A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



assessed as four plough-lands, forming part of the 



demesne of the honour of Lancaster ' attached to 



West Derby, until it was sold by Charles I in 1625 



to Lord Mandeville and others.' 



From this time it descended 



with Sefton until in 1798 it 



was sold, the purchaser being a 



trustee of the Blundells of Little 



Crosby.' The present lord of 



the manor is Mr. William Joseph 



Blundell.* 



This family's connexion with 

 the place began in the twelfth 

 century, John, count of Mortain, 

 having granted it between 1 1 89 

 and 1 194 to his forester, Robert 

 de Ainsdale, at a yearly rent ot 

 100/.' This grant was probably revoked after John's 

 rebellion in 1 194,* for on coming to the throne he 

 confirmed it.' It was, however, very soon resigned 

 or forfeited, for in 1 2 1 2 it was found that Robert 

 de Ainsdale held only an eighth part of the manor, 

 that is four oxgangs of land, and that by the service 

 of being steward ; ° the tenure was converted during 

 the reign of Henry III into fee farm, for 10/. yearly.' 



DDDD 

 D D D 



Blundkll of Little 

 Crosby. Sable, ten bil- 

 lets, 4, 3, 2 and I, ar- 

 gent. 



This portion remained with Robert's descendants,'* 

 whose history is given in the account of the adjacent 

 manor of Little Crosby. 



Another eighth portion oi the manor was in i 2 i 2 

 held by Simon de Crosby." He was followed about 

 1225 by Robert de Crosby ; " Richard de Crosby'* 

 and others bearing the local name " occur later ; but 

 during the thirteenth century one Sturmi de Crosby 

 succeeded, and sold it to William son of Henry de 

 Walton." This William was followed by his son 

 Simon" and grandson Henry, the latter being re- 

 turned as holding half a plough-land herein 1323-4,'^ 

 Yet it would seem clear that before this date Simon 

 de Walton had sold his lands to Nicholas Blundell,'" 

 for they were settled as dower upon Agnes," the 

 widow of Nicholas's son David ; and were after- 

 wards granted to his grandson Richard, who married 

 Emma daughter of Thomas de Molyneux of Sefton." 

 They were in 1346 held by Emma's brother Thomas 

 de Molyneux, perhaps as trustee.** There were no 

 children by the marriage, and in 1352 William, as 

 son and heir of Nicholas Blundell, a brother of David, 

 claimed from Thomas son of Thomas de Molyneux 

 two oxgangs of land in Great Crosby which he alleged 

 should have descended to him." It does not appear 



* See the account of West Derby ; aUo 

 Lanes. In J. and Extentt (Rcc. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.) 20, 23. In 1176-7 Crosby 

 paid 361. Sd. to the aid levied on the 

 honour of Lane. ; Farrcr, Lanes. Pipe 

 R, 35. After 11 99 there appears an 

 annual entry in the shcritFs accounts of 

 ' 301. of increment from Crosby' 5 ibid. 

 113, &c. 



2 Pat. I Chas. I, pt. ii, 2+ May ; Crox- 

 tcth D. D. ii. The patent recites that 

 the king, performing his father's inten- 

 tions, granted to Robert Dixon and Wil- 

 liam Wallcy the manor of Great Crosby, 

 in consideration of ^12,500 paid by 

 Henry, Viscount Mandeville. The sale 

 included the rent*, &c,, of free as of bond 

 and customary tenants, court-baron and 

 fines, &c., in all valued at ^^13 i8i. of</., 

 which sum was to be paid annually to the 

 crown. 



On 13 March, 1625-6, Dixon and 

 Walley transferred the grant to Sir Tho- 

 mas Walmcsley, William Fazakerlcy, 

 John Nutter, and Edward Holt \ Crox- 

 teth D. ibid. These four were no doubt 

 trustees for Sir Richard Molyneux, the 

 first viscount, as in the case of Liverpool; 

 see Cal, of S.P. Z):"?. 1640, p. 200. This 

 manor, however, docs not appear in the 

 inquisition taken after his death in 1636; 

 but in 1646 the parliamentary commis- 

 sioners reported that his son, the second 

 viscount, had an estate in the manors of 

 Great Crosby and Liverpool, and that 

 there was a fee-farm rent payable out of 

 the same of ^^13 i8j. of i. ; the estate 

 was worth over and above this rent, ^^30 ; 

 Royalist Comp. P. (Rcc Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), iv, 150. 



* Thomas Ryan was the purchaser for 

 the Blundells. A deed of 9 Feb^ 1799, 

 completed the transfer. After the death 

 of T, Ryan in 1S02 his trustees or execu- 

 tors conveyed the estate to Clementina 

 Blundell, widow of the late lord of Little 

 Crosby ; and in April, 1809, it was con- 

 veyed to their son and heir William 

 Blundell ; information of Mr. W. E. 

 Gregson. 



^ See the descent In the account of 

 Little Crosby. 



i Kuerden MSS. v, fbl. 124A, n. 172. 

