A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



Oswaldtwistle about 1630 compounded for the part 

 of his estate liable to sequestration for recusancy by 

 an annual fine of £:,}* Ralph Rishton the elder of 

 Stanhill and Ralph Rishton the younger in the time 

 of the Commonwealth had their estate of White Ash 

 sequestered for recusancy. The elder Ralph was a 

 ' delinquent ' also and his estate was finally confiscated 

 in 1652 and sold ; the younger Ralph was allowed 

 to compound for his recusancy by a fine of £57 loj." 



John Ainsworth (of Knuzden), who had lands also 

 in Pleasington and Livesey, died in 1607 holding 

 his messuages, dove-house, &c., in Oswaldtwisde of 

 Randle Barton by the fortieth part of a knight's fee. 

 His son George, the heir, was ten years of age." 

 George Ainsworth was a ' delinquent ' in the Civil 

 War." 



A few other families occur in pleadings and in- 

 quisitions." 



The following contributed for their lands to various 

 subsidies: 1524 — George Ainsworth, William Old- 

 ham, Hugh Baron and John Riding; 1543 — the 

 widow of Hugh Baron and John Riding ; i6oo — 

 William Oldham, George Ainsworth, Thomas Green- 

 wood, William Baron and William Rishton (in 

 ward)." The roll of 1626 records William Rishton, 

 George Ainsworth, George Baron, William Oldham 

 and Robert Riding ; James Feilden and four others 

 were non-communicants." 



An inclosure award made in 1774 is preserved at 

 Lancaster." 



The chief landowners in 1787 ivere Thomas 

 Baron, Mr. Whalley and Dr. Starkie." 



DUCKlf^ORTH was once considered a separate 

 vill.'' It was in part the property of the Knights 

 Hospitallers and in part held of the lords of Oswald- 

 twisde. The former estate is named in the list of 

 the Hospitallers' lands in 1292," and Ralph Holden 

 of Holden in Haslingden died in 1571 holding 

 lands in Duckworth of the queen as of her manor of 

 Staincliff, parcel of the possessions of the late priory 

 of St. John of Jerusalem in England, by a rent of 2/." 

 The Holden estate appears to have been acquired in 

 the time of Edward II by the marriage of Adam son 

 of Robert de Holden with Alice de Holland," re- 

 leases being obtained from her sister Margery daughter 

 of William son of Margery de Duckworth " and 

 others.^ Other parts were purchased in 1328-31 

 from members of the Duckworth family," and per- 

 haps other acquisitions were made, for the above- 

 named Ralph Holden in i 5 7 1 held lands in Duckworth 

 and Oswaldtwistle of Robert Barton by a rent of 

 11. ^dJ" His grandson and heir, Thomas Holden, 

 in 1582 sold his estate in Duckworth, Oswaldtwistle 

 and Eccleshill, including a water-mill, dovecote, &c., 

 to Randle Barton." There had been various disputes 

 concerning the Holden land in Duckworth and 

 Oswaldtwistle." 



Richard son of Robert de Radcliffe obtained from 

 Roger son of William de Duckworth three-fourths of an 

 oxgang of land held by Hawise the widow," and he 

 granted to Adam and Robert sons of William de 

 Radcliffe 2 oxgangs in Duckworth at a rent of is., 

 together with part of his land in Oswaldtwistle.' 

 This may have been the origin of the estate of the 



dowcr. The whole was held of the queen 

 as of her duchy. 



Ralph Rishton in 1549 gave his mes- 

 suages in Oswaldtwistle to Elizabeth daugh- 

 ter of Robert Rishton of Accrington with 

 remainder to his son John ; Add. MS. 

 32104, no. 798. From another deed by 

 Ralph in 1568 it appears that John was 

 illegitimate, and then had sons Ralph, 

 Nicholas and Robert ; ibid. 796. In a 

 fine of 1578 relating to the estate the 

 first Ralph is called Ralph Rishton of 

 Jack House ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. 

 bdle. 40, m. 24. 



^■' Trans. Hut. Soc. (new ser.), xxiv, 



■'■^ Cal. Com. for Comp, iv, 3077 \ Index 

 of Royalists (Index Soc), 44 (both senior 

 and junior). 



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

 and Ches.), ii, 89, 15+. George Ains- 

 worth of Kjluzden was a freeholder in 

 1600 \ Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 



'. ^37- 



*' Cal. Cam. far Camp, lii, 2333. His 

 ' supposed delinquency ' is not recorded 

 in detail. 



5S Thomas Hesketh of RufFord held a 

 messuage in Oswaldtwistle in 1523, but 

 the tenure was unknown ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. v, no. 16 ; vii, no. 14. 



Henry Boyes (already named) had land 

 in Oswaldtwistle in 1527 ; TowncleyMS. 

