A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



was followed by Richard de Altham, his son.' Richard's 

 name occurs in deeds of the early years of the I ;th 

 centur\-.' He was succeeded by a son Hugh, who 

 made a grant in Clayton to Henr\ son of Henrj' the 

 Clerk,' and died before 1242, when his heir was 

 recorded to hold the eighth part of a knight's fee in 

 Altham of the heirs of the Earl of Lincoln ; it 

 belonged to the dower of the countess." 



The unnamed heir was a son Richard, whi^ occurs 

 in 1256-8," and was succeeded in turn by his sons 

 Hugh and William. The latter was in possession 

 from 1275 to 1299 " ; in his later years he made an 

 effort to recover the advowson of Altham Chapel 

 from the Abbot of Whalley, who had obtained it as 

 appurtenant to the rectory. His successor Simon de 

 Altham " was stated to hold half a knight's fee in 

 Altham and its members in 1302," while in 131 1 

 he held of the Earl of Lincoln one plough-land in 

 Altham and Clayton by the service of the eighth p.irt 

 of a fee, rendering ji. ^d. annually and doing suit to 

 the court of Clitheroe.'^ John de Altham appears 

 in 1327," and was recorded from 1349 to 1361 as 

 holding the eighth part of a knight's fee, or one 

 plough-land, in Altham." He died in or before 

 1371."^ 



John's heir was probably a daughter Joan, who by 

 her marriage with Richard son of John Banastre of 

 Walton-le-Dale began the line of Banastre of Altham. 

 Richard and Joan made a settlement of the manor in 

 1383 with remainder to their son Lawrence.'^ Ri.hard 



was living in 1400," but Lawrence had succeeded 

 by I + 19" and in 1445-6 held the eighth part of a 

 knight's fee in Altham." He was found to iiavc died 

 in possession of the manor in 

 145 I, holding it of the king 

 as duke by knight's service 

 and a rent of 3/. ^d. His heir 

 was a grandson Richard, son 

 of his son Thomas Banastre, 

 aged ten years." Some mis- 

 take must have been made, for 

 by a later inquisition it was 

 found that Lawrence Banastre 

 died in 1477 holding the 

 manor by knight's service and 

 leaving a grandson Richard 

 (son of Thomas) as heir, he 

 being then thirty years of age." 



Richard Banastre died in 15 10 holding Altham of 

 the king by the eighth part of a knight's fee." His 

 son and heir Nicholas, then only eight years old, 

 proved his age in 1523, it being testified that he 

 was born on the feast of St. Oswald the bishop, 1501, 

 at Altham and baptized in the church there." 

 Nicholas died in 1537 holding the manors of Altham 

 and Clayton of the king as duke by the eighth part 

 of a knight's fee and a rent of 3/. 4*2'." His son 

 Richard, then eighteen, died in 1552, leaving a son 

 Nicholas, aged ten years ; the manor was held as 

 before.'* Nicholas Banastre had disputes concerning 



B AN ABTRE of Altham. 

 Argent a cross patance 



' From William dc Altham the descent 

 is thus traced in the later pleadinga : 

 William (temp. RIc. I) -9. Richard -s. 

 Hugh -9. Richard -3. Hugh-bro. William, 

 the claimant In 1275 and 1295 j De 

 Banco R. 60, m. 50 d. ; 109, m. 59; 

 IVhjl'.ey Couch. (Chct. Soc), i, 301. 



^ Ibid, iv, 1073, 1075, grants by 

 Geoi'rcy Dean of Whalley ; Kuerden 

 MSS. iii, B li, by Hugh son of Eilsi de 

 Osbaldeston. 



■ Towneley MS. RR, no. 557 ; a con- 

 firmation of the grant by Alan above 

 recorded. He attested a charter by John 

 de L tcy ; WhJUy Couch. Iv, 1075. 



^" Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), 1, 151. 



^1 Richard dc AlthTm In 1256 released 

 his right to common of pasture in Hun- 

 coat ; Final Cone, (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), i, 129. He was a juror in 1258 ; 

 Ljncs. In J. and Extents^ i, 213. 



12 Wi Ham de Altham claimed lands in 

 Billington in 1275 ; De Banco R. 60, 

 m. 50 d. In 1277 he released a messuage 

 and plough-land in Accrington to the 

 Abbot of Kirkstall ; Final Cone, i, 15;. 

 In the same year he made an agreement 

 with Henry de Clayton as to the approve- 

 ments of waste of Altham and Clavton ; 

 Towneley MS. DD, no. 1626. As William 

 son of Richard de Altham he made one 

 or two grants in Clayton ; ibid. no. 1616. 

 The suits about the advowson, in which 

 he was plaintiff, lasted from 1295 to 

 1299 ; De Banco R. 127, m. 86 d. 



