A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



Huncoat was considered a member of the manor of 

 Accrington.' 



Both the free tenancies of 1 3 1 1 are traceable to 

 Ellis de Pleasington, who in 1241 held 2 oxgangs of 

 land in the township.' He granted one of them to 

 Henry de Clayton, who was to pay a rent of izd. at 

 St. Oswald's Feast.' Henry de Clayton gave the 

 oxgang to James his son for the same service.'" The 

 gift may have failed, for Henry son of Henry de 

 Clayton gave to Richard de Birtwisle all his lands in 

 Huncoat." 



Ellis de Pleasington also gave an oxgang of land to 

 Henry de Shuttleworth, rendering the same rent of 

 I zd. on St. Oswald's Day, and the service of the 

 fortieth part of a knight's fee." Henry son of 

 Henry de Clayton gave part of his land to John de 

 Shuttleworth for the rent of a pair of white gloves." 

 This tenement descended in the same way as Shuttle- 

 worth in Hapton." 



The John de Clayton of i 3 1 1 was no doubt the 

 mesne lord between Birtwisle and the Earl of 

 Lincoln, for in I 3 16 William de Birtwisle obtained 

 land in Huncoat from John de Huncoat in exchange 

 for Bradley in Hapton," and in 1330 William gave 

 his son Richard all his lands in Huncoat and Hapton.'* 

 The descent can be traced only imperfectly" to 

 Oliver Birtwisle, who died in 1509 holding three 

 messuages, 40 acres of land, &c., in Huncoat of 

 Richard Rishton and Thomas Grimshaw in socage 



by a rent of id. yearly. Richard Birtwisle, his son 

 and heir, was forty years of age." Richard and 

 Agnes Birtwisle in 1527 held 

 Huncote HjII, paying l\s. 

 rent.''' Richard Birtwisle 

 in 1 531 gave his «on Oliver 

 a rent of S/."' Richard was 

 living in 1 5 40, when he 

 agreed to an arbitration re- 

 garding a claim for Hancock 

 field by Edmund Ashton of 

 Shuttleworth,*' but Oliver had 

 succeeded by 1 545," and in 

 1560 obtained a grant of 

 arms." He recorded a pedi- 

 gree in 1567, showing that 

 his son James, who had 



married Agnes daughter and heir of George Ormerod, 

 had a son John and other children." 



James Birtwisle made a settlement in 1594" and 

 died in 1597 holding his estate in Huncoat as before, 

 and leaving his son John to inherit, he being then 

 forty years of age." John Birtwisle had married 

 Dorothy sister of Thomas Worthington of Blain- 

 scough," a union which probably explains the religion 

 of their descendants if it does not show that of John 

 himself" John Birtwisle in 1614 made a settlement 

 of his capital messuage in Huncoat, with remainder 

 to his son and heir Thomas and four daughters." 



Birtwisle of Hun- 

 coat. Sable a chevrrofi 

 ermine benveen three 

 •weasels proper. 



1349) the Earl of L.incaster had held 

 6 oxgangs of land, th.- heir of John de 

 Clayton 1, and John de Shuttleworth i, 

 by a similar service ; Lansdowne Feodary 

 in Baines' Lanes, (cd. 1870), ii, 693-4. 



William Birtwisle and John Legh held 

 the thirtieth part of a knight's fee in 

 Huncoat in 1445-6, the relief being ^oi.\ 

 Duchy of Lane. Knights' Fees, bdle. 2, 

 no. 20. 



^ In 1323 the township was fined \%d. 

 for default of service due to Clitheroe j 

 Lanes. Ct, R. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 



5>- 



' This is clear from the fine quoted in 

 a former note. Ellis de Pleasington was 

 dead in 1246 when his widow Alice 

 claimed dower from the Abbot of Kirk- 

 stall in respect of 5 oxgangs of land in 

 Huncoat ; Assize R. 404, m. 6. 



9 Towneley MS. DD, no. 543. 



^•^ Ibid. no. 558. By another deed 

 Henry son of Henry de Clayton gave 

 land in Huncoat to James his son at id. 

 rent, payable at St. Oswald's Day, but by 

 another Hcnr>' son of Henry gave land 

 to James his brother ; ibid. no. 546, 571. 



" Ibid. no. ^45. 



" Towneley .MS. C 8, 13 (Chet. Lib.), 



P7- 



13 Ibid, C 121. Among the witnesses 

 to a grant by Henry de Clayton to John 

 his eldest 6on were John de Shuttleworth 

 and Henry his son ; Dunkenhalgh D. 



i-* This appears from former notes ; see 

 also Final Cone, iii, 139 ; Lanes. I^^. p.m. 

 (Rec, Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 230. In 

 1382-3 Richard de Shuttleworth made a 

 feoffment of all his lands in the yill of 

 Hapton i Towneley MS. C 8, 13, S 16. 



