A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



PcnJlc. The heirs were his daughters Elizabeth 

 ui e of Sir John Ncvill, aged twenty-eight, and Alice 

 wife of RoScrt Nevill, aged twenty-six." On a 

 partition the 'manor of Simonstone' became th; 

 s:iare of the younger daughter," and was in 1566 

 sold by her son George XeviU of Ragnell to John 

 Braddvll," who at his death in 1578 was found to 

 have 'held it in socage." His son and heir 

 Edward obtained a confirmation of the manor 

 from John Nevill, the son of George," but appears 

 to have sold it in 1596 to John Whitaker." Never- 

 theless the manor is named in the inquisitions after 

 the death of Edward Braddvll in 1607 and his 

 son John in 161 2 ; but the tenure is not stated." 

 From that time this manor disappe.irs from the 

 records. 



The WhitaLcr family or families had long been 

 settled in Simonstone," and in 1599 Miles Whitaker 

 sold a moiety of the manor, with a moiety of the 

 ^v.uer-milI, and lands, ic, to Roger Nowell of 

 I'.c.nd." The No'.vclls had already some land in 



Simonsfinc," and Roger at his death in 1 624 w.i! 

 found to have held a messuage and land of the king 

 in socage, nothing being said of a shire of the 

 manor." The Whitakcrs have continued to hold 

 an estate in Simonstone." 



S1M0\ST0^E HJLL is a two-story stone-bui't 

 house with gables, muUioned windows and stone 

 slated roofs, built probably in the early 17th century, 

 but very much modernized and of little architectural 

 interest. The principal front, which faces west, has 

 two gables with spiked ornaments, and a third 

 recessed gabled wing at the north end, while the 

 east elevation shows three flush gables. The front 

 windows have all rounded heads to the lights, but 

 appear to be early 19th-century restorations ; those at 

 the back being later are better in detail. Over the 

 door is a shield with the arms of Whitaker with 

 helm, crest and mantling. The interior is wholly 

 modernized and without interest. 



Other holders of land used the local name, but the 

 descents cannot be traced clearly." Ravensden gave 



1' Diichy ot Lane. Inq. p.m. iv, no. 

 ^ ;. For pedigrees aee Hunter, loc. cil., 

 I r N'cvill of Chfvet ; and l':sit. of Soils. 

 (Harl. Soc.), 65, for Nevill of Ragnell. 



"In 1516 James Starkie ga\e Robert 

 \evill land in ihe Mrislirv, Cock=hot5- 

 lifl I, itc, in exchange; Towneley MS. 

 UU, no. 1019. 



In 1520 Sir John Ncvill and Eliza- 

 Veth his wife \^-ere summoned to v^arrant 

 Rnbert N\, ill the younger and Alice his 

 wife in Simonstone \ Pal. of Lane. 

 Writs Proton. 1 1 Hen. VIII. In the same 

 year was made a settlement of the manor 

 of SimonsK nr, and lands in Simonstone 

 and Broad Holden in the 'par.sh' of 

 Haslingdcn ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. 

 bdle. IT, m. 214.. 



" Ibid. bdle. 2S, m. 30. George Nevill 

 <nd Barbara his wife at the same time 

 tuld some messuages separately ; ibid, 

 nl. , &c. 



' Ouchv of Lane. Inq. p.m., xiv, no. 

 85. 



" Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 46, 

 m. 213, in I ^84.. 



^' Ibid. ^1', ni. 162 ; Edward Braddyll 

 and John his son and heir-apparent were 

 deforciants. 



John Whitaker was perhaps acting for 

 his brother Miles Whitaker of Simon- 

 stone, who in 1598 agreed not to alienate 

 the moiety recently purchased from Mr. 

 Braddvll without the consent of Ro;:cr 

 Nowell of Read ; P.ccopc MSS. (Chet. 

 I. lb.}, iii, 500. 



*i L.;"L- . /ny. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Chcs.), i, 87 ; ii, 108. They did 

 not die seised of it. 



^* There were several families named 

 Whitaker in the township. One of 

 them, as will be seen below, was 

 connected with the owners of Huntroyde. 

 John de Whitaker in 1300 and Richard 

 de Whitaker in 1325-6 occur among 

 local witnesses; Ada. MS. 32104, no. 

 883, 846. Richard scld landto Nicholas 

 de Holden in 1327; DD, no. 1010. 

 Roger de Whitaker contributed to the 

 svib> dy in 1332 ; Exch. Lay Subs. (Rec Soc, 

 Lanes, and Ches.), 75 ; see note 3 5 below. 

 Richard son of Henry Whitaker went to 

 Ireland in the retin-e of Sir John 

 Stanley in 1399 ; Cal. Pat. 1399-1401, 

 p. 2^4. In 1426 Thomas Holden pur- 

 chased a messuage, &c., from Richard 

 Whicalc^r, Ma'j^rv his wife, John Bank 

 and Isabrl his wi c ; F:nal C'^^.c. (Rec 



92. Deeds 

 in Add. MS. 



Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), iii, 

 relating to the purchase are 

 32104, no. 969, 8;7, 869. 



