WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



CHILDWALL 



Sir William died i September, 1506, seised of the 

 manor of Speke, and lands there and in Siche, as also 

 in West Derby, Formby, and Oglet. His son and 

 heir, Henry Norris, was then aged twenty-eight and 

 more.' 



Henry Norris had in 1500 married Clemence, one 

 of the daughters and coheirs of Sir James Harrington, 

 of Wolfage and Brixworth in Northamptonshire.' 

 On the division of the Harrington property in 

 1 5 16, half of Blacicrod fell to Clemence.' Henry 

 Norris is said to have fought at Flodden, in company 

 with his brother William, under the leadership of Sir 

 William Molyneux.* He died at Speke 7 July, 

 1524, leaving as heir his son William, then aged 

 twenty-three or more. The manor of Speke and the 

 other lands, &c., in Speke, Siche, and Oglet were said 

 to be held of Sir William Molyneux, by knight's 

 service, except two parcels of land in Speke held of 

 the same Sir William in socage by the rent of 1 81^.' 



William Norris was knighted between 1530 and 

 1535, upon what occasion does not seem to be 

 recorded. He made several exchanges and sales of 

 various Norris properties, parting with Caldy, but 

 buying the Grosvenor lands in Lancashire, exchanging 

 lands in Formby, Lydiate, and Ince Blundell for others 

 in Garston and elsewhere.' He dwelt sometimes at 



Blacon near Chester, but Speke was his principal 

 residence.' In 1544 he engaged in the Scottish 

 expedition of Lord Hertford, and it is notable as an 

 indication of his character that the spoils he brought 

 home were books.* He seems also to have fought at 

 Pinkie, as the arms and initials on the ' gwyddon ' 

 won by Sir William Norris in Scotland are those of 

 David Boswell of Balmuto, whose sons fell there.' 

 In 1554 he represented Liverpool in Parliament.'" 

 Three years later he was too infirm for military 

 service in person." In 1563 he compiled his 

 ' Genealogical Declaration,' " and on 30 January, 

 1567-8, was gathered to his fathers, being buried at 

 Childwall four days later." 



Edward Norris, his son and heir, was of the age of 

 twenty-eight years. A considerable portion of Speke 

 Hall was built in his time. It does not appear that 

 he took any marked part in the religious controversy 

 of the age, though he held the Speke estates for the 

 greater part of Elizabeth's reign," but at the end of 

 his life he desired his son to make provision for the 

 maintenance of a ' sufficient chaplain ' at Garston 

 chapel," ;£200 being the sum named ; bequeathing 

 also £60 for a schoolmaster at Much Woolton. He 

 had in 1605 provided ;^l4o for the rebuilding of the 

 tower of Garston chapel. In 1605—6, 'being him- 



Lancs. and North Wales (except at 

 Bodiarda and Beaumaris in Anglesey) 

 should descend to her son William. 

 Catherine was to have the annuity of 

 10 marks in case a divorce was pro- 

 cured by William, but not if she pro- 

 cured it. For this marriage Sir Henry 

 Bold was to pay 215 marks, but Thomas 

 Norris was to pay the * halfendall * of 

 what he had received of that sum should 

 Katherine die within six years without 

 issue ' inheiritable ' by William. Kathe- 

 rine survived her husband and son, and 

 was living in 1524. 



^ In 1 51 1, about three years after the 

 inquest had been made, Henry Norris 

 came into the Court of Chancery at Lan- 

 caster to correct certain mistakes which 

 had caused the escheator to enter into 

 possession. Speke and the other lands 

 had been described as held of the king as 

 of his duchy of Lancaster by knight's ser- 

 vice, whereas Speke was held of William 

 Molyneux in socage by fealty, the lands 

 in Formby of the earl of Derby, and only 

 the land in West Derby of the king as 

 duke. Duchy of Lane. Inq. p. m. iii, 

 n. 14. 



Sir William Norris's will (28 April, 

 1492) grants to his sons James, William, 

 and George 401. each to be paid when 

 they go to service ; should any of them 

 will to be ' men of the church ' they were 

 to be found at the school according to 

 their degree, and should one become a 

 priest he was to be maintained till twenty- 

 four years of age at school ; otherwise 

 they were to have 7.6s. %d. each until 

 advanced 'in service or fee' of loof. a 

 year. Should any of them take and keep 

 paramours they were to lose their right 

 under the will. His son Henry must 

 help his sisters Lettice, Margaret, and Joan 

 till marriage, when each was to have 40 

 marks. He desired his wife and eldest 

 son to live together ' aythur to socuroder.* 

 His uncles Richard and John Norris were 

 made overseers. 



