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WHALLEV 



having bequeathed Kis estates In DownhamandWorston 

 to his cousin Sir Ralph Assheton of Whalley,""^ who 

 died in 1680. By his will Downham went to the 

 representative of RadcHffe Assheton of Cuerdale, son 

 of Ralph Assheton of Great Lever and nephew of the 

 Richard who obtained Downham in 1587/' 



RadciifFe Assheton died in 1645 *^ ; his eldest son 

 John, differing in politics from his relatives, was .1 

 captain of foot in the king's service, and died at Bristol 

 in 1643." It was his son Richard who succeeded to 

 Downham, and from him the manor has descended 

 regularly to the present lord, Mr. Ralph Cockayne 

 Assheton.^ 



DOWNHAM HALL is a modern rebuilding of 

 an older house, standing on high ground to the Avcst 

 of the church at the north end of the village. The 

 front faces north and consists of a central portion 

 with pediment and Doric portico of four columns, 

 flanked with projecting east and west wings. The 

 house is of two stories and built of stone, but except 

 for the central feature is architecturally uninteresting, 

 the windows being plain square-headed sash openings 

 and the roofe of flat pitch above a cornice. Portions 

 of door arches and window jambs of the older house 

 are to be traced on the south side, which was originally 

 the front,^* but the centre part of the present building 

 and one wing were erected in 1835, the second wing 

 following at a subsequent date. On either side of 



the window over the portico are inserted ancient 

 carved shields with the arms of Henry Lacy Earl of 

 Lincoln and John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster, and 

 in the grounds are fragments of mediaeval masonry, 

 probably from Sawley Abbey, and a stone with the 

 initials and date R.A. 1589." 



A house known as the Old Hall stands in the 

 lower part of the village facing the road, and is a 

 picturesque two-story building with low mullioned 

 windows and projecting two-story gabled porch, over 

 the doorway of which was formerly a panel, now 

 removed. The roofs are covered with stone slates, 

 and the building is now divided into three cottages. 



Of the minor estates or manors there is little to 

 record.^^ The most ancient estate known is that of 

 Ralph le Rous, to whom about 1 140 Ilbert de Lacy 

 confirmed a grant of land already made by one 

 Aufray ; it was to be held by the eleventh part of a 

 knight's fee.** This may have been represented by 

 the later Heriz holding." Thomas de Ravensholme 

 died in 1370 holding a messuage called Ravensholme 

 of Henry de Dinelay by knight's service and izci. 

 rent ; also half an oxgang of land, viz. 4 acres, of the 

 Duke of Lancaster by knight's service, and zod. rent. 

 His heir was John de Downham, son of Richard the 

 Cook, aged fifty.^^ The estate, of which a fourth 

 part was acquired by the Worsleys," was afterwards 

 much divided." The estate of Henry de Down- 



■•^ The descent is taken from the pedi- 

 grees In Whitaker, op. cit. ii, 121, and 

 Foster, Lanes. Fed. 



■*' For disputes concerning Downham 

 between Richard Assheton and Sir Ed- 

 mund (brother of Sir Ralph), 1691-4, see 

 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiii, App. v, 336-7. 



^3 Abram, Blackburrij 464. 



■»9 Dugdale, Visit, (Chet. Soc), 10. 

 Richard the son of John was aged twenty- 

 two in 1665, when the pedigree was 

 recorded. 



^ The following outline of the descent 

 is from Foster's Pedigrees and Abram's 

 Blackburn : Richard Assheton of Cuerdale 

 and Downham, d. 1710 -s. Ralph, d. 

 1705 (?) -s. Ralph, d. 1729 -s. Ralph, 

 d. 1759 — s. William, high sheriff in 1792, 

 d. 1833 -s. William, d. 1858 -s. Ralph, 

 M.P. for Clitheroc (Conserv.) 1868-80, 

 d. 1 907 — s. Ralph Cockayne, born 

 i860. 



There was a recovery of the manors of 

 Downham and Cuerdale and free fishery 

 in the Ribble and Darwen in 1749, Ralph 

 Assheton being in possession ; Pal. of 

 Lane. Plea R, 568, m. 3. Again in 

 1 780, William Assheton tenant (ibid. 

 632, m. 8) ; and in 1816, William Asshe- 

 ton the younger ; Aug. Assizes, 56 Geo. Ill, 

 roll 8. 



^1 Note by W. A. Waddington to 

 Whitaker, Whalley (ed. 4, 1876), ii, 

 1 18-19, from which this description of 

 the hall Is taken. 



52 Ibid. 



5* Some particulars have been given In 

 former notes. In 1322 Robert de Black- 

 burn held one plough-land by the twentieth 

 part of a knight's fee ; Henry le Heriz 

 (in right of his wife) and Margery widow 

 of William de Cathirton held an oxgang 

 of land by the eighth part of a knight's 

 fee ; and Richard the Cook held the 

 fourth part of an oxgang where 20 ox- 

 gangs of land made a knight's fee ; Lanes, 

 Inq. and Extents, ii, 134-5. 