 The grant seems to be that of a manor. 



though the word is not used ; it included 

 the land with all its appurtenances in 

 wood and open country, &c. ; and all 

 liberties and free customs. 



• In 1 194, Robert son of Osbert owed 

 looj. for having the goodwill of the 

 king ; implying that he had shared in the 

 rebellion, or at least in its consequences ; 

 Lanes, Pipe iJ. 78. 



' Kuerden MSS. loc, cit, n. 173 ; Rot. 

 Cart. (Rec. Com.), x\b. This was granted at 

 Sorham 18 June, 1 199, in the same terms 

 as the original. At the same time 

 Robert engaged to pay 10 marks and a 

 chaseur for the confirmation j Lanes. Pipe 

 R. 106, 1 14, 127. 



8 /ny. and Extents, 23. 

 ' Kuerden MSS. ii. fol. 254, n. 192. 

 The grant altering the tenure was made 

 by a charter of William de Ferrers, earl of 

 Derby, to Adam de Ainsdale, and may 

 therefore be placed between 1232 and 

 1248. 



^° Inf. and Extents, 1 17, 286. Sec for 

 a later instance the inquisition after the 

 death of Henry Blundell, taken in I 5 1 6, 

 when it was found that he held various 

 lands in Great Crosby from the king as 

 duke of Lane in socage, by a rent of loi. \ 

 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. Iv, n. 74. 



^ Inj. and Extents, 20. The service 

 was lOJ. a year. 



" Pipe R. 10 Hen. Ill, n. 70, m. 9. 

 Robert de Crosby was holding in 1226 ; 

 Inj. and Extents, 136. 



^ Richard dc Crosby attested local 

 charters of Edw. I and Edw. II's time ; 

 Blundell of Crosby D. K.. 231, K. 119, &c. 

 ^* Dicket of Great Crosby and Amabel 

 his wife had grants of land there in 1285 

 from Adam son of Gilbert Midia of Great 

 Crosby, and Roger son of Silvester of 

 Great Crosby ; Kuerden, fo!. MS. 260, 



«• 575> 574- 



^ Kuerden MSS. ii, fol, 254, n. 193. 

 The four oxgangs are named j William de 

 Walton was to pay i os. of ancient farm and 

 4^/. As Adam de Molyneux and Adam 

 de Ainsdale were witnesses, the charter 

 must be dated before 1250. 



^* In 1292 Richard son of Simon 

 Sturmi complained that Simon son of 

 William dc Walton held half an oxgang 

 in Great Crosby, of which William bad 



92 



disseised Sturmi ; Assize R. 408, m. 35. 

 In another plea the plaintiff is described 

 as Richard, son of Simon son of Wyon ; 

 ibid. m. 29. He was non-suited. 



Simon de Walton was holding in 1298 ; 

 Inf. and Extents, 287. In 1 294 he 

 granted to Richard son of Roger son ot 

 Abraham, half an oxgang in Great Cros- 

 by ; Croxteth D. D. v, 2. 



^^ Henry de Walton was holding in 

 1 324 ; Rentals and Surv. 379, m. 3. 



i« Blundell of Crosby D. K. 119 ; by 

 this charter Simon granted Nicholas all 

 his lands in the vill, with his house and 

 appurtenances, homages, services, &c. It 

 is dated In April 1290. Another charter 

 has been preserved (ibid. K. 23 1) by which 

 Robert de Molyneux granted to Nicholas 

 Blundell a windmill in Great Crosby, and 

 all his right in the moiety of the site of 

 the mill, formerly belonging to Simon dc 

 Walton and William dc Aintree. 



In 1414 Edward Blundell, probably a 

 trustee, granted to Nicholas Blundell two 

 messuages and two oxgangs in Mickle 

 Crosby which had belonged to Simon de 

 Walton ; Kuerden MSS. iii, C. 35, n. 330. 



" She had the four oxgangs as dower, but 

 they are not said to have been Simon's ; 

 Blundell of Crosby D. K. 176. In 1335 

 Agnes, widow of Richard de Holland of 

 Sutton, enfeoffed Richard de Lund, clerk, 

 of all her lands in Great Crosby, viz. 

 one-eighth part of the manor ; ibid. K. 

 208, K. 206. 



^ In 1336 Richard dc Lund gave them 

 to Richard son of Nicholas Blundell, and 

 Emma daughter of Thomas de Molyneux 

 of Sefton and their heirs ; the whole or part 

 is now described as * formerly Simon de 

 Walton's' ; the reversion was to Nicholas 

 Blundell; ibid. K. 121. 



^^ Sur-vey of 1346 (Chct. Soc), 32; 

 Thomas de Molyneux at the same time 

 had four oxgangs and Richard Blundell 

 four. 



*^ Duchy of Lane, Assize R. i (Lent), 

 m. iv ; also De Banc, R. 360, m. 106 ; 

 R. 362, m. 128. The defendant stated 

 that the charters alleged had been mis- 

 understood. At the first trial the panels 

 were quashed, because Henry dc Chadcr- 

 ton, the duke's bailiff, was related to the 

 defendant, the shcriff^s wife Rose being 



