WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



under them.' On the sale of their estates early in 

 the seventeenth century it was acquired by Robert 

 Blundell of Ince,' and became involved in the dispute 

 between the latter and the earl of Macclesfield. In 

 depositions taken at the trial (1664) it was stated 

 that Sir Cuthbert had improved the lands belonging 

 to Renacres and let them in common with the 

 demesne lands of Halsall ; and the tenants of Halsall 

 had ' done boon ' in Renacres.' The owners or 

 tenants of Renacres had generally been called as 

 suitors at the courts of the manor of Halsall, though 

 none of them seem to have appeared there ; and 

 they paid lays to the constable of Halsall.* So far 

 as Renacres was concerned, the cause was decided 

 in favour of the Blundells' claim in 1 7 19, and it 

 has since descended with Ince Blundell.' 



Renacres gave its name to one or more families 

 in the neighbourhood.^ 



SNAPE, as may be implied in its name, was a 

 border farm or hamlet.' Thomas son of Alan de 

 Snape granted (about 1300) certain land in Halsall 

 to Thomas the clerk of North Meols and Emma his 

 wife. After the death of Thomas de Snape, his 

 widow Alice taking her third as dower, this land was 

 claimed by his heiresses — Margery wife of Robert del 

 Riding of Sefton (Roger their son), Goditha wife of 

 Paulinus del Edge of Halsall, Avice wife of Adam de 

 Molyneux, Anabil wife of Robert the Tailor of 

 Lathom — in right of their sister Denise, who, they 

 said, died in possession. The jury found that 

 Thomas the clerk and his wife had been unjustly 

 disseised by force and arms, and must recover, the 

 damages being taxed at 34J.* 



DOWNHOLLAND 



Holand, Dom. Bk. ; Holland, 1258; Doun- or 

 Downholland from 1 290. 



Bartune, Dom. Bk. ; Barton, 1246. 



This is a composite township. Barton in early 

 times having been separate. It lies on a very gradual 

 slope from a slight ridge reaching 70 ft. above sea 



HALSALL 



level down to fenland only 1 1 ft. above that level. 

 The three villages, Downholland, Haskayne, and 

 Barton are situated on the higher ground. The 

 lower ground is of a marshy character, but mostly 

 reclaimed and converted into fertile fields, dr.iined by 

 ditches in the lower parts and divided by spare 

 hawthorn hedges in the higher portions of the 

 township. There is a natural dearth of plantations 

 and hedgerow trees in a district swept continually 

 by sea-breezes, and what trees there are are stunted 

 and bent by the prevalent westerly winds, whilst the 

 many picturesque thatched cottages in the villages 

 also seem to turn their backs to the west. The 

 principal crops produced in the township, grown on 

 the sandy soil, are potatoes, cabbages, wheat, and oats. 

 The area of the township is 3,472^' acres, of which 

 Downholland has 1,378 acres and Haskayne 908. 

 In 1901 there was a population of 692. 



The principal road is that going northerly from 

 Lydiate through the hamlets of Downholland and 

 Haskayne in succession ; a cross-road leads to Barton, 

 which is close to the northern boundary. The 

 Leeds and Liverpool Canal winds through the town- 

 ship, crossing the main road at Downholland and 

 Haskayne ; it is the principal means of carriage for 

 the farm produce of the district. The Cheshire 

 Lines Committee's railway crosses the mosslands 

 north, and has a station called Mossbridge. Just at 

 the southern boundary there is a junction with the 

 branch line of the Liverpool, Southport and Preston 

 Junction Railway, which has a station at Barton 

 village. 



The township is governed by a parish council. 



Near this village there was ' a remarkable fountain 

 of salt water,' a quart producing ' near half a pound 

 of good white granulated salt."" There is abundance 

 of brine under Barton Moss, but though a company 

 was formed to pump it, nothing was done. 



Chisnall and Warnshaw brooks run through the 

 township. Sander Lane, the Quarters, Hallaso Carr, 

 and Stake Hey are mentioned in the Alt Drainage 

 Act of 1779. 



1 About 1540 Sir Thomas Halsall held 

 it of them hy a rent of izi^. ; Kuerden 

 MSS. V, fol. 84. 



