AMOUNDERNESS HUNDRED 



PRESTON 



grounds. 93 The cemetery in Ribbleton was opened 

 in 1855. 94 The corporation has also done much to 

 improve the navigation of the Ribble and make the 

 town a useful port. 95 



Preston possesses valuable regalia and plate, 

 including the great mace presented by the Duke of 

 Hamilton in 1703, a civic sword and the hanap, or 

 cup and cover, dated 1 6 1 5- 9G 



The corporation built a workhouse in Avenham about 

 1675 for the unemployed poor, and this was super- 

 seded in 1788 by a new house on the moor. Under 

 the Poor Law of 1834 Preston became the head of a 

 union. A new workhouse at Fulwood was opened in 



1868. 97 The infirmary is in Deepdale Road. 98 In 

 addition the town has various societies and clubs. 

 There are two daily and four weekly newspapers. 99 



In addition to the church and the chantries, the 

 leper hospital 10 ° and the Friary, 101 the Knights 

 Hospitallers, 103 Lytham 103 and Burscough Priories, 104 

 Whalley, 105 Sawley, 106 and Cockersand Abbeys 107 had 

 lands in the town. In resisting a claim to certain 

 burgages and land Robert Abbot of Cockersand 

 averred that the tenements were of the manor of 

 Preston, which was of the ancient demesne of the 

 Crown of England ; the claimant denied this, 

 saying that the manor was of the honour of 



slaughter-houses were erected in 181 8 

 near Syke Hill. The fish stones were on 

 the northern side of the market-place ; 

 they were removed in 1853. 



Whittle further states that then the 

 market days were Wednesday, Friday 

 and Saturday. A bell was rung at 

 9 a.m. when the sale of provisions and 

 fish began ; it was rung again at 10 a.m. 

 when * forestallers, hucksters and badgers ' 

 might purchase to sell again ; and at 

 11 a.m. when the corn trade began. 

 ' The various markets shall now have 

 their place as to where they are held 

 according to ancient usage. The cattle 

 market in Church Street. The goose 

 and pork market immediately under the 

 church wall. The country butchers and 

 others hold their market on the south 

 side of Church Street/ The market- 

 place was apportioned to various kinds of 

 produce. On the south side butter and 

 poultry ; at the east corn and peas ; in 

 the centre earthenware, glass and toys ; 

 to the north, clothiers ; west of the 

 obelisk, confectionery, hats, boots, cutlery, 

 small wares. The cheese market and 

 fruit stalls on the west side of the 

 square, with vegetables on both sides of 

 Cheapside, which leads down to Fisher- 

 gate. 



Still earlier arrangements as described 

 by Dr. Kuerden about 1680 are printed 

 in Hardwick's Preston, 209. The cattle 

 market was in Church Street, swine 

 were sold opposite the church, and sheep 

 on the west side of the market-place ; 

 the horse market was in Fishergate. 



98 While the town was still quite 

 small the corporation in 1696-7 obtained 

 from Alderman Lemon a piece of ground 

 on Avenham, used as a walk, and thus 

 secured it for public use. It was planted 

 with trees, and forms a conspicuous 

 object in Buck's 'Prospect' of 1728; 

 Hewitson, op. cit, 320, 236. Thoresby, 

 the antiquary, who visited the town at 

 the 1702 guild, described it as 'a very 

 curious walk and delicate prospect' ; 

 Thoresby, Diaries, i, 389-91. 



Avenham Park, to the south-west of 

 it, occupies 27 acres by the Ribble side. 

 Between 1843 and 1852 the corporation 

 purchased the land, and formed it into 

 an attractive pleasure ground in 1861-7 ; 

 work being thus provided for the factory 

 workers made idle by the American 

 Civil War ; ibid. 319-22. Miller Park, 

 1 1 acres, lies further to the west ; the 

 land was given by Alderman Thomas 

 Miller, and, after being laid out, was 

 opened in 1867 ; ibid. 323. Fine views 

 of the Ribble Valley can be obtained 

 from these parks. 



The moor to the north of the town 

 was inclosed by the corporation in 1834. 

 From 1786 to 1833 horse-races had been 



run there, in opposition to those favoured 

 by the Earl of Derby on the adjacent 

 Fulwood Moor. Racing had taken place 

 much earlier, an * intended horse course* 

 being marked in 1695. A park of no 

 acres has gradually been formed of the 

 land inclosed. The Marsh, another part 

 of the old common land, is used as a 

 recreation ground ; it measures 22 acres. 

 Haslam Park was presented to the 

 town in 1908 by Miss Haslam. 



94 Hewitson, op. cit. 249. 



95 See the introduction. 



96 A full description is given in Trans, 

 Hist. Soc. (new sen), xiii, 1-47. 



97 For the history see Hewitson, Preston, 

 394-410. 



98 A dispensary was established in 

 Fishergate in 1809 and a house of re- 

 covery in Great Shaw Street in 1813. 

 The latter was removed to ' the Moor ' in 

 1833. The two institutions are com- 

 bined in the present infirmary, on the 

 last-named site, opened in 1870 ; Hewit- 

 son, op. cit. 284. 



