A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



knight of the shire in 141 3-14, and otherwise appears 

 to have held an honourable position in the district.' 

 He died about 1421, his heir 

 being his eldest son Henry, 

 who, by marriage with Joan, 

 daughter and co-heir of Henry 

 de Rixton, added a portion of 

 Ditton and other lands to the 

 family inheritance.* On his 

 death, about 1456, he was suc- 

 ceeded by his son Nicholas,' 

 and the latter in turn by his 

 son, another Nicholas, about 

 1476. 



The younger Nicholas, when 

 quite a child, was married to 

 Margery daughter of Henry Scarisbrick ; * they lived 

 happily together for sixty years and ' never noder 

 cold find fote noder with oder,' but their latter 

 years were greatly embittered by a long strife with the 

 family of Molyneux of Sefton.' In some way Nicho- 



DDDD 



D D D 



V DD / 



Blundell of Little 

 Crosby. Sable^ ten bi/Iets, 

 4, 3, 2, and I argent. 



las Blundell incurred the resentment of Dame Anne 

 Molyneux, who, as guardian of her young sons, ap- 

 pears to have pushed to the uttermost the superior 

 manorial rights of Sefton, and as a result in 1 507-8 

 Nicholas Blundell granted to her and her son Edward 

 for the grantor*s life, the hall of Crosby, with the build- 

 ings, lands, windmill, and appurtenances, and the 

 moiety of the rents in Crosby, at a rent of 20 marks.* 

 In 1509 there was a settlement as to the homage re- 

 quired of him,' and in 15 14 the manor was restored 

 to him by Edward Molyneux.* The case had, of 

 course, been taken into the courts, but Nicholas, who 

 died about 1520, did not see the end of it, the final 

 decree recognizing the rights of the Blundells being 

 given in 1526.^ 



A more peaceful time followed. Nicholas's eldest 

 son Henry having predeceased his father,'" Nicholas 

 was succeeded by his grandson James, who was of age 

 in I 5 14, and died in May, i 527,*' leaving as heir his 

 son Henry, then only eleven years of age. Henry 

 was succeeded by his son Richard," in whose time the 



Nicholas Blundell of Crosby to whom a 

 grant by a feoffee was made in 1381-2, a 

 Henry son of John Blundell of Crosby 

 attested a Walton deed in 1368 ^ Crox- 

 tcth D. Bb. iv, 26. *Son' may be a slip 

 for ' brother.' 



In 1398, after the death of Richard de 

 Molyneux of Sefton, it was found that 

 Henry Blundell held land in Little Crosby 

 of him by knight's service, paying a rent 

 of 4J. i Land. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc), i, 70. 

 This rent continued to be paid down to 

 1798, when at the Sefton sale it was 

 piifchased for William Blundell, then lord 

 of Little Crosby. Nicholas Blundell re- 

 cords that on 3 May, 1710, he paid * two 

 groats ' to Lord Molyneux's bailiff for 

 two years' customary rent ; Diary^ 85. 



Licence for an oratory for two years at 

 Little Crosby was granted him in Nnv. 

 1387, by the bishop of Lichfield, and 

 extended in May, 1389; Lich. Epis. 

 Reg, vi, foL 12T;/', 125^. 



In 1381-2 Nicholas son of William de 

 Liverpool released his right in certain 

 lands which Henry Blundell had had from 

 Hugh brother of Nicholas ; Blundell of 

 Crosby D. K. 14, K.. iv 



The WTJt Diem clauiit extr. was issued 

 in 1406-7 ; Def>, Keeper' i Rep. xxxiii, 

 App. 7. 



The seal of this Henry Blundell shows 

 a cross moline pierced ; no doubt adopted 

 from Molyneux of Little Crosby \ Crox- 

 tcth D. Z.'i, 18. 



1 Pink and Bcavan, Land, Pari, Repre- 

 senrationj 49. 



Beatrice daughter of Hugh de Stanulf 

 and Agnes her sister, daughters and heirs 

 of Joan, the daughter of William Blundell 

 of Ince, in 1388-9 granted to Henry 

 Blundell of Crosby and Nicholas his son, 

 land on the Sand 5 Blundell of Crosby D. 

 K.. 152. See also ibid. K. 39 and K. 129. 



In 1^96 Richard son of Henry de 

 Kighley acquired by fine the manor of 

 Lightshaw from Nicholas, son of Henry 

 Blundell of Crosby, and Ellen his wife ; 

 the last-named was daughter and heir of 

 Nicholas de Tyldesley of Tyldesley ; Pal. 

 of Lane. Eeet of F. bdle. 5, m. 3 ; and 

 Pal. of Lane. Chanc Misc. bdle. i, file 9, 

 n. I. 



The writ of Diem clausit extr. on his 

 death was issued 12 March, 1422-3 ; Dep. 

 Keeper's Rep. xxxii, App. 24- 



2 See the account of Ditton. In 1422 

 Henry made several grants to John, son 

 and heir of Thomas Renacres of Bicker- 



staffe ; Kuerden, ii, fol. 69-70, 72. A 

 Henry Blundell went to France in the 

 king's retinue in May, 1415; Dep. 

 Keeper's Rep. xliv, App. 564. 



