A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



The third plough-land, held of the lords of 

 Warrington by Molyneux of Sefton,' was by Richard 

 de Molyneux granted to his son Robert, who held it 

 in 1 212, and was the ancestor of the long line of 

 Molyneux of Thornton, Melling, and finally of 

 Mossborough in Rainford.' In 1246 Robert de 

 Molyneux called upon Adam de Molyneux of Sefton 

 as mesne tenant to acquit him of the service which 

 William le Boteler claimed in respect of the plough- 

 land in Thornton, Robert complaining that he was 

 distrained to do suit to the court of Warrington 

 every three weeks.' Adam agreed to discharge the 

 service, but his son William, on succeeding, neglected 

 the obligation, and three years later Robert had again 

 to complain that he was summoned to do 'bode and 

 witness' at the Warrington court, and to entertain 

 William le Boteler's beadles whenever they came to 

 Thornton.* 



In this trial Robert was represented by his son 

 Robert, who appears to have succeeded him, and was 

 about 1 290 followed by his son, also named Robert,' 

 who died perhaps about 1336, when his eldest son 

 Robert succeeded. This Robert died without issue, 

 his heir being a nephew, Robert, son of Simon de Moly- 

 neux, then a minor. In 1358 Richard de Molyneux 

 of Sefton had a contest with William le Boteler of 

 Warrington as to the profits of the wardship." In 

 1356 he had complained that Robert le Norreys of 

 Melling, and Joan his wife, with John de Lancaster 

 and Mabel his wife, had abducted the heir, who was 

 by right his ward.' Robert Molyneux's wife, Alice, is 

 said to have been a daughter of Robert le Norreys.' 

 Theirson Robert settled in Melling,'and the story of his 

 descendants will be found in the account of that town- 

 ship. Their manor of Thornton regularly descended 

 to Dame Frances Blount, from whose trustees it was 

 purchased in 1773 by the first earl of Sefton,'" who 

 thus became possessed of all the manors in this place, 

 either by descent or purchase. This complete lord- 

 ship has descended to the present earl. 



The Hospitallers had land here, which about 



1540 was held by Henry Blundell at a rent 



of 5K" 



The windmill of Thornton was in 1368 in the 

 possession of Richard de Aughton ; " it was afterwards 

 assigned by Margaret Bulkeley to the sustentation of 

 her chantry in Sefton church, and the chantry priest 

 was tenant in i 548." 



There do not appear to have been any resident free- 

 holders here in 1600. To the subsidy of 1628 

 Robert Bootle, as a convicted recusant, paid double ; " 

 he and his wife Jane, with a number of others, appear 

 in the recusant roll of 164 1." Sarah Sumner, widow, 

 as a ' Papist,' registered an estate here and in Little 



Crosby 



in 1717. 



INCE BLUNDELL 



Hinne, Dom. Bk. ; Ines, 12 1 2 — the common spell- 

 ing to 1350; Hynis, 1242 ; Ince, 1360. 



Ince Blundell embraces a considerable area of flat, 

 fen country laid out in pastures and cultivated fields, 

 where corn, root crops, and clover-hay are produced 

 in a rich alluvial soil. The River Alt forms a tortuous 

 boundary along its north-eastern, northern, and western 

 edges. The low-lying fields are mostly separated by 

 deep ditches, which serve for division and drainage. 

