A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



The geological formation is triassic, consisting in the 

 eastern part of the township of the pebble beds of the 

 bunter series, but a fault running from the mouth of 

 the Rams Brook to Halcwood Station throws down 

 these beds, and in the central, western, and northern 

 parts the upper mottled sandstones of the same 

 series are in evidence. 



The township is crossed east and west by two rail- 

 way lines — the London and North- Western line from 

 Liverpool to Warrington and to Crewe, with stations 

 at Halebank and Ditton Junction ; and the Cheshire 

 Lines Committee's railway between Liverpool and 

 Manchester, with a station near the village of Hale- 

 wood, to the west of which the Southport line 

 branches off. There are numerous roads and cross 

 roads ; that from Hale village to Widnes runs 

 parallel to the Mersey bank, about half a mile inland, 

 and is joined by the road from Liverpool through Wool- 

 ton, which is in turn joined, near Halebank Station, 

 by the more northerly road through Gateacre, which 

 runs along the western boundary. A continuation 

 of this road, which seems to be the old path from 

 Liverpool through Childwall to Hale, has degenerated 

 into a pathway along the boundary between Halcwood 

 and Spekc ; the southern part has been somewhat 

 diverted, but an existing footpath to Hale village 

 seems to be the true continuation of it. The fields 

 in Halewood along the footpath are known as Port- 

 way fields, probably part of the ' Portway ' occurring 

 in the Much Woolton charters. 



In the village is a small brewery. The Ditton 

 Brook Ironworks by the Mersey have been dis- 

 continued for many years, but the buildings are used 

 for a grease factory. 



Mr. Willis of Halsnead about 1790 built a staith 

 for loading vessels with coal.' 



On sinking a well near Ditton Junction station in 

 1 88 1 some Roman remains were found.' 



The township is governed by a parish council. 



The manorial history of Halewood has 

 MJNOR been given in that of Hale, from which it 

 cannot well be separated. The ' wood of 

 Hale ' is mentioned in many of the early charters, and 

 the rights of taking firewood, Sec, and of pannage 

 show that the forest was in this case woodland also. 

 The mill upon the brook dividing Halewood from 

 Ditton is mentioned early. 



One distinction may jserhaps be ancient. It would 

 appear that the Irelands had Hale for their residence 

 and manor house, while their superior lords the 

 Holands fixed upon Halewood. Yet the Hutt, which 

 became the chief residence of the former family, is 

 within Halewood, just upon the south-west comer, 

 forming as it were a ' mere.' It will have been 

 noticed in the account of Hale that Maud de Holand's 

 manor in 1423 is described as Halewood ; and down 

 to the last century the earl of Derby, as possessor of 



the Levels' confiscated rights, held a manor court there 

 about Easter.' The manor of Halewood was part of 

 the dower of Charlotte, countess of Derby, in 162S,' 

 There are court rolls at Knowsley. 



The remains of the Old Hutt consist of a three- 

 story gatehouse facing north-west, now used as a 

 farmhouse, and standing just within the line of a 

 quadrangular moat, now dry on all sides except the 

 south-east, while behind the gatehouse is the entrance 

 doorway of the main building, an early fourteenth- 

 century arch with moulded head and jambs. A 

 length of the inner wall of the south-west wing, with 

 an early seventeenth-century fireplace, and part of a 

 mullioned window of the same date, is also standing ; 

 but otherwise the house, which was doubtless a quad- 

 rangular building, with an inner courtyard, has been 

 utterly destro}-ed. The gatehouse is contemporary 

 with this fragment, and is built of brick with red 

 sandstone dressings, with a central roundheaded arch- 

 way now blocked, and over it two stories of square- 

 headed mullioned windows of four lights with 

 transoms. On either side of the upper window are 

 stone panels with the arms of Ireland, Molyneux, .ind 

 Handford, and the building is finished with a pitched 

 roof having a large timber and plaster panelled cove 

 at the eaves. The farm buildings north-west of the 

 moated site are of stone and timber construction, 

 apparent!)' of the seventeenth century, though part 

 may be of earlier date. One of the buildings has some 

 very good specimens of heavy timber ' cracks ' on a 

 low stone base, and on a stone doorhead in the 

 western range is a date, partly hidden by a beam, 

 16 . . , and the name lohn Irelande. 



The abbot of Stanlaw complained in 1 246 that 

 Richard de Hale and Alan le Norreys had disseised 

 him of I 2 acres of land in Woolton ; but the jury 

 rejected his claim, saying that the land was within 

 Hale, not in Woolton.' ' Hale ' at that time included 

 Halewood, otherwise there could not have been this 

 uncertainty as to the boundary. 



In 1349 Alice, widow of Robert de Pemberton, 

 granted two plots of land in Halewood, called the 

 Wro and the Riding, to her son William ; and they 

 were settled on William and his wife Margery, with 

 successive remainders to their children, John, William, 

 Henry, and Roger ; and in case of failure, to the work 

 of St. Peter of Childwall. The lands had descended 

 in 1402 to Henry Pemberton of Halewood, who 

 settled them on his son William and his heirs by 

 Margery his wife, daughter of Simon de Hale of 

 Eccleston.' In 1508 John Pemberton sold all his 

 land in Halewood to Roger Ogle, and six years later 

 his widow Alice Pemberton made a general release. 

 Sir William Norris of Speke afterwards purchased it 

 from Ogle.' 



William son of Adam, son of Beatrice of Halewood, 

 granted to Ralph, son of Ellen, and Ellen his wife' 



1 Tram. Hist. Soc. xxii, 221. 



2 Watkin, Romjn Lanes. 228. 



* Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1836), iii, 752. 



■* Royalist Comp. Papers (Rec. Soc. Laacs. 

 and Ches.), ii, 182, 225. 



s Assize R. 404, m. \\ d. 



« Norris D. (B.M.), 185-6, 189, 199. 



" Ibid. 221, 222, 229. A memorandum 

 that was made upon these deeds in the six- 

 teenth century gives some insight into the 

 method of settling boundary disputes. 

 After naming the twelve men of the lord- 

 ship of Halewood who knew the meres 

 parting the lands of Kenwrick and Pem- 



berton, it proceeds : * And these four men 

 were swome upon a boke to meyte the 

 seidc grounde and they founde aythcr parte 

 in lyke mekull : Thomas Tarleton, Robert 

 Robye, Richard Poghton, Rallyn Part.' 

 On the back is the statement : ' It is 

 ordered by my lord of Derby by the advice 

 of learned counsel that for as much as 

 John Ogle hath his part of the land by 

 descent after the death of his father that 

 purchased it and showeth that lii men 

 that knew the meres of the land by four 

 men made a certainty of the said John 

 Ogle's part ; the which the party com- 



150 



plainant will not agree unto because Ogle'i 

 father was then steward of the lordship; 

 the said earl wills that William Brettargh 

 and William Sergeant shall upon the costs 

 of both parties at a day appointed go to the 

 ground and call the said xii men and the 

 iv men before them, and if the party com- 

 plainant can prove that the land be not 

 indifferently bounded and mered and 

 " dealed " every party " lyke mych," that 

 they see it reformed according to conscience 

 and right ; and every party to occupy their 

 own without interruption of other in the 

 meantime.' 



