WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



WALTON 



The Molyneux family of Sefton began to acquire 

 lands here about the middle of the fifteenth century, 

 for which the status of a manor was afterwards 

 claimed.' Early landowners were various members of 

 the Kirkdale family,' the Waltons,' Booties,* Wiswalls,* 

 Rixtons," and others.' Edward Moore was the only 

 landowner in 1628 contributing to the subsidy.' 

 The land tax return of 1785 shows that Lord Derby, 

 Thomas Fleetwood, and the executors of John Fletcher, 

 were the chief proprietors. John Leigh, a prominent 



Liverpool solicitor, leased the estate called Sand Hills' 

 and died there in 1823. 



Before the middle of last century the population 

 had so greatly increased that various places of worship 

 were built. In connexion with the Established 

 Church, St. Mary's, at the north end of the old 

 village, was built in 1835.'° St. Lawrence's, erected 

 in 1 88 1, is a chapel of ease. St. Paul's, North Shore, 

 close to the site of Bank Hall, was founded as an 

 Episcopal chapel in 1859 ; it became a parish in 



front of it was moated with water, over 

 which was a passage by a bridge, between 

 two obelisks, to the gateway, whereon was 

 a tower, on which were many shields of 

 arms carved in stone ; of which the most 

 remarkable was that within the court, 

 being undoubtedly the achievement of the 

 founder, viz. : ist. Ten trefoils, 4, 3, 2, i. 

 2nd. Three greyhounds current, in pale ; 

 3rd. A buck's head, caboshed, in front. 

 4th. A griphon rampant. Crest, a moor- 

 cock volant. Date 1282 ['1582]. The 

 great hall was a curious piece of antiquity, 

 much ornamented with carvings, busts, 

 and shields. It had no ceiling, but was 

 open quite up to the roof, with various 

 projections of the carved parts, whereon 

 trophies of war and military habiliments 

 were formerly suspended. On a wall 

 between the court and garden was a grand 

 arrangement of all the armorial acqui- 

 sitions of the family. The shields were 

 carved on circular stones, elevated and 

 placed at equal distances like an embattle- 

 ment. But this venerable pile has lately 

 been demolished, and will probably soon 

 be forgotten' ; Liverpool, 113. There is 

 a view in Gregson, Fragments, 153. 



The site of the hall was approximately 

 the corner of Bankhall Lane and Bankhall 

 Street, 



1 Sir William Molyneux (Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. ix, n. 2, 1548) held 

 his lands in Kirkdale partly of the king, 

 as of his barony of Penwortham by ^ 

 of a knight's fee, and partly of the Hos- 

 pital of St. John, Chester. See also 

 Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), iii, 390. 



The deeds at Croxteth show purchases 

 as follows : By Richard Molyneux from 

 William Sheppard in 1457 ; by William 

 Molyneux from Roger Wiswall in 1501 ; 

 and by Sir Richard Molyneux and William 

 his son and heir in 1565 from Thomas 

 Green and Randle his son and heir, com- 

 prising the inheritance of William Lance- 

 lot, tenanted by Ralph Bolton and thirteen 

 others ; Q. i, 1-3. 



The earlier deeds, probably transferred 

 with the lands, include grants from Robert 

 de Kirkdale to Matthew the Barther in 

 1 304 ; from Henry, son of Robert lord 

 of Kirkdale to Alan son of Adam de 

 Walton, and to Richard son of Henry de 

 Orrell in 1 3 1 6 ; and from Simon de Kirk- 

 dale to Matthew son of Richard de 

 ' Lisuetarki ' of half an oxgang at a rent 

 of u. 3</. and a pound of cummin ; Crox- 

 teth, D. Q. ii. 3, I, 4, 2. This last was 

 probably the foundation of the claim of a 

 manor, and no doubt descended to the 

 Lancelyns of Poulton near Bebington, in 

 virtue of the marriage of Alice, daughter 

 and heir of Thomas Ewes, to Roger 

 Lancelyn, for Roger died in 1526, seised 

 of lands here held of the king as of his 

 barony of Penwortham, by the twentieth 

 part of a knight's fee and a rent of zs. j 

 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p. m.. vi, k. 23 ; 

 Moore D. n. 598 h (where the service is 

 called the fourth part and the twentieth 



part). William, the son and heir was then a 

 minor, and died in 1551, leaving a daugh- 

 ter Elizabeth, only three years of age 

 (ibid, ix, n. i), who was at once married 

 to Randle son of Ralph Green (according 

 to the pedigree in Helsby's Ormerod, Ches. 

 ii, 444). The Croxteth D. above quoted, 

 however, gives Lancelot as the surname, 

 and Thomas Green as father of Randle. 



Land of Robert, son of Simon de Kirk- 

 dale is mentioned in 1366 j Moore D. n. 



549- 



^ Henry de Riding in 1348 granted 

 to William, son of Henry son of Robert 

 de Kirkdale, land in Hongircroft, Turner- 

 field, Dale-side, and Rye Croft ; Croxteth 

 D. Q. ii, 6. 



There appear about 1300 to have been 

 two contemporaries named Robert de 

 Kirkdale 5 William son of Ralph de 

 Ireland granted to Robert son of Robert 

 de Kirkdale certain lands, and Robert de 

 Kirkdale granted others to the same, but 

 does not call him ' son * ; Moore D. 

 n. 509, 510. Adam son of Robert de 

 Kirkdale occurs in 13 17 ; ibid. «. 523. 



