A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



by All' ot Cross on the south side.'" The place is 

 named in a charter of 132+ by which Thomas son of 

 Hugh del Holrenhead granted land on \\ indie in 

 Briercliffe to his son Adam." \\'indle House was 

 long in the possesiion of the Halstc.id family. Mr. 

 \\'illiam Halstead is now the owner. 



The place provided a surname for one or more of 

 the families dwelling there. A Briercliffe family of 

 long continuance, descended probably from the 

 Michael de Briercliffe of 1258, had Burwains. Robert 

 son of Matthew, named as holding in 13 1 1, re- 

 ceived from Agnes daughter of Richard de Bernesete 

 lands which had belonged to Michael son of M.itthew 

 de Briercliffe," and other lands from Ilbota daughter 

 of Michael de Briercliffe." Other members of the 

 family occur.*" Robert Briercliffe of Burwains died 

 in 16 1 7 holding his messuage and land there of the 

 king as of his manor of Ightenhill in socage, by a 

 rent of -ji. i^d.; his son Lawrence was eleven years of 

 age." Mustihalgh, which is named in a charter made 

 about 1 300," was at one time held by the Briercliffe 

 family." Mr. William Edward Robertshaw is part 

 ovner of Burwains, Veomans, Batty Hole and Broad 

 liank. 



High Ridihaigh or Redehaigh also gave a surname 

 to the owners.' In 1589-90 Robert Ridihaigh of 

 Ledsham in Yorkshire, John his son, and their wives 

 joined in the ~ale of High Ridihaigh to Simon Hay- 

 dock,'' who in 1600 sold the same to James Folds of 

 Trnwden," and it descended with the purchaser's 

 other estates till the early part of last century. 

 Mr. Catlow Birtwistle is the present owner. The 

 copyhold messuage of The Folds (del Foldes) was in 

 the tenure of Henry del Foldes in 1443 " and was 

 sold by his son Lawrence in 1446 to John Banastre 

 of \\'alton-in-le-Dale, whose son Thurstan married 

 Alice daughter of Henr)- Rishton and was described 

 in 1485 as of Clayton-le-Moors, gent. His estate 



of Swinden in Great Marsden, Henfield-in-Colne, 

 and The Folds in Briercliffe passed to William Lifter, 

 son of Christopher Lister of Middop, co. York., 

 in marriage with Elizabeth daughter and heir of 

 Thurstan Banas;rc." Their son Christopher Lister 

 sold The Folds in 1544 to Richard Akeroyd of the 

 family of that name possessed of lands in Haworth, 

 Dewsbury and Foggathorpe, co. 'i'ork. ; and Henfield 

 in Colne to the same purchaser in 1556.*° The 

 estate of The Folds, now Folds House, descended in 

 the family of Akeroyd, after- 

 wards Ecroyd, until 180^, 

 when it was sold, but was 

 acquired in 1907 by the 

 great-grandson of the vendor, 

 William Farrer, formerly 

 Ecroyd, one of the editors of 

 this work. In the orchard 

 adjoining Folds House is an 

 ancient burial-place of the 

 Society of Friends, where are 

 gravestones inscribed to the 

 memory of Elizabeth w ife of 

 John Vipont, relict of John 

 Ecroyd, and of Edward \'ipont 

 her son, both dated 1681. 

 The dwelling-house, which is 

 a good example of the ancient 

 domestic architecture of the 

 district, was built about the 

 )car 1600 by John Akeroyd, 

 son of the original purchaser. 

 The Towneley family ac- 

 quired land here as in other 

 places in the neighbourhood.^" 

 Other names that occur are 



Ha)dock of Hcysandforth," Radcliffe " and Gerard" 

 of Winmarleigh and Tattersall of Ridge End in 



F A » R s R of Hall 

 Garth. Quarterly : lit 

 and i^thy Argent on a 

 bend indented sable be- 

 t'ween t%vo acorns slipped 

 and leaved proper three 

 horseshoes of the Jseld^ 

 for Farrer : md and 

 3 rd. Azure on a cheveron 

 erminois bettveen three 

 stags' heads erased of the 

 last ttvo oak branches 

 slipped cheveronivise 

 proper, in centre chief a 

 bezant charged with a 

 rose gules barbed and 

 seeded proper, for 

 Ecroyd. 



fee of the tenement. They showed a 

 charter by which .Michael son of Robert 

 de Briercliffe granted to Alice and Agnes 

 all his land descending from his father. 

 Henry and Maud claimed under another 

 of Michael's charters. They were at 

 length non-suited J Assize R. 1277, 

 m. izb. 



'« C 8, 13, Y 5 ; John de Windle was 

 a witness. 



