BLACKBURN HUNDRED 



BLACKBURN 



Fiton was succeeded before 1 27 1 by his son Edmund, 

 who gave the manor to his kinsman Richard Fiton 

 before-mentioned for a yearly rent of 30/. and died 

 in 1 296, when the interest of the Fitons of Bollin 

 in this manor practically terminated." 



Richard Fiton, kt., the grantee was living in 

 1 283, but died before 1288, having probably survived 

 his only son William, whose widow Margaret then 

 held the third part of the manor in dower. She 

 afterwards married Alexander Hurel. In or before 

 1288 a partition of the manor was made between 

 the three daughters and co-heirs of Richard Fiton 

 and their respective husbands, namely, William de 

 Hesketh and Matilda, Edmund de Leye and Amabel, 

 Roger Nowell and Elizabeth." 



In 1289 Hesketh became possessed of two- thirds 

 of the manor, having acquired from Edmund de Leye 

 and Amabel their portion of the Fiton inheritance.'* 

 In 1 3 10 for j^2 3 he purchased from John son of Ed- 

 mund Fiton the lordship of the manor, including his 

 own service of 20/. per annum and other 10/. due 

 yearly from Adam son of Roger Nowell." 



In 1306 a dispute between the lords of this manor 

 and Adam de Huddleston, kt., lord of Billington, 

 touching the share of the wastes belonging to each 

 manor, which had been commenced in 1301, was 

 terminated in the presence of the Earl of Lincoln at 

 Altofts.'^ This was followed in 1 3 10 by the con- 

 cession to the monks of Whalley of common of pasture 

 and estovers which they and their predecessors had 

 enjoyed time out of mind in the waste lying between 

 the boundary of Billington and Roulegh Clough in 

 Harwood." 



In 1 3 1 3 John de Hesketh and Adam Nowell 

 were complaining of the waste made in the manor 

 by their respective parents, who held their tenements 

 by the courtesy of England, in felling timber,'* and 

 in 1324 an inquest was held by the king's order to 



certify to the King's Bench what waste Margaret 

 relict of William Fiton had made in tenements 

 belonging to the inheritance of Adam Nowell. He 

 recovered the tenements and obtained a verdict for 

 £6 -js. damages against her." Margaret died 

 shortly before August 1324, when the lands she 

 had held in dower were divided between Hesketh 

 and Nowell."" 



Upon the collection of a subsidy in 1332, John de 

 Hesketh contributed 6s. out of 23/. levied upon 

 twelve persons in this town- 

 ship. Six years later Adam 

 Nowell obtained a grant of a 

 weekly market on Thursday 

 and a yearly fair on the day 

 of St. Lawrence in his manor 

 of Netherton in recognition 

 of his services in Scotland, 

 and in 1339 William de 

 Hesketh obtained a grant of 

 free warren in this township." 

 Some dispute about the 'out- 

 fields ' called Tynuldefeld, 

 Denefeld, land towards Legh- 



shagh Brook and the land of Dobbe Emmesone, was 

 arranged In 1332 by a friendly division between 

 Adam Nowell and John de Hesketh, kt., of certain 

 inclosures adjoining those fields called Wythineheved, 

 Wikestubbing and Dobbes Hope." 



On Easter Monday, 1390, John Nowell, son and 

 heir of Lawrence Nowell, came to Harwood Chapel 

 and did homage and fealty to Thomas de Hesketh 

 for the lands which he held of him in chief by 

 knight's service." The superior lordship descended 

 in the Hesketh family until I 81 8, like the manor of 

 RufFord, whilst the mesne manor of Netherton de- 

 scended in the Nowell family, like that of Read, 

 until 1772. 



Hesketh. Argent on 

 a betid sable three garbs 



'2 Towneley MS. DD, no. I7z6 ; 

 Ahbrev. Rot. Orig. (Rec. Com. i), 93-4. 



'^^ Whalley Couch. 116; Hesketh D. 

 DD, no. 1 697-1700. Hesketh received the 

 manor of Marketholme, now Martholme, 

 with Hesillache, the Threnokcdshaw, 

 Hasilineshaw, Hindeburncshaw to Lewc- 

 shaw Brook, the demesne lands belonging 

 to the oxgangs of the Overton and the 

 old Markedholme, the service of the heirs 

 of Richard son of Margery and a third 

 part of the great Hey, of the mill and of 

 the wastes of the Overton and Netherton. 

