A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



of John de Lacy Karl of Lincoln were reserved, and 

 a rent of 6/. 8/. was to be paid to the earl.*^ William 

 de Swillington held the 40 acres in 1258, paying 

 6s. >^i/.^ Afterwards it was acquired by Oliver de 

 Stansfield/' who also obtained from Henry de Lacy 

 a grant of the manor of Worsthorne, and in i 3 1 1 

 Oliver held 50 acres in Burnley by rendering it^. 

 yearly, the rent having been altered.^" Heysandforth 

 continued to descend like Worsthorne,^ and was by 

 Joan daughter and heir of Giles Stansfield conveyed 

 in marriage to Simon Haydock," said to have been 

 of the Cottam family. 



Evan Haydock the sun of Simon died in 1596 

 holding the manor or capital messuage called Heysand- 

 forth, and messuages, water-mill, &c., in Burnley and 

 Briercliffe of the queen as of her duchy of Lancaster 

 in socage by id. rent. Simon his son and heir was 

 forty years of age." Simon Haydock was returned 

 as a freeholder in 1600,^ and died in 1607, leaving 

 a son and heir Evan, ten years old." Evan Haydock 

 was a convicted recusant in 1626, paying double to 

 the subsidy,^ and soon afterwards he sold the manor 

 of Worsthorne. He died in 1634 holding the capital 

 messuage called Heysandforth, with other messuages 

 in Burnley and Briercliffe, of the king as duke in 

 socage by id. rent ; Simon, his son and heir, was 

 seven years of age." The family subsequently con- 



formed, and retained Heysandforth for some time." 

 It was in 1834 purchased from Miss Henrietta 

 Harrison of Lancaster by John Hargreavcs of Bank 

 Hall, and has descended to Sir John O. S. 

 Thursby, bart. 



The old house at Heysandforth stands in a low 

 situation on the north-east side of Burnley at a little 

 distance from the north bank of the River Brun, 

 between which and the building, however, there is 

 a small brook running westward. The road passes 

 close to the south and east sides of the building, 

 which is now divided into four separate dwellings 

 and has been so much altered and modernized as to 

 possess little or no architectural or antiquarian interest. 

 It forms, however, a rather picturesque group with 

 stone slated gabled roofs at different levels, and with a 

 long projecting wing at the south-west, originally the 

 stable buildings, but now converted into a dwelling- 

 house. Nearly all the windows are modern sashes 

 and the walls are for the most part stuccoed. Over 

 the door of what is now one of the middle houses are 

 the arms and crest of the Haydocks, and in the 

 interior is a 17th-century stone staircase with good 

 turned balusters and newels. 



B^AK lULL, formerly Bank Head or Bank Top, 

 was in the time of Elizabeth and later the residence 

 of a recusant family named Woodroffe." It descended 



^y Kijcrdcn fol. MS. p. 250. The date 

 must be before 1240, when John de Lacy 

 died, Roger Dean of Whalley w.is a 

 witness. ^^ Lams. Inf. anj Extetits, i, 214. 



** In 1607 a charter was produced by 

 which Richard son of Richard son of 

 Griffin gave to Oliver de Stansfield all 

 his messuages and lands in Burnley and 

 Briercliffe and the reversion of the por- 

 tion held by Helewise his mother in 

 dower. The piece of land called Musti- 

 halgh was excepted. All was to be 

 held of Henry Earl of Lincoln and h 9 

 heirs ; Lanes, lij. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Che*.), i, 84. 



^- Ibid, li, 7. Oliver de Stansfield held 

 12 acres in Burnley in 1305; De Lacy 

 Compoti, log. This may account for the 

 increase of the acreage from 40 to 50. 



^ It was perhaps made the residence 

 of the family, for James Stansfield of 

 Heysandforth occurs in 1442; Pal. nf 

 Lane. Plea R. 4, m. ib. By a deed 

 dated at Heysandforth in 14-6 the 

 feoffees rcgranted to Geoffrey Stansfield 

 and Joan his wife a messuage, &c. j AHd. 

 MS. 32104, no. 1130. Feoffees of the 

 same Geoffrey in 1485 granted to Isabel 

 diughtcr of Lawrence Towncley (other- 

 wise called Isabel daughter of Maud 

 Southworth) certain lands in Burnley, to 

 be held by her for life with remainder to 

 Giles the son and heir of Geoffrey Stans- 

 field, who was to marry Isabel ; W. 

 Farter's D. On the seal tag is writing 

 naming Geoffrey Stansfield of the Hey- 

 sandforth. See John Stansfeld, Stansfeld 

 Film. 276. 



A settlement of the manor was made 

 in 1496 by Geoffrey son of James Stans- 

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

 Ches.), iii, 14-;. 



