A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



of Ireland in 1771.' His son, William Philip, suc- 

 ceeded in 1794. He took an active part in politics 

 on the Whig or popular side, and though unsuccessful 

 at Liverpool was returned as member for Droitwich 

 in 1816. Retaining his seat until 183 1 he was by 

 William W created a baron of the United Kingdom, 

 as Lord Sefton of Croxteth.' He died in 1838.' 



His son Charles William, who died in 1855,* 

 succeeded, and was followed by his eldest son Wil- 

 liam Philip (died 1897),' who in turn was succeeded 

 by his eldest son Charles William Hylton (died 1 901), 

 and by his second son Sir Osbert Cecil Molyneux, the 

 sixth earl, and present lord of the manor of Sefton.' 

 See Pedigree next page. 



No manorial courts are now held. Several fifteenth- 

 century court rolls are preserved at Croxteth ; the 

 officers appointed were the constables, ' birelagh ' men, 

 ale-tasters, afFerers, and layers of the mise. A ' view of 

 the houses ' taken in December, 1 4 1 1 , has also been 

 preserved, recording the various dilapidations which 

 had to be made good under penalties set forth. 



The Pepperfield in Sefton, comprising 6 acres of 

 land lying next to the Hanecroft, was in 1294 given 

 by Richard de Molyneux to his son Peter.' By Peter 

 it was granted to Richard the Judge or Doomsman 

 of Down Litherland in 1335 ;' and from Richard 

 ' the Demand ' of Ince — no doubt the same person — 

 it passed by charter in 1344 to Robert his son and 

 heir and Emma his wife.* The next step is un- 

 known ; but in 1 395-6 Richard de Eves of Thornton 



gave to Henry Boys the 6 acres called Pepperfield," 

 and about fourteen years afterwards Richard de Eves 

 and Maud his wife sold it to Nicholas Blundell of 

 Little Crosby, Henry Boys, son of William Highson, 

 releasing all his right therein." Next Henry Blundell 

 gave to Robert, son of John Molyneux of Melling, in 

 1454-5 a pound of pepper with the field called 

 Pepperfield." 



The EDGE in Sefton is in one charter called a 

 manor." An estate here was granted in 1315 by 

 Richard de Molyneux to his 

 son Thomas," whose mother 

 Emma in 1334 made him 

 steward of all her lands and 

 commanded her tenants to 

 render account of all matters 

 to him ; " two years later he 

 released to her all his right to 

 the marsh of Sefton and the 

 heys and meadows there." He 

 died shortly after, for at the 

 beginning of 1337, Cecily, 

 widow of Thomas de Molyneux, 

 acquired a lease of lands in Great 

 Crosby." His son Thomas ap- 

 pears to have acquired the manor of Cuerdale, and 

 took his distinguishing title from it ; " his widow 

 Joan was at the beginning of 1388 put in posses- 

 sion of various lands of his, including the Edge in 

 Sefton." After her death his lands descended in 



Molyneux of Cuer- 

 DALK. Aaure, a crou 

 moline or f in dexter 

 chief a fieur de Hi argent 



' The marriage covenant was dated 

 26 Nov. 1768, Lord Molyneux being then 

 twenty years of age. 



A step in the peerage appears to have 

 been considered the proper reward for 

 such conformity, as in the cases of 

 Lords Fauconberg and Waldegrave. In 

 Lord Sefton' s case it had been determined 

 on as early as May, 1770 ; though the 

 patent is dated 30 Nov. 1771 ; Cal. Home 

 Off. P. 177°-^. PP- 35. +04; G.E.C. 

 Complete Peerage, vii, lOI. 



Lord Sefton showed no antipathy to 

 the religion he had renounced, granting 

 lands at Gill Moss and Netherton for 

 chapels to serve the missions which 

 had been served from Croxteth and 

 Sefton. 



He represented the county in Parlia- 

 ment for a few years (1771-+) as a Whig; 

 Pink and Beavan, op. cit. 85. 



In 1772 Lord Sefton came to an agree- 

 ment with Henry Blundell of Ince con- 

 cerning an exchange of some of the latter's 

 lands in Aughton, MaghuU, and Lydiate 

 for lands of equal value in Ince Blundell 

 belonging to the former ; this was con- 

 firmed by an Act of 1 2 Geo. Ill ; Abstract 

 of Title, 15-18. 



^ G.E.C. Complete Peerage, vii, 101. 



' So far as the estates were concerned 

 the great event of his tenure was the sale 

 of 1798, by which the manors of Great 

 Crosby, Melling, MaghuU, Lydiate, and 

 .■\ughton were disposed of, also a great 

 amount of land, in order to pay off mort- 

 gages and make provision for various 

 claims; Abstract of Title, 36. 



