A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



was probably a younger son of Henry de Rishton, who 

 held a fourth part of the manor of Rishton at the 

 death of Edmund de Lacy in 1258. In 1320 

 Richard made a settlement of the fourth part of the 

 manorof Rishton, which included the hall of Rishton, 

 upon his son Henry," who was assesscJ to the subsidy 

 of 1332 in Rishton and had issue Richard. In 1340 

 Richard and Joan his wife were enjoying a rent- 

 charge upon Henry's lands in Rishton. In 1376 

 Richard is described as of Dunkenhalgh in the deed 

 of partition of the manor of Clayton." Richard de 

 Rishton, his eldest son, occurs at this time and was 

 described in the poll tax roll of 1379 as of Rishton, 

 e;q. Richard Rishton appears to have married the 

 heiress of the Holts of Holts Place in Studley, co. 

 Warw.,for in 141+ Richard son of Richard Rishton 

 ivas placed in possession of Holts Place and the appur- 

 tenant estate." He probably died without issue, for 

 his estates descended to his kinsmen of Clayton. 



Henry de Rishton, who married the co-heiress 

 of Clayton," «.is probably a 

 younger brother of Richard, 

 owner of Dunkcnh.ilgh in 

 1376. He wa; living in 

 1404.'° His son Henry by 

 his will in 1427 desired to 

 be buried under his father's 

 tomb in Blackburn Church, 

 giving small sums to the vicar 

 and chaplains to pray for him. 

 He left 61. iJ. to a bridge at 

 the Hyndburn. Children 

 named Richard, John, Nicholas 

 and Ellen are mentioned."' 

 His \'. idow .Margaret was 



living m 1449. Richard Rishton was described .>s 

 of Studley in 14^3, when he was put in possession 

 of his lands in Rishton, Clayton and Church in this 

 county and of lands in Studley in Warwickshire," in 

 the latter case as heir to his kinsman. By Margaret 

 his wife he had issue Henry, for whom he contracted 

 a mirriage in 1448 to Agnes daughter of Richard 

 Shirebtrne the younger. Henry Rshton joined 

 with his father in 146'! in granting a Ica^: of Holts 

 Place in Studley." As heir to his uncle Nicholas 

 Riiht n, who had obtained the estate of Richard 

 Winckley in C^terall known as Winckley's P'.jcc, he 

 and his wife A,'nes in 1449 demised that messuage 

 to his grandmc tl;cr for her ruiiJence and mainten- 

 ance. He was father of Nicholas of Dunkenhalgh, 



Risht^is- of Dunken- 

 halgh. .-irj^fu J Inn 

 patiartt J'.'f a c'n:tj if 

 the iecor.d. 



whom he married in 1471 to Margaret daughter of 

 John RadclifFe of Peasfurlong." 



Nicholas Rishton joined Thomas Hesketh, esq., 

 in 1 49 1 in an agreement with the lords of Great 

 Harwood touching the boundary between the un- 

 divided commons of Rishton and Harwood. He 

 died in 1508 and Richard his son succeeded to the 

 family estates, which are fully described in the inquest 

 taken after his father's death." Richard " married 

 Anne daughter of John Talbot of Salesbury, kt., was 

 assessed in Clayton to the subsidy levied in 1523 

 upon j^8 yearly value in lands and died in 1530, 

 leaving numerous issue. Henry his son, aged twenty- 

 three years, married Ellen daughter of John Butler of 

 Rawcliffe." He alienated the estates in Studley, 

 CO. Wanv., vested his manor of Dunkenhalgh in 

 trustees and made provision for his brothers and 

 relatives out of his estates. The arms were recorded 

 by the heralds in 1533." Henry Rishton died in 

 1 549, leaving issue, besides his younger son ' Degrc ' 

 and seven daughters, John his heir, who entered his 



pedigree at Flower's visitation in 156/ 



Early in 



1556 John Rishton had alienated his manor of 

 Dunkenhalgh to Ralph Rishton of Ponthalgh, who 

 settled it in 1561 with other estates upon his eldest 

 legitimate son with remainder to his brother William 

 Rishton of Lincoln's Inn, subject to a life estate for 

 the benefit of their father, Roger Rishton.'' 



