 his body on the day of his sepulture or 

 afterwards, but the money so usually 

 expended to be given to the poor, decrepit 

 and the four orders of friars. He gave 

 his lands in co. Lane, to feoffees to take 

 the profits for six years, out of which to 

 find a fit priest to celebrate for two years 

 in the church of Badsworth for his soul 

 and the soul of Constance his wife, and 

 after the payment of his legacies and debts, 

 the residue to be employed in celebrating 

 masses in the church of Badsworth for his 

 aoul and his wife's and ancestors' souls ; 

 Thomas his son to have the profit of 

 certain lands for four years towards his 

 marriage and to be in the custody oi 

 Thomas Langley, the chancellor ; York 

 Reg. of Wills, iii, 242. The writ of 

 diem cl. extr. bears date 10 Dee. 1405 ; 

 Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxiii, App. 5. 



^ Hunter [Doncaster, ii, 440} suggests 

 in place of Dodsworth's corrupt render- 

 ing : — 



-J- De ter fuy fayte et fourme 

 Est in ter fuy retournc 

 William de Balderston gist ici 

 Dieu de sa alme eyt merci. 



3^ Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxiji, App. 20. 

 In 1436 he presented a clerk to the church 

 of Badsworth and in 1442 gave his manor 

 of Rogerthorpe, co. York., and lands in 

 Bretherton to feoffees j Torks. Arch, Journ. 

 xiii, 47. 



37 Feud. Aidsy iii, 95. 



38 Duchy of Lane. Knights' Fees, bdle. 

 2, no. 20, p. II. 



