A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



neighbouring townships. The Molyneux family of 

 Sefton ' and Moores of Bank Hall were also tenants.' 

 Deeds relating to other holdings have been preserved.' 



In 1667 Isaac Legay of London, merchant, sold 

 the manor or reputed manor of Linacre to Edward 

 Moore of Bankhall,' and with Bootle it was afterwards 

 sold to the earl of Derby, and has since descended. 



Bootle-cum-Linacre ' was incorpo- 

 BOROUGH rated by charter dated 30 December, 

 1868, and became a county borough 

 under the Local Government Act, 1888." There 

 are three wards — Derby, Stan- 

 ley, and Knowsley — in the 

 north-east, south-west and north- 

 west respectively. Derby Ward 

 includes the ancient village. 

 Each ward has two aldermen 

 and six councillors. A separate 

 commission of the peace was 

 granted in 1 876, and a borough 

 police force established in 1887. 

 Water is supplied by the Liver- 

 pool Corporation, and gas by 

 the Liverpool company, which 

 has works near Linacre. The 

 electric tramways are worked 

 in connexion with the Liverpool 

 system. 



The town hall and public offices, built in 1882, 

 are situated in Balliol Road. Baths and a public library 

 are provided. There are two hospitals.' A school 

 board was formed in 1870. Derby Park is situated 

 in the eastern portion of the borough ; two open 

 spaces, called North Park and South Park, are in Lin- 

 acre and in Hawthorne Road. 



The earliest church in Bootle was St. Mary's, in 

 connexion with the Establishment, consecrated in 



Borough of Bootle. 

 Argent^ on a chevron 

 bitzicen three jieun de 

 lis axure as many stag's 

 heads cabossed or ,• on a 

 chief sable three mural 

 criywns of the first. 



1827. The advowson, like that of Walton, was 

 afterwards acquired by the Leigh family. Christ 

 Church was built in 1 866,' and St. John's Church, 

 Balliol Road, about the same time;' St. Leonard's, 

 Linacre, was built in 1889 ; and St. Matthew's, also 

 in Linacre, in 1887. The patronage of these 

 churches is vested in different bodies of trustees. 



The Wesleyan Methodists have several places of 

 worship. The church in Balliol Road was built in 

 1864, that in Linacre Road in 1900, and that in 

 Marsh Lane in 1903 ; they have also Wesley Hall, 

 in Sheridan Place. For Welsh-speaking members 

 there are churches in Trinity Road, built in 1877, 

 and in Knowsley Road. The Primitive Methodists 

 have a church in Queen's Road. 



The Baptist church in Stanley Road was built in 

 1846. The Welsh church in Brasenose Road was 

 built in 1 87 1, the work having begun in 1863, 

 that in Rhyl Street dates from 1884 ; and that in 

 Knowsley Road is the result of an effort made in 

 Seaforth in 1882. 



Emmanuel Congregational church, Balliol Road, 

 opened in 1876, represents a missionary work begun 

 in 1 87 1 in the Assembly Room.'" For Welsh-speaking 

 Congregationalists there are two churches ; one re- 

 presents a movement by members of the Kirkdale 

 church in 1878-83, and the other is the result 

 of dissension in the congregation in 1884-5." 



The Welsh Calvinistic Methodists have two places 

 of worship. 



Trinity Presbyterian church, built in 1887, is a 

 migration from Derby Road, Kirkdale, where a start 

 was made in 1855. Another church in Linacre was 

 erected in 1896, work having begun in 1883. 



There are a Church of Christ, near Bootle water- 

 works, and some other meeting-places. 



For Roman Catholics there are two churches. The 



* Richard dc Molyneux of Sefton in 

 1342 acquired land from Robert Boordc, 

 nephew and heir of Robert de Denton ; 

 Croxteth D. G. i, 11. Two years later he 

 was complaining of damage to his grass \ 

 De Banc R. 34.9, m. 67 d. Further lands 

 were acquired in 1360 from Thomas Bud- 

 wood ; Croxteth D. G. 1, 3. 



101548 Sir William Molyneux held 

 here a messuaizc, 58 acres of land, mea- 

 dow, &c., of the king, as of the dissolved 

 hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, for 

 I2(/. yearly ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p. m, 

 ix, n. 2. 



