BLACKBURN HUNDRED 



WHALLEY 



There was a dispute as to the boundary between 

 Accrington and Oswaldtwistle in 1559.'® 



The Radcliffes of Winmarleigh had some land in 

 Accrington, said to be held in socage.^^ The families 

 of Rishton of Antley ^** and Rishton of Dunnyshope 

 or Donishope*^ recorded pedigrees in 1664. Higher 

 Antley now belongs to St. James's Church, Accring- 

 ton. Other prominent names were those of CunlifFe 

 of Hollins,'*^ Hayleys," Kenyon " and Ryley.^'^ 



ICORNHURST, though considered to be in Old 

 Accrington, was part of the forest. In 1464 it was 

 held by Edmund Waddington at a rent of 16s. zd}^ 

 In 1527 this rent was paid by Nicholas Rishton and 

 Edward Kenyon.^' 



BJXENDENy in New Accrington, in 1527 

 contributed a rent of ^^5 13J. 4*/., the tenants being 

 Henry CunlifFe, Denis Ryley, Lawrence Holden, 

 Ralph Holden and the Abbot of Whalley. In 

 1 609 John CunlifFe held the first and second of these 

 tenements, while the third had become divided 

 between Abraham Holden and Agnes Hargreaves. 

 John CunlifFe was the chief tenant in 1662.^® 



FRIJRHILLS, also in New Accrington, was in 

 1527 tenanted by Nicholas Rishton, who paid 6s. %d. 

 a year." The tenants of Cowhouses, High Ryley, 

 New Laund and Fernhagh at that time are also 

 recorded,*"* 



William Ryley and Thomas Kenyon contributed 

 to the subsidy in 1543 for their lands ; in 1600 the 

 contributors were John Ryley and Christopher 

 Kenyon in Old Accrington, Nicholas Rishton, 

 William Rishton and John Hargreaves in New 

 Accrington ; in 1626 Thomas Ryley and William 

 Kenyon in Old, and in New Nicholas Rishton, 

 Edmund Rishton, John CunlifFe, Christopher 

 Hargreaves and James Walmesley.*' 



The land tax returns of 1788 show that Widow 

 Kenyon and Lord Petre were the chief owners in 

 Old Accrington ; Robert Nuttall, Wilson Braddyll, 

 Mr. Aspinall and William Halsted in New 

 Accrington." 



Charles I in 1632 gave a lease of the mines of 

 coal, iron, &c., to Roger Nowell for twenty-one 

 years, but the lessee in 1639 surrendered it."*^ 



a right of way for carrying marl and stone 

 in Westmonclough ; Ducatus Lane, iii, 

 219. There are other references to 

 * Accrington Manor' cases, but some of 

 them may refer to places outside the 

 township. 



'^^ Add. MS. 32104, fol. 307^, no. 

 1256. The queen's steward (John 

 Towneley) made the bounds commence 

 at the High Oiler (Alder) on the south 

 side of Ibott's house straight to the Grey 

 stone, then to Barton stone, and straight 

 to Ridlachefoot stone. 



^^ Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iii, no. 75. 

 It is not named in the later inquisitions 

 of the family. 



80 Dugdale, Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 249. 

 The place occurs as Anteley in 1296. 



A lease of the vaccary of Antley for 

 ten years was granted to John Rishton in 

 1417 at ^5 6i. %d. rent; Whitaker, op. 

 cit. i, 321. In 1483 it was granted to 

 Hugh Gartside and Nicholas his son for 

 seven years at £6 rent ; ibid. 322. 



The Rishtons of Accrington have been 

 noticed already in Oswaldtwistle. The 

 will of Ralph Rishton of Antley in 15 10 

 mentions his wife Isabel and his sons 

 Nicholas (who was to have Antley) and 

 Robert ; Add. MS. 32104, fol. 1946, no. 

 803. Nicholas Rishton, 'gentleman,' 

 made an agreement with Robert Rishton, 

 'yeoman,' in 1522, respecting certain 

 parcels of land in the vaccary of Antley ; 

 Nicholas was to have the New Close 

 otherwise called the Friar Hill, a parcel 

 on the west side of Greenslade, a house 

 called CunlifFe House, and zs. rent from 

 Cornhurst, but was to pay 6s. %d. a year to 

 the king ; ibid. no. 1254. A further agree- 

 ment was made in 1536; ibid. no. 809, 

 1248. The rental of 1527 shows that 

 Nicholas Rishton paid £6 and Robert £-^ 

 for Antley ; Duchy of Lane. Rentals, 

 bdle. 5, no. 12. See also Ducatus Lane. 

 ii, 51 ; iii, 26. 



In 1536 Nicholas Rishton of Accring- 

 ton granted Antley to trustees to fulfil 

 his will. Grace Hancock his wife was 

 to have the lower end of Green Haworth. 

 He names Geoffrey Rishton his bastard 

 son and three bastard daughters ; also 

 Aymer Rishton his nephew ; Towneley 

 MS. C 8, 13 (Chet. Lib.), R 57. 



Another Nicholas Rishton occurs in 

 1589; Add. MS. 32104, no. 808. He 



was a freeholder in 1600; Misc. (Rec. 

 Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 237. A later 

 Nicholas paid ^Tio in 1631, having de- 

 clined knighthood, and Aymer Rishton 

 did the same, ibid. 216. There is a long 

 pedigree in Whitaker, op. cit. ii, 299. 