■'Ibid. H252. The grantor's surname 

 occurs in many forms, with or without 

 the H. 



" Towneley MS. OO, no. 1488. 



1' Ibid. no. 1490 ; .VJam de Walsh.iw, 

 John de Windle and G;offrey his brother 

 and William de Ridihaigh were witnesses. 



-" Adam son of Adam the Tailor of 

 Briercliffe and John his brother in i;^3 

 released all right to Robert de Briercliffe ; 

 ibid.no. 1491. Robert the son of Robert 

 occurs in 1337 (ibid. no. 1492), and in 

 1^4 J the father granted lands to Robert 

 his son, who had married Almaric, with 

 remainders to younger sons named 

 Richard and John ; ibid. no. 1495. 

 Almoria de Briercliffe widow in 1409 

 granted to William Parker of Extwistle 

 all the messuages, ic, she had br gift of 

 Robert de Briercliffe the elder ; ibid. no. 

 1496. Laurence Briercliffe succeeded 

 by 1418 (ibid. no. 149-;, and in 1424-5 

 he granted a messu.Tge and 34 acres of 

 land in Briercliffe to Thomas his snn, 

 William Briercliffe being a witness ; i'Did. 

 no. I4^i. Four years later Thomas the 



son and heir of Lawrence Briercliffe 

 granted the same to William Briercliffe 

 the elder ■, ibid, no, 1499. 



'^' Lanes. Inf. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), ii, 70. Grace the wile and 

 several younger children are named ; also 

 a brother John. John son of Lawrence 

 Briercliffe of Burwains was baptized at 

 Burnley 7 Keb. 1631-2 ; Reg. 



" Richard son of Richard son of Griffin 

 excepted Mustihalgh from his grant of 

 lands in Briercliffe and Burnley to Oliver 

 de Stansfield ; Lanes. Inj. p.m. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 84. 



"■' Robert de Briercliffe in 1335 gave to 

 Gilbert de Legh the rent of izd. due to 

 grantor from Mustihalgh; C 8, 13, 

 B2-3. 



^ In 1 315 William de Ridihaigh and 

 Agnes his wife claimed a messuage, &c., 

 in Briercliffe against Richard son of John 

 le Mon, in right of Agnes ; De Banco R. 

 212, m. 70 d. Robert le Mon is named 

 in the subsidy of 1332 ; Exch. Lay Subs. 

 (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 80. In 

 1424 Richard Ridihaigh of Ridihaigh 

 Hough was to pay 4J. a year to Law- 

 rence Briercliffe ; Towneley MS. OO, 

 no. 1495. 



Lawrence Ridihaigh of Ridihaigh and 

 Margaret his wife in 1493 settled their 

 estate on John their son, with remainders 

 to other sons Nicholas, Lawrence and 

 Christopher; Fo'Js D. John Ridihaigh 

 of Por.ufract in 1515 made d grant of 

 .ands which had descended to him after 



470 



the death of Lawrence hie father j Add. 

 MS. 32104., no. 660. In 1516 the mar- 

 riage of Christopher son of John son 

 of Lawrence Ridihaigh was granted to 

 Nicholas his uncle j Folds D. Christopher 

 '" 1533 agreed to marry Elizabeth 

 daughter of John Halstead of High Hal- 

 stead in Worsthorne ; ibid. It was pro- 

 bably the same Christopher who in 1571 

 made a grant to his son Robert ; ibid. 

 From somewhat later deeds it appears 

 that the family removed into Yorkshire. 



^5 Ibid, i Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. 

 bdle. 51, m. 156. 



2« Folds D. James Folds died in 1635 

 holding four messuages, &c., at High 

 Ridihaigh of the king as of his manor of 

 Ightenhill ia socage. The heir was his 

 son James, aged thirty-four ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. xxviii, no. 27. 



2^ C/itArroe Ct. R. i, 505. 



^ Towneley MS. HH, 74, 76. 



^ Clitheroe Ct. R. i, 41Z, 466 ; ii, 1. 



^ Briercliffe, Extwistle, Worsthorne 

 and Hurstwood occur usually in the 

 Towneley feoffments and inquisitions, but 

 nothing definite ia recorded as to extent 

 or tenure. 



-^ The Haydock land in Briercliffe was 

 joined with Heysandforth, no separate 

 tenure being recorded ; Duchy of Lane. 

 Inq. p.m. xvii, no. 40. 



^2 The lands in Briercliffe are named 

 with those in Clitheroe and Mar'.den as 

 held of the duchy in socage j ibid, xi, no. 7. 



*■* Ibid. XVI, no. j.. 