In addition to his political fame the 

 second earl was known as a*bon vivant' 

 and sportsman ; Ross, House of Sefton, 8-10; 

 also tile note in G.E.C. 



*Ross, 10-11. He also was a Whig, 

 and represented South Lanes, from 1832 

 to 1834; Pink and Beavan, op. cit. 95. 

 He was appointed lord-lieutenant of the 

 county In 1S51. 



^ In politics a Liberal, becoming a 

 Unionist in 1886. He was appointed 

 lord-lieutenant of Lanes, in 1858. 



•The peerages give information as to 

 the other descendants of the second and 

 later earls ; see Crisp, Modern Visit. 



^ Blundell of Crosby D. K. 30. 



8 Ibid. K. 41. 



^ Ibid. K. 24. It is here described as 

 'six acres in Sefton, viz. Pepperfield.' 



10 Ibid. K. 44. 



"Ibid. K.. 40, K.. 39. Other lands be- 

 sides ' Pepperfield next Hanecroft ' seem 

 to have been included in this sale. The 

 matter was concluded by a fine ; ibid. 



IC.+5. 



"Ibid. K.. 42. It may be noted that 

 Richard de Molyneux, living in 1212, 

 had granted to Richard de Thornton a 

 * cultura ' — whether in Sefton or not is 

 unrecorded — for i lb. of pepper by the 

 year ; Inq. and Extenti, 14. 



The payment in the text seems to be 

 the result of the grant of a pound of pep- 

 per and 25. rent from the Pepperfield, 

 made by William de Molyneux in 1249 

 to his relative Robert de Molyneux of 

 Thornton ; Final Cone, i, iio. 



^It may be the *alia Sefton' of the 

 Fifteenth roll. 



1^ Croxteth D. Genl. i, 7, quoted 

 above. Thomas seems to have been 

 known as ' of Sefton ' or * of the Edge,* 

 indifferently. 



The grant did not include the whole of 

 the Edge, for in 1338 Robert de Riding's 

 share of 3 acres here was exchanged for 

 land belonging to William de Hokelaw 

 in Thornton ; ibid. Y. iii, 14. 



^ Croxteth D. Genl. i, 29. Emma's 

 family name is unknown ; the seal ap- 

 pended to this grant shows * Per bend two 

 roundels counterchanged.* 



"Ibid, i, 22. 



^7 Ibid. D. i, I. Cecily appears to 

 have been living in 1348 ; Kuerden 

 MSS. iv, K. 13. 



72 



Several of Thomas's children are known : 

 Thomas, Richard, Henry, and Emma. 



Richard's wife was named Lettlce ; it 

 appears that she was the widow of John 

 de Rigmaiden of Wyresdale ; Final Cone* 

 (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 181. 

 Lettice was living at the Edge in 1376, 

 and claimed damages from Thomas le 

 Botelcr of Marten for breaking into her 

 close ; he was a creditor 5 De Banc. R, 

 457, m. i%(i d., &c. Lettice was also 

 defendant in a Chesh. suit in 1369 ; 

 Ormerod, CJies. (ed. Hehby), ii, 451 note. 

 There was a son Thomas, who had a 

 burgage in Bank Street, Liverpool, in 

 1381-2, and who is named in the will of 

 his uncle Thomas de Molyneux of Cuer- 

 dale J K.uerden MSS. ii, fol. 257, 256A, 

 and Final Cone, ii, 136. 



Richard was dead in 1368 ; his widow 

 was living in 1378; ibid. fol. 249, 

 257A. 



Emma was in 1 340 contracted to marry 

 Richard, son of Nicholas Blundell of Little 

 Crosby ; the agreement between Nicholas 

 and Cecily provides that the former shall 

 sustain his son and his betrothed, and 

 that part of Great Crosby shall be her 

 portion ; ibid. fol. 257. 



1* Thomas de Molyneux of Cuerdale 

 was killed at the battle of Radcote Bridge, 

 20 Dec. 1387 5 his lands in Sefton called 

 the Edge were said to be of the clear 

 annual value of looj. ; Lanes, Inq. p.m. 

 (Chet. Soc), i, 29. A fuller account of 

 him will be given under Cuerdale. He 

 was called Thomas de Molyneux del 

 Edge in 1349 J Kuerden MSS. ii, fol. 

 256. 



"Croxteth D. Genl. i, 41. Four years 

 later Henry Blundell and others certified 

 that Thomas de Molyneux of Cuerdale 

 had enfeoffed Gilbert de Halsall and 

 others of ' the manor of Edge ' and other 

 lands in Sefton ; ibid, i, 42-43. Joan 

 made a feoffment of her lands in 1401 : 

 ibid, i, 46. 



