AMOUNDERNESS HUNDRED 



PRESTON 



From that time Lea has descended in the same way as 

 Hoghton. 26 



The family seem to have found Lea a desirable 

 residence, and were often known as Hoghton of 

 Lea. 27 The most prominent incident of their tenure 

 was the tragedy of 1589, when a feud between the 

 Langton and Hoghton families resulted in a night 

 attack on Lea Hall and the death of Thomas 

 Hoghton, the lord. The story is thus told 28 : — 



Thomasine widow of John Singleton of Staining 

 in right of herself and her daughters claimed certain 

 oxen feeding in an inclosed pasture adjoining Thomas 

 Hoghton's manor-house called the Lea on 2 1 Novem- 

 ber 1589 ; these cattle had been removed from 

 Staining by George Singleton the brother of John. 

 William Anderton of Anderton Ford, a kinsman of 

 the widow's, she being a daughter of Roger Anderton, 

 asked Thomas Langton of Walton-le-Dale to take the 

 cattle away from the Lea, arguing that it might law- 

 fully be done. Langton accordingly on 20 Novem- 

 ber warned a number of his tenants to be ready to 

 accompany him with their weapons, and asked the 

 help of Thomas Singleton of Broughton. About 

 eleven o'clock at night Langton, Anderton, the 

 Singletons and their aiders, about eighty in all, armed 

 with pikes, guns, long staves, Welsh hooks on staves, 

 swords, daggers, bows, arrows, and bills, assembled on 

 Preston Marsh for the purpose of seizing the cattle, 

 their watchword being ' The crow is white ! ' They 

 reached the Lea about an hour after midnight, 

 dividing themselves into two companies, of which one 

 passed through the outer court of the manor-house to 

 reach the cattle inclosure. Thomas Hoghton had 



had several hours' warning and had made prepara- 

 tions to resist. He and a company of friends and 

 tenants, including William Hulton and his two sons, 

 to the number of thirty, armed themselves with staves, 

 a pike, a gun charged with hail shot, two pistols, a 

 bow and arrows, swords and daggers, and placed 

 themselves near the inclosure to guard the cattle. 

 Their cry was ' Black, black ! ' The two companies 

 met and ' a great affray began between them within 

 60 yards of the said mansion house.' The first attack 

 having been repulsed a fresh one was made in which 

 Thomas Hoghton was killed and one man on the 

 other side. After this the assailants appear to have 

 withdrawn. 



Complaint was made and an inquiry immediately 

 ordered, which was held at the beginning of January, 

 the Earl of Derby and Sir Richard Shireburne stating 

 that they had taken steps to quell the disturbance 

 and arrest the offenders as soon as they heard of the 

 matter. Thomas Langton, sore wounded, was arrested 

 as he lay in bed at Broughton Tower ; Thomasine 

 Singleton and others were sent to Lancaster Castle. 



Anne the widow of the Thomas Hoghton thus 

 slain had Lea Hall for her life ; she afterwards married 

 Richard Shireburne of Stonyhurst. 29 



A record of the arms displayed at Lea Hall, 1 59 1 

 to 1636, has been preserved. 30 



No courts have been held for the manor for many 

 years, but rolls extending from 1622 to 1774 are 

 preserved at Walton-le-Dale. 31 



Several minor families occur taking a surname 

 from the Leas. 32 SIDGREAVES was at one time 

 held by Baldwin de Lea, above-named, 83 and it also 



the Priestsknave of Preston, gave Sir 

 Adam de Hoghton in 1371 all Thomas'i 

 lands in English Lea; ibid. no. 355. 

 This charter was dated at French Lea. 

 Maud widow of William de Freckleton in 

 1388 granted all her lands in English Lea 

 to Sir Richard de Hoghton ; ibid. no. 75. 

 In 1393 John de Whitley and Ellen his 

 wife granted Sir Richard a messuage and 

 land in the vill of Lea which Adam son 

 of William had received from his brother 

 John j ibid. no. 464. 



Thomas Whiteside of Burscough in 

 1419 granted to Sir Richard Hoghton all 

 those lands in French Lea which he had 

 by his wife Alice daughter of John the 

 Spenser, and Richard Whiteside, the son, 

 agreed ; ibid. no. 549, 299. 



36 A number of the Hoghton tenants 

 in French Lea and Ashton are named in 

 an agreement of 1 3 34 ; Final Cone, ii, 94. 