 C 8, I-,, B458. John Boyes died in 1 55 1 

 holding of Robert Barton ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. xi, no. 64. The mar- 

 riage of Grace the heiress with John 

 Dewhurst led to a claim for compensa- 

 tion by Robert Barton, who said the 

 wardship and marriage belonged to him ; 

 Add. MS. 32104, no. 705. Lawrence 

 Hindle purchased in i 572 ; Pal. of Lane. 

 Feet of F. bdle 34, m. 124. 



The Whitehalgh family occur here, for 



in 1 499 the trustees gave lands in Oswald- 

 twistle and Mellor to Richard Whitehalgh 

 and Isabel daughter of Lawrence Ains- 

 worth ; Towneley MS. DD, no. 2218. 

 James WhithaIgh of Livesey died in 1568 

 holding a messuage in Oswaldtwistle of 

 Robert Barton ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. 

 xiii, no. 22. 



Of John Ward's tenement in 1592 no 

 particulars are recorded ; il^id. xvi, no. 2$. 

 Edmund Robinson, who died in 1634, 

 held of Thomas Barton by the one- 

 hundredth part of a knight's fee. His 

 heir was his son John, aged forty-six ; 

 Towneley MS. C 8, 13, p. 999. 



Ellen Crossley, widow, and John her 

 son were plaintiffs in 1 548 \ Ducatus Lane. 

 i, 223. John Crossley had land in i 581 ; 

 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 43, m. 184. 

 Robert Ryley, Beatrice his wife and his 

 sons Richard and Thomas occur in 1582^ 

 ibid. bdle. 44, m. 119, 126. 



*^ Lay Subs. Lanes, bdlei. i 30, no. 82, 

 125 ; 131, no. 274. 

 '" Ibid. 131, no. 317. 

 *' Lanes, and Ches. Ree. i, 56. 

 ^ Land tax returns at Preston. 

 '' Robert son of Adam de Childe 

 (? Chedle) released to Richard de Rad- 

 cliffe all his right in an oxgang of land in 

 the vill of Duckworth ; OO, no. 1663. 



«< Plac. de Qua fVarr. (Rec. Com.), 

 375 ; it is called Oswaldtwistle. About 

 1540 Ralph Holden held 'the vill of 

 Duckworth ' of the Hospitallers by a rent 

 of 2J.; Kuerden MSS. v, fol. 84A. 



^* Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xii, no. 3. 



*^ Lands in Duckworth were settled on 



Adam son of Robert de Holden and his 



wife Alice de Holland and their issue ; 



DD, no. 815. 



'' Ibid. no. 780 ; she released all her 

 right in lands of her sister Alice in the 

 hamlet of Duckworth in the vill of 



408 



OiwaldtwiBtle to Adam son of Adam 

 (? Robert) de Holden. This deed is 

 undated, but in 1325 Margery made 

 grants in Duckworth to Richard de Bil- 

 lington, Adam de Holden and Thomas 

 son of John de Holden ; Ibid. no. 781, 



784,78c;. 



^^ Richard son of Ralph de Billington 

 in 1325 transferred to Adam dc Holden 

 the land he had acquired from Mary 

 (Margery) de Duckworth ^ ibid. no. 773. 

 Roger son of William de Duckworth 

 released his right in 1327 ; ibid. no. 772. 



*" In 1328 Adam de Holden acquired 

 all the lands in Duckworth belonging to 

 Richard de Duckworth ; Ibid. no. 782, 

 837. Two years later he acquired the 

 lands of Robert Ac Duckworth, whose 

 son William afterwards confirmed the 

 sale; ibid. no. y'<,, y^y, Richard son 

 of Robert dc Duckworth also confirmed 

 it; Kuerden MSS. v, fol. 118, no 40, 

 In 1358 Henry son of Richard son of 

 Robert dc Duckworth gave a release 

 of his right in the same lands to Robert 

 ion of Adam de Holden ; DD, no. 774. 



It appears that the heir of Robert de 

 Duckworth was an idiot. He died in 

 April 1364, when possession was given 

 to Margery and Cecily her sister ; Cal. 

 Close, 1364-8, p. 31. 



^° Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xii, no. 3. 



71 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 44. 

 m. 1 84. 



"^ Ducatus Lane, iii, 21, 67, 113 ; Lana. 

 and Ches. Rec. ii, 253. 



'8 Towneley MS. OO, no. 1664-5; 

 grants by and to Richard dc Radcliffe. 



'* Ibid. DD, no. 776 ; i oxgang had 

 been held by Roger son of William and 

 the other by Ellis de Duckworth- 

 William son of Roger de Duckworth 

 gave lands there to Peter de Church \ 

 ibid. no. 783. 