 Near the sea coast, and near the mouth of the Alt, 

 there is a narrow band of sandhills. The trees clus- 

 tering about Ince Blundell Hall and village emphasize 

 the scarcity of timber in the district, for they stand 

 out as an abrupt m.iss in the bare landscape. Solitary 

 trees here and there incline to the south-east, showing 

 the direction of the prevailing winds. The lower 

 keuper sandstone of the new red sandstone or trias 

 is here entirely obscured by s.ind, deep boulder clay, 

 and alluvial deposit. Beneath the alluvium, which 

 covers an increasing extent of ground as the River 

 Alt approaches the sea, are found the beds of grey 

 clays belonging to the glacial drift series. The brook 

 called Twine Pool and Hynts Brook divides Ince from 



* It has been mentioned once or twice 

 in preceding notes. Richard de Molyneux 

 of Sefton held it in 1324 by the eighth 

 part of a Icnight's fee ; Dods. MSS. cxxxi, 

 fol. 54- , 



la 1368 it was found that Richard de 

 Molyneux of Sefton had held the manor 

 of Thornton of Sir William le Hotelcr by 

 the service of 2J. and performing suit at 

 the court of Warrington ; Inq. p.m. 42 

 Edw. Ill, n. 40 (1st N08.). In 1623 

 the jurors could not learn what the tenure 

 was ; Lanes. In^. p.m. (Rcc. Soc Lanes, 

 and Ches.), ill, 389, 



* Lanes. Inq. and Extents^ 7. The name 

 Robert de Molyneux appears frequently 

 among the witnesses to local charters, but 

 the succession of a number of Roberts 

 makes it almost impossible to distinguish 

 the different bearers of the name. 



' F'lnsl Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 -Ches.), i, 104 ; Assize R. 404, m. 3 (/. 



* Final Cone, i, 109. 



* Possibly another generation should be 

 inserted. 



Robert son of Robert de Molyneux 

 appears in suits relating to Melling in 

 1292 and 1305, his mother Margen being 

 alive ; Assize R. 408, m. ^1 d. 341/. 68, 

 36 ; R. 420, m. 4<^. Margery widow of 

 Robert de Molyneux was still living in 

 1316. Robert son of Robert de Mo y- 

 neux of Thornton in 1310-11 granted 



to Robert the Taskcr land in the 

 southern part of the vtll, next to land 

 of Hugh Drury's ; Blundell of Crosby 

 D. K. 23. 



* Assize R. 438, m. 6 d. William le 

 Boteler claimed as capital lord of Robert's 

 land ; but it will be seen by the statement 

 in the text that Richard de Molyneux of 

 Sefton was the mesne tenant. Hence 

 William le Boteler was defeated. His 

 statement was that Robert's manor of 

 Thornton was held by homage and fealty, 

 payment of lot. to a scutage of 40J., 

 doing suit from three weeks to three 

 weeks, and a yearly service of z\d. He 

 claimed j^zo damages. 



7 Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 5, m. 1 5. 

 Norreys seems to have replied with a claim 

 for trespass ; ibid. m. 22^. 



Joan, as widow of Simon de Molyneux, 

 was a plaintiff in 1346; De Banc. R. 

 347, m. 226. 



Robert came of age early in 1356, for 

 at Easter he brought a suit against Richard 

 de Molyneux for waste, sale, and destruc- 

 tion of lands, &c., in Thornton during 

 his guardianship ; Duchy of Lane. Assize 

 R. 5, m. 26. 



8 l^isn. of 1567 (Chet. Soc), 99. 



* Thus Alice, widow of Robert de Moly- 

 neux of Thornton, granted land in this 

 place to Robert her son ; while Robert 

 de Molyneux of Melling in 1399 gave 



78 



John Page of Thornton a portion of the 

 lands here he had had from Alice his 

 mother in exchange for another piece on 

 the Broadlake ; Blundell of Crosby D. 

 K. 25, K. 28. 



It was probably the younger Robert's 

 grandson Robert who in 1456-7 enfeoffed 

 Thomas Stanley and Thomas Molyneux, 

 son of Sir Richard Molyneux, late of 

 Sefton, of his manor of Thornton and all 

 his lands in Thornton and Sefton : ibid. 

 K. 33. 



" Croxteth D. Y. ii— deeds of 2 March, 

 1756, and 8-9 June, 1773. 



" K-uerden MSS. v, fol. 84. 



" Croxteth D. O. ii, 14.. 



" Raines, Chantries (Chet. Soc), in. 



" Norris D. (B.M.). Robert's father, 

 William Bootle, described as 'gentle- 

 man,' died in 1595, holding five mes- 

 suages and lands in Thornton of Sir 

 Richard Molyneux ; but the inquest was 

 not taken till 1628, when Robert was 

 thirty-five years of age ; his mother Anne 

 Stephenson was still living ; Towneley 

 MS. C. 8, 13 (Chet. Lib.), 56. 



Robert's son William was of another 

 mind ; sec the introduction to the parish, 

 and Royalist Com/,. P. (Rec Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), i, 210. 



" Trans. Hist. Soe. (New Ser.), xiv, 

 236. 



£n^/. Cath, Non-jurorSy 147. 