* A dispensation for this marriage was 

 granted by Hadrian di Castello, the papal 

 nuncio, from his residence at St. Paul's in 

 London, the parties being related in the 



third and fourth degree ; and a settlement 

 was made by Sir William Norris for the 

 benefit of the bride, the properties includ- 

 ing the grantor's mill in Speke, then in 

 the tenure of James Robinson j Norris D. 

 (B.M.), 657-60. 



Soon after his father's death Henry 

 Norris made arrangements for his mother's 

 dower ; she was to have ;^20 yearly and 

 the income of her jointure lands (as set- 

 tled by Thomas Norris) was to be ascer- 

 tained by her son (or William Brettargh) 

 and Dame Katherine 'going lovingly to- 

 gether to the tenants ' to learn * the parcel 

 of the lands and what rent every tenant 

 gives' J ibid. 661 ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. 

 p.m. V, M. 63. 



8 Norris D. (B.M.). 



■• Ormerod, Parentalia (Norris, 30, 

 31, 47). He had a general pardon from 

 Henry VIII in the first year of his reign ; 

 Norris D. (B.M.). 



* Duchy of -Lane. Inq. p.m. v, n. 63 ; 

 the will of Henry Norris is recited in it. 

 The brasses of Henry and Clemence in 

 Childwall church are figured in Orme- 

 rod's Parentalia and Thornely's Lanes. 

 Brasses, 



^ A detailed list of the lands exchanged 

 in Lydiate and Garston is extant. 



7 Leland, Itin. v, 55 ; vii, 48. Bla- 

 con was held on lease from the earl of 

 Oxford. 



8 Fourteen folio volumes now pre- 

 served in the Athenaeum Library at 

 Liverpool have his autograph inscriptions 

 stating that ' Edin Borow ' was won on 

 8 May, 1544, and that the said books 

 were ' Gotten and brought away by me 

 William Norris of the Speike, K., the 

 nth day of May aforesaid,' and being now 

 the books of him the foresaid Sir William 

 were given and by him left to remain at 

 Speke as heirlooms. 



9 Ormerod, Parentalia, where a sketch 

 of the banner is given. Sir William's 

 eldest son William is said to have been 

 killed at Pinkie. 



1" Pink and Beavan, Lanes. Pari. Rep. 

 180. 



11 Lanes. Lieutenancy (Chet. Soc), 17. 

 ^'' Sir W. Norris's 'Declaration,' of 



which the original is among the Norris 

 deeds (B.M.), is printed in the Topographer 

 and Genealogist, ii, 362-73, with an im- 

 portant omission j after ' Sir Henry ' at the 

 end of the second line should be added 

 ' son of Sir John son of Sir Henry/ 



^8 In the inquisition after his death he 

 is said to have held Speke of Sir Richard 

 Molyneux in socage by fealty only ; Gar- 

 ston of the queen, as of her manor of 

 West Derby, in socage by a rent of 20J.; 

 tenements in Hale of George Ireland by a 

 rent of 5^. j in Halewood of the earl of 

 Derby by a rent of 241. ^d. ; in Allerton, 

 of Richard Lathom ; in Much Woolton 

 of the queen as of the late priory of St. 

 John of Jerusalem in England by a rent of 

 545, \id* ; and he had a free fishery in 

 the Mersey ; Duchy of Lane. Inq. p. m. 

 xi, n. 2Z. 



For his attitude in religion see Gibson, 

 Lydiate Hallj 186, 195 ; Raines, Chantries 

 (Chet. Soc), ii, 177. 



A pedigree was recorded in 1567; 

 Viiit. (Chet. Soc), 83-6. 



^■* He was returned in 1590 as a sus- 

 pected person, conforming to some degree, 

 but of evil note,' his wife was a notorious 

 recusant, and in 1598 he had to pay ^^15 

 to the queen's service in Ireland on her 

 account; his children seem mostly to have 

 adhered to the Roman Catholic faith, and 

 at least one of them suffered for it. See 

 Gibson, Lydiate Hallj 244, 247, quoting 

 S.P. Dom. Eliz. ccxxxv, «. 4. In 1586 

 the vicar of K-irkham reported 'Richard 

 Brittain, a priest receipted in the house of 

 William Bennet of Westby about the be- 

 ginning of June last, from whence young 

 Mr. Norris of Speke conveyed the said 

 Brittain to the Speke .... (who) re- 

 maineth now at the house of Mr. Norris 

 of the Speke .... by common report * ; 

 Baines, Lanes, quoting Harl, MS. 360, 

 fol. 32. See also Cal. of S.P. Dom, 

 1598-1601, p. 482; and Crosby Rec, 

 (Chet. Soc), 23. 



1^ It should be remembered that Garston 

 chapel had never been used for the new 

 services, and that Roman Catholics at the 

 beginning of James I's reign were hoping 

 to be allowed liberty of worship. 



