BLACKBURN HUNDRED 



RIBCHESTER 



Hothersalls had a share of Alston also, and this seems 

 to have been acquired by the Hoghtons. 13 Later 

 some of the neighbouring landowners had estates in 

 this part of the township, 1 ** but few other records of 

 Alston occur. 14 Thomas Cutler died in 1 604 holding 

 a messuage, &c, of the Earl of Derby and Sir Richard 

 Hoghton by a rent of 6s. 1 * During the Common- 

 wealth period two-thirds of the estate of Benjamin 

 Eccles at Colland Banks was sequestered for his 

 recusancy, 16 and Thomas Grimshaw suffered for the 

 same cause. 17 Thomas Gregson and several others 

 registered estates as * Papists ' in 171 7. 18 



The family of Norcross of Ribchester and Alston 



was formerly of some note. 19 A branch of the Dew- 

 hursts registered a pedigree in 1665, being described 

 as < of Alston.' 20 



HOTHERSALL in 1 2 1 2 was held by Swain son of 

 Robert, to whom it had been granted by King John 

 first when Count of Mortain and afterwards on coming 

 to the throne in 1 199. 21 It was assessed as 2 oxgangs 

 of land, and a thegnage rent of 5*. was rendered. 22 

 Swain, living in 1226, was followed by a son 

 Thomas de Hothersall, who died in 1256 or 1257 

 holding the 2 oxgangs of land in Hothersall and an 

 oxgang and a half in Alston ; Robert his son and 

 heir was of full age. 23 The descent cannot be clearly 



Robert de Alston, a widow, released to 

 her brother Robert * land with which she 

 had been freely married ' to William son 

 of Walter de Penwortham ; Dods. MSS. 

 lxx, fol. 155. 



Roger son of Richard de Alston ex- 

 changed his part of Croneberihall in Eccles- 

 ton for land in Alston with Adam de 

 Hoghton ; to this Roger Gemet, Benedict 

 his son, Vivian Gernet and Thomas 

 de Beetham were witnesses ; Add. MS. 

 32106, no. 208. About 1247 Roger de 

 Alston granted land to Walter son of 

 Richard son of Uctred at a rent of izd.\ 

 ibid. no. 348. The date is fixed by one 

 of the witnesses, Matthew de Redmayn, 

 being described as « then sheriff.' By 

 another charter John de Alston gave his 

 three daughters (Joan, Maud and Kathe- 

 rine) all his land in Alston, a rent of izd. 

 being due to Walter de Alston ; ibid. 

 no. 202. 



Roger de Alston and Richard his son 

 occur as witnesses ; ibid. no. 197. Richard 

 de Alston was lord in 1257 ; Lanes. Inq. 

 p.m. i, 204. 



In 1292 Grimbald de Alston was the 

 principal owner. William son of William 

 de Alston claimed the sixteenth part of 

 certain land and wood in Alston against 

 Grimbald, who had entry through Roger 

 de Alston, the grantee of Richard de 

 Alston ; Assize R. 408, m. 68. William 

 son of Robert atte Yate also claimed the 

 sixteenth part of the same land ; ibid. 

 m. 70 d. The jury rejected these claims, 

 as also a further one by William son of 

 William ; ibid. m. 8 d. 



Anabel widow of William de Porta 

 (atte Yate) released to Richard de Alston 

 her dower right in land which Richard and 

 Amery his wife had recovered by suit at 

 Lancaster ; William son of William the 

 Clerk of Alston was a witness ; Add. MS. 

 32106, no. 201 ; Assize R. 408, m. 31 d. 

 Adam de Alston obtained land from Adam 

 son of Gerard de Hothersall in Hehefield, 

 Whitecross, Brerecroft and Whitecarr ; 

 Add. MS. 32106, no. 224. Robert son of 

 Swain de Hothersall gave Amery his 

 daughter and her issue all his land in 

 Alstonfield and 2 acres in Alstonholme ; 

 ibid. no. 198. Then the above-named 

 William son of Robert de Porta gave 

 Richard son of Adam de Alston and 

 Amery his wife all his land in ' Lymwel- 

 ridding ' in the vill of Alston ; Grimbald 

 de Alston was a witness ; ibid. no. 204. 

 Then Amery widow of Richard granted to 

 Richard her son all her land in * Lamewel- 

 ridding' in 1321 ; ibid.no. 207. Richard 

 son of Hitchcock de Alston in 1325 sold 

 his land in Alstonholme to Sir Richard de 

 Hoghton ; ibid. no. 199. 



Alice widow of Grimbald de Alston 

 claimed dower in the manor of Alston in 

 1308 against Henry de Rimington and 



Amery his wife; De Banco R. 170, 

 m. 200 d. 



Swain de Hothersall gave Robert his 

 son the half oxgang of land in Alston which 

 Waltheof had held ; a rent of \d. was to 

 be paid j Add. MS. 32106, no. 197. 

 Robert son of Swain afterwards granted 

 Sir Adam de Hoghton all his land in the 

 Hokefield and in the Brerecroft, receiving 

 20j. in return ; ibid. no. 215. 



