A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



of Sparth and Christopher Baron of Knuzden, after 

 which it was held in moieties." The former moiety, 

 or perhaps the whole, was acquired by the first 

 Sir Robert Peel, and descended to his son the more 

 famous Sir Robert '' ; but it does not appear that any 

 manor is now claimed, and the land is held by a 

 number of proprietors. 



The Peels are said to have come to Blackburn from 

 Craven '* about 1600 and engaged in the cloth 

 trade.'^ Robert Peel in 173 1 

 purchased an estate in Oswald- 

 twistle, known then as 

 Oldham's Cross,'*' and since 

 as Peel Fold. His grandson 

 Robert (172 3-9 5 ), while 

 farming in Blackburn, vras led 

 to join a calico-printing busi- 

 ness, and invented a process 

 of block-printing ; he made 

 other improvements and 

 greatly extended his business. 

 Riots and factory-wrecking 

 caused him to move to Burton- 

 on-Trcnt, but on retiring he 

 lived at Ardwick. The de- 

 scendants of his eldest son William still own Peel 

 Fold. The third son was the above-named Sir 

 Robert Peel, created a baronet in 1800.'' 



PtEL of Peel Fold. 

 Argent three skea-ves of 

 as many arrovji proper 

 banded gulesy on a chief 

 ataure a hee 'volant or. 



The Barons had long had an estate in the town-hip 

 and neighbourhood.'" William son and heir of 

 George Baron of Aspden is named in a lease of 

 1601.'* William Baron died in 1618 holding messu- 

 ages and lands in Oswaldtwistle and Church and 

 leaving a son and heir George, aged forty." Christo- 

 pher Baron, the purchaser of a moiety of the manor, 

 died in 1733," and was succeeded by a son Henry.*' 



A minor RadclifFe family had land in Oswaldtwistle 

 as in Church about the end of the 13th century. 

 Richard son of Roger de Oswaldtwistle granted to 

 Adam de Radclifte for 15 marks an oxgang of land 

 in Oswaldtwistle and three quarters of an oxgang 

 in Duckworth.*^ Peter son of Adam de RadclifFe 

 granted to Richard son of Robert de RadclifFe all 

 right in the Boothroyds in the vill of Oswaldtwistle 

 together with the homage of John son of Richard 

 de Whitaker, who held a moiety." Roger son of 

 Adam de RadclifFe gave his brother Robert land 

 called Hall in return for a pair of white gloves 

 yearly." Robert de RadclifFe by exchange with 

 Alexander son of Ellis de Church obtained land in 

 Haworth." Alan de Kenyon and Alice his wife in 

 1301 and later claimed various tenements in Alice's 

 right, she being a daughter of the above-named Roger 

 de RadclifFe." 



The RadclifFes of Winmarlcigh " and Todmorden 

 also had lands in Oswaldtwistle; in 1563 Charles 



Holdcn had disputes as to the waste 

 called the moor with Robert Barton ; 

 Ducatui Lane, iii, 3, 37, 53. At his 

 death in 1595 Sir John Southworth was 

 said to hold messuages, &c., in Oswald- 

 twistle of Ralph Barton as of his manor 

 of Oswaldtwistle j Duchy of Lane. Inq, 

 p.m. xvii, no. 3. 



Robert Barton was plaintiff in 1562 

 respecting lands in Duckworth ; Ducatus 

 Lane, ii, 251. In 1575 he claimed 

 Stnnhill hey against John Ainsworth and 

 others; ibid, iii, 40. He died in 1580, 

 without issue, holding the manor of 

 Oswnldtwistle, messuages, water-mill, 

 &c., of the queen as of her duchy 

 by knight's service and a rent of 

 lOj. id. \ Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xvi, 

 no. 44. 



His widow Margery (Legh), who had 

 this manor for life, afterwards married 

 Sir Richard Shuttlcworih, and had many 

 disputes with Ralph Barton, Robert's 

 brother and heir ; for he entered the 

 manor, gave trees to various persons, 

 and took sea-coals for his own use ; 

 ibid.; Ducatui Lane, iii, 514. She died 

 1592. Ralph Barton died a few days 

 before her, but the inquisition names the 

 manor among his possessions ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. xvii, no. 50. His son 

 Randle died in 161 1 holding the manor 

 as before, by knight's senice and loi. ^d, 

 rent ; Ljncs. /t^. p.m. (Rec Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), i, 211. The manor was 

 named in fines, i;j., respecting the 

 Bartons' estates ; e.g. Pal. of Lane. Feet 

 of F. bdle, 152, m. 67. 