^Geoffrey Stansfield died in 1500 

 ho'ding the manor of Heysandforth of 

 the king as duke by knight's service. A 

 widow Joan survived him. His son Giles 

 died before him, leaving a widow Isabel 

 and a daughter ]oan, two years of ape, 

 who was heir of her grandfather j Duchy 

 ot Lane. In^. p.m. iii, no. 56. 



Joan wile of S.mon Haydock of Hey- 

 sandforth was bur.cd at Burnley 21 Aug. 

 1562 ; Reg, 



^'' Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xvii, no. 

 40. The pedigree in Whitaker's H-'halley 

 (ii, I -6} interpose? anotherSimon between 

 the one who married the heiress and Evan. 



Evan had been married, perhaps in 

 infancy, to Eilen daughter of Sir John 

 Townelcy, but was divorced by 1 55 1, 

 when disputes took place as to the lands 

 settled on the marriap'-^ The agreement 

 for the marriage was made in 1522 when 

 Evan father nf Simon was stilt living, 

 and the marriage took place before the 

 children were twelve years old. At this 

 age Ellen refused consent, and a divorce 

 was obtained. Grimehouse was part of 

 the lands assigned ; Duchy of Lane. 

 Plead. Edw. VI, xxvi, H 10 ; Dep. 

 Edw. VI, xi, T ^ 



A settlement of the minor of Hey- 

 sandforth and other estates was made by 

 Evan Haydock in 1586 j Pal. of Lane. 

 Feet of F.' bdle. 48, m. 7. 



Nicholas Hancock of Lower Highnm 

 in 1570 became bound to Evan Haydock 

 of Heysandforth and Giles hii brother ; 

 Add. MS. 32104, no. 1135. 



^ Mise. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Chcs.), 

 i, 236. 



^ Lanes. Jn<j. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), i, 81-5, 123. The lands were 

 held in socage. The will, dated 1606, 

 is given. It mentions Anne his wife, 

 his children Evan, Gilbert, Mary and 

 Eleanor. Testator desired Mr. Justice 

 Walmsley to undertake the rule of his 

 son Evan during minority ; ^^^ ^^^ ^o 

 be paid for his education if he were 

 brought up in the country, but ;^2o if 

 he should go to the University or Inns of 

 Court. His 'evidence chest' is named, 



®^ Subs. R. Lanes, bdle. 131, no. 317, 

 His wife Anne was also a convicted 

 recusant. 



^® Duchy of Lane, Inq. p.m. xxviii, no. 

 81. In 1620 he had settled his lands, 

 naming hia sister Eleanor and brother 

 Gilbert. 



444 



*^ The pedigree in Ornicrod (loe. cJt.) 

 comes down to Simon's grandson John 

 Hiiydock, J. P., who died in 1745. 



*^ Henry de Lacy (d, 1311) granted to 

 Robert son of Robert de Burnley 8 acres 

 of land in Burnley formerly held by John 

 the Folder ; Shireburne Abstract Bk. at 

 Leagram. This was probably the founda- 

 tion of the eet.ite. 



In 1528 Oliver Halstcad surrendered 

 several messuages, &c., to John Ryley, 

 priest, John Woodroffe and others j John 

 Ryley in 1533 releasing two messuages 

 to John Woodroffe ; ibid. John Wood- 

 roffe acquired other lands in the neigh- 

 bourhood, and was in 1557 succeeded by 

 ano'her John, ;tpparcntly his nephew \ 

 ibid. This John married Jcnet one of 

 the three daughters and co-heirs ot Edmund 

 Tattcrsall of Mossley (licence 1534) and 

 was in 1580 succeeded by his son John ; 

 his wife Jcnet died in 1597 ; ibid. John 

 Woodroffe of *Bankhead' and Richard 

 Woodroffe of Burnley were freeholders m 

 1600 ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Chei.), 

 i, 236. John Woodroffe of * Banktop ' 

 was dead in z6io, his daughter Isabel 

 (bapt. 1583) being wife of Nicholas 

 Townley of Roylc ; she had in 1605 been 

 divorced from Richard son of Thomas 

 Shuttleworth ; Shireburne Abstract Bk. 

 In 1653 Isabel surrendered the old and 

 new copyhold land belonging to Bank Top 

 in Burnley to her granddaughter Isabel 

 wife of Richard Shireburne. The will of 

 Isabel Townley is dated 1674 ; ibid. The 

 nuncupative will of her father John 

 Woodroffe (1610) has been preserved ; it 

 left everything to her. 



In 1579 John Woodroffe was ordered 

 to go to communion at his parish church ; 

 ibid. About 1586 it was reported to the 

 government that Robert Woodroffe, 

 seminary priest, had been received at the 

 house of Jenet Woodroffe of Bank Top j 

 Baines, Lanes, (ed. Harland), i, 180 (from 

 HarL MS. 360). This Robert, who** 

 parentage it not stated, arrived at Douay 

 from England in 1577, was one of the 

 early students of the Engliih College at 



