WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



WALTON 



these are often regarded and named as Anfield. The 

 natural features of the township have long since been 

 obscured or entirely swept away by bricks and 

 mortar, and thronged streets of small houses and busy 

 shops and electric-car standards occupy the site 

 of country lanes, gardens, and trees. The geological 

 formation is the new red sandstone or trias, the 

 ridge of higher land on the west, reaching the 175 ft. 

 level, consists of the pebble beds, and the eastern 

 slope towards the Fazaicerley brook of the upper 

 mottled sandstones of the bunter series of that 

 formation. The population in 1901 was 54,615. 



The principal road is that from Liverpool to 

 Ormskirk,' passing close by the parish church on the 

 higher ground ; descending the hill it is called Rice 

 Lane.' The Lancashire and Yorkshire Company's 

 line from Liverpool to Preston passes through the 

 township, having a station at Walton Junction ; here 

 the line to Bury and Manchester branches off to the 

 east, with an adjacent station called Preston Road. 

 The branch to the docks also goes through the town- 

 ship. The London and North-western Company's 

 branch line from Edge Hill to the docks crosses the 

 southern end of Walton, with stations called Walton 

 and Spellow. The Cheshire Lines Committee's rail- 

 way from Manchester and Liverpool to Southport 

 crosses Warbreck, and has one branch turning south- 

 west to the docks and another with a station at 

 Walton village. 



The old village' lay near the church, in a street 

 bending round its northern side. The workhouse of 

 the West Derby Union lies about a mile to the north ; 

 close by is a cemetery belonging to the parish of 

 Liverpool. Farther north still is the county prison ; 

 here executions take place. The cemetery for Kirk- 

 dale lies near the Fazakerley border. Greenwich 

 Park Athletic Grounds are near it. 



The principal road, already mentioned, at its 

 entrance into the township from Kirkdale, passes 

 through Spellow. The grounds of Spellow House, 

 used as a nursery garden till about twenty years 

 ago, have been covered with streets of cottage 

 houses ; the district is now urban all along this road 

 until Aintree is reached. On the west side of the 

 road Clayfield Lane, now Breeze Hill, led from the 

 church to Bootle ; in it there is now a reservoir of 

 the Liverpool Water Works. 



From Spellow a road led east through Mere Green 

 and thence north to the village. Stanley Park and 



Anfield Cemetery now skirt the right side of it ; on 

 the left is the Everton football ground.' On reaching 

 the village, the road or lane was prolonged north- 

 wards to pass Walton Hall and demesne on the lower 

 ground near the F.izakerley border ; while another 

 road. Rake Lane or Cherry Lane, ran eastward to 

 West Derby. Near the Everton border two roads 

 led south-eastward to Newsham ; between these 

 Stanley Park now lies, with the Liverpool football 

 ground near it.' Further to the south-east the two 

 roads are crossed by that leading through Everton to 

 Kirkby, called Breck Road and Townsend Lane ; 

 ' Cabbage Hall,' an old-established inn," has given a 

 name to the surrounding district, which is also called 

 Walton Breck. Here there is a disused stone quarry. 

 At the extreme south-east, the projecting part of the 

 township is crossed by the main road from Liverpool 

 to West Derby, known here as Rocky Lane. News- 

 ham House, in the modern park, is on the southern 

 side of it. In the neighbourhood are the test house 

 of the West Derby Guardians and a house of the 

 Little Sisters of the Poor. This part of the township 

 has long been urban. 



At the death of Edward the Confessor 

 MJNOR Winestan held the manor of WALTON ; 

 it was assessed as two ploughlands and three 

 oxgangs of land, and its value beyond the customary 

 rent was 8/.' After the Conquest it is supposed 

 that Roger of Poitou included Walton in a large 

 estate which he gave to Godfrey, his sheriff, by whom 

 it was held at the date of the compilation of the 

 Domesday Survey.' Possibly Godfrey resigned his 

 lands to Count Roger, who in 1094 granted the 

 tithe of his demesne to the abbey of St. Martin of 

 Seez.' 



