A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



a riJge which for nearly two miles has an altitude of 

 aboat 1,500 ft. above sea level ; while across the 

 north of the township extends the height of Hamel- 

 don, descending from 1,500 ft. on the Yorkshire 

 border to 700 ft. at Bottin, 2 J miles to the west. 

 North of this hill is the valley of Swinden, down which 

 flows Swinden Water to join the Brun ; a reservoir 

 has been formed here for the water supply of Burnley. 

 There is no boundarj- between the two parts of the 

 township. The Brun is formed by the combination 

 of Hurstwood, Cant Clough and Shedden Brooks on 

 the southern side of the township. In the western 

 end, in the lever ground betiveen the Brun and 

 Swinden Water, lies the village of Worsthorne proper, 

 having Hurstwood a mile south-east, and Rowley 

 nearly the same distance north-west. High Halstead 

 is to the north of Bottin, overlooking Swinden. On 

 the moor to the east of Hurstwood is the large Cant 

 Clough reservoir. The area of the township is 3,510 

 acres.' In 1901 it had a population of 852. 



The principal roads cross at Worsthorne village. 

 One goes east from Burnley over the hills into York- 

 shire ; the other goes south from BrierclifTe to Holme 

 in Cliviger, with a branch to Hurstwood. 



The agricultural land is used for pasturage. The 

 soil is clay, overlying shale. There is a colliery at 

 Rowley. Cotton goods are manufactured. 



On the hills are remains of a neolithic settlement, 

 with tumuli, stone circles, or ' Ringstones,' and a 

 Roman camp, or walled station.' 



Though in 1332 Worsthorne was regarded as an 

 independent township, contributing separately to the 

 subsidy, it is noteworthy that Dr. Whitaker in 1 800 

 wrote of it as being no more than a hamlet of Brier- 

 cliffe.' It is now governed by a parish council. 



At an early time the lords of Clitheroe 

 MANOR appear to have divided Worsthorne among 

 a number of free tenants, among whom in 

 1 202 the Pilkington family were numbered.' The 

 value of Worsthorne, which was assessed as two plough- 

 lands, was in 1242 returned as ^^8 is. i i^J., to which 

 rents of a sore sparrowhawk and a pair of white gloves 

 must be added.' In 1258 the free tenants in Wors- 

 thorne paid zos. for the dye house, and 2iJ</. rent is 

 also recorded.* In 1292 Henry de Lacy granted to 

 Oliver de Stansfield, his receiver for Pontefract, the 

 homage and service of the free tenants of Worsthorne, 

 twenty-one tenements being given, of which three 

 had belonged to Richard de Towneley.' This was the 

 origin of the later manor oilf'ORSTHORNE, for which 

 Oliver and his heirs by Emma, formerly his wife, were 

 to pay I a', a year at St. Giles's feast.' In 1311 

 Oliver de Stansfield was recorded as holding of Henry 

 de Lacy the hamlet of Worsthorne by rendering id. 

 yearly.' He was a clerk, but his issue appear to have 

 been legitimate,'" and the manor descended" to Joan 

 daughter of Giles Stansfield, who married Simon 

 Haydock, as recorded in the account of Heysandforth 

 in Burnley. The freeholders, headed by the Towne- 

 leys, disputed the Haydock lordship," and in 1560, 



' The Cemui Rep. 1901 gives 3,1^07 

 acres, including 28 of inland water. 



* Watkin, Romdn Lanes. 210. 

 ' Whitaker, Whalln, ii, 228. 



* F1n.1l Cone. {Rcc. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Che?.), i, 18 ; Thomas de Rivington 

 released to Alexander de Pilkington, 

 \^'iniam his brother and Alice his sis er, 

 the tenants, lands in Rivington and 

 Womhome claimed by inheritance. 

 Henry de Pilkington gave a similar re- 

 lease to Alejcander ; ibid. 1, 22. 



■' Land. I»j. and Extents (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 156. 

 «Ibid. 217. 



' The charter is printed in Whitaker, 

 op. cit. ii, 229-30. The free tenants 

 we c John de Legh, Henry son of Gilbert 

 de Worsthoriit, Adam le Heir, Adam le 

 Spencer, Robert son of Alexander, William 

 de Halstead, John de Windle, Richard 

 son of Henry, Thomas del Stock, Adam 

 Rudd, John le Hunt, Richard Strideover- 

 moor, Robert Fitel, Robert Chapman, 

 Adam Je Bottedene (Bottin), Ellis son of 

 Roc( r de Halstead, Adam son and heir 

 of R-bcrt Juste, Agnes daughter of 

 Richard de Towneley, Philip de CLiyton 

 and Isabel his wife (in her right), John 

 de Lcrh and Cecily his wife (in her right), 

 and G.ibert de Birtwisle (of the inherit- 

 ance ot Adam his son). 