99 The earliest newspaper, of no long 

 continuance, was the Journal, 1744. Of 

 the existing newspapers the Guardian was 

 established in 1844 and the Herald in 



i8 55 . 



The daily papers are the Lancashire 

 Post and Northern Telegraph ; the weekly 

 ones the Preston Guardian, Preston Herald 

 (Wednesday and Saturday), Preston Argus, 

 and Catholic News. 



For a full account of the newspapers 

 up to 1882 see Hewitson, op. cit. 



341-4- 



100 The site does not seem to be known 

 exactly. A charter of 1311-12 describes 

 a piece of land as situated under this 

 hospital and extending to Swaghwell 

 Syke ; Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. iv, 580. This 

 name is probably, the same as the Sewalle 

 Syke of the Cockersand Chartul. i, 217. 

 Possibly the well was one known later as 

 Atherton's Well, near the canal bridge on 

 Fylde Road; Hewitson, Preston, 385. 

 Spital Moss was close by. 



Charters of the hospital are in the 

 Duchy Great Coucher, i, fol. 80, &c. 



The history of the hospital is narrated 

 in the account of the religious houses of 

 the county. After its confiscation by 

 Edward VI it was in 1549 granted to 

 John Doddington and William Ward ; 

 Pat. 3 Edw. VI, pt. vi. They sold it to 

 Thomas Fleetwood in 1550, and in 1560 

 Thomas sold the estate to John Fleet- 

 wood of Penwortham ; D.in Preston Chron. 

 12 Oct. 1 861. Thomas Fleetwood is 

 here called 'of Hesketh' ; he was the 

 brother of John, who died in possession 

 in 1590; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xv, 

 no. 34. 



101 See the account of the religious 

 houses. Part of the building was granted 



97 



to William Breres of Preston and Oliver 

 Breres of Chorlcy in 1539-40, and Oliver 

 was in possession in 1545 ; L. and P. 

 Hen. VIII, xv, p. 564 ; Ducatus Lane. (Rec. 

 Com.), i, 178. In 1540 the whole site 

 was granted to Thomas Holcroft ; Pat. 32 

 Hen. VIII, fol. iv. The building was 

 used as a house of correction from about 

 1640 to 1789; Hewitson, Preston, 

 281. 



102 The Hospitallers' lands in Preston 

 were in 1544-5 given to Richard Crom- 

 bleholme ; Pat. 36 Hen. VIII, pt. xvn. 



103 Lytham charters at Durham, 3 a, 

 2 ae, 4 ae Ebor. no. 1—5. These are grants 

 of rents by the heirs of Richard son of 

 Roger of Woodplumpton. 



104 Th e tenement seems to have been 

 known as Tinkler House, and a rent of 

 2s. was derived from it ; Duchy of Lane. 

 Rentals bdle. 4, no. 7, 8 ; Mins. Accts. 

 bdle. 136, no. 2198. 



105 Richard de Derbyshire gave land in 

 Jugeler Ridding and in Woodholm (formerly 

 Robert son of Stephen's) to Stanlaw 

 Abbey; Whalley Couch. (Chet. Soc), ii, 

 465. 



106 Richard Rufus (? Russel) gave half of 

 a toft in Fishergate to Sawley ; Harl. MS. 

 112, fol. 74. This as a burgage was 

 afterwards demised by the abbey to Hugh 

 le Sposage, at a rent of 1 id. to the abbot, 

 12^. to the king (as chief lord) according 

 to the use and custom of the vill, and %d. 

 to the heir of Hugh Fitton. By Adam 

 son of Hugh le Sposage it was granted to 

 Roger son of Adam son of Suard, by 

 whom it was surrendered to the abbey ; 

 ibid. 



Russel was an early surname in 

 Preston; De Banco R. 195, m. 331 ; 

 248, m. 44. 



107 Cockersand Chartul. (Chet. Soc), i, 

 216-25 J * v » 1262-3. The lands seem 

 for the most part to have been acquired 

 by Master William de Kirkham and 

 handed over to the canons. The charters 

 contain a number of details as to the 

 people and place-names. The latter in- 

 clude Siding Moor, Oldfield, Platfordale, 

 Sewall Syke, Woodholme, Whitacre, 

 Dustesahe Field and Gildhouse. 



Roger son of Robert Woodward in 

 1326 granted Thomas Banastre and Joan 

 his wife land held of the Abbot 01 

 Cockersand and having a kiln-house upon 

 it ; Towneley MS. OO, no. 11 14. 



Alice daughter of Adam de Rufrord and 

 widow of Simon released to the canons 

 her claim in Thimsacre ; Towneley MS. 

 DD, no. 10, 



In 1 28 1 Amy widow of Robert son of 

 Cecily claimed dower in two messuages, 

 4 acres of land and a burgage in Preston 

 against the Abbot of Cockersand, Adam 

 de Bury and William son of Adam Albin ; 

 De Banco R. 42, m. 15, 



