BLACKBURN HUNDRED 



WH ALLEY 



fronting the road. The great hall, which is about 

 24 ft. by 21 ft., occupies the eastern end of the first 

 floor of the main block and is approached from the 

 forecourt by a wide flight of stone steps forming a 

 v-ery picturesque feature. The entrance in the 

 north-west corner through a four-centred doorway 

 with label and square panel over is now built up, 

 but the north wall still retains unimpaired its lofty 

 ten-light muUioned window with double transoms 

 and hood mould. The floor of the hall is 7 ft. above 

 the general level of the courtyard, to which there is 

 a descent of five steps from the main gateway. The 

 south wall of the hall is occupied almost entirely by 

 the fireplace, the Tudor arched opening of which, 

 however, is now built up, and the room is in a more 

 or less dilapidated state. Portions of an ornamental 

 plaster ceiling and of a carved oak beam are still 

 to be seen, and above the fireplace is a fragment 

 of ornamental plaster work with the words ' nescio 

 cujus ' remaining. The staircase, which is of stone, 

 is in the west side of the house, and above the hall 

 is a large room open to the roof and lit by two low 

 muUioned windows of five lights each below the 

 eaves on the north side. The north-west wing, 

 which may be a 17th-century addition, is less severe 

 in appearance than the main block, but is of equal 

 height and of four stories, two of its floors ranging 

 with the height of the great hall. The walls are 

 finished with a plain parapet and balled gables which 

 together with its many muUioned and transomed 

 windows afFord some relief to the otherwise rather 

 bare west gable end of the main block. At the back 

 is a small three-light window with round-headed 

 lights under a square head, the only one of this type 

 in the building. 



By an explosion of gunpowder in the house in 

 March 17 17 much damage was done, and shortly 

 afterwards the family finally quitted the hall, which 

 has since been occupied intermittently by tenant 

 farmers, who chiefly use, however, the basement or 

 ground floor rooms and those in the lower east wing. 

 The appearance of the building in its lonely and 

 commanding position and its present state of semi- 

 desolation and abandonment is very striking. 



In 1 56 1 the ' byrelaw of Extwistle ' was copfirmed 

 by John Towneley of Towneley, John Parker of 

 Extwistle and others."^ An agreement as to the 

 inclosure of commons, moor, &c., was made in 

 1594.8' 



There was a family taking a name from the 

 township, but no connected account can be given of 

 it.''* Lands in Extwistle were given for a chantry 

 in Burnley Church by Peter TattersaU before 1388.''° 

 Some minor transactions are on record."* 



In 1524 the following contributed to the subsidy 

 for their lands : Lawrence BrierclifFe, Edmund and 

 John Parker.'' In 1564 John Parker, Lawrence 

 Brierclifte and William Halsted.'^ In 1597 John 

 Parker and Robert Brierclifle.''' In 1626 John 

 Parker and Lawrence Brierclifte ; John and Bernard 

 Towneley and others paid as non-communicants.'* 



In this township in 1666 there were 122 hearths 

 liable to the tax. John Parker's house had eleven ; 

 the next in size were those of Lawrence BrierclifFe, 

 John Vipan and Richard Wilkinson with five each.'' 



For the Church of England St. James's, BrierclifFe, 

 was built in 1840, and had a district assigned to it in 

 1 843. '8 The Hulme Trustees are patrons. 



A Primitive Methodist chapel existed at Thursden 

 before 1850. The Independent Methodists are 

 now represented at Haggate. 



The Baptist chapel at Haggate dates from 1763 ; 

 in 1798 its ' faith and order difFered somewhat from 

 the other Baptist churches in England.' " Another 

 was built at Hill Lane, to the east, in 1840 ; it is 

 called Ebenezer, and is joined to the Baptist Union. 



The Quakers, as above stated, anciently had a 

 burial-ground at Folds House in Brierclifte.'* 



WORSTHORNE WITH HURSTWOOD 



Wrdestorn, 1202 ; Wrdeston, 1242 ; WrthJsthorn, 

 1258 ; Wursthorn, 1328. Hirstwode, Hirstewod, 



1323. 