Adam son of Gerard de Hothersall gave 

 Robert son of Stephen de Hothersall and 

 Roger son of Roger of the same 3 acres in 

 Whitecarr, they releasing to him all their 

 right in \ \ oxgangs of land in Alston; 

 ibid. no. 205. William son of Adam dc 

 Hothersall granted half an oxgang of land 

 in Alston (formerly held by Richard son 

 of Adam de Hoghton) to Adam son of 

 Adam and Amery de Hoghton ; ibid, 

 no. 211. William le Boteler, ' then 

 sheriff,' was a witness, so that the date was 

 about 1260. 



In 1373 William son of Henry de 

 Dutton purchased a messuage and land in 

 Alston from Richard son of John de 

 Hothersall and Emma his wife ; Final 

 Cone, ii, 187 ; Add. MS. 32107, no. 203. 



13 The Shireburnes of Stonyhurst had 

 land in Alston, but the tenure is not 

 recorded. 



Edward Radcliffe of Dilworth in 1617 

 held land in Alston of Sir Richard Hogh- 

 ton ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), ii, 52. 



14 In 1382 William Albyn of Alston 

 and Joan his wife held a third part of two 

 messuages and certain land in Alston ; 

 Final Cone, iii, 14. 



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

 Ches.), i, 107. Thomas Cutler, son and 

 heir of Thomas, was twenty-six years of 

 age. 



16 Royalist Comp. Papers (Rec. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), ii, 270-4. Benjamin Eccles 

 grandson of Thomas had in 1587 a lease 

 from the Earl of Derby. Samuel King 

 claimed the land in 1654, after the death 

 of Eccles, alleging that his father had 

 purchased from the earl. The seques- 

 tered two-thirds had been let in 1652 to 

 Thomas Gregson. 



17 Ibid, iii, 133-5. Thomas Grim- 

 shaw's right was derived from his wife 

 Jane, who as widow of one Thomas 

 Duddell had a capital messuage in Alston 

 and lands in Thornley. Jane having died 

 the property was in 1651 claimed by Roger 

 Sudell,in right of his wife Grace, daughter 

 of William Duddell, heir of Thomas. 



William Sanderson, another recusant, 

 desired in 1654 to be allowed to contract 

 for his estate j Cal. Com. for Comp. v, 



3 J 94" 



18 Estcourt and Payne, Engl. Cath. Non- 

 jurors, 102, 137, 140, 150. The other 



names were : Anne Hothersall, widow, 



Robert Tomlinson, John Duckworth 

 (Duckett) and Anne his wife and William 

 Walmesley. 



19 T. C. Smith, Ribchester, 249. James 

 Norcross 'of Dilworth' in 1631 paid £10 

 on refusing knighthood ; Misc. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanca. and Ches.), i, 218. 



20 Dugdale, Visit. (Chet. Soc), 97. 



21 Chart. R. (Rec. Com.), 27. 



33 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 50. Swain's 

 name occurs again in 1226 ; ibid, i, 139; 

 and the payment of the 5.1. rent is re- 

 corded among the Earl of Lancaster's 

 receipts in 1297 ; ibid, i, 289. A charter 

 of Swain son of Robert is cited below 

 (note 41). 



Swain had several sons. His grant to 

 Robert, one of them, has been cited 

 above ; also a grant by Robert in Alston. 

 William Moton granted land In Rib- 

 chester to Richard son of Swain de 

 Hothersall j Add. MS. 32106, no. 284. 

 Alan son of Roger son of Swain de 

 Hothersall granted all his land to Adam 

 de Hoghton j ibid. no. 24, fol. 244. 



There were other families taking a 

 surname from the place, but their con- 

 nexion with Swain cannot be traced. For 

 instance, Adam son of Gerard, Robert 

 son of Stephen, Roger and Hugh occur 

 between 1250 and 1260 ; Lanes. Inq. and 

 Extents, i, 183, &c. Robert son of 

 Stephen de Hothersall confirmed part of 

 his land to Henry son of Geoffrey de 

 Ribchester; Add. MS. 32106, no. 23, 

 fol. 244. Adam son of Gerard de Hother- 

 sall gave his cousin Robert son of Stephen 

 parcels of land in Scalecroft and other 

 places in the field of Hothersall ; ibid, 

 no. 1. The same Adam granted his 

 sister Godith's son William 5 acres in 

 the vill of Hothersall ; ibid. no. 14. 



Hugh son of William de Hothersall 

 gave his daughter Agnes various lands, 

 Roughley, Frendesforth, Oldfieldhalgh, 

 Brerefurlong, Crocland and Great Hold 

 being named. Hugh had a brother and 

 a son each named Roger ; ibid. no. 4. 

 Roger son of Roger exchanged with 

 William son of Hugh certain lands, the 

 place-names including Oldfield, Rese- 

 ditch, Bradleybone ; ibid. no. 55. To 

 this deed Robert son of Stephen, Alan 

 his son, Thomas, Adam and Robert his 

 son, all 'de Hothersall,' were witnesses. 

 Other charters of Roger de Hothersall son 

 of Roger are in the same collection, 

 no. 20, 41, 51, 52. 'Thomas son of 

 Swain ' is named in several of them. 



23 Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 204. 

 Thomas is no doubt the Thomas son 

 of Swain of the preceding note. Again, 

 Thomas de Hothersall and Richard hill 

 brother attested a Dilworth grant (Add. 

 MS. 32 106, no. 3 1 3), and Richard's 

 parentage has been shown. Robert the 

 son and heir of Thomas paid 55. as relief 



63 



