A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



In 1 3 So a puture rent of 7/. id. was levied here 

 yearly ; whilst Hesketh paid zod. and Nowell \od. 

 at Midsummer for castle-guard rent." In 142 i John 

 Nouell demised to his son Nicholas a water-mill upon 

 Shaw Brook and a hey called the Denefeld. Again 

 in 1429, as John son and heir of L.nvrence Nowell, 

 he did homage and fealty to Thomas Heskcth, son 

 of Nicholas Hesketh, for his lands here on the 

 occasion of a wapentake court being held at a place 

 called Billingehill in Witton. He died four years 

 later, well advanced in years.'^ Thomas Hesketh, esq., 

 having pulled down the ' teynde barne on the fermet 

 lande' of Ralph, Abbot of Whalley, in 1445 by the 

 award of an arbitrator was constrained to permit the 

 abbot to rebuild it and to deliver up the timber and 

 provide six ' sappelinges ' for the work. In another 

 dispute touching the boundaries between Harwood 

 and Rishton, in 1457, John Bradshaw of Bradshaw 

 awarded to Thomas Hesketh common of pasture in 

 Harwood, beginning at the foot of the North Deyne, 

 ascending the same water westward to a little beck 

 running ' auretwert ' — that is athwart — Dungecarre, 

 ascending the beck beneath the Taghed stone as far 

 as it lasts, and thence unto the head of Rede Brook.'" 

 The dispute ^v.ls renewed in 1491, when an award 

 was made that the tenants of Thomas Talbot, kt., 

 and Nicholas Rishton, esq., in Rishton, and of 

 Thomas Hesketh and John Nowell, csqs., in ' Mikill 

 Harwood,' should inter-common with all their cattle 

 upon the common in variance as they had used in 

 times past. Notwithstanding the grants of Henry 

 and Robert de Lacy to Richard Fiton, the parcel of 

 common on the north side of Nordcn, above Tottie- 

 worth, has long been reputed to be part of Rishton.^' 

 In 1 490-1 an award was made in a dispute touching 

 rights of way, by which a way on horseback and foot 

 from Martholme through Mr. John Nowell's ground 

 called The Park " was awarded to Mr. Thomas 

 Hesketh. Further, Mr. Nowell and his tenants 

 and servants were inhibited from using a way 

 with cart, horse or on foot through Mr. Hesketh's 

 grounds called the Lymetrough, Hyefurlong and 

 Thyring (Thrunny) Moor, whilst Hesketh was 

 inhibited from using a way through Nowell's 

 ground to a ford called Sheyford without the latter's 

 permission."' 



In 1567 Thomas Nowell of Read, esq., son and 

 heir of Roger Nowell, esq., acknowledged at Preston 

 that he held his lands in Harwood of Thomas 

 Hesketh, kt., by knight's service — namely, by the 

 fifth part of a knight's fee and 10;. yearly rent — and 

 did homage and fealty for the same.'" During the 

 1 6th century the manor court was held in Hesketh's 

 name only, Nowell and his tenants being called as 

 suitors." In 1598 agreement was made between 



NoWKLL of Read. 

 Argtnt three cohered cuf'i 

 table. 



Mr. Justice Walmsley, Robert Hesketh and Roger 

 Nowell, csqs., for a division of the moors and wastes 

 of Rishton and Great Harwood." To confirm his 

 position as lord of the manor, Robert Hesketh in 

 161 5 obtained a grant of view 

 of frank-pledge in the town 

 and manor of Much Har- 

 wood, otherwise the Over 

 Town and ' Laugher ' Town 

 of Harwood, and in the 

 hamlet and manor of Tottle- 

 worth." 



One Thomas Barcroft, a 

 priest," resided with Dame 

 Alice Hesketh at Martholme 

 for some time during 1590. 

 She was assessed to the subsidy 

 levied in 1599-1600 on lands 

 valued at £16. Three years 



later her second son Thomas, a recusant, notified the 

 curate of Harwood of his coming to dwell with his 

 mother at Martholme. In 1634 he was attached 

 under pain of X^°° ""^ to answer charges of 

 recusancy, ha\ing for some time avoided arrest." 



