BLACKBURN HUNDRED 



WHALLEY 



manor passed to John de Blackburn," whose son 

 Adam was in possession in 1278, when he complained 

 that Beatrice and others had disseised him of common 

 of pasture in Wiswell, by the raising of two cottages, 

 though she had no share of the vill. The jury 

 decided in her favour, stating that she had raised 

 them on her own soil, it being the custom of the 

 country that each neighbour might make such 

 cottages on his arable land adjacent to his messuage 

 or village." Adam acquired some minor holdings in 

 the township" and died before 1292, when his son 

 John was in possession, though his widow Alice, who 

 had married Adam de Pemberton, had the third 

 part of the manor as her dower.^* 



John married Margaret sister of Sir Robert de 

 Holland and by her left three daughters who became 

 co-heirs of his manors ; they were Alice wife of 

 Robert de Shireburne, Agnes wife of Sir Henry de 



Lea and then of Robert de Horncliff, and Joan wife 

 of Thomas (or Robert) de Arderne, and then of 

 William Touchet.'^ Agnes in 1337 transferred her 

 part of the manor to the Shireburnes," who thus 

 became possessed of two-thirds,'' though in the in- 

 quisitions they are stated to have had a moiety only ^* ; 

 and Thomas de Arderne the son of Joan in 1339 

 gave his third part to the abbey of Whalley.''"' Hence 

 in I 36 1 the Abbot of Whalley, Richard dc Shireburne 

 and Gilbert de la Legh held of the duke the fourth 

 part of a knight's fee in Wiswell and Hapton.^" 

 After the suppression of the abbey its third part was 

 sold by the Crown in 1584 to various persons," and 

 their right was in 1610 transferred to Richard Shire- 

 burne,*^ who held the remainder by inheritance. 

 Another estate called the third part of the manor 

 was held by the Watson and Crombock families in 

 " From its tenure it must have been 



succession. 



27, m, 119 d. Two years later it was 

 Richard de Pontchardon who complained 

 that Adam de Blackburn and a number 

 of others had broken into his house at 

 Wiswell and taken goods, including arms, 

 and a horse. The jury acquitted Adam, 

 but gave damages against the brothers 

 Robert, Henry and Richard de Blackburn 

 and others, viz. j^io for the horse killed 

 and j^io for other losses ; Cur. Reg. 

 R. 57, m. 2. 



*^ For descent see Whalley Couch, iv, 

 1085 ; also the accounts of Chorley and 

 Clayton-le-Dale. 



^^ Assize R. 1238, m. 32d. ; 1239, 

 m. 38. In the same year Robert son of 

 Adam de Wiswell and others claimed 

 leave to grind their demesne corn at the 

 mill of Adam son of John de Blackburn 

 without multure ; De Banco R. 27, 

 m. 119. 



^^ William son of Samson gave to 

 Adam de Blackburn an oxgang of land 

 in Wiswell, a rent of izd. being payable; 

 Shireburne Abstract Bk. This may refer 

 to the earlier Adam. Richard son of 

 Henry de Wiswell released to Adam son 

 of John de Blackburn the rent of iid. 

 due from an oxgang of land in Wiswell ; 

 ibid. 



Adam de Blackburn gave to John his 

 son and heir land in Wiswell called 

 Haworthules j ibid. 



'* Assize R. 408, m. 69 d. ; John com- 

 plained that Adam and Alice had made 

 waste by throwing two houses down and 

 felling trees. On the other hand, Adam 

 de Pemberton and Alice his wife com- 

 plained of encroachments, withdrawing 

 on John's assigning them for Alice's life 

 10 acres on the Newfield and 16 acres 

 on the Halyfield ; ibid. m. 25 d. Alice 

 widow of Sir Adam de Blackburn was 

 still living in 1339; Whalley Couch, iv, 

 1088. 



John son of Adam de Blackburn was 

 also engaged in a suit with John son of 

 John de Blackburn ; Assize R. 408, 

 m. 44d., 58. From Robert son of Richard 

 de Wiswell he acquired certain lands by 

 purchase or exchange ; Shireburne Abstract 

 Bk. A release of all claim in the manors 

 of Wiswell and Lower Darwen was 

 granted by Gilbert de Rishton to John de 

 Blackburn ; ibid. 



"In 1302 Robert dc Hephale and 

 Margaret his wife claimed against the 

 Abbot of Whalley the third part of 100 

 acres, &c., in Wiswell as dower of the 

 gift of Margaret's first husband John de 

 Blackbnrn ; De Banco R, 144, m. 294 ; 



154, m. 126. In 1315 the Abbot of 

 Whalley claimed 160 acres in Wiswell 

 against Robert dc Shireburne, Alice his 

 wife, Henry de Lea, Agnes his wife and 

 Thomas de Arderne and Joan his wife 5 

 ibid. 212, m. 211. In the following 

 year the claim was pursued against 

 Robert dc Shireburne, Alice his wife, 

 William Touchet, Joan his wife and 

 Agnes the sister of Alice and Joan ; ibid. 

 216, m. 382. Joan's former husband 

 is called Robert de Arderne (probably 

 in error) in a later pleading ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Assize R. 2, m. 5 d. 