After Count Roger's forfeiture Walton passed 

 with the demesne of the honour of Lancaster until 

 William, son of King Stephen, granted or confirmed 

 fourteen oxgangs of land in Walton, Wavertree, and 

 Newsham, to his servant Waldeve, with the office of 

 master-serjeant or bailiff of the wapentake of West 

 Derby.'" The estate, with its accompanying grand 

 serjeanty, continued in Waldeve's descendants for 

 many generations. 



His son and successor, Gilbert, was outlawed after 

 the barons' rebellion of 1 173-4," but in 1176 made 

 his peace, proffering the enormous sum of ^^400 to 

 obtain remission of the sentence." Between 11 89 

 and 1 194, John, count of Mortain, confirmed this estate 



^ The Liverpool end is now called 

 County Road. 



* At the west side formerly stood a 

 house called Sounds. 



^ For a curious inn sign at Walton see 

 Lanes, and Ches. Hist, and Gen. Notes, ii, 

 210. 



* Known as Goodison Park, from the 

 landowner's name. 



* SherrifFs map of 1823 shows a wind- 

 mill in Anfield Road at the corner of what 

 is still called Mill Lane. Breck House is 

 marked on a map of about 1850 as stand- 

 ing on the Liverpool side of Walton Breck 

 Road. 



* It is marked on SherrifTs map. 



' V.C.H. Lanes, i, 284a. This ' value ' is 

 that usually attributed to manors of half a 

 hide or three ploughlands. 



8 v. CM. Lanes, i, 279. 



» Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 290. 

 l" By charter dated at Chinon 23 Sep- 

 tember, 1 199, King John confirmed 'to 



Henry, son of Gilbert, son of Waldeve, 

 and his heirs, six oxgangs of land in 

 Walton, four oxgangs in Wavertree, and 

 four oxgangs in Newsham, and the master- 

 serjeanty of the wapentake, free and quit 

 by the service of serjeanty for all service 

 and custom, in fee and inheritance, to 

 hold of us and our heirs, Sec, as Waldeve 

 his grandfather wholly held the same lands 

 and the said serjeanty in the time of 

 William, count of Boulogne, Warren and 

 Mortain, and of King Henry our father, 

 and as we whilst we were count of Mor- 

 tain granted and confirmed the same lands 

 and the said serjeanty to Gilbert father of 

 the said Henry ' ; Chart. R. (Rec. Com.), 

 23. The six oxgangs were probably in 

 Gildhouses, at the north end of the town- 

 ship. 



Waldeve, or Waltheof, is the subject of 

 an interesting notice in the Pipe R. of 

 Worces. and Staffs. Henry II, jour- 

 neying through Staffs, m 1157, halted 



23 



at Chesterton, and * took up his lodg- 

 ings in the house of Waldeve de Walton. 

 The house was burnt — probably owing 

 to the carelessness or insobriety of some 

 of the Icing's attendants. The king re- 

 compensed his host munificently. He gave 

 him by charter thirty solidates of land in 

 Chesterton or its adjuncts.' Pipe R. 4 

 Hen. II (ed. Hunter), 156; Staffi.Hist. 

 Coll. ii, 81, 87 ; and Lanes. Pipe R. iii. 



The master serjeant, in addition to the 

 estates held with the office, received a 

 profit called * foldage ' from cattle im- 

 pounded in execution at the rate of ^d. 

 for each night in winter and ^d. in sum- 

 mer. The office was worth ^^g 13^. i\.d. 

 a year in 1321; Inq. p. m. 15 Edw. II, 

 ff. 31. 



In 1 166-7 Walton paid 3J marks to 

 the aid of an eipedition to Normandy. 

 Lanes. Pipe R. 35. " Ibid. 31, 33. 



12 Ibid. 31-49 passim i the last instal- 

 ment was paid by 1183. 



