AMOUNDERNESS HUNDRED 



KIRKHAM 



The Roman Catholic church of St. John the Evan- 

 gelist, at the Willows, represents the old mission at 

 Mowbreck. This was transferred to Kirkham in 

 1809, when the chapel of Holy Cross, taken down 

 in 1883, was opened. The present church, designed 

 by Pugin, was consecrated in 1845. 34 There are 

 registers from 1775. 



MEDLAR-WITH-WESHAM 



Middelarghe, Middelerwe, 1226; Middilhargh, 

 1292. 



Westhusum, 1203 ; Westeshum, 1262 ; Westesom, 

 Westsom, 1292 ; Wessum, 1324. 



Bredekirk, 1249. 



Mulebrec, 1249; Molebrek, 1276. 



Wesham, with Mowbreck on the east, occupies the 

 southern part of the township, having Medlar as a 

 long prolongation northwards, and Bradkirk, which 

 (though quite detached) is reckoned with Medlar, 

 as a prolongation westward. The total area is 

 1,965^ acres, 1 of which the two portions of Medlar 

 furnish 1,079 an( ^ Wesham 886£. In 1901 there 

 was a population of 1,826. The surface in general 

 varies from 25 to 60 ft. above the ordnance datum, 

 but there is some higher land on the west of Bradkirk, 

 125 ft. being there attained. 



The principal village is modern, clustering round 

 the railway station on the border of Kirkham. 

 Through it go roads northward to Greenhalgh and 

 north-west through Bradkirk to Weeton and Black- 

 pool. The railway from Preston to Blackpool and 

 Fleetwood crosses the township close to the southern 

 border, having the station already named, which is 

 called Kirkham and Wesham. From it the Lytham 

 line branches off. 



There are two cotton factories. The soil is clayey ; 

 wheat, oats and potatoes are grown, but most of the 

 land is used for pasture. 



The township is governed by a parish council. 

 There are a lecture hall and concert room. 



None of the component parts of the 

 MANORS township — Medlar, Wesham, Mowbreck 

 and Bradkirk — is named in Domesday 

 Book ; in 1066 they were probably included in 

 Kirkham and Greenhalgh. 2 Afterwards they were 

 in the hands of different lords. 



MEDLAR was about 11 80 held in thegnage by 

 Roger de Hutton of Penwortham by a rent of 8/. ; 

 it was assessed as one plough-land. 3 He gave it to 

 his daughter Cecily in free marriage with Benedict 

 Gernet 4 ; she afterwards, as it seems, married Ellis 

 de Stiveton or Steeton. She gave Medlar to the 

 Knights of St. John about I 207, and they granted to 

 Gilbert son of Roger son of Reinfred, 6 he in turn 

 transferring it to the canons of Cockersand. 6 In 

 1 299 the Hospitallers confirmed the Cockersand 

 right ; a rent of is., instead of is. 6c/., was to be 

 paid to them, and zs. also on the death or removal 

 of an abbot. 7 The canons retained possession till 

 the Suppression, 8 and in 1543 Medlar was granted 

 by the Crown to William Eccleston of Great Eccleston. 9 

 In 1592 Thomas Eccleston had only a rent of 20/. 

 from lands there, 10 the greater part having apparently 

 been acquired by the Westbys of Mowbreck, 11 for in 

 1557 William Westby held messuages in Medlar and 

 a close called the Cornfield of the king and queen in 

 chief by the fortieth part of a knight's fee and a rent 

 of 8r., 12 i.e. the old thegnage rent. Land or rent in 

 Medlar was re-granted to the Hospitallers by Queen 

 Mary, as part of the Stidd estate, 13 and seems after- 

 wards to have been acquired by the Shireburnes. 14 



WESHAM was in 1 1 89 confirmed to Roger son 

 of Augustin de Heaton by John Count of Mortain ; 

 one part, assessed as 4 oxgangs of land, was held by 

 a rent of zs. yearly, due to the chief lord, Count 

 John ; the other part, also assessed as 4 oxgangs, had 

 been granted to Roger by Adam son of Adam Artwin. 15 



Rev. R. M. Griffiths, the minister from 

 1816 to 1848. A full account is given 

 in Nightingale's Lanes. Nonconf. i, 92- 

 103. 

 34 Liverpool Cath. Annual. 



1 1,967 acres, including 7 of inland 

 water ; Census Rep. 190 1. 