Nicholas Rishton of Antley was a 

 member of the Presbyterian classia of 

 1646. 



Geoffrey Rishton, M.D., who recorded 

 the pedigree, was member of Parliament 

 for Preston from 1661 till his death in 

 1667 ; Pink and Beaven, Pari, Repre. of 

 Lanes. 154. His grandson sold the 

 estate in 1721 and it was afterwards 

 owned by Kay and Nuttall ; Raines in 

 Gastrell's Notitia (Chet. Soc), ii, 305. 



2^ For pedigrees sec Dugdale, Visit, 

 251 ; Whitaker, op. cit. ii, 300. Robert 

 son and heir of Gilbert Rishton occurs in 

 1572 and is called of Dunnyshope in 

 1583; Add. MS. 32104, no. 800, 806. 

 Robert was in 1597 succeeded by his son 

 William, who next year married Jane 

 daughter of Lawrence Brownlow ofTonge; 

 ibid. no. 1250, 1245, 805. 



The name Dunschopfal occurs in 1305. 



^^ Whitaker, op. cit. ii, 288, 259. 

 Ellis CunlifTe was a freeholder in 1600 ; 

 Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 

 237. John CunlifTe of HoUins was a 

 member of the Presbyterian Classis in 

 1646. The CunlifFes were benefactors to 

 the poor. Holllns was acquired by the 

 Kays and Nuttalls ; Raines, loc. cit. 



^^ This family occurs in the adjacent 

 townships. In 1404 a pardon was granted 

 to Thomas son of William Hayleys ; 

 Pal. of Lane. Chan. Misc. 1/9, m. 112. 

 William Hayleys was a debtor in 1443 ; 

 Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 5, m. 3. 



^^ William Kenyon of Milnshaw had 

 in 1499 other lands called Fernigore and 

 Bridgeholme ; Towneley MS. C 8, 13, 

 K 13. Provision was then made for 

 Margaret the wife of William and for 

 Janet wife of William son of John 

 Kenyon. In another deed about the 

 same estate, dated 153 1, William Kenyon 

 is concerned, also Janet his mother and 

 George Kenyon; ibid. T 170. Thomas 

 Kenyon of Milnshaw occurs 1525-8; 

 Ducatus Lane, ii, 28 ; i, 136. He claimed 

 to be brother and heir of the younger 

 William ; the pleadings and depositions 

 illustrate several of the customs of the 



425 



manor of Accrington as well as the family 

 history ; Dueky Plead, (Rec. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), i, 127-37. 



Christopher Kenyon of Milnshaw was 

 a freeholder in 1600; Miic. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 237. 



Roger Kenyon of Whalley died in 1635 

 holding a barn in Accrington of the king 

 as of the manor of Enfield by a rent of 

 51. 6d. ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxvii, 

 no. 55. It had probably belonged to the 

 Abbey of Whalley. 



35 Henry IV in 1402 and 1410 demised 

 a place called Riley to Robert Ryley for 

 life ; Duchy of Lane. Misc. Bks. xvi, 

 41, 54 d. (pt. ii). The family occurs in Uie 

 time of Elizabeth ; Dueatus Lane, iii, 99, 

 116, 405. 3^ Whitaker, op. cit. i, 360. 



^' Duchy of Lane. Rentals, bdle. 5, 

 no. 12. 



83 Ibid. ; Honor of Clltheroe MS. 

 (Towneley). 



89 Duchy of Lane. Rentals, bdle. 5, 

 no. 12. 



^^ Ibid. The following were the names : 

 Cowhouse — Thomas and George Wslms- 

 ley, Richard Haworth, the wife of Roger 

 Duckworth, Alice and John Duckworth, 

 John Ormerod ; paying in all ^^8 ys. %d. 

 High Ryley — Christopher Hargreaves, the 

 wife of Alexander Ryley, Christopher 

 Ryley, the wife of George Ryley, Edward 

 Ryley, sen. and jun., £6 i6j. 9^. New 

 Laund — Edward Ryley, sen. and jun., ^^i 

 each. Fernhagh — Thomas Ryley, 1 7 j. 6^/., 

 John Aytay, the wife of Thomas CoUin- 

 son and Nicholas Grimshaw, each 5^. lod. 



Nicholas Rishton held * Sclateclyff,' 

 paying lu. id. Milnshaw was divided 

 into three tenements, held (i) by N. Rish- 

 ton, George and Ralph Kenyon and 

 William Chetham, for 525. ; (2) Piers 

 Ryley, 205. f)d, ; (3) Ralph and John 

 Baxenden, John Slater and Ralph Walms- 

 ley, also 20J. <)d. Pennyworth was 

 occupied by Adam Duckworth at id. 

 rent ; Hawkesey by Thomas Ryley at 

 24i. z^d. ; Ryley Place by N. Rishton 

 and four others, at 34s. z\d. ; and Hill 

 House by three tenants, at i6j. i\d.\ 

 ibid. 



^^ Lay Subs. Lanes, bdle. 130, no. 125 ; 

 131, no. 274, 317. 



^^ Returns at Preston. 



*^ Duchy of Lane. Misc. Bks. xxv, 102. 

 The area included the manor of Accring- 



54 