In 1 3 16 Robert de Kirkdale made a 

 grant to Matthew son of Matthew de 

 Kirkdale of lands in the Gorsticroft by 

 the Greengate, in the Breckfield next 

 lands of Godith de Kirkdale, in the 

 Ballydfield, and by the Boritte Rake ; ibid. 

 n. 522. 



William de Walton in 1307 granted to 

 Matthew son of Matthew de Kirkdale 

 and his assigns (except Robert de Kirk- 

 dale and Adam de Ireland of Hale), a man 

 to dig turf in William's turbaries on 

 Qualebreth (? Warbreck) moor, and an- 

 other man to help, and leave to carry the 

 turf away to Kirkdale ; Croxteth D. Bb, 

 iv, 6. 



Robert de Ireland acquired lands from 

 Stephen de Kirkdale and Margaret his 

 wife in 13 17, and from Richard son of 

 William, son of Richard de Kirkdale, in 

 1325, the latter including a ridge held as 

 dower by Alice, mother of Richard. 

 Moore D. n. 521, 534. Robert son of 

 Richard de Kirkdale granted a halland to 

 John de Formby in 1329 ; ibid. n. 535. 



William son of Matthew de Kirkdale 

 made a grant to Alice his daughter in 

 1339, and Matthew son of Richard de 

 Kirkdale and Cecily his wife gave land in 

 the Oldhearth to Richard de Ainsargh in 

 1355 ; ibid. n. 541, 546. 



' Henry de Walton granted to John the 

 Goldsmith of Chest, an oxgang of land 

 in Kirkdale by knight's service where ten 

 plough-lands made a fee, and by a gift of 

 spurs ; Richard de Meath was a witness ; 

 IVIoore D. n. 502. 



Richard son of Henry de Walton 

 granted his son William the oxgang which 

 Stephen Bullock formerly held, and lands 

 in the Fenny Acres, the Crakefield, Sec, 

 with easements and liberties belonging to 

 the vills of Walton and Kirkdale, to be 

 held as the last grant ; ibid. n. 501, also 

 n. 503. 



In 1 321 Jordan de Rixton gave lands 



39 



bounded in part by the Tothe Syke and 

 Holdeyr Reyndys to John son of Henry 

 de Walton ; ibid. «. 532, 



■* Henry de Bootle granted lands to 

 Henry his son in 1337; and in 1376 

 Margery, widow of William Masson, gave 

 lands in Kirkdale and Liverpool to Henry, 

 son of Henry de Bootle ; while John de 

 Bootle had a release from Alice, widow of 

 Robert Johnson (i.e. probably Robert son 

 of John de Bootle), of his lands j Crox- 

 teth D. Q. ii, 5, 8-10, II. 



Roger, son of Ellis de Bootle, and 

 Annota daughter of Adam, son of Robert 

 de Derby, were in 1376 refeofFed of Roger's 

 lands in Kirkdale j Henry and John dc 

 Bootle were witnesses ; Moore D. n. $$1. 



An exchange of lands was made by 

 William Moore and Thomas Bootle in 

 1507 ; ibid. n. 583. 



^ Roger son of Robert dc Kirkdale 

 married Maud daughter of Hugh de Wis- 

 wall, and a settlement of his lands wai 

 made in 1348 ; her father was a witness ; 

 Moore D. n. 548. The same Maud in 

 1368 received lands from Robert Fox, who 

 had them in 1366 from John the Cook of 

 Hale by a charter to which William de 

 Wiswall was a witness 5 ibid. n. 550, 549. 



Robert son and heir of Ralph de Wiswall 

 in 1445 released to John del Moore all 

 his right in the lands sold by his father ; 

 and in 1457 exchanged with John Thomp- 

 son lands in the Blakefield and Baldfield 

 for others ; ibid. n. 575, 578. 



John son of Richard Wiswall occurs in 

 1492 J ibid. n. 580 5 and William Moore 

 acquired lands from Roger Wiswall in the 

 Conery and ChoUolfield, in exchange for 

 others in Efurlong, Sec. in 1508, and from 

 Robert Wiswall In Whitfield and Barrow- 

 field in 1525 ; ibid. n. 584, 592. 



Elizabeth, daughter and heir of Ralph 

 Wiswall of Kirkdale, married Robert Lee, 

 and in 1524 sold her lands in Walton, 

 Fazakerley, and Liverpool, to Edward 

 Molyneux, rector of Sefton ; Croxteth 

 D. Bb, iii, i. 



^ Thomas son of Jordan de Rixton re- 

 leased to Robert de Ireland in 1338 all 

 his claim to lands in Kirkdale ; and two 

 years later Ellen, widow of Jordan, simi- 

 larly released her claim in the lands sold 

 by her son Thomas; Moore D. n. 538, 

 540. 



7 The Hulmes of Maghull had lands in 

 Kirkdale ; Edmund Hulme is mentioned 

 in 1525, ibid. n. 592 5 and Richard Hulme 

 died in 161 5 seised of a messuage, &c. 

 held of the king j Lanes. Inq. p. m. (Rec. 

 Soc), ii, 19. 



Richard Crosse of Liverpool also had 

 lands here; ibid, ii, 136. Among the 

 Crosse D. (Trans. Hist. Soc.) is only one 

 referring to this township, n. 100 (dated 

 1405). 



8 Norris D. (B. M.). 



9 Near the present railway station so 

 named. The family is noticed in the 

 account of Walton church. 



10 A district was first assigned in 1844 ; 

 Lond. Gaz. 14 Sept. 