Soon afterwards it came into the hands of Thomas 

 Walmcslc), serjeant-at-law, who in 1582 complained 

 that William Rishton was detaining certain deeds 

 concerning Rishton Manor, the capital messuage of 

 Dunkenhalgh, and lands occupied therewith in 

 CLiyton-leMoors, Church, and Rishton, sometime 

 the inheritance of John Rishton deceased.'" William 

 Ri>hton relied on the .settlement of 1561 and stated 

 that after it Ralph had sold to Walmesley and died 

 without male issue." Walmesley alleged that the 

 deed of I 561 was a forgery, that Ralph Rishton had 

 kf; two 5on.% Roger and William, living in 1582 

 and that his own title was derived from Ralph 

 Rishton by an arrangement earlier than the alleged 

 deed of I 561." 



The Walmcslcys of Showley and Dunkenhalgh no 

 doubt sprang from the parent stock originally settled 

 .n Walmersley in the parish of Bury. A branch of 

 the family was settled in Tockholes during the latter 

 part of the 14th century and continueJ there until 

 the 1 8th century." The name was common among 

 the yeoman class in Amounderncss after the 16th 



Irj. ^rj Exicnn (Rtc. Soc. 

 !I5 ; Frial Cur-.c. (Rcc. Soc. 



» /.J 

 xlviii), I, 2 

 xlvi\ ii, ^g. 



^ Rishton D. HH, 101, 120; Cby- 

 ton D. DD, 16^6. 



'^ DD, 1 + 14, 144:. 



^ Henry Jc Rishton and Mir-^ret his 

 wife had a moiety of the manor of C:a;.rton 

 in i;9?, when it was settled on Margaret's 

 issue ; K-tj/ Cc-.c. iii, ;6. 



*" He W.1S then excused from serving 

 on assizes, &c. ; Dcf. Kccfn's Rtp. il, 

 App. 5 52. 



'' Dunkenhalgh D. In 14;--S Richard 

 s.in of Henry dc Rishton and Nicholas 

 his brother gave to feoffees certain lants 

 in Church ; HH, loS. . 



"DD, 1412. In thesameyear(i453) 

 is mentioned Alice Harewell durhlcr of 

 Richard ton of Henry Rishton ; ib.d 

 1 385. 



"DD, 1395, 1401. 



" HH, 149 ; DD, 14. Henry Rishton 

 obtained a genera! pardon in 1464; 

 Towrcley MS. RR, no. 1453. He was 

 dead in 1490 ; Dtp. Kccpirt Rep. x\ 

 App. 541. Nicholas Rishton of Dunken- 

 halgh, as son and heir of Henry, in 1488 

 made a grant of land in Read in Church 

 to his brother Reginald for life ; DD, no. 

 542- 



" HH, 165 ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. 

 p.m. vi, 36. 



*' He obtained a general pardon in 

 151 5 ; L. and P. Hen. Vlll, ii (i), 623. 



"■ D-chy of Lane. Inq. p.m. vi, 9. 



'■ /■/.-;>. (Chet. Soc), 33. 



'* Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. ii, no. 30 ; 

 Chan. Inq. p.m. (Ser. 2, xcii, iii; 

 I'l.i:. (Chet. Soc. Uxii), 40. Sec afso 

 D-:. K-cper'i Rep. xixix, Afp. 559; 

 P-1. of Lane. Pica R. 163, m. 20. 



420 



■" Com. Pleas D. Enr. Hil. z Sc % Phil. 

 and Mary ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 

 16, m. 9 ; Pica R. 218, m. 9. 



*" Duchy of Lane. Plead. Eliz. eixvii, 



W2. 



" Ibid, cxlili, W 16. 



" Ibid, cxxiii, W 14. Among the 

 Dunkenhalgh deeds la a release by Ralph 

 Rishton, Aii^e his wife and Roger his 

 son to Thomas Walmesley of Lincoln 1 

 Inn and Richard his brother of the capital 

 messuage called Dunkenhalgh ; it Ii dated 

 27 June 1571. 



_" Richard Walmesley of Tockholes was 

 a juror on an inquest taken in 1395. 

 Richard Walmesley of Ribchester, gent., In 

 1422 was probably father of William of 

 Li'.ci-y, yeoman, in 1442, whose son 

 wai I h' mas Walmesley, from whom it ii 

 not imprr.bable that the lin' of Showley 

 and Dunkenhalgh descended ; Lanci. Inj, 



