A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



expenses incurred in obtaining a decree about the 

 «a.tcs of M.irsden, according to agreement." Bradley 

 u.ii the suh'cct of a dispute in 1598." 



Little Marsden contained part of the RadclifFe 

 of Winmarkigh estate called ' Chamber in Pcndle,' 

 now marked by Chamber Hill."" Families named 

 Legh had Linedred and Claverhole, and were in the 

 former succeeded by the To.vneleys." Coldueather 

 House was in 1586 in dispute between Thomas and 

 Henry Willisill.*' Lawrence Townley of Barnside 

 died in 1623 holding messuages in Little Marsden 

 of the king in socage by a rent of one rose yearly." 

 Lower Lomeshaye and Reedyford at one time 

 belonged to the Banisters of Park Hill in Barro^v- 

 ford.'* The former is the property of Mr. W. Farrer 

 Ecroyd, in whose family it has continued for nearly 

 200 years. Reedyford House is owned by Mr. H. 

 Tunstill, and Edgend, long the estate of the 

 Hargreaves family, by Mr. Edward Ecroyd. 



The lord of Clitheroe had a mill at Walverden in 

 131 1." Some time before 14.82 Richard Towneley 

 made a corn-mill called Walverdtn Mill within the 

 lordship of Colne, and had the tenants to grind there 

 to the loss of the king's mills at Colne and Burnley. 

 Hence Lord Strange was commanded to see that 

 none but the king's milh should be used by the 

 tenants." In 1495 John Towncley was forbidden 

 to use the mill for grinding corn or malt, but the 

 king granted him a lease of the Colne Mills for 

 fourteen year.'' 



The following contributed to subsidies for their 

 lands: — In 152+ Nicholas Legh, John Kippax, 

 John Hargreav c<, John Wilson, Henry Walton and 

 Lawrence Legh." In 1543 John Higgin, Rich.ird 

 Kippax, Lawrence Legh, Henry Walton and Law- 

 rence Tu'.', nc'ey.'' In 1564 John Taylor and 

 William Hartley.™ In 1597 Alexander Banister 

 and George Hartley." In 1626 William Hartley 

 and Ambrose Walton.'' 



Marsden in 1666 had 240 hearths liable to the 

 tax. There was no very large house, but Giles 

 Hammond's had eight hearths, George Hartley's of 

 Bradley six, and the following five each : Richard 

 Hargreaves, John Halsted, Lawrence Hargrea\es, 

 Miles Whitaker, Henry Walton and William 

 Hargreaves.' 



As already stated the town of 

 BOROUGH NELSON has sprung up .it the 

 junction of the old roads between 

 Burnley and Colne, a crossing being formed by the 

 road north through Barrow- 

 ford. At this point an inn 

 called the ' Lord Nelson ' 

 existed as early as 1 81 8," and 

 it gave a name to the town 

 which grew up owing to the 

 rapid development of the 

 textile trade." In 1864 a 

 local board was formed for 

 ' the district of Nelson,' " and 

 directly afterwards the existing 

 gas-works were purchased " 

 and waterworks were estab- 

 lished." In 1890 a charter 

 of incorporation was granted ; 

 under it the town is governed 

 by a mayor, six aldermen and 

 eighteen councillors, chosen 

 by the six wards into \vhich the area is divided, viz. 

 Central, Whitefield, Bradley, Netherfield, Walverden, 

 and Southfield. A coat of arms has been granted. 

 The corporation possesses a town hall, begun in 1882 

 and greatly enlarged ; a park, 1888-97 ; market 

 h.,ll, 1889; free library, opened 1890, building 

 1895 and 1908; technical school, 1895; electric 

 light and power works, 1902"; sewage works, 1893 ; 

 cemetery, 1895. There is a smallpox hospital at 

 Catlow, built in 1902. A separate commission of 



Borough or Nelson. 

 Azure on a c/lel'eron 

 argent betiveen tv/o 

 sprigs of the cotton-tree 

 in chief and a fieece in 

 base or fwo reed-hooks 

 chcveronzuiie proper. 



^^ Ducatut Lane, iii, ^-2. 



^^ Ibid. 380. The p.irties were Edward 

 Marsden, who had marned Ellen daughter 

 of Lawrence Wilson, and John Halsted, 

 who had married L.iwrence's widow 

 Elizabeth, The Wilsons were of old 

 standing in Bradley, Lawrence Towne- 

 ley in 1+83 complnining of some of them 

 breaking his close there ; PaL of Lane. 

 Writs Pmton. file 23 Edw. IV. 



