BLACKBURN HUNDRED 



RIBCHESTER 



his wife occur in 1 33 1. 24 William died in or before 

 1 342, in which year his widow Isabel was suing Robert 

 Moton his brother for two-thirds of the manor of Ro- 

 chester. 25 In 1337 Robert Moton, perhaps the same 

 or else son of William, was stated to hold the manor 

 of Isabella Queen of England by the service of 5^. 

 yearly. 26 Robert was again in 1 346 called chief lord 

 of Ribchester. 27 Katherine, the heiress in 1 361, was 

 apparently his daughter, or perhaps a granddaughter. 28 



In or before 1373 she married William de Lynalx, 29 

 and was living, a widow, in 1407, being then de- 

 scribed as lady of Ribchester. 80 Their son John 

 Lynalx succeeded 31 ; but though the family retained 

 the lordship till 1581, when Robert Lynalx sold it to 

 Hugh Shireburne, second son of Sir Richard Shire- 

 burne of Stonyhurst, 32 practically nothing is known 

 of their history. 33 From Hugh the manor passed to 

 Sir Richard Shireburne, 34 and descended in the 



24 William as lord of Ribchester at- 

 tested a charter in 1319; Add. MS. 

 32107, no. 1497. 



The manor of Ribchester was given to 

 William Moton and Isabel his wife in 

 1331 by Robert Ragh, chaplain ; Robert 

 son of Adam Moton was a witness ; 

 Towneley MS. OO, no. 1195. In the 

 same year Adam de Clitheroe appeared 

 against William Moton concerning the 

 manor of Ribchester and against William 

 Bisset and Alice his wife concerning 1 6 

 acres of land in the township ; De Banco 

 R. 287, m. 380 d. ; 290, m. 77 d. The 

 latter suit was prosecuted in the following 

 year, when William Moton appeared and 

 stated that the 16 acres were part of his 

 inheritance, held by Alice in dower, while 

 the plaintiff alleged that they had be- 

 longed to his father Hugh de Clitheroe 

 until Robert Moton had disseised him ; 

 ibid. 292, m. 98 d. 



William Moton was styled 'lord of 

 Ribchester' in 1338 and 1341, according 

 to the Towneley transcripts ; Add. MS. 

 32106, no. 245, 301, 463, fol. 324. 

 William and Robert his brother attested 

 Ribchester charters in 1338 and 1342 ; 

 ibid. no. 230, 300. 



25 De Banco R. 332, m. 30. The de- 

 fendant is called Robert Moton of Rib- 

 chester. Isabel 'continued her suit in 

 1344 against Robert for two-thirds of the 

 manor (except a messuage and 10^ acres), 

 and against some others ; ibid. 340, 

 m. 557 d. Two years later Robert Moton 

 summoned Robert son of William Moton 

 to warrant him as to the two-thirds of 

 the manor ; ibid. 348, m. 427. In 

 1347 Isabel widow of William Moton 

 came to an agreement with Robert son 

 of Robert Moton ; Shireburne Abstract Bk. 



26 In an inquiry as to the proposed en- 

 dowment of Bailey Chapel ; Inq. p.m. 

 10 Edw. II (2nd nos.), no. 10. 



Robert son of Adam Moton is fre- 

 quently named. He is probably the 

 Robert Moton who, with his sons Adam 

 and William, was in 1334 alleged to hold 

 5 acres wrongfully, by Amery widow of 

 Roger at Kirkstyle ; De Banco R. 300, 

 m. 13. 



27 Add. MS. 32106, no. 249. By a 

 charter of the same year Robert son of 

 Henry son of Walter Moton, chief lord of 

 Ribchester, reduced the free rent due from 

 certain tenements from 2s. to 20</. ; ibid, 

 no. 242. A William Moton attested this 

 deed. The descent here stated is not 

 otherwise known, but it is clear there were 

 many Roberts as contemporaries. The 

 date may have been copied wrongly. 



In 1349 Robert son of Robert Moton 

 was lord of Ribchester ; Add. MS. 32106, 

 no. 450 (fol. 322). This deed was a 

 grant by Robert son of Adam Moton to 

 his sons William and Thomas 5 a witness 

 was Robert son and heir of Robert son of 

 Adam Moton. In the same year Robert 

 son of Robert Moton granted a messuage 

 and land called Falwelshalgh, Walter 

 Moton being a witness ; ibid. no. 293. 

 On the other hand in 1355 Robert son 



of William Moton granted his manor of 

 Ribchester to William de Whalley (no 

 doubt as trustee), with all homages, 

 services and rents ; Kuerden fol. MS. 

 250. 



Not long before (in 1353) Richard 

 Moton of Ribchester had settled his lands 

 on his daughter Agnes and her issue, with 

 remainder to William son of Robert 

 Moton, chaplain j ibid. no. 299. William 

 Moton was a subdeacon in 13505 ibid, 

 no. 253. In 1361 his brother Robert, 

 here styled Robert son of Robert de Rib- 

 chester, released all his claim in the estate 

 of the above-named Richard Moton ; ibid, 

 no. 262. William was still living in 1408 

 (ibid. no. 256), and seems to have been 

 one of the chief promoters of the chantry 

 at the north side of the church, even if he 

 were not the true founder, and he was 

 specially named as one of those to be 

 prayed for ; ibid. no. 364. 



28 Katherine widow of Robert Moton 

 in 1 361 released her claim for dower 

 against Katherine daughter of Robert 

 Moton ; Shireburne Abstract Bk. 