^ Among the early charters of this 

 family are the following relating to 

 it : (i) Walter son of Adam grants to 

 William son of Roger an eighth part of 

 Renacres in fee and heredity, paying 6(/. 

 to the superior lord and an additional 3^. 

 to the grantor and his heirs ; (ii) the 

 same granted a quarter of his land there 

 to Alan son of Adam, perhaps his brother, 

 rendering izd. ; this rent is the same 

 and payable on the same day (St. Bar- 

 tholomew) as that of Alfred de Ince in 

 the Hospitallers' charter ; (iii) Robert son 

 of William de Renacres granted a quarter 

 of his land in Renacres to his brother 

 Roger, with all easements and common 

 rights as contained in Robert's charter from 

 Gilbert de Halsall, rendering 6ii. yearly 

 for all services and dues. The bounds of 

 this donation are thus described ; From 

 the cross above Turnerliche, following the 

 division between the dry land (* terra 

 certa ') and the marsh as far as the ditch 

 going down from the vill to the marsh, 

 and along the same natural boundary to 

 the ditch between Wolfhow and Renacres, 

 and thence by the division between the 

 dry land and the Moss around Wolfhow to 

 the ditch between this place and Shurl- 



acres Mere ; thence, transversely, in a 

 straight line to the cross already named j 

 Trans. Hist. Soc. xxxix, 184-8. 



*Dame' Mary Blundell, widow of Henry 

 Blundell, appears to have been living at 

 Renacres manor-house in 1717, when she 

 as a 'Papist* registered an estate; Sng. 

 Cath. Non-jurors, in. 



^ Duchy of Lane. Depos. 1664, n. 

 10 d. It is further stated that Jackson's 

 Brook, beginning at North Moor in 

 Halsall, anciently divided Halsall and 

 Renacres, running into a mere called 

 Renacres Mere, which was divided between 

 the two places ; afterwards running into 

 Shurlacres Mere in Scarisbrick. The de- 

 ponent remembered old men saying that 

 formerly there was a * fleam ditch ' kept 

 open, which was part of the boundary ; 

 but Mr. Herle, then possessor of Ren- 

 acres, filled it up, and sedges and withens 

 grew there. Another deponent gave the 

 boundaries of the 'inlands' of Renacres 

 thus : From the head of Skellet Wood 

 down to a sandy hill, and so to Shirleys, 

 and thence along the brookslde to Meols 

 Cop, and thence to Scarisbrick. Shirleys 

 Hill derived its name from a recent 

 occupier, the old name was Corney Hill. 

 More interesting names are Kettelwell 

 Moss, 'behind a place called Shirley,' 

 apparently on the Birkdale side ; and 



197 



Kettelsgreave Ditch, part of the boundary 

 between Birkdale and Renacres. 



■* Ibid, 1701, n. 3. 



* Gibson, Lydiate Hally ii6 (derived 

 from papers at Ince Blundell). 



^ Alan de Renacres occurs about 1240 ; 

 and Richard son of Alan de Renacres and 

 others made complaint against Gilbert de 

 Halsall in 13055 Herbert de Burscough 

 son of Robert de Renacres, and William 

 son of Simon de Renacres appear about 

 1260 ; Simon son of Stephen de Renacres 

 was plaintiff in a dispute as to pasture in 

 Bickerstaffe in 1313; and others occur 

 from time to time. Assize R. 420, m. 5 j 

 424, m. 4.d. 6. See also the accounts of 

 Bickerstaffe and other townships. 



Adam de Renacres in 1284 secured 

 from Robert de Renacres seven acres in 

 Halsall, the rent being a rose annually ; 

 for which concession Adam gave Robert 

 a sor sparrowhawk ; Final Cone, i, 163. 



7 It is now within Scarisbrick, but 

 formerly appears to have been halved ; see 

 the quotation from Inq. Nonarum^ given 

 in a former note, 



^ Final Cone, i, 190 ; Assize R. I 321, 



3 3,475 in the census of 1901, in- 

 cluding 22 acres of inland water. 



^^ Bowers, Syst. Geogr. i, 2 1 3 (quoted in 

 Baines' Lanes.). 