''*' Farrer, Chcherre Ct. R. i, 330. Ac- 

 cording to depositions of 1592 the road 

 across New Laund led * through certain 

 lands and tenements of Sir Gilbert Gerard, 

 kt., M.ister of the Rolls, lying in Marsden 

 (^ Scholcheld) to a place called the Cham- 

 ber m Pendle or Hansoncliffc ' j Duchy 

 of Lane. Plead. Eliz, clvii, G 2. 



Chamber Hill is now the property of 

 Mr. Harn" Tunstill of Reedyford. 



*^ John Legh of Linedred is mentioned 

 about 14S0 ; Towneley MS. DD, no. 1568. 

 In 1515 Sir John Towneley agreed with 

 Nicholas Legh of Linedred (Lynerod) and 

 Alice his wife that his lands in Marsden 

 should pass to Sir John after h^s death ; 

 Towneley MS. C 8, 13, T154; Add. MS, 

 3210+, no. 83+. In 153+ Sir John 

 granted these lands to Charles his second 

 son, and about the same time Gilbert 

 Lcjh of E.land (Healand), bastard son of 

 Nichol.i?,sold his interest in Linedred and 

 Marsall to the same Charles Towneley ; 

 C 8, I :, T i;3, 146, John Towneley 

 succeeded his father Charles in 1539 or 



15+0; Ct. R. of 31 Hen. Vlll. Sec 

 turlhcr in the account of Towneley. 



In I ^ 1 7 Lawrence Legh or Lee son 

 and heir of Isabel late wife of Thomas 

 Legh of Great Marsden had Claverhole 

 in Little Marsden. His wife's name was 

 Clemence and he had a son and heir 

 Robert; ibid. B 289. In 1600 Francis 

 son of Nicholas Legh claimed Southfield 

 and Claverhole, as heir to Robert Legh, 

 against Thomas bastard son of Robert 

 Legh ; Ducatut Lane, iii, 4.41. 



"'' Ibid, iii, 1 79, 1 94. Whitefield occurs 

 in 1591 ; ibid, iii, 251, 497. 



^ Lanes, In J. p.m. (Rcc.Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), 1 i, 410. His son Richard held 

 the same in 1630 ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. 

 p.m. XXV, no. 19. 



" Robert Banastre of Park Hill had 

 land in Little .Marsden in 1496 ; I-inai 

 Cone, iii, 145. That this was Lomeshaye 

 appears from a deed of 1492, in v.hich this 

 is mentioned by name as a tenement in 

 Little .Marsden ; Towneley MS. C 8, 13, 

 B235. 



For Reedyford see Farrer, Clitheroe Ct. R. 



'. 495. 367. +547 457-8- 



^^ Lar.cs. Inj. and Ex!,,nl!, ii, 6. The 

 mill was on Walverden Brook, near the 

 point where Cloughhead Beck (or Town- 

 house Beck) runs into it. It is possible 

 that the Colne fulling-mill was also on 

 Walverden, where an ancient walk mill 

 is marked on the map. 



" Duchy of Lane. Misc. Bks.xii, 107 d. 



«' Ibid, xxi, A 56. 



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



•' Ibid. no. 125. 



"• Ibid. bdle. 131, no. 212. 



^' Ibid. no. 274. ''' Ibid. no. 317. 



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



^* It is marked on Greenwood's map of 

 the county dated 1818. In the following 

 year it was the scene of a demonstration 

 by the hand-loom weavers of Colne ; Carr, 

 Annals of Colne, 90. In 1826 the tenant 

 was John HItchin ; Baines, Lanes. Dtr. 

 ii, 641. The house, enlarged, is still there. 



^* The Lomeshaye mills represent a 

 business begun at Edgend about 1 740, 

 removed to Lomeshaye about 1770 and 

 carried on ever since by the Ecroyd family. 



'' Lond. Gaz. 11 Nov. 1864; the district 

 included parts of Great and Little Marsden, 

 Barrowford and Wheatley Carr. 



^' The works were begun by a private 

 company and taken over by the local 

 board in 1866 by Act 29 & 30 Vict, 

 cap. 76. Gas is supplied by these works 

 to Barrowford and Brierfield. The works 

 which had been established at the last- 

 named place were purchased by the Nelson 

 board in 1890 under Act 51 & 52 Vict, 

 cap. 146, 



'^ Act 29 & 30 Vict. cap. 76 and several 

 more recent Acts. 



"Act 46 & 47 Vict. cap. 216. The 

 Corporation own the electric tramways to 

 the borders of Colne and Barrowford, 

 opened in 1903. 



540 



