, A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



The Subsidy Roll of 1524 shows the following 

 landowners : John Hoghton, James Aspinall, Robert 

 Marsden and Nicholas Westby ; that of 1543 gives 

 Giles Colthurst, James Aspinall, the widow of John 

 Hoghton and the widow of Roger Hoghton ; that of 

 I 564 Alexander Hoghton, John Aspinall and Henry 

 Colthurst ; that of 1 600 James ' Asmall,' Henry 

 Colthurst and Agnes Hoghton ; that of 1624 Thomas 

 Hoghton and James Aspinall.^' The hearth tax 

 return of 1 666 records fifty-one hearths at Pendleton ; 

 Mr. RadcliiFe's house had seven, another had five and 

 another four.*" The chief contributors to the land 

 tax in 1788 were Thomas Lister, John Atherton, 

 John EUill and the executors of John Aspinall.*' 



For the Church of England All Saints' was built 

 in 1847 and consecrated in 1872''; it has since 

 been enlarged. The patronage is vested in three 

 trustees. 



After Thomas Jollie was ejected from Altham 

 Chapel in 1662 he appears to have wandered about 

 the district ministering to the Nonconformists.*' In 

 1667 he purchased Wymondhouses and there he had 

 a meeting-place licensed in 1672," continuing to 

 minister there in the persecutions which followed 

 down to the time of James II. In May 1688 he 

 built a chapel there and had it certified in 1689." 

 It was a centre for the Nonconformists for many miles 

 around. He died in 1702, but his work was con- 

 tinued for more than a century and a-half after- 

 wards." After 1831 Wiswell became the chief 

 centre and Wymondhouses disappeared from the 

 records about 1869, though a Jollie memorial sermon 

 was preached annually in its ruined walls for some 

 time afterwards. The last remains were cleared away 

 about 1890. 



On the border o^ the township, at Sabden, are 

 Wesleyan Methodist and Baptist chapels. The latter 

 was founded in 1797, a congregation of more 

 than a hundred being soon gathered from the work- 

 men at the adjacent print works." 



WISWELL 



Wisewell, 1207 ; Wysewale, 1292. 



This township occupies both slopes of a ridge from 

 1,000 to 600 ft. high which shoots out from Pendle 

 south-west towards Whalley. Fine views over Ribbles- 

 dale may be had from it. The south-eastern slope, 

 extending down to Sabden Brook, contains Wiswell 

 Moorhouses, once a hamlet of several cottages now 



pulled down ; the north-western slope has on it the 

 village of Wiswell with Wiswell Eaves to the north- 

 east and Barrow to the north-west. The township 

 contains 1,693 acres," and in 1901 had a population 

 of 627. 



The principal road is that near the western border, 

 from Whalley to Clitheroe, through Barrow. A 

 minor road from Whalley passes through Wiswell 

 village and goes on to Pendleton and Chatburn. 

 Near Sabden Brook another road from Whalley goes 

 north-east to Sabden. The railway from Blackburn 

 to Hellifield crosses the extreme western corner, but 

 there is no station. 



Near the highest point of the ridge above men- 

 tioned is a stone called Jeppe Knave Grave.' A 

 tumulus stands at Harlow near by. 



There is a parish council. A large part of the 

 township was taken into Sabden in 1 904. 



There are calico printing works at Barrow. The 

 land is used for pasture ; the soil is clay. There is 

 a quarry. 



Wiswell Shay cross has an ancient pedestal, the 

 cross itself being modern.' 



From a confirming charter of the end 

 MANORS of the 12th century it is known that 

 the lords of Clitheroe had granted 

 WISWELL with Hapton and Osbaldeston to the 

 ancestor of William de Arches,' whose widow Albrey 

 de Tilly in 1207 claimed dower in two plough-lands 

 there against Henry de Blackburn.' In 1242 Adam de 

 Blackburn and Reyner de Arches held Wiswell and 

 Hapton by the service of the fourth part of a knight's 

 fee,' these manors being included in the dower of 

 the Countess of Lincoln.' In 131 1 the two plough- 

 lands were said to be held of Henry de Lacy by the 

 fourth part of a knight's fee, a rent of 1 6d., and doing 

 suit to the court of Clitheroe.' 



William de Arehcs had granted the two plough- 

 lands in Wiswell to Henry de Blackburn, one plough- 

 land being in demesne and the other in service ; also 

 an oxgang of land in Wolvetscholes. Henry was to 

 render to William the service due from the fourth 

 part of a knight's fee, i.e. he was to discharge the 

 knight's service due for both Wiswell and Hapton.' 

 The next possessor of the lordship of the manor is 

 the above-named Adam de Blackburn (1242), who 

 may have been son or grandson of Henry. His 

 daughter was perhaps the Beatrice who married 

 Richard son of John de Pontchardon, and had lands 

 in Wiswell and elsewhere.'" The lordship of the 



*® Lay Subs. Lanes, bdles. 130, no. 82, 

 125 ; 131, no. 212, 274, 317. 



"" Ibid. bdle. 250, no. 9. 



*' Returns at Preston. 



*^ A district was assigned to it in 1873 i 

 Lond, Gaz. 6 May. 



^ The account in the text is derived 

 from Nightingale, Lanes, Nonconf. ii, 

 186-96. Oliver Heywood mentions 

 preaching in the night ; Diaries^ i, 276. 



Extracts from the church book are 

 printed in Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Notes, 

 i, 149, 178, and Jollies Note Bk. (Chet. 

 Soc. new ser.). 



«^ Cal. S. P. Dom. 167 1-2, p. 448. 



^ Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 

 231. Jollie preached also at Read, Clay- 

 ton-le-Moors and Haslingden. 



"* From the latter part of the i8th 

 century Wymondhouses was worked in 

 conjunction with other small chapels in 



the district. The chapel was always re- 

 garded as Congregational. 



" Rippon, Bapt. Reg. iii, 21. 



* 1,692 acres, including 1 5 of inland 

 water ; Census Rep. 1 90 1 . 



2 Whitaker, ff^halley, ii, 32. The 

 name occurs in a record of the boundaries 

 between Wiswell and Pendleton dated 

 I 342, and is there said to be derived from 

 a robber who was beheaded and was buried 

 at that point because the neighbouring 

 vills refused to have him buried within 

 them. In 1608 it was stated that one 

 Robert Lowe had taken a stone from the 

 grave and used it for a cover of his kiln; 

 Duchy of Lane. Special Com. 802. 



^ Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soe. xviii, 21. 



< Whitaker, Whalley, ii, 57 q. The 

 charter confirms privileges of hunting; and 

 freedom from tolls in Robert de Lacy*» 

 markets and fairs. 



' Cur. Reg. R. 43, m. 11; Final 

 Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 27. 

 Albrey's right being acknowledged she 

 granted her third part to Henry, who was 

 to render yearly a sore sparrow-hawk- 



* Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc 

 Lanes, and Chea.], i, 150. 



' Ibid. 148 n. 



^ Ibid, ii, 4. In 1322, however, the 

 tenure was only half, viz. by the eighth 

 part of a knight's fee ; ibid. 134. 



» Shireburne Abstract Bk. (1715) at 

 Leagram. 



" Whalley Coueh. (Chet. Soc), iv, 

 955-^5' She had land in Wiswell, 

 Billington and Blackburn. One of the 

 charters, however, seems to show that she 

 was still unmarried in 1280 ; ibid. 963. 



In 1278 Beatrice de Blackburn com- 

 plained of i«riou8 trespa'scs in Wiiwell 

 by Adam de Blackburn ; De Banco R. 



396 