In agreement with the above the two 

 plough-lands in Wiswell were in 13 11 

 said to be held of the lord of Clitheroe by 

 Robert de Shireburne, Sir Henry de Lea 

 and Thomas de Arderne; and in 1322 

 by Robert de Shireburne, Alice his wife, 

 Agnes de Lea and Thomas de Arderne ; 

 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, ii, 13, 134. 



^^ A feoffment was made by Robert dc 

 Horncliff and Agnes his wife in 1331, 

 and in 1337 Robert de Shireburne and 

 Alice his wife obtained the third part of 

 the manor, with rents, &c., from Agnes 

 de Horncliff; Final Cone, ii, So, 102. 

 The manor is named in a deed of 1351 

 by Alice widow of Sir Robert de Shire- 

 burne ; Kuerden MSS. iii, A 3, no. 68. 



^' There is little to record of the 

 Shireburne occupation. In 1365 the 

 feoffees of Sir Richard de Shireburne 

 gave Wiswell for life to Thomas and 

 Robert del Eves; Kuerden, loc. cit. no, 58. 

 Thomas del Eves of Wiswell is named in 

 1386-91 ; Cal. Pat. 1385-9, pp. 156, 

 285 ; 1388-92, pp. 449, 460. 



In 1391-2 Sir John Boteler and Alice 

 his wife enfeoffed William de Dronsfield 

 and Margaret his wife of the manor ; 

 Shireburne Abstract Bk. In 1393 it was 

 settled on the heirs of Margaret ; Final 

 Cone, iii, 42. In 1398 William and 

 Margaret granted a lease of it to Thomas 

 Bradley and others ; Abstract Bk. 



^^ Richard Shireburne died In 144 1 

 holding in demesne a moiety of the manor 

 of the king as Earl of Lincoln ; Lanes. 

 Rec. Inq. p.m. no. 30, 31 ; see also 

 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc), ii, 52. In 

 1445—6 the manor was considered to be 

 held in moieties by Robert de Shireburne 

 and the Abbot of Whalley ;■ Duchy of 

 Lanes. Knights* Fees, bdle. 2, no. 20. 



In 1 51 3 the estate was said to be held 

 of the king as duke by knight's service, 

 but in 1528 and 1536 it was more defi- 

 nitely recorded that the manor of Wiswell 

 was held of the king as duke by the 



397 



eighth part of a knight's fee :jnd a rent 

 of yd. ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iv, 

 no. 46 i vi, no. 65 ; viii, no. 33. In 

 1594 the tenure was called socage ; ibid, 

 xvi, no. 3. 



1^ Whalley Couch. \\^ 1086-95. Licence 

 of alienation in mortmain was granted in 

 1340; Cal. Pat. 1340-3, p. 23. The 

 inquiries relating to it are recorded in Inq. 

 p.m. 14 Edw. Ill (2nd nos.), no, 31 ; 17 

 Edw. Ill (2nd nos.), no. 48; 40 Edw. Ill, 

 no. 70. In the first of these the manor 

 was said to be held of Queen Isabel as of 

 the castle and honor of Clitheroe by the 

 fourth part of a knight's fee and i6d. 

 rent ; in the second the abbot was 

 said to hold the third part of Queen 

 Isabel by the twentieth part of a knight's 

 fee. 



From a pleading already cited it appears 

 that the abbey had already acquired some 

 land in Wiswell. The Arderne tenants 

 in 1339 were John de Altham, John del 

 Clough and Joan his daughter, John dc 

 Blackburn, Margery widow of Adam the 

 Miller, Henry Chapman, Adam son of 

 Henry ■ son of Gilbert de Worsthorne, 

 Richard del Bridge of Burnley, Lawrence 

 son of John de la Legh and William de 

 Hallstudes. In 1402 the abbey was 

 allowed to retain Priestland in Wiswell, 

 acquired in 1395-6 from Richard de 

 Blackburn ; Cal. Pat. 1401-5, p. 45. At 

 the Suppression in 1537 all the tenants 

 seem to have held at will, the rents 

 amounting to £6 45. %d. ; Whalley Couch. 

 iv, 1203. 



^ Inq. p.m. 35 Edw. Ill, pt. I, no. 122. 

 In the Lansdowne Feodary, dated about 

 1 349, the tenants of the two plough-lands 

 in Wiswell are recorded as Alice de Shire- 

 burne for two-thirds and the Abbot of 

 Whalley one-third ; the whole was held 

 for the fourth part of a knight's fee ; 

 Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1870), ii, 693. 



21 The third part of the manor seems 

 to have been included in the grant of 

 Wiswell Eaves, &c. (Pat. 27 Ellz. pt. vi), 

 for Walter Spendlow and other grantees 

 on 24 Nov. 1584 gave it to Thomas 

 Fleetwood of Penwortham, William 

 Swinglehurstof Harden and John Parker 

 of Stonyhurit ; Shireburne Abstract Bk. 



22 Ibid. 



28 In 1590 the third part of the manor 

 was held by Anthony son and heir of 

 Thomas Watson and John his brother, 

 who transferred to John Seller and William 

 Greenfield ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. 

 bdle. 52, m. 47. These were perhaps 

 trustees for John Crombock, who died in 



