A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



It thus appears that from an early time Litherland 

 was divided into a half and two quarters ; and this is 

 perhaps the origin of the modern 

 division into Litherland, Orrell, 

 and Ford. 



One of the two quarters at 

 least was probably held by a 

 * Demand/ a doom-man or 

 judge, so called from the here- 

 ditary service discharged in the 

 wapentake court as the repre- 

 sentative of the lord of Sefton. 

 There were two families bear- 

 ing the surname Demand, one 

 of which was certainly connected 



very closely with Orrell. The quarter of the manor 

 held by the latter family cannot be traced with clear- 

 ness, but appears to have been held by one Siward 

 about 1200^ and to have descended to the Demand 

 family,* being sold in 1335 by Richard the Demand 



Lea of French Lea. 

 Sable, three bars argent. 



to Peter, a younger son of Richard de Molyneux of 

 Sefton.' With the hitter's daughter it went to John 

 D.indyson of Ditton,* and was purchased from 

 Richard and Peter de Ditton by Sir Richard Molyneux 

 and his son in the latter part 

 of Henry VTs reign.* 



The other quarter came into 

 possession of the Lea or Lee 

 family,® and descended with 

 other of their lands to the 

 Ashtons of Croston,' until 

 alienated in 1596 by Thomas 

 Ashton, who sold his fourth 

 part of the manor, with all his 

 lands in Litherland, Orrell, 

 and Ford, to Sir Richard 

 Molyneux.® There was another 

 family named Lee in the town- 

 ship whose property also came to Molyneux.^ 



Richard de Molyneux had before 1 2 1 2 given two 



Ashton of Croston. 

 Argent, a chevron be- 

 tween three chapUti gulex. 



a year, and 30J. rents of free tenants ; Inq. 

 p.m. 4Z £dw. Ill, n. 40 (ist Nos.). 



The later inquisitions give the same 

 testimony ; e.g. Sir William Molyneux, 

 who died in 1 548, held the manor of 

 Down Litherland, with three messuages, 

 30 acres of land, &c. by the same rent of 

 201. and the service of doing suit at the 

 wapentake every three weeks ; the clear 

 value was only 141. %\d.\ Duchy of 

 Lane. Inq. p.m. ix, n. 2. 



^ In 1202 an assize of mart (Tancestor 

 was summoned between Agnes daughter 

 of Robert, plaintiff, and Richard, Andrew, 

 and Efward, sons of Siward, tenants of 

 three oxgangs in Litherland. Agnes re- 

 leased her right to the tenants, and 

 Richard in return gave her the oxgang 

 which had been Efward's and a mark of 

 silver also ; Final Cone. (Rcc. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), i, 11. This referred to half 

 only of the quarter (6 oxgangs), and in 

 121 2, as stated above, Richard was the 

 sole or responsible tenant, paying loj. a 

 year to Richard de Molyneux of Sefton. 



' The evidence connecting a Demand 

 with Orrell is as follows : — 



Adam the Judge, son of William th£ 

 Judge, granted to Henry Ballard a sclion in 

 the vill of Orrell, at a rent of ii^. ; Adam, 

 the * great judge ' — probably the same man 

 — gave William Ballard land in the Nether 

 Bradmorc in Litherland ; and this grantee 

 had other land from Richard son of William 

 the Demand ; Croxteth D. G. ii, 2-4. 



In 1303 Adam son of William the 

 Judge made a grant in Hogh Orrell and 

 in Mossfield to Henry son of Robert de 

 Linacre,a rent oi \d. being payable to the 

 chief lord \ and in the next year, as son 

 of William the Demand, he granted two 

 'lands' in Orrell to Henry son of Robert 

 de Kirkdale ; ibid. G. ii, 10, 11. In 

 1309 he made a grant to Roger de Roby 

 and Agnes his wife j the latter may have 

 been his daughter ; Moore D. n. 694. 



3 Richard the Demand in 1309 allowed 

 ■turbary in Litherland Moss to Richard 

 son of Hugh de Linacre j Moore D. 

 n, 695. In 1327 Richard son of Adam 

 the Judge and heir of William the Judge 

 ^quitclaimed to Peter de Molyneux his 

 right in one oxgang in the vill of Lither- 

 land ; and eight years later, as Richard 

 the Demand, he granted to Peter son of 

 Richard de Molyneux a quarter of the 

 manor ; Croxteth D. G. i, 5, 6. Also in 

 1335 Philip de Molyneux conveyed land 

 in Ince Blundell to Richard, formerly 

 judge of Down Litherland, and Margery 

 hit wife; Blundell of Crosby D. K. 131. 



Peter de Molyneux also acquired land 

 in Orrell from Emma widow of William 

 Page ; Croxteth D. G. i, 7. 



* In 1349 William son of Peter de 

 Molyneux and Marger)*, Anabel, Agnes, 

 Joan, and Emma, daughters of Peter, 

 regranted to their father the lands they 

 had had from him in the vills of Lither- 

 land and Orrell ; ibid. Gen. i. 30. 