"In 1293 Henry son of Adam de Altham 

 complained of disseisin by John de 

 Shuttleworth and William de Altham ; 

 Assize R. 128S, m. 12. 



" He is no doubt the Simon brother of 

 William de Altham who quitclaimed to 

 the Abbot of Whalley respecting the 

 chapel ; fVhalley Couch, i, 295. 



1* Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 318. In 

 1308 Simon de Altham and Ellen his 



wife made a settlement of the manor; 

 Fir.jl Cone, ii, 1. 



1^ Latsci, Inq. anj Extents^ ii, 11. Simon 

 was living in 1316; fi'hjUiy Couch, iv, 

 1 1 17. 



1* Ibid, i, 282, 29:, 313. 



1^ Baines, Lanes, (cd. 1870), li, 693, 

 for 1349 ; Feud. AiJi^ iii, 88, [Vir i 3;;^ ; 

 Inq. p.m. 35 Edw. Ill, pL i, no. 122, for 

 1361. John de Altham and his sons 

 John, Simon and Richard took part in a 

 riot at Polterford near Whalley in 1350 ; 

 Assize R. 443, m. 5. 



^■^ He may have died by i 367, when it 

 was found that Robert del Eves of Parr 

 held the manor of Altham at farm by 

 grant of John dc Altham ; the rent was 

 40 marks ; Coram Rege R. 430, m. 22. 



In 1 371 and 1372 John Banastre of 

 Walt'^n and Margery his wife claimed a 

 third part of the manor of Altham, &c., 

 against John Robinson del Eves and Joan 

 his wife as the dower of Margery, who 

 was fiirmerly wife of John de Altham ; 

 De Banco R. +41, m. 398 ; 443, m. 286 •, 

 447, m. 189 d. It is possible that Joan 

 was the heiress of Altham. 



John del Eves was complainant in 

 1374-5, alleging that William son of 

 Thomas Talbot and many others had 

 carried off his wife Joan, despoiled his 

 goods, &c ; also that the Abbot of 

 Whalley had done damage to his crops j 

 Coram Rege R. 452, m. 94 ; 458, m. 64 \ 

 456, m. 64. 



John Banastre and Margery his wife 

 prosecuted the claim for dower against 

 Robert del Eves, probably the father ; Dc 

 Banco R. 461, m. 273 ; 463, m. 142 d. 



'^^ Final Ccnc. iii, 17; Towneley MS. 

 C8, 13 (Chet. Lib.), B484. John de 

 Radcliffe in 1391 acquired land in Spot- 

 land from Richard Banastre of Altham 

 and Joan his wife ; Final Cone, iii, 39. 



-'* Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.% i, 157. 



-' Ibid. 139. In 1442 he complained 



412 



that various persons had broken into his 

 house at Altham and ill-treated him j Pal. 

 of Lane. Plea R. 4, m. 6i. 



" Duchy of Lane. (Cnights' Fees, bdlc. 

 2, no. 20. 



^^ Lanes. Rec. Inq. p.m. no. 43-4. 

 Lawrence had in 1450 mjde a feoffment 

 of the manor, 



Thomas Bmastre was living in 1445 ; 

 Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 8, m. 38. 



*• Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. ii, no. 14 ; 

 made in 1 ';o4, when Richard was living. 

 Lawrence Banastre must have lived from 

 1383 to 1477. 



^ Ibid, iv, no. 34. His widow Isabel 

 was living in 1552, as appears by a later 

 inquisition. Richard Banastre also held 

 lands at Padiham and Clayt'-n-le-Moors. 

 The son Nicholas had in 1510 been con- 

 tracted to marry Elizabeth daughter of 

 Ralph Langton, baron of Newton. 



Isabel widow of Richard Banastre and 

 in 1 541 wife of Nicholas Tempest claimed 

 a third part of the manor as her dower 

 against Richard Banastre ; Pal. of Lane. 

 Plea R. 170, m. 12 d. 



^^ Duchy of Lane Inq. p.m. v, no. 47. 

 Henry Farington had been godfather and 

 John Nowell had carried a candle at the 

 baptism. 



^' Ibid, viii, no. 31. Nicholas left a 

 widow Anne (Preston). The feoffees in 

 1 531 granted him a mcs.uage, &c. ; 

 Towneley M S. C 8, 1 3, N 2 1 . 



The custody and marriage of the heir 

 were given to John Greenhagh ; Duchy 

 of Lane. Misc. Bks. xxii, 153 d. 



^^ Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. Jx, no. 8. 

 The will of Richard Banastre is recited. 

 He made his wife Anne and his uncle 

 William Banastre his executors, and names 

 younger children — Lawrence, Thomas and 

 Elizabeth. The custodv of the heir was 

 given to John Grcenhalgh and Anne the 

 widow ; Duchy of Lane. M^s:. Bks. 

 xxiii, 100. 