1* Whitaker, Whalley, ii, 290. In a 

 recovery of a moiety of the manor in 

 1772 John Whalley was vouchee; Pal. 

 of Lane. Plea R. 615, m. 14. In a fine 

 of the same time the deforciants of the 

 manor, messuages, two pot houses, mill, 

 k^ln, courts baron, &c., were Robert 

 Master, Elizabeth his wife, James Brad- 

 sh.Tv. , Anne his wife, John Whalley, 

 Thomas Baron, James Fishwick and 

 Henry Heaton ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. 



bdle. 387, m. 1^4. Elizabeth and Anne 

 were grand-nieces of James Whalley, and 

 John Whalley, afterwards Sir John 

 Whalley SmyLhc Gardiner, was a grand- 

 nephew ; see Whitaker, op. cit. ii, 18. 

 The last-named sold his moiety for 

 j^ 1 6,000. 



^8 Raines in Gastrell's Notitia (Chet. 

 Soc), ii, 323. 



** John and William Peel of Craven 

 in 1426-7 gave to ftolfees land in 

 Salesbury and Wilpshirc, of the gift of 

 Roger Bolton and Cecily his wife ; 

 Kuerden fol. MS. 313, 314. 



'* This account is from Abram, Black- 

 burn^ 212-23; 3 view of Peel Fold is 

 given. See also the account of Little 

 Harwood. 



'* Sec the Subsidy Rolls quoted in the 

 text. An Oldham was a freeholder in 

 1600 ; Mi.'c. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), i, 235. Lawrence Oldham died 

 in 1636 holding two messuages, &c., of 

 Sir Thomas Barton as of his manor of 

 Oswaldtwistle by the fortieth part of a 

 knight's fee and doing suit to the manor 

 court and tlie m.U. His heir was his 

 son William, aged seventeen; Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. xxix, no. 28. 



'' See the account of Bury ; Diet. Nat. 

 Biog. 



^^ In 1482 was annulled the child 

 marriage of Hugh son of Thomas Baron 

 of Church with Ellen daughter of John 

 Radcliffe of Radcliffe, the parties having 

 come of age and desiring to be released. 

 They had never cohabited ; Dunken- 

 halgh D. 



In 1 5 12 there was a partition of lands 

 between Hugh Baroa, Henry Boyes and 

 Richard Whithalgh, the inheritance of a 



certain , wife of John Grimshaw. 



She had two daughters, Margaret and 

 Joan. The former married Hugh Baron 

 and had a son Thomas and a grandson 

 Hugh fliving 1512). The latter married 



She*Tock a -d had a son John and 



grandson W iUiam. The last-named was 

 dead in 15 12, his da'^ghters and co-heirs 



Alice and Isabel having married John 

 Boyei and James Whithalgh, whose sons 

 respectively were the Henry and Richard 

 above-named ; Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. 

 Notesy ii, 189, 



*» Add. MS. 32104, no. 1261. 

 '" Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rtc. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), ii, 172. 



^' His will, which mentions the 

 purchase of the manor, is printed in 

 fVills (Chet. Soc. new scr.), iii, 105. It 

 has an armorial si-al. 



^ For the family see Abram, Black- 

 burny 388, where the descent is thus 

 given : Christopher Baron, d. 1733 -•. 

 Henry, d. 1767 -2nd b. Thomas, d. 

 1801 -nephew Roger, d. 1820 -niece. 

 23 Towneley MS. OO, no. 1660. 

 "Ibid. 00, no. 1662; yar. Coll. 

 (Hist. MSS. Com.), ii, 12, Henry son of 

 Richard de Derden in 1346 released his 

 right in the Boothroyds to his brother 

 John, who gave it to his eldest eon John, 

 with remainders to younger children 

 Robert dnd Margery and to Nicholas 

 Holdcn; DD, no. 818, 820. 



^'' Ibid. 00, no. 1670. Roger gave 

 his daughter Margaret, with remainder 

 to her sister AMce, land formerly held by 

 William de Foxholes ; ibid. no. 1669. 



26 Ibid. 00, no. 1671-2. Uctred de 

 Church was a witness, so the charter may 

 be one by Robert Radcliffe of Radcliffe. 



" In 1 301 they had a suit with 

 Nicholas de Meadowcroft as to two 

 messuages, &c., in Oswaldtwistle, but 

 Nicholas did not prosecute his claim ; 

 Assize R. 419, m. 3. They claimed a 

 mes'^uage, &c., from Thomas son of 

 Henry de Catlow in 1 307 and later, 

 Alice being sister and heir of Agnes, to 

 whom their father Roger de Radcliffe 

 had given it. The defendant, who W3i 

 under age, alleged that the gift to Agnci 

 was in fee simple; De Banco R. 162, 

 m. 104 ; 179, m, 249 d. ; 193, m. 72. 



^'^ Thomas Radcliffe died in 1521 

 holding a tenement in Oswaldtwi-ille of 

 the heirs of Radcliffe of the Tower in 



406 



