A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



An amphora of Samian ware was found here in 



1712.' 



Two thegns held six oxgangs of land 

 M^SORS for two manors in Holland, and Teos 

 held Barton as one plough-land, at the 

 death of Edward the Confessor, the values being is. 

 and izJ. All were in the privileged three-hide 

 district.' After the Conquest, H0LLj4ND and half of 

 Barton were granted in thegnage together with Ain- 

 tree and Ribbleton, while the other half of Barton 

 was annexed to the Warrington fee, together with 

 Halsall and Lydiate. 



In 1212 it was found that Henrj' de Holland held 

 the thegnage portion — three plough-lands and two 

 oxgangs in all — by an annual service of 26/., an 

 average of is. an oxgang. He had granted out Rib- 

 bleton, most of Aintree, and his half of Barton to 

 undertenants, but retained all or most of Down- 

 hoUand, and from it the family took their surname.' 

 Henry was the son of Alan de Holland, who had held 

 these manors in the time of Henry II.* He had a 

 brother Adam, and probably a sister or daughter who 

 married Robert son of Wronou.' 



Roger son of Henry de Holland gave Haskayne to 

 the Hospitallen.' On the other hand his cousin 

 William son of Adam de Holland resigned to 'his 

 lord ' Roger, all claim he might have to lands in Old 

 Holland and Barton Wood, and 20 acres in Mur- 

 scough.' Roger was followed by his son Henr)', who 

 gave to Robert son of Roger de Eggergarth land in 

 Downholland by Oldfield.' 



In M'll the heirs of Roger were found to be 

 holding Downholland and its appurtenances by the 

 service of 18/.° Roger de Downholland was in 1324 

 lord of the place.'" At Michaelmas 1323 the abbot 

 of Merivale as lord of Altcar and Richard de Down- 

 holland had a dispute as to a messuage, mill, land, and 

 wood in Downholland." Richard de Holland is 

 named in the subsidy rolls of 1327 and 1332, and he 

 is called 'lord of DownholLind ' in 1337, retaining 



possession in 1346 and '348-" The assessment is 

 now stated at 2.1, plough-lands ^for two and a quarter) 

 in Downholland, Aintree, and half Barton, and the 

 service as the fourth part of a knight's fee, with the 

 ancient 1 8/. rent. By a charter made in June, I 34 1 , 

 Richard de Holland granted to Alan his son and 

 Alan's wife, Katherine daughter of Robert de 

 Cowdray, various lands." The fruit of the marriage 

 was a daughter, and Alan dying a short time after- 

 wards, the father in 1345 granted Downholland to 

 his eldest surviving son, Roger, with remainders to 

 Henry and Charles.'* 



Roger succeeded his father about 1349." '"^ 

 1356 he acquired from Emma, daughter of Henry 

 son of Alan de Holland, and wife of Simon son of 

 Robert de Wolvesegh of Litherland in Sefton, the 

 oxgang in Holland formerly held by Alan's son 

 Robert. Next year Roger Ford of Litherland quit- 

 claimed to him all right in land he had held in Down- 

 holland, and in this he was joined by his wife Alice, 

 daughter of William son of Thomas de Downlithcr- 

 land." 



His son Thomas, contracted in 1363 to marry 

 Joan daughter of Richard de Scarisbrick," did not 

 possess the manor more than a few years, dying on 

 20 May, 1387, when his son William was only ten 

 years of age. He was found to have held two-thirds 

 of Downholland — his father's widow no doubt having 

 the other third — by knight's service. The manor of 

 Aintree was dependent on it, and held by the 

 daughter of Thomas de Nevill ; and the whole paid 

 annually to the duke 1 8/. The wardship and mar- 

 riage of William de Holland were granted to Richard 

 de Crooke of Whittle.'* William did not prove his 

 age until the spring of 1403, when his lands were 

 restored to him." 



William had a son Roger, to whom he made a 

 grant of land in 1423-4,'° and who in time succeeded 

 to the manor.*' To William Holland and Isabel his 

 wife," Thurstan Holland in 1430-1 transferred all 



' W.T.Watkin, Roman Lanes. 114. 



J r.C.H. Ljnci. i, p. 285a. 



' Lj/it-j. !nj. and Extents (Rcc. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Chcs.), 4.9. Only the I 8s. for 

 Downholland, Aintree, and Barton is 

 afterwards reckoned. 



* Final Cane. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Chcs.), i, 179 ; Coekersand Cbartul. (Chet. 

