BLACKBURN HUNDRED 



BLACKBURN 



Rishton of Diinkenhaigh in Clayton-le-Moors.'"' The 

 ancestor of them, Richard de Rishton, occurs as witness 

 to charters about 1 300, together with Robert de 

 Rishton." In 1320 Richard granted his son Henry 

 a fourth part of the manor.''* A later Henry in 

 1 371 acquired the moiety of an oxgang of land in 

 Rishton." A hundred years later Henry Rishton 

 held Rishton Hall with an oxgang of land on Cockey- 

 side and Cowhill, and made a settlement in 1471 on 

 the marriage of his son Nicholas with Margaret 

 daughter of John Radcliffe.'" The son died in 1508 

 and his wife in 1528, when their son Richard was 

 over forty-six years old. Rishton was held of the 

 king as of his duchy by the fortieth part of a knight's 

 fee." At the death of Richard in 1530 the estate 

 was called a fourth part of the manor, and was held 

 of the king by the sixteenth part of a knight's fee 

 and 3ij'. rent." The estate descended " to a grandson 

 Ralph, who before 1582 sold his estate in Rishton 

 to Thomas Walmsley, serjeant-at-law." 



Thomas Walmsley the elder died in 1584 holding 

 two messuages in Rishton called CUNLIFFE and 

 various properties in Whittle and other townships, 

 but the tenures are not recorded."' His son, the above- 

 named Serjeant Thomas Walmsley, was then forty- 

 six years of age, and as above stated purchased the 

 manor of Rishton and other lands there. Sir Thomas 

 died in 161 2 holding the manor of Rishton of the 

 king as duke by the fourth part of a knight's fee." 



COWHILL^ and Side Beet have little of interest 

 to record. The former was in the 1 7th century and 

 later owned by a family named Hindle or Hindley, 

 one of whom came into notice as vicar of Ribchester, 

 ejected during the Commonwealth time." Side 

 Beet was owned by the Liveseys of Rishton in the 

 1 6th century." 



TOTTLEWORTH is first mentioned in a grant 

 made early in the 1 3th century by Maud de Praers 

 to Uctred son of Roger de Rishton ; her gift included 

 three-fourths of the place, the bounds going from 

 Oakenholt syke through Tottleworth lache on the 

 west side of Bentley, and thence by Norden Brook 

 and Hyndburn to the starting-place.'* A rent of 

 half a mark of silver was to be paid. The descendants 

 of the new owner probably assumed the local name, 

 for in 1258 Richard de Tottleworth held 40 acres of 

 land in Rishton of the lord of Clitheroe, paying half 

 a mark yearly.™ The estate descended to an Anabil 

 daughter of John de Tottleworth," who about 1290 

 sold to William de Hesketh." The estate continued 

 to descend in the family of Hesketh of Rufford and 

 Great Harwood. Robert Hesketh died in 1490 

 holding his land in Tottleworth of Edmund Talbot 

 by a rent of 6s. 8a'." The Robert who died in 

 1620 held messuage, land, &c., there of Thomas 

 Walmsley in socage ; they were part of the jointure 

 of Jane his wife, afterwards wife of Sir Richard 

 Hoghton.^* The Heskeths retained an estate there 

 till a century ago. It is now the property of Mr. 

 Petre. 



The hearth tax return of 1666 records two houses 

 with four hearths and smaller dwellings ; the total 

 number of hearths was eighty-three.'* 



The land tax return of 1787 shows that Lord 

 Petre was the chief holder, paying ^32 out of £'^6 ; 

 Mr. Hesketh paid most of the remainder.'^ 



The chapel of the manor-house at Holt appears to 

 have been a private oratory." Part of it was still 

 standing in 161 1.'* 



In connexion with 'the Church of England, 

 SS. Peter and Paul's was built in 1873-4,'' an ecclesi- 

 astical parish being formed for it at the same time.™ 



*^ See the account of Dunkenhalgh, 

 where the details of the descent are 

 recorded. 



" Towneley MS. DD, no. 1683, &c. 



*8 Final Cone, ii, 39. See note 2 1 

 above, showing that a Richard de Rishton 

 was tenant in 135;. ■" Ibid. 180. 



^0 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. vi, no. 36. 



'1 Ibid. Richard Rishton of Rishton, 

 &c., obtained a pardon in 1 5 1 5 ; i. and P. 

 Hen. VIII, ii, 169. 



^2 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. vi, no. 9. 