A large part of this triangular township consists of 

 the moorland hill country which forms the boundary 

 between Lancashire and Yorkshire. The county 

 boundary on the east is formed by Black Hameldon, 



^^ Whitaker, op. cit. ii, 227. Four 

 byrelaw men were to be appointed. No 

 townsman was to take a beast, &c., to 

 the common except a poor man who had 

 kine to give him milk or a horse to lead 

 his 'elding' (fuel). A serving man 

 might have ten sheep on the common. 

 No one was to'stawve' (stub) or cut 

 any thorns in Swinden, or to sell any slate 

 out of the township. No grass was to 

 be cut between 25 Dec. and 30 Sept. 

 'Ring yards' were to be made before 

 15 Mar., on which day all cattle were to 

 be sent out of the fields. 



6^ Dvcatzi-t Lane, iii, 210 ; i-etween 

 Robert Parker (who held with John 

 Towneley, John Parker, John Robinson 

 and John Woodroffe) and Bernard Towne- 

 ley and other inhabitants. Robert Parker 

 was the tenant of Holden House, from 

 whom at the same time John Parker 

 claimed a rent of 4^. ^.d. ; ibid. 



For a decree as to the wastes, delfs, &c., 

 see Lanes, and Ckes. Rec. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 274. 



^ In 1259-60 Sabina, Avice and Mabel 

 daughters of Alexander de Extwistle gave 

 J mark for an assize ; Originalia, 44 

 Hen. Ill, m. 8. 



Matthew de Extwistle granted to Richard 

 son of Henry his nephew {nepoti) 3 acres 

 in Extwistle for a rent of \zd. yearly ; 

 Add. MS. 32104, no. 450. 



Matthew son of Nicholas de Extwistle 

 and William son of Matthew de Extwistle 

 granted a rent of 21. to Robert at Bridge 

 of Burnley; C8, 13, E31, 21. The 

 second charter states that the 21. came 

 from the lands of Henry de Holrenhead 

 and Adam de Monachis. Henry son of 

 Richard de Holrenhead (or OUerhead) 

 acquired for 26j. the lands of Adam son 

 of Gilbert de Ruelay (or Rowley) ; he 

 was to render yearly \zd. and a pair of 

 white gloves; ibid. R 66. The same 

 Henry in 13 17 gave them to Thomas son 

 of Hugh de Holrenhead ; ibid. H 248. 

 Agnes de Holrenhead in 1393-4 granted 

 to William her son the lands she had had 

 of the gift of Robert de Holrenhead her 

 father ; ibid. H 273. 



^^ Lana, Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc), i, 32. 

 The tenure of the lands is not stated. 



''*' The Parkers of Holden have been 

 mentioned in previous notes. In 1581 

 Robert Parker of Holden Clough, stating 

 that he in conjunction with John Towne- 

 ley of Towneley and Robert Parker of 



473 



Extwistle had divided land called Dcep- 

 lache Croft, agreed that Edmund (son of 

 John) Robinson of Old Laund should 

 have the right to carry (over the portion 

 assigned to him) between Stubbing and 

 Holrenhead (Ollernhead) ; C 8, 13, P 56. 

 Charles Towneley of Towneley in 1636 

 acquired the messuages formerly belonging 

 to John Robinson and Edmund his son ; 

 ibid. T 168. 



John Folds in 1455-6 granted the 

 lands in Extwistle which he had inherited 

 from William his father to John Clayton ; 

 Towneley MS. C 8, 13, F43. 



^^ Subs. R. Lanes, bdle, 130, no. 82. 



^2 Ibid. bdle. 131, no. 212. 



^^ Ibid. no. 274. 



"^^ Ibid. no. 317. 



"^^ Ibid. bdle. 250, no. 9. 



^^ Land. Gaz. 3 Jan. 1843. 



^^ Rippon, Bapt. Reg. iii, 20. It is 

 now called a * Scotch Baptist ' chapel. 



^8 In 1665 Richard Wilkinson of Brier- 

 clifFe was presented to the Bishop of 

 Chester for allowing one Elizabeth Hart- 

 ley to be ' buried contrary to the laws of 

 the Church,' by the Quakers, but showed 

 that he did not consent ; Visit. Returns 

 at Ches. Dioc. Reg. 



60 