 Nowell received the Netherton of Har- 

 wood with the park, the Hey acres, the 

 Brigeshaw, the Fulelachcshaw, the rent 

 of Chirche and a third part of the Hey, 

 mill, &c. Leye received the Overton 

 with the riddings at that time asserted 

 and a third part of the Hey, mill, &c. ; 

 DD, no. 1700. 



'^ Ibid. no. 1699 ; confirmed by fine in 

 1298 ; Lanes. Feet of F. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches. xxxix), 183. 



» Towneley MS. DD, no. 1722-8. Alex. 

 Hurel and Margaret his wife joined in the 

 sale to Hesketh. John Fiton writes from 

 Bollin to his dear cousin Adam Nowell 

 directing him to answer for his services 

 henceforward to William de Hesketh and 

 John his son ; DD, no. 171 8. 



'* Assize R. 419, m. 7 d. ; Towneley 

 MS. DD,no. 1 74 1. The boundary between 

 Harwood and Billington was now fixed as 

 follows : — 'Ascending from Calder by an 

 old hedge on the bank thereof beneath the 



Falling Etrekar to a brook near Robert 

 Speks' tenement in Billington, and so to- 

 wards the summit of the hill called Belesete- 

 nabbe by a new-made ditch, thence by 

 ditches and stones to the Horelowe 

 (Shawcliffe), arid thence by new-made 

 ditches and stones set there to Snodwrth, 

 lying on the west side of the boundary.' 

 Cf. Whalley Couch. 1012. 



^^ Ibid. 1009. The lords of Harwood 

 reserved 60 acres of 24 ft. to the perch 

 within the specified region as their severalty 

 except in the open season, namely, 1 3 acres 

 in the Fayrehurst, adjoining on the north 

 one of the new fields of Harwood, 3 acres 

 by Rouleghclough, 6 acres in the Whitekar, 

 and 38 acres bounded west by Snodworth, 

 south by Rouleghclogh, and by Billington 

 to the north. 



18 De Banco R. 201, m. 314 d. It was 

 alleged that they had felled 400 oaks 

 worth 6d. each, 60 saplings at id, each, 

 6 white-thorns at \d. each. 



"Ibid. 256, m. 213. She had pulled 

 down and sold one hall valued at 55., 

 two chambers at 8j., a grange at 41., a 

 kitchen at 4^. 6d.j a bakehouse at 2s., an 

 oxhouse at 2j., and had felled and sold 

 1 8 oaks at %d. each, 40 alders at id. each, 

 and 3 ash trees at 6d. each. 



2» Hesketh D. DD, no. 1701. In the 

 agreement for division of the dower lands 

 mention is made of land of Dowe Emme- 

 sone, which Roger Nowell had given to 

 Wi.liam de Hesketh to do suit for the 

 manor at the court of Clitheroe. John 



339 



de Hesketh now grants licence to Adam 

 Nowell to approve the common waste 

 of * Graunt Harrewode ' towards 

 Cundecliffe to the value of (^d. 

 yearly. 



21 Lanes. Subs, (Rec, Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches. xxxiii), 80 ; Chart. R. 12 Edw. HI, 

 m. 15 ; 13 Edw. Ill, no. 13, 



23 Hesketh D. DD, no. 1720. 



^^ Ibid.no. 1729. Theproceedings which 

 took place before Roger de Etheliston, 

 Henry de Rishton, Robert and Henry 

 de Tounlay were certified by ten neigh- 

 bours as follows : Hesketh having turned 

 towards the west with a hat upon his 

 head, Nowell uncovered before him (both 

 standing face to face) and held his 

 hands clasped between Heskcth*8 hands 

 and said, *I become your man from this 

 day forth and will bear you fealty (Joy) 

 for the lands which I hold of you in 

 Harwood, saving the fealty which I owe 

 to our lord the king.' Having so spoken 

 Hesketh kissed him, and after a book had 

 been put before them, Nowell placed his 

 right hand upon it and spoke as follows : 

 * Hear, my lord Thomas, that I John will 

 be loyal and true to you, and will bear you 

 fealty for the frank tenement which I 

 hold of you in Harwood and loyally will 

 do all the customs and services which I 

 ought to do at the terms appointed, so help 

 me God and the saints.' Then Nowell 

 kissed the book in our sight and in the 

 sight of many others. 