^ Ibid, ix, no, 30, for Henry Rishton, 



'549- , , 



'^ See the account of Dunkenhalgh. 

 *■*» Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xiv, no. 



CunlifFe was in 1258 held by a rent of 

 2j. by Robert de Cunliffe ; Lanes. Inq. 

 end Extents, i, 216. For this family see 

 the account of Billington. 



*^ Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), i, 251. 



^6 Adam son of Richard de Cowhill in 

 1284-f complained that Gilbert de Rish- 

 ton, Adam his son and others had dis- 

 seised him of his common of pasture in 

 Cowhill; Assize R. 1265, m. 2i ; 1274, 

 m. 5, 12. 



" Abram, op. cit. 638-40. A branch 

 of the Talbots of Salesbury had a resi- 

 dence at Cowhill ; ibid. 642. 



^^ Ibid, Another family residing there 

 was that of Feilden ; ibid. 638. 



*' Towneley MS. DD, no. 1693. An 

 early copy of the original deed is among 

 the Blundell of Crosby charters. Among 

 the witnesses was Thomas rector of 

 Wybunbury, 



^^ Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 216. 

 Richard de Tottleworth gave land in 

 Tottleworth (Hyndburn mentioned) to 

 Thomas son of Henry de Clayton in free 

 marriage with Agnes his daughter ; 

 Towneley MS. DD, no. 1682. Richard 

 Fitton, Gilbert and Henry de Rishton 

 were witnesses. Richard son of Richard 

 de Tottleworth gave land to his uncle 

 Richard son of Adam at ^d. rent ; ibid, 

 no. 1679. 



^^ In her widowhood in 1308 she re- 

 leased to William de Tottleworth the 

 Harper all right to his land in the place 

 and to the reversion of her mother 

 Isabel's dower in it ; ibid. no. 1680. 



5^ In 1292 the right of Anabil daughter 

 of John de Tottleworth and sister of 

 Alice wife of William the Harper to a 

 messuage and the moiety of a plough-land 

 in Rishton held by William de Hesketh 

 was inquired Into. It was found that 

 Anabil was living, and therefore Alice 

 took nothing by her action j Assize R. 

 408, m. 4d. 



In 1302 William de Hesketh and his 

 parceners held the tenth part of a fee In 

 Rishton of the Earl of Lincoln ; Lanes. 

 Inq. and Extents, i, 318. 



By an undated deed Richard de Stafford 

 and Anabil his wife gave all their land 

 within Rishton to William de Hesketh, 

 and in 1312 made a further quit-claim to 

 him; Towneley MS. DD, no. 1684,1683. 

 The former deed may be connected with 

 a fine of 1304 confirming the purchase ; 

 Final Cone, i, 205. Isabel (or Ellota) de 

 Tottleworth, widow, released to him her 

 dower right ; Towneley MS. DD, no. 



347 



1681, 1685. Then or later William the 

 Harper gave to William de Hesketh the 

 elder and Adam his son all he had in 

 Rishton of the inheritance of Alice lately 

 his wife, including the homages of John 

 de Wallbank and Richard son of Thomas 

 de Oakenshaw, and Adam de Hesketh in 

 131S released his interest to his father; 

 ibid. no. 1691, 1686. The Wallbanka in 

 1331 released their estate to Sir John de 

 Hesketh ; ibid, no. 1687-8. 



There remained a small part not held 

 by the Heskeths, for in 1348 Adam son 

 of Richard de Tottleworth exchanged 

 some of his land with Sir William de 

 Hesketh; ibid. no. 1695. From fines 

 of 1569-70 it appears that the Rishtons 

 of Ponthalgh had land in Tottleworth ; 

 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 31, m. 7 ; 

 32, m. 45. This passed to Sir Thomas 

 Walmsley. 



^^ Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iii, no. 72. 



^* Lane:. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), iii, 353, 356. They were 

 afterwards sequestered for Lady Hoghton's 

 recusancy ; Cal, Com, for Comp, iv, 2563. 

 Lands in Tottleworth were included 

 in a Hesketh settlement In 1696 ; 

 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 237, 

 m. 52. 



^'■' Lay Subs. Lanes, bdle. 250, no. 9. 



^^ Returns at Preston,, 



^^ It is mentioned In 1516 as a place 

 where a payment was to be made ; 

 Towneley MS. DD, no. 2135. 



^8 Abram, op. clt. 637. 



^^ The National school was licensed 

 for service in 1866. 



^*' Lond» Gaz. 15 May 1874, 