54 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R, 387-8. 



*5 Adam de Heriz in 1301 gave to 



William de Hedersford and Amery his 

 wife all his land in Ravensholme in 

 Downham and in Twiston ; Add. MS. 

 32104, m. 879. In the following year 

 Edmund Talbot acquired the same ; Final 

 Cone, i, 199. 



°^ Inq, p.m. 44 Edw. Ill (2nd nos.), 

 no. 2. Cecily widow of Richard the 

 Cook released i^ acres in Westrode In 

 Downham to John de Dinelay in 1344 ; 

 Towneley MS. DD, no. 2103. 



In 1389-90 John son of Richard the 

 Cook gave land in Ravensholme to Robert 

 de Feilden of Pendleton, who transferred 

 to Thomas de RadcUfte of WInmarleigh ; 

 Towneley MS. GG, fol. 421. The Rad- 

 ciifFe of Winmarleigh estate descended to 

 Sir Gilbert Gerard, who died in 1594. 

 The lands in Downham were stated to 

 be held of Dinelay or Assheton in socage; 

 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. •.', no. 3, &c. 



5' Robert Worsley died in 1438 hold- 

 ing the fourth part of a messuage called 

 Ravensholme in Downham of John Dine- 

 lay in socage by a rent of 3c/. His heir 

 was a nephew Richard (son of John) 

 Worsley, aged twenty-two j Towneley 

 MS. UD, no. 1475. 



Richard Worsley married Isabel daugh- 

 ter of Henry Towneley, and died in 1463, 

 leaving a son Robert, four years old j 

 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc), Ii, 75-7. 



In 1465 Richard's widow complained 

 that Edmund Greenhalgh and Edmund 

 Pilkington of Tottington had abducted 

 the heir at Great Mearley j his marriage 

 belonged to her ; Pal. of Lane. Writs 

 Proton. 5 Edw. IV. She had In the pre- 

 vious year agreed that he should marry 

 Elizabeth daughter of Edmund Green- 

 halgh ; Towneley MS. OO, no. 1643. 



Robert Worsley died in or before i486, 

 when his widow Elizabeth claimed dower 

 in Downham, Twiston and Mearley 

 against Richard Aughton, Margaret his 

 wife, Lawrence Shuttleworth, Elizabeth 

 his wife, Richard Hoghton, Joan his wife, 

 Thomas Starkle, Alice his wife and Agnes 

 Worsley; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 62, 



sss 



m. 10 d. The women mentioned were 

 Robert's sisters and co-heirs. 



In 1470 Nicholas Shuttleworth agreed 

 with Isabel widow of Richard Worsley 

 concerning the marriage of his son and 

 heir Lawrence with Isabel's daughter 

 Elizabeth ; Folds D. 



^^ A partition was made in 1494 : 

 Lanes. Inq. p.m. loc. cit. In the same 

 year Richard Radcliffe of Todmorden and 

 Charles his son released to Margaret 

 widow of Richard Aughton, Lawrence 

 Shuttleworth and Elizabeth his wife, John 

 Banastre and Joan his wife, John Dean 

 and Agnes his wife, Thomas Starkle and 

 Alice his wife all claim on lands in Down- 

 ham, Twiston and Rimington ; Add. MS. 

 32104, fol. 233/1. Joan's marriage with 

 John Banastre was afterwards declared 

 void by the Archbishop of York, the hus- 

 band's previous marriage with Elizabeth 

 Popeley never having been dissolved ; 

 Dueatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), il, 70. 



John Dean died in 1538 holding mes- 

 suages and lands In Billington, Wilpshire, 

 Mellor, Downham and Twiston. Those 

 in Downham were stated to be held of 

 the king as of his duchy. He had a 

 second wife named Joan, and left a son 

 and heir William, aged fifty-three in 1 543 ; 

 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. vii, no. 12, 

 Already in 1536 William (described as 

 son and heir of John Dean by Agnes 

 sister and co-heir of Robert Worsley) 

 had agreed to sell his estate in Downham 

 and Twiston to Sir Thomas Langton ; 

 Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 163, m. 1. Sir 

 Thomas afterwards sold to Richard Asshe- 

 ton ; GG, fol. 421. The Deans acquired 

 other land there [Final Cone, iv, 142), for 

 John Dean alias Jenkin in 1557 granted 

 land in Downham to Richard son of John 

 Serjeantson ; GG, fol. 422/". John Dean 

 died in 1616 holding a messuage, &c., 

 in Downham of the king as duke by the 

 hundredth part of a knight's fee. He 

 left a son and heir John, aged about sixty; 

 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Chcs.), II, 170. 