 Soc), ii, 6^1. 



* There was also an Alan de Holland 

 to whom Henry gave part of Aintree, 

 and to whose son John he gave part of 

 his land in Downholland, situate among 

 the lands which John already held of 

 Roger de Holland ; Dods. MSS. xxxijt, 

 fol. 138, n. 2. 



« Ibid. fol. 139, n. 17 ; fol. 138, n. 5. 

 This land is described as 'a certain part 

 of my land which lies within the land of 

 Thomas de Haskayne.' 



7 Ibid. fol. 138, n. 4.. 



* Ibid. fol. 138*, n. 6. 



William de Holland gave to his son 

 Alan and heirs an acre in Downholland 

 and the service of John Holland and of 

 Henry Holland ; ibid. fol. 142, n. 44. 

 The charters referred to are undated, but 

 in or before 1258 Christiana daughter of 

 Adam de Holland had made some claim 

 upon Roger, Henry, and William de Hol- 

 land, She had a son Richard, who about 

 the end of I'^2> claimed 8 acres from 

 Richard lord of Downholland ; De Banc. 

 R. 258, m. 45 d. William seems to have 



been her brother, being (as above) de- 

 scribed as ' son of Adam.* The lands 

 were taken into the king's hands ; Cur. 

 Reg. R. 160, m. 5, 32. 



Some years earlier (1246) a Ralph de 

 Holland had claimed land from Simon lord 

 of Halsall, on a plea oi novel disseisin^ but 

 failed, and his pledges — William son of 

 Adam de Holland and Henry de Holland 

 — were fined : Assize R. 404, m. I d. 



Henry son of Robert de Holland seems 

 to have been one of the principal holders 

 in 1292 ; Assize R. 408, m. 48 d. 

 * Lanes. In-J. and Extents, 288. 

 ^0 Dods. MSS. cxxxi, fol. 34. Perhaps 

 it should read, ' The heir of Roger.' 



^^ Richard is described as great-grand- 

 son and heir of Roger son of Henry de 

 Holland \ De Banc, R. 248, m. 79 d. 5 

 252, m. 61 d. 



^ Survey of 1 346 (Chet. Soc), 34 ; 

 Dods. MSS. xxxix, fol. 138, n. 3. 



« Dods. MSS. xxxix, fol. 138A. The 

 remainders were to his other sons Roger, 

 Henry, Andrew, and Charles and his 

 daughter Ameria. For Katherine see the 

 accounts of Barton and Halsall. 



Alan at once re-granted the manor to his 

 father, with the homage of Emma widow 

 of Henry de Atherton of Aintree ; ibid, 

 fol. 142, n. 44. 



n Ibid. fol. I38i, n. 13 ; fol. 141/., 

 n. 41. 



'^ Scarisbrick charters {Trans. Hist, 



Soe. xii), n. 78 ; he occurs among the 

 witnesses down to 1388 {n. 125). 



1' Dods. MSS. xxxix, fol. 1414,11.43,40. 

 1? Ibid, cxlvii, fol. 40*. Richard was 

 probably the brother of Gilbert de Scaris- 

 brick, who died in 1354. Thomas's 

 widow was named Cecily ; the writ of 

 Diem cl. extr. after her death was issued 

 6 Feb. 1407-8; Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxiii, 

 App. 7. 



'* Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc), i, 27, 

 28. 



" Duchy of Lane. Chan. R., div. xxv, 

 R. 5, R. 62. 



«i Dods. MSS. xxxix, fol. 141*, n. 38. 

 William was living and in possession of 

 manor in Dec. 143 1 ; Sub. R. 130-49. 



'• From 1441 to 1445 Roger Holland 

 is found complaining of trespass by 

 Henry Scarisbrick and others ; Pal. of 

 Lane Plea R. 3, m. 14 ; R. 4, m. 1 1 ; 

 R. 8, m. 1 5*. He occurs as late as 

 1476, when as son and heir of William 

 Holland he was defendant in a suit ; ibid. 

 R. 44, m. 2 d.; R. 26, m. 9. ' Hodgekin 

 (Roger) Holland and his brothers * were 

 stated about 1550 to have been lords of 

 Downholland about the middle of the 

 previous centun,' ; Duchy of Lane. Depos., 

 Phil, and Mary, Ixiv, H. 2. 



*^ She was an Urmston ; the Wcstleigh 

 property held by the Hollands was her 

 inheritance; see Dep. Keeper^ Rep. xxxiii, 

 App. 57. 



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