* Oliver de Stansfield obtained various 

 tenemems in Worsthorne from the pro- 

 prietors, both before and after the lord- 

 ship was given to him. Robert son of 

 Robert de Cnavnecastel (Knavecastle — 

 see Clivijcr) granted to Oliver the 

 homage of William son of William de 

 Windle for lands held in Worsthorne ; 

 Toivneley MS. C 8, 13 (Chet. Lib.), 

 Cio;. Robert son of Richard Fitel 

 granteJ him all his part of the mill 

 appurtenant to half an oxgang of land, 

 viz. the il.rty-second part, with land on 

 Fitel Green on Shedden Brook, his part 

 (a tenth) of the new inclosure of Shedden, 



and all his part of Thistleyard ; ibid. F 37. 

 Adam son of Adam de Hurstwood gave 

 to Oliver de StansBeld, clerk, land in 

 Worsthorne at id. rent, Richard de 

 Towneley and Michael de Legh being 

 witnesses; ibid. H 251, The same 

 Adam granted to Oliver the clerk of 

 Stansfield and Emma his wife land at id. 

 rent, Michael de Legh and Gilbert his 

 son being witnesses; Add. MS. 32104, 

 no. 813. Robert son of Robert son of 

 Alexander de Worsthorne gave Oliver the 

 tenth part of Shedden inclosure, between 

 lands of Richard son of Henry and (lately) 

 of Richard son of Thomas Strideover- 

 moor ; ibid. no. 835. Adam son of 

 Henry de Worsthorne released to Oliver 

 the id. rents from Robert the Chapman, 

 from Gilbert le Birtwisle and Margery 

 his wife, and from Oliver himself; these 

 came from lands in Smethefynee, Heald 

 and Crookhalgh, and Nether Whitacre 

 (formerly William de Windle's) ; C 8, 1 3, 

 W 109. John le Huntc son of Richard 

 granted a curtilage in Hurstwood ; ibid. 

 H 266. These are midated, but some at 

 least are earlier than 1292. 



In 1295 Adam son of Adam son of 

 Adam the Chapman of Hurstwood re- 

 leased to Oliver de Stansfield a messuage 

 and half an oxgang of land which grantor 

 had had from Henry son of Richard de 

 Worsthorne; ibid. Ciio. Adam after- 

 wards released the id. rent due ; ibid. 

 C III. 



' Lanes. Inq. and Extents^ ii, 10. 

 '» He had a son William (by Mabel) 

 who was apparently illegitimate ; Whalley 

 Coueh. (Chet. Soc), iv, 1065. William 

 son of Oliver de Stansfield attested a 

 charter in 1334 ; ibid, iv, 946. 



Oliver de Stansfield, probably the same 

 Oliver, attested charters in 1323 :-ild 

 1334; ibid, iv, 988, i, 313. 



" The details of the descent are not 

 certainly known. Richard de Stansfield 

 in 1373 received from Alice Rudde the 



474 



lands in Worsthorne she had as dower 

 and by the gift of Richard son of John 

 Rudde J C 8, 13, R i6z. From Alice 

 sister and heir (or co-heir) of Richard 

 Rudde he received her lands ; ibid. R 164. 

 John de Stansfield son and heir of 

 Richard in 1386-7 released to Robert 

 Hoppay the lands which Robert had had 

 from Richard de Stansfield, who had had 

 the same from Alice the widow and Alice 

 the daughter of John Rudde ; ibid. S 230. 

 John de Stansfield attested a charter in 

 141 3 ; he and Oliver de Stansfield in 

 1420 i Add. MS. 32104, no. 193, 194. 



James Stansfield occurs in 1443, when 

 it was found that Richard Hoppay, who 

 was sentenced to be hanged for having 

 mortally wounded Robert Hoppay his 

 brother, held two messuages and 6 ox- 

 gangs of land in Worsthorne of James ; 

 Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 5, m. 22^. In 

 1453 James Stansfield the elder of 

 Burnley, Geoffrey Stansfield and others 

 were bound to John Towneley to submit 

 to an arbitration ; C 8, 13, S 100, 102. 

 See the History of the Stansfeld Fam'tlyy 

 by John Stansfeld (1885). The arbitra- 

 tors decided in favour of the Stansfieldi, 

 awarding ^40, as appears from an 

 acknowledgement for 5 mark=, part of 

 that sum, from Geoffrey son of James 

 Stansfield to John Towneley in 1456 ; 

 ibid. S 83. 



In 1496 Geoffrey son of James Stans- 

 field granted to Lawrence Townley {?■ 

 trustee) the manor of Heysandforth and 

 lands and rents in Worsthorne ; Final 

 Cone, iii, 145. 



^ William Barcroft, Oliver Halsted, 

 William Halsted, John Hurstwood and 

 Edmund Spencer in 1 548 complained 

 that Simon Haydock had seized some of 

 their cattle as heriots. They alleged 

 that they held, not of him, but of the 

 king as of his cattle of Clitheroe ; Duchy 

 Plead, iii, 39. See also the dispute as to 

 wardship, ibid. 140. 