2 Wesham was later reputed to contain 

 two (or three) plough-lands and Medlar 

 one (or half). The former was probably 

 taken from Kirkham and the latter from 

 Greenhalgh. 



8 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 47 ; it was held by 

 Ellis de Hutton son of Roger in 1 2 1 2. 



4 Ibid. She was living and in posses- 

 sion in 1212. 



5 Robert the Treasurer, Prior of the 

 Hospitallers in England, confirmed to 

 Gilbert (son of Roger) son of Reinfred 

 ' the whole viH of Medlar, i.e. one plough- 

 land with all its appurtenances, &c, which 

 we had by the gift of Cecily daughter of 

 Roger, formerly wife of Benedict Gernet.' 

 Gilbert and his heirs were to pay i2d. a 

 year to the knights on St Oswald's Day, 

 half a mark as obit, and the 8j. a year 

 due to the king ; Cockersand Chartul. 

 (Chet. Soc), i, 170. 



Ellis de Hutton confirmed his sister's 

 grant to the Hospitallers ; ibid. 171. 



6 Ibid. 168 ; one plough-land in Medlar, 

 the mill of Greenhalgh and the service of 

 Adam ie Cornay and his heirs. The 



canons were to perform the service due to 

 the king. The grant was made in or 

 before 12 16, when the king confirmed 

 Gilbert's grant to the abbey ; Cal. Rot. 

 Chart. (Rec. Com.), 218. 



Gilbert seems to have become the 

 abbey's tenant. He obtained a quitclaim 

 respecting Medlar from Maud de Stiveton, 

 daughter and beneficiary of Ellis de Stive- 

 ton, and had granted his whole tenement 

 to Reyner de Stiveton, guaranteeing also 

 to pay the %s. service due to the king ; 

 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 440-2. 



It was perhaps in consequence of this 

 grant that an Ellis de Stiveton claimed 

 Medlar in 1235, and on the Abbot of 

 Cockersand calling William de Lancaster 

 (son of Gilbert the benefactor) to warrant 

 him Ellis resigned his right on being paid 

 25 marks by William ; Cockersand Chartul. 

 i, 169 ; Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), i, 63. 



7 Cockersand Chartul. i, 167 ; see p. 171 

 for the earlier agreement for is. 6d. rent. 



The canons obtained 3 oxgangs of land 

 from Robert son of Ellis de Hutton, and 

 another in 1271 from Eda daughter of 

 Roger de Medlar, who had been enfeoffed 

 by her father in marriage ; ibid. 172. 



This last grant is probably that referred 

 to in a claim by Eda daughter of Roger 

 de Furness in 1292 ; she alleged that she 

 had demised an oxgang of land to the 

 abbot's predecessor for life in 1276, he 



*S3 



promising a robe yearly, which was with- 

 held. The verdict was for the abbot ; 

 Assize R. 408, m. 96 d. 



8 In 1324 the Abbot of Cockersand was 

 stated to hold Medlar in conjunction with 

 Newbigging or Singleton Grange ; Dods. 

 MSS. exxxi, fol. 40. In 1 346 he held 

 half a plough-land in Medlar in thegnage 

 by a rent of 8s. ; Survey of 1346 (Chet. 

 Soc), 52. A similar tenure was recorded 

 in 1445-6, but the abbot alleged that he 

 held in pure alms ; Duchy of Lane. 

 Knights' Fees, bdle. 2, no. 20. 



In 1303 Adam son of Richard de 

 Mowbreck claimed a messuage and half 

 an oxgang of land in Medlar held by the 

 Abbot of Cockersand ; De Banco R. 145, 

 m. 95 d. 



The Cockersand rentals 1451-1537 are 

 printed in the Chartul. iii, 1264-5. 



9 Pat. 35 Hen. VIII, pt. ix, m. 11. 

 The grant included a close called Cornfield. 



10 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xvi, no. 38. 



11 William Westby was defendant in 

 1543 in various claims as to lands in 

 Medlar lately of Cockersand Abbey ; 

 Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), ii, 80. 



12 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. x, no. 17. 

 A similar return is made in later inquisi- 

 tions. 



13 Pat. 4 & 5 Phil, and Mary, pt. xiv. 



14 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxvi, 

 no. 5. 



15 Farrer, op. qit. 437, 



SO 