15 Towacley MS. DD, no. 563. A Wil- 

 liam son of John de Birtwisle obtained land 

 at Bradley in 1310-11 5 C 8, 13, S 112. 



William de Birtwisle in 132+ paid ^od, 

 tor entry to 3 acres of waste in Huncoat 

 and \zd, rent for the same j Lan:i. Ct. R. 

 (Rec. Soc. Lanc«. and Ches.), 35. 



!*> Towneley M<^, DD, no. 544. 

 Alice widow of William de Birtwisle 

 gave 10 acres in Bradley to Thomas de 

 Simonstone in 1334- i C 8, 13, B 261. 



1' William de Birtwisle occurs in 1379 

 and 1384; DD, no. ^49, 560. It does 

 not appear what relation he was to the 

 earlier William. In 1386 his feoffees 

 granted him his lands in Hunco.it and 

 Hapton with remainder to his son Richard, 

 who married Alice daughter of Thomas de 

 Brownlow ; ibid. no. 566. William de 

 Birtwisle made another feoffment in 

 1^87; ibid. no. 550. William and his 

 son Richard occur in 1 394 ; ibid. no. 568. 

 In 1406 William was excused from serving 

 on assizes ; ibid. no. 575- 



Hcnry de Rishton and Margaret his 

 wife, as owning a moiety of Clayton, in 

 1 390-1 gave to feoffees various lands, &c., 

 including the homage of William de Bir- 

 twisle, with half the annual rent due from 

 him for his oxgang of land in Huncoat ; 

 Dunkenhalgh D. 



A Thomas de Birtvwslc occurs in 

 1382-3 ; C 8, 13, B279. 



Willi am de Birtwisle attested a Dunken- 

 halgh D. in 1412 ; the same or a later 

 William, as appears above, was in posses- 

 sion in 1445-6. Richard and Thomas 

 Birtwisle were among the tenants of 

 Huncoat in 1443 ; Farrer, Clitheroe Ct. R, 

 i, 501. 



A Miles Birtv.isle and Christian his 

 wife had lands in Hapton in i486 ; DD, 

 no. 569. 



John Birtwisle of Huncoat in 1489 

 gave lands in Huncoat and Hapton to 

 Ralph Waddington, priest, and Piers his 

 brother; ibid. no. 564. 



IS Duchy of Lane. Inq. p,m. vi, no. 40. 

 Rishton and Grimshaw were the lords of 

 Clayton. In 1512 Richard Birtwisle was 

 orderei to give dower to Anne widow c( 

 Oliver Birtwisle ; Pal. of Lane. Writs, 

 3 Hen. VIII. In 1523-4 Richard Birt- 

 wisle and Margaret his v. i;e occur (ibid, 



410 



15 Hen. VIII), and in 152; Richard son 

 and heir of Oliver Birtwivjc and Anne 

 the widow made an exchange of lands 

 with Sir John Towneley ; C 8, 13, B 270, 

 T98. 



>* Duchy of Lane. Rentals, bdlc. 5, 

 no. iz. 



20 DD, no. 547. 21 Ibid. no. 570. 

 ^^ Ibid. no. 561-2 ; a grant by James 

 son and heir of Edmund Ashton of 

 Chadderton and Edmund James's son and 

 heir to Oliver Birtwisle of Hapton con- 

 cerning Wormeleve in Huncoat and 

 Whiteridding. Oliver had leave from 

 James Ashton and Giles Whitaker (Hun- 

 coat) to Inclose a piece of waste in 

 Huncoat, viz. the over end of Sabsal ; 

 ibid, no. 577. Other members of the 

 family occur. Richard Towneley in 1555 

 gave land on lease to Edward Birtwisle of 

 Hapton and Janet his wife; C 8, 13, 

 T 162. John Towneley in 1574 gave 

 land on lease to Leonard brother of Oliver 

 Birtwisle of Huncoat, and again in 1583 ; 

 ibid. T 163, 156. 



^ Towneley MS. DD, no. 578. 



« Hsit. of 1567 (Cliet. Soc), 32. 



2fi Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 56, 

 m. Z06. In 1592 he had released his 

 interest in certain lands in Huncoat to 

 James Ashton of Chadderton ; Raines D. 

 (Chet. Lib.). 



** Duchy of Lane Inq. p.m. xvii, no, 

 68 ; the lords of Clayton were Thomas 

 Walmesley and Nicholas Grimshaw. 

 James Birtwisle also had a messuage in 

 Hapton. 



^ DD, no. 581 ; dated 1583, but long 

 after the marriage. 



28 'On 28 Dec. 1575 Oliver Birtwisle, 

 an honest man, arrived at Douay from 

 England, and after being reconciled to the 

 church and well instructed in the duty of 

 a Catholic man, he went away assisted 

 by a collection of aims * ; Knox, Douo} 

 Diaries, 99. 



» Towneley MS. DD, no. 579. 