Henry had two brothers — John and 

 Robert. For John his father purchased 

 lands in Lydiatc j he had a son Thomas, 

 vicar of Brackiey in Northamptonshire ; 

 Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 5, m, 15 ; 

 Gibson, Lydijte Hally loi. Robert was 

 rector of Aldford in Cheshire from 1421 

 to 1461 \ he several times occurs in 

 charters of Henry VI's reign ; Ormerod, 

 Cbes. (ed. Helsby}, ii, 759 ; Blundell of 

 Crosby D. K.. i 5, K.. 31, K. 36. For all 

 three brothers, ibid. tC, 47. 



Henry Blundell was witness to charters 

 as late as 1456 ; ibid. K.. 58, K.. 33. 



^ Nicholas Blundell married Ellen 

 daughter of John Page of Thornton ; 

 Blundell of Crosby D. K.. 27. 



* Scarisbrick charters, n. 166 (in Trans. 

 Hist. Soc. (New Scr.), xiii) ; P.R.O. Anct. 

 D., A. 12603. 



In 1479 as Nicholas, son and heir of 

 Nicholas Blundell, he granted to Thomas 

 Blundell, vicar of Brackiey, Master Boni- 

 face Blundell, and others, his manor of 

 Little Crosby. 



* Gibson^ Cavalier s Xote Bcok^ 10. The 

 petition from which this account of the 

 family troubles is taken is printed more 

 fully in CarOe and Gordon, Sefton, 7 3, 

 from the original at Little Crosby. It ap- 

 pears to have been drawn up by George 

 Blundell, a younger son of Nicholas, and 

 complains that the Molyneuxes had taken 

 away the Blundells' rights to waifs, strays, 

 and wreck j also their sporting rights and 

 rabbit warrens ; their chapel on the north 

 side of Sefton church ; 20 marks rent ; 

 they had cast Nicholas and his son into 

 prison at Lane, for 14 weeks, denied 

 George's right to the guardianship of his 

 brother's heir; and finally 'daily lay in 

 wait to kill and murder them.' 



fi Kuerden fol. MS, 261, n. 490. 

 Among the field names given are Oaklands, 

 Brandearth, Corscroft, Hayrkirk, Bergh, 

 Dobhey, Dalton, Ragh Winter Hey and 

 Wodeam. 



' Liverpool Corp. D. An endorse- 

 ment dated 1672 says, *I think that the 

 heirs of William Molyneux have nothing 

 to do with Halton, and now I know no 

 homage that is due unto them.' 



^ Deed in Blundell evidences, 19 Au|. 

 1514. 



* Cavalier s Note Book, 10-11. There are 



88 



numerous references to the matter in the 

 Dufarwi Ljnc (Rec. Com.). In 1517 Ni- 

 cholas Blundell complained that whereas 

 he had in 1512 lee his manor of Crosby 

 to George Blundell, Edward Molyneux, 

 clerk, rector of Sefton, disregardmg a de- 

 cree made in the duchy of Lane, had 

 expelled George from the manor. Edward 

 Molyneux replied that he and another re- 

 covered the manor against Nicholas to 

 certain uses, and their tenant had been 

 ejected by George ; Duchy of Lane. 

 Depos. xi, B. 5, 511, 6. 



The dispute also came before the Star 

 Chamber, which decreed that Edward 

 Molyneux should pay the debts of Nicho- 

 las Blundell out of the profits of the 

 manor of Little Crosby ; the jointure of 

 Agnes, widow of Henry Blundell, is men- 

 tioned ; Star Chamb. Proc. Hen. VIII, 

 V, 49-51 ; xxiv, 181 ; xxix, 86. 



There is extant a grant by George 

 Blundell to his brother Henry, son and 

 heir-apparent of Nicholas Blundell, of all 

 the manor of Little Crosby and all the 

 messuages, &c., including courts-lect and 

 liberties, which George had received from 

 Nicholas; this is dated 1 June, 15 13. 



'" Duchy of Lane. Inq. p. m. iv, «. 74. 

 He died on Friday, 9 Sept. 1513, which 

 supports the statement that he was killed 

 at Floddcn ; James, his son and heir, was 

 then twenty-two years of age. The inqui- 

 sition recites the provision made in i 502 

 and 1 503 for his second wife Agnes, 

 daughter of Sir Henry, and sister of 

 Richard Bold, including Uitton, Great 

 Crosby and other lands. His first wife, 

 espoused in 1488-9, was Katherinc, 

 daughter of William Heaton, of Heaton 

 under Horwich ; Kuerden, fol. MS. 248. 

 n. 580 ; and iii, C. 34. 



" Duchy of Lane. Inq. p. m. vi, n. 16, 

 68. He had held the manor of Little 

 Crosby of William Molyneux by knight's 

 service and a rent of ^J., and lands in 

 Great Crosby (by a rent of 101.), Ditton, 

 Ince Blundell, Bold, Hindley, Liverpool, 

 Orrell, and Warrington. 



" Little seems to be known of Henry 

 Blundell ; he was living in i 545 ; Ducarut 

 Lane. (Rec. Com.), i, 181. Three vcars 

 later he sold a hou-c to Richard .M.,;v- 

 neux i Croiteth D. E. i, 3 : and made a 

 settlement of his manors and lands in 

 August the same year, the remainder 

 being to his son Richard ; Pal. of Lane. 

 Feet of F. bdle. 13, m. 56. 



In 1562, the will of Thomas Leyland 