Lawrence son of Miles Whitaker of 

 Whitacre in Padiham died in 15 1 5, 

 leaving an infant daughter Elizabeth ; 

 but hit lands in Simonstone, held of the 

 king in socage, were seltled on his 

 brother Henry ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. 

 p.m. iv, no. 77. Bernard son of Miles 

 Wh, taker of High Whitacie left two young 

 daughters Elizabeth and Isabel, who in 

 1521 were their grandfather's heirs ; the 

 land in Simonstone was held of the king 

 by the twentieth part of a knight's fee ; 

 ibid, viii, no. 25. A small piece of land, 

 which may have been the same estate, 

 was in 1569 sold by Lawrence Whitaker 

 and Henry his son ; Pal. of Line. Feet 

 of F. bdle. 31, m. 34. 



Humphrey Whitaker purchased a 

 messuage from George Nevill and 

 Barbara his wife in 1566, as did Thomas 

 Whitaker ; ibid. bdle. 28, m. 7, 22. 



Miles and Humphrey Whitaker were 

 freeholders in l6co ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 235, 237. In 1631 

 John and Thomas Whitaker paid ^^lo 

 each on refusing knighthood ; ibid, i, 218. 

 'o Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 61, 

 m. 169. 



Miles was the son and heir of Thomas 

 Whitaker, which Thomas died in 1589 

 holding a mcssiage and land in Simon- 

 stone of tKe queen as of her castle of 

 Clitheroe by a rent of 2j. 4^/, ; Duchy of 

 1-anc. Inq. p.m. xv, no. 15. Miles, who 

 was then about fifty years old, died in 

 1600, leaving a son and heir Thomas, 

 aged fourteen ; ibid, xviii, no. 4. 

 Thomas died in 1648 and his son Miles 

 in 1705 ; Padiham Reg. 



John Whitaker died in 1637 holding a 

 messuage of the king as of his castle of 

 Clitheroe by a rent of zod. ; Robert his 

 son and heir was thirty-three years old ; 

 Duchy of Lane Inq. p.m. xxx, no. 86. 



George Whitaker died in 1639 holding 

 of the king as of his manor of Clitheroe 

 by suit of court and rent, leaving a son 

 and heir Christopher, aged forty ; ibid. 

 XXX, no. 54. 



*' Roger Nowell claimed common of 

 pasture in Simonstone moor in 1565 ; 

 Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), ii, 313. 



^ Larjcs. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), iii, 422. The moiety of the 

 manor is named in a Nowell feoffment of 



-^q8 



1607 i Pal. of Lane. Pica R. 298, m. 

 2d. In 1619 Nicholas Starkie and othtrr 

 freeholders complained that Roger Nowell 

 was claiming service from them in virtue 

 of a grant of court Icet for his manor of 

 Read and Simonstone ; but it was shown 

 that he had no right in the latter place, 

 except for a small tenement (ioj. a year) 

 lately purchased from Edward Sagar ; 

 Duchy of Lane. Decrees and Orders, 

 xxviii, fol. 236. This tenement (bought in 

 1609) was in 1653 sold to John Starkie 

 of Huntroyde ; Huntroyde D. 



^■' The descent from the Thomas 

 Whitaker of 1600 is given in Whitaker's 

 Whaliey (ed. Nicholls), ii, 43. 



When Simonstone moor was par- 

 titioned there were four freeholders of 

 the name — Thomas, John, George and 

 Christopher, but the last was probably 

 the son of George. The descent seems 

 to be : Humphrey Whitaker (d. 1610)- 

 9. John (d. 1637) -8. Robert -sons John 

 and Robert. The third family was 

 probably descended from the George 

 Whitaker who died in 1639. This not-: 

 is due to Mr. H. Ince Anderton. 



2' Alan son of Warine de Simonstone 

 in the first half of the 13th century granted 

 his brother Richard the land he had had 

 from Robert son of Godrich, a rent of 4^. 

 being payable; DD, no. 1018. The 

 same Alan gave Roger son of Uctred de 

 Simonstone certain land to be held by 

 the rent of \id. yearly ; ibid, no, 1025. 

 To the latter gift the following among 

 others were witnesses — Adam, Robert, 

 Thomas and Ellis de Simonstone. Alan 

 son of Ellis de Simonstone gave half the 

 land he had held of Alan son of Warine 

 to John son of William the Smith ; Add. 

 MS. 32104, no. 885, 892. 



In 1246 Sibyl widow of Alan son of 

 Warine sued Stephen son of Ken wrick for 

 dower in 2 oxgangs of land in Simon- 

 stone, but as Stephen denied her marriage 

 the Bishop of Lichfield was ordered to 

 inquire ; Assise R. 404, m. 6 d. 



Simon son of Adam de Simonstone 

 confirmed to Hugh son of Alan certain 

 lands ; DD, no. 997. This Hugh may 

 have been the father of Roger, who as 

 Roger son of Hugh attested som/ local 

 charters and was in 1356-7 named, 

 together with Robert son of Nicholas de 

 Holden, as suitor for Simonstone to the 

 court of Clitheroe; Duchy o*" Lane. 

 Assize R. 5, m. 10 d. 