It would appear from the course of 

 events that Joan was her father's heir, for 

 in 1355 John son of John Dandyson of 

 Ditton and Joan his wife claimed from 

 Richard de Molyneux of Sefton the manor 

 of Down Litherland and various other 

 lands there and in Sefton, as Joan's right ; 

 Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 4, m. 5, m. 24 d. 



* Roger de Ditton attested a Lither- 

 land charter in 1361 ; Moore D. n. 721. 

 He took part in the Irish expedition of 

 Sir John de Stanley in 1386 ; Cal. of Par. 

 1385-9, p. 1 56. In 1 396 Robert the 

 icing rc-enfeoffcd Peter son of Roger de 

 Ditton and Joan his wife of the fourth 

 part of the manor of Litherland, and 

 various lands he had had from Peter ; 

 Croxteth D. G. ii, 27. 



Richard their son is mentioned in 140T, 

 and in 1420 he regranted to Peter his 

 father the fourth part of the manor ; ibid. 

 G. ii, 28, i, 22. In April, 1432, he 

 received from his feoffees all his lands, 

 &c. in Litherland and Orrell, and imme- 

 diately leased them to Sir Richard de 

 Molyneux for ten years at a rent of 20J. ; 

 and should Sir Richard or his heirs be 

 willing to hold them after this term, then 

 the rent should be 261. %d.; ibid. G. i, 17, 

 i8, 23. Soon after the ten years had 

 expired, at the beginning of 1443, he sold 

 the whole to Sir Richard ; while in 1455 

 his son Peter released all his right therein 

 to Richard Molyneux the son of Sir 

 Richard ; ibid. G. i, 19, 20, 24. 



^ Of Lea near Preston ; lords of Ravens- 

 meols, &c. If the suggestion in the text 

 be correct the Leas' quarter was that held 

 in 12 1 2 by Robert de Walton by a rent 

 of lOJ. Nothing further is known of this 

 tenant or his successors, but a Robert de 

 Walton was about that time vicar of the 

 rector of Sefton 5 Lane. Ch. (Chet. Soc), 

 i, 66. 



Henry de Lea granted an oxgang of 

 land in the vill of Litherland to Adam, 

 son of Alexander at a rent of Zi. ; Crox- 

 teth D, G. ii, 1. 



Henry son of Henry de Lea gave to 

 William son of Agnes de Thornton a rood 

 of land by the Pikemanscroft, Orrel Syke 

 and Welltield Sichc being mentioned in 



96 



the boundaries; Moore D. n. 692. In 

 1299 Richard, son of William de Ince, 

 who lived in Orrell, gave 3 roods in 

 this croft to William, son of Richard de 

 Ince, of Thornton 5 they extended from 

 Orrell-stone to Henry de Lea's pit, and a 

 service of 2\d. was payable, part to Henry 

 de Lea and part to Adam the Judge, 

 apparently the Judex Major named in the 

 charter ; ibid. n. 693. 



Henry de Lea in 1305 claimed a mes- 

 suage and land here from Richard de Ince 

 and others; De Banc. R. 156, m. 127. 

 William, son of Sir William de Lea, in 

 1350 brought an action against Richard 

 de Molyneux of Sefton and others, ap- 

 parently concerning Litherland ; Assize 

 R. 144.4, m- 4- 



7 The fourth part of the manor of 

 Litherland was included in a fine con- 

 cerning the estates of William de Lea 

 and Isolda his wife in 1372 ; Final Cone, 

 ii, 183. 



A settlement was made in 1392 of a 

 fourth part of the manor of Down Lither- 

 land between Master William de Ashton, 

 John de Ashton, and John de WoUeton, 

 chaplain, plaintiffs, and Robert de Standish 

 and Isolda his wife, deforciants ; Pal. of 

 Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 3, m. 32. Isolda, 

 doubtless the widow of William de Lea, 

 had a life interest. 



Thomas Ashton of Croston was claimant 

 of the manor in 1468 ; Pal. of Lane. Plea 

 R. 33, m. 7</. ; also R. 34, m. 18. In 

 1502 it was found that Thomas Ashton 

 held lands in Litherland of [William] 

 Molyneux, but the jury did not know by 

 what service ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. 

 iii, n. 93. 



Richard Ashton appears in 1558 ; Pal. 

 of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 18, m, 41. 



8 Croxteth D. G. i, 50; also Pal. of 

 Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 59, m. 109. 



'William and Henry, sons of Roger 

 del Lee, were defendants in a case of 

 1346 ; De Banc. R. 345, m. 393. 



William de Moston in 1409 granted 

 land in a field called Nether Bradmoor in 

 Orrell to Richard de Lee ; Croxteth D. G. 

 ii, 29. In 1468 Richard Formby granted 

 land in the same field, now said to be in 

 the vill of Litherland, to Roger de Lee, 

 with remainders to his brother Richard, 

 and to the heirs of their father Richard; 

 ibid. G. i, 33-4. This land was granted 

 by Roger to his son Henry in i486, and 

 soon afterwards sold by Henry to John, 

 son of Nicholas Johnson, who at once 

 transferred to Dame Anne Molyneux ; 

 ibid. G. i, 35-40. 