Dame Jane Hoghton widow of Robert Hesketh 

 held Martholme and the Great Harwood estate at 

 the commencement of the Civil War. In 1647 they 

 were sequestered for her alleged recusancy, but on 

 appeal to the barons of the Exchequer she cleared 

 herself of the charge. Robert Hesketh, jun., brother 

 .ind heir of the late Thomas Hesketh, had leased the 

 lands from her (ot £()i 61. ^d. per annum. In 165 i 

 her estate was again secured by the County Commis- 

 sioners on pretence of her delinquency for eng.iging 

 with the King of Scots. The year following she 

 sought to contract for two-thirds of her estate here 

 and in Tottleworth, worth ^^67 per annum. Mart- 

 holme Mill formed part of the sequestered estate. 

 The weir, being decayed, had been repaired and 

 raised by the County Committee. In I 65 I Robert 

 CunlifTe of Sparth claimed damages for injury caused 

 to his land, which lay on the south side of the 

 weir, by flooding due to the elevation of the 

 weir."" John Molyneux, who had married Lucy 

 relict of Robert Hesketh, occupied part of Mart- 

 holme Hall in 1666, the tenant of the demesne 

 lands. Widow Mercer, occupying the remainder. 

 Thomas Hesketh paid land tax in 1788 amount- 

 ing t° £^ ^9'- 8/ upon lands lying in the higher 

 division only." 



His son Sir Thomas Dalrymple Hesketh, ban., 

 sold his two-thirds of the manor in I 8 18 to Richard 

 Grimshaw Lomax, whose father James Lomax, 

 who died in 1792, had, it is believed, purchased 

 the Nowells' third part of the manor in or about 



-* Survey of Oitheroe, MS. fenes 

 W. F;irrer, 135. These rents were paid 

 in 1662, the constable assessing and col- 

 lecting the puture rent ; ibid. 122. 



-^ Towneley MS. DD, no. 1734, 174^- 

 Thomas Hesketh had proved his age the 

 year before ; L.z..a. Imj. (Chet. Soc. xcix), 

 21. 



» Hesketh D. DD, no. 1739-4.0. See 

 the boundaries in Robert de Lacy's 

 grant. 



2' Ibid. no. 1714. 



23 Now represented by Park Farm. 



29 Add. MS. 52:04, fol 278. Richard 

 Shirebume and John Southworth, kt»., 



Mr. As;heton of Whalley and Mr. Brad- 

 dyll acknowledged Sheytord to be a way 

 at sufferance, and sought permission to 

 use it. 



so Hesketh D.DD, no. I 73 1. At this 

 time the liability to do suit at the court 

 of Clitheroe for Great Harwood was in 

 dispute between Hesketh and Nowell ; 

 Add. MS. 32104, fol. 276. 



31 An old out-building at Martholme is 

 called the Court House. 



^ Add. MS. 32104, foL 277-g ; Pal. 

 of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 60, m. 635 

 Towneley MS. DD, no. 1710. 



*3 Pat. 12 Jas. I, pt. xii. 



^ He was of the diocese of Chester, 

 educated at Rhcime and Douay, ordained 

 priest in 1589, and sent to England j he 

 was reported at ClerkenwcU by a spy in 

 1591 ; Douai Diaries, 187, &c. j Foley, 

 Rcc. S. J. vi, 164. 



^■^ CaL S. P. Dam. 1591-4, p. 149 i 

 1634-5, p. 108 ; Par. Reg. 



In 1626 Thomas Hesketh, his wife, 

 Thomas and John Hesketh, Robert Squier 

 and Ellen Mercer were taxed as non- 

 communicants ; Lay Subs. Lanes b<lle. 

 I 3 T, no. 317. 



^ Cal. Com.fjT Comp. 2561-3. 



^ Land tax returns at Prcsloo. 