29 Final Cone, ii, 185 ; the manor was 

 settled on William de Lynalx and Kathe- 

 rine his wife, with remainders to the issue 

 of Katherine, and in default to Richard 

 son of Alexander de Lynalx and his issue. 

 William de Lynalx occurs at Ribchester in 

 1369; Towneley MS. DD, no. 512. In 



• 1386 he was to go to Ireland on the 

 king's service, but the protection was re- 

 voked as he did not go ; Cal. Pat. 1385-9, 

 pp. 156, 274. 



A release of lands which had belonged 

 to Robert Moton was made to William de 

 Lynalx and Katherine his wife in 1395—6; 

 Shireburne Abstract Bk. 



The Lynalx family occurs in Pember- 

 ton. The name is spelt in many ways ; 

 e.g. Linales, Lennox, &c. 



80 Kuerden fol. MS. 247. As widow 

 she had made a feoffment of her lands in 

 1402 ; Shireburne Abstract Bk. She gave 

 all her lands to John her son in 1405 ; 

 ibid. 



81 John son of William Lynalx made 

 Thomas Lynalx his attorney to receive 

 from his mother Katherine certain lands 

 in Ribchester ; Towneley MS. C 8, 13, 

 L 259. It appears that Thomas was also 

 a son of William Lynalx, receiving from 

 his father land in Mayridding, &c, in Rib- 

 chester ; Towneley MS. DD, no. 516. 

 Richard son of John Bradley of Dodhill 

 was in 1408 pardoned for the death of 

 Thomas Lynalx of Ribchester 3 Pal. of 

 Lane. Chan. Misc. 1/9, m. 33. 



The next in possession was Thurstan 

 Lynalx, named in 14 16 (Shireburne Ab- 

 stract Bk.) and in 141 8, when a certain 

 William Hill, an idiot, was found to have 

 held of him land called Sprodpoolhey by a 

 rent of 22d. ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc), 

 i, 130 ; Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxiii, App. 14. 

 In 142 1 Thurstan granted a messuage 

 in Ribchester to Christopher Hoghton 5 

 Towneley MS. DD, no. 1552. 



John Lynalx occurs from 1430 on- 

 wards, and Richard Lynalx from about 



47 



1470. Thus in 1432 Thomas Southworth 

 held land in Ribchester of John Lynalx ; 

 Lana. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc), ii, 4.6. Again 

 in 1449 John regranted Richard Towneley 

 a parcel of land in Ribchester ; Add. MS, 

 32104, no. 1117. He was styled lord of 

 Ribchester in 1456 j Shireburne Abstract 

 Bk. 



Richard Lynalx in 1469 gave a lease to 

 Ellis and Edward Cottarn, Cecily widow 

 of Thurstan Lynalx being apparently still 

 living ; ibid. Richard attested a deed in 

 1472 ; Add. MS. 32106, no. 485, fol. 328. 

 In 1491-2 he and Thomas his son and 

 heir-apparent were also witnesses j Add. 

 MS. 32107, no. 1006. Richard, who in 

 1512-13 married Elizabeth widow of John 

 Elston of Ribbleton (Shireburne Ab- 

 stracts), occurs in inquisitions, &c, down 

 to about 1522. In 1516 he made a feoff- 

 ment of his messuages and lands in 

 Ribchester and Dilworth ; Kuerden fol. 

 MS. 246. 



From various inquisitions (Robert Sin- 

 gleton and others) it appears that Thomas 

 Lynalx was lord in 1525, John Lynalx his 

 son (Shireburne Abstracts) in 15 30-40 and 

 Robert Lynalx in 1547 onwards. Isabel 

 widow of Thomas Lynalx had dower in 

 1536; Shireburne Abstract Bk. Robert 

 Lynalx in 1548 was one of the defendants 

 in a plea respecting chantry lands in Rib- 

 chester ; Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), i, 

 225. In 1575 Robert is called son and 

 heir of John Lynalx when claiming Hall 

 heys, &c, in the manor of Ribchester 

 against John Talbot and Robert his bastard 

 son ; ibid, ii, 328 ; Hi, 23, 29. 



32 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 43, 

 m. 155. The Lynalx family do not appear 

 to have retained the whole manor, for in 

 1588 Hugh Shireburne purchased the 

 manor, with messuages, free fishery, &c, 

 from John Talbot and his bastard son 

 Robert, whose wife Elizabeth also agreed j 

 ibid. bdle. 50, m. 87. Two years later 

 still Hugh purchased the manor, with 

 messuages in Ribchester and Dilworth, 

 fishery in the Ribble, and the advowson of 

 the church, from John Squire ; ibid, 

 bdle. 52, m. 31. It does not appear how 

 these manors originated ; the latter vendor 

 may have had some claim through the 

 Lynalx family by purchase or descent. 

 The Talbot ' manor ' is named in Ducatus 

 Lane. (Rec. Com.), i, 304 ; iii, 228. 



88 Neither pedigree nor inquisition is 

 known. They were styled 'gent.' not 

 ' esq.' Their arms are given in Whitaker, 

 Whalley (ed. Nicholls), ii, 459 n. 



84 Hugh Shireburne of Esholt in York- 

 shire left no sons, and in his purchase of 

 Ribchester may have been acting for his 

 father ; Sherbom, Family of Sherbom, 

 102-3. 



Sir Richard Shireburne died in 1594 

 holding the manor, with messuages, water- 

 mill, &c, in conjunction with Hugh Shire- 

 burne ; the tenure was unknown ; Duchy 

 of Lane. Inq. p.m. xvi, no. 3. The Shire- 

 burnes seem to have had a tenement in 

 Ribchester much earlier than this ; see 

 ibid, viii, no. 27. 