The manor of Lea is constantly named 

 in the Hoghton inquisitions, &c. Sir 

 Richard Hoghton was in 1422 found to 

 have held the manor of French Lea of the 

 king as of his duchy by knight's service 

 and a rent of iod., and English Lea by 

 the same tenure, the two being the third 

 part of a knight's fee and worth 5 marks 

 a year ; Lane;. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc), i, 

 •45. So in 1580 the manor of Lea and 

 lands, &c, there were held of the queen 

 as of her duchy by the third part of a 

 knight's fee ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. 

 xiv, no. 26. Sir Henry Hoghton and 

 Dame Susanna his wife were vouchees in 

 a recovery of the manors of Lea and 

 Ashton in 1742 ; Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 

 S54> m. 12. 



27 Sir Adam de Hoghton in 1348 had 

 licence for oratories in his manors of 

 Alston, Lea and Thornton ; Canon 

 Raines' note from York records. 



General pardons were in 1469 granted 

 to Alexander Hoghton of French Lea, esq., 

 and to Henry Hoghton of French Lea 

 (otherwise of Hoghton), esq. ; Add. MS. 

 32106, no. 366—7. 



A number of tenants of pasture in Lea 

 are named in 1582 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet 

 of F. bdle. 46, m. 39. 



38 Add. MS. 32106, fol. 205A. 



29 Ibid. no. 776. 



30 Tram. Hist. Soc. (new ser.), xiv, 

 216. 



81 Information of Mr. J. H. Lumby. 

 The customs of the manor were in dispute 

 in 169 1-2 ; Exch. Dep.(Rcc. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), 78, 81. 



82 Some of them have occurred in pre- 

 ceding notes. The following particulars 

 may be added : 



Henry son of Uctred of English Lea 

 granted Adam son of Gillomichael his 

 kinsman 6J acres in English Lea. Four 

 of the acres were in Berifurlong, two lay 

 between Alan's Dyke and Russilache, and 

 the half acre was next to Adam the Stud- 

 herd's acre; Add. MS. 32106, no. 409. 

 Henry de Lea and John his son were 

 witnesses. 



The following witnesses to a charter 

 show that the users of the surname were 

 numerous about 1270: Henry de Lea 

 son of Alan ; Robert son of Henry de 

 Lea, Robert son of Roger de Lea, Uctred 

 de Lea, Alan son of Alan de Lea Gallica ; 

 ibid. no. 416. 



In 1292 Alice widow of John son of 

 Adam de Lea claimed dower in Lea against 

 Adam son of Henry de Lea, who called 

 Baldwin son of John de Lea to warrant 

 him; Assize R. 4° 8 > m - 33- At the 

 same time Maud daughter of Robert de 

 Lea claimed a tenement in French Lea 

 against Thomas Uttingesone ; ibid. m. 58. 



I3 1 



William son of Robert Backman in 1301 

 made a claim against Henry son of Emma 

 de 'Inglisle* respecting a tenement in 

 English Lea, but did not prosecute it ; 

 Assize R. 419, m. 7. The claim was 

 renewed or continued in 1324-5, the 

 plaintiffs name being given as William 

 son of Robert son of Robert de Lea ; 

 Assize R. 426, m. 2. A settlement by 

 Thomas Johnson Amotson and Ellen his 

 wife in 1385 may refer to the same 

 family ; Final Cone, iii, 25. 



James son of Richard Lea and cousin 

 and heir of John Lea in 1532 granted 

 lands, &c, in French Lea to Sir Richard 

 Hoghton; Add. MS. 32106, no. 73. 

 The said James and John his son were 

 'of English Lea' in 1564; ibid. fol. 189. 

 John Lea made a feoffment of lands in 

 English Lea in 1574 for the benefit of 

 his son Alexander and Janett his wife, 

 daughter of John Bayne ; ibid. no. 786. 

 In 1587 Thomas Hoghton purchased a 

 messuage, &c, in Lea from Alexander 

 (son and heir of John) Lea and Janett his 

 wife ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 49, 

 m. 250. 



38 Thomas son of Uctred de Lea released 

 to Baldwin de Lea his claim to service for 

 a tenement in Sidgreaves ; Add. MS. 

 32106, no. 42. William son of Henry 

 son of Warine de Lancaster released the 

 service of Robert Spendlow in Sidgreaves, 

 viz. i6d., to Baldwin son of John de Lea ; 

 ibid. no. 380. Robert Spendlow released 

 to Baldwin de Lea the service ot Roger 

 Spendlow his brother for a tenement in 

 Sidgreaves in the fee of English Lea and 

 also of Robert White ; ibid. no. 416, 420. 

 Baldwin also obtained a 'land' in the 

 Astewaldis in Sidgreaves, extending east 

 to west from the road to the moor to a 

 syke of Remisgrene ; ibid. no. 395. 