* The Moore holding appears to have 

 been the half oxgang granted by Robert, 

 son of Adam de Linacre about 1-75 to 

 Adam son of William son of Godith ; 

 Adam, father of the grantor, had formerly 

 held it of Jordan de Linacre 5 Moore D. 

 n. 672. The recipient, as Adam Smethc- 

 head, granted his brother William i ox- 

 gang, probably the same land, with the 

 houses, &C., belonging to it ; ibid. n. 673. 

 Richard Dikemonson in 1343 transferred 

 his half oxgang to William, son of Adam, 

 son of William de Liverpool, with partici- 

 pation in the wastes, &C., as for a sixteenth 

 part of the hamlet of Linacre ; ibid. n. 678. 

 In 1375 this William de Liverpool re- 

 leased to William de GorstiU all his claim 

 in the sixteenth part of the hamlet, and 

 his widow in 1385 released hers; ibid. 

 n. 628, 679. The next steps are not clear ; 

 but in 1536 Richard Osbaldeston of 

 Chadlington in Oxfordshire granted his 

 tenement in Linacre to William Moore of 

 Bank Hall, at an annual rent of 8j. ; this 



was at the special request of Sir Alexander 

 Osbaldeston ; ibid. n. 685. 



The Moores afterwards acquired other 

 parcels, but in 1604 the tenure was still 

 described as * of the king as of the dis- 

 solved monastery of St. John of Jerusalem 

 in England, in free socage, by fealty and 

 bd. yearly rent' ; Lanes. Inq, p, m. (Rec. 

 Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 14, 



■ The Moore deeds contain grants by 

 Robert Gamel of Linacre to Richard Dike- 

 monson and Richard son of Hugh de 

 Walton early in the fourteenth century ; 

 n. 674, 676-7. The first of these men- 

 tions the high road from Bootle to Lither- 

 land. 



In 1399 the feoffees granted to Henry 

 son of Ralph de Linacre land in Aliscar 

 and Soonde croft ; two years later John de 

 Linacre gave to Henry Diconson of Lin- 

 acre all his lands in Linacre ; ibid. n. 680-1. 

 This latter Henry in 141 5 made an ex- 

 change with Matthew Longworth, receiv- 

 ing lands in the Furdefylde, Wro, Pulford- 

 long, Fyntis, Feloteroyste, Crofts and 

 Robcroft in Linacre, for other lands in 

 Litherland. John Osbaldeston is named 

 as one of the tenants ; ibid. n. 682. 



Richard, son of Thomas Linacre, in 

 1472, released to Roger Mercer of Walton, 

 all his rights in messuages, rents, &c., in 

 Linacre, and ten years later Roger Mercer 

 granted his son William an annual rent of 

 81. from all his property in Linacre ; ibid. 

 n, 629, 684. 



The Longworth holding has been shown 

 to have existed in 141 5. In 1641 Edward 

 Alcock and James Burton of Liverpool 



34 



sold to Robert Blundell of Ince and his 

 son John the lands in Linacre then held 

 by Brian Burton, but previously the in- 

 heritance of John Longworth, deceased. 

 There was, however, a charge upon it 

 created about 1 574 by William Longworth 

 and Ralph his son and heir, in favour of 

 Bryan Burton and Alice his wife ; ibid. 

 n, 686. John Burton in 1624 died seised 

 of a messuage in Linacre held of William, 

 earl of Derby, as of the dissolved hospital, 

 by 2s. yearly rent ; Lanes, Inq. p. m. iii, 

 452. His son and heir was Robert Bur- 

 ton, aged 14. In 1659 Ellen Burton, 

 widow of Robert Burton of Linacre, and 

 John Burton, her son, conveyed to John 

 Bryanson of Sefton, a messuage and lands 

 in Linacre and Litherland ; Moore D. 

 n. 687. John Burton of Linacre claimed the 

 two-thirds of the estate of Henry Blundell, 

 a recusant, who had married Margaret 

 Burton, which estate should after her death 

 have reverted to the claimant as heir of 

 his father and grandfather ; Cal, Com. for 

 Comp. iv, 3168, 



* Moore D. n. 688. The consideration 

 being only \s, the ' sale ' perhaps repre- 

 sents the release of a trust. 



' The official name has more recently 

 been shortened to Bootle. 



" Orrell was included in the borough in 

 1905. 



7 The Borough Hospital was founded 

 in 1870. 



' Lond. Gax, 27 July, 1866, for district. 



' Ibid. 20 Feb. 1866, for district. 

 1° Nightingale, Lanes, Nonconf, vi, 217. 

 " Ibid, vi, 232-3, 



