A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



Magbull of Mag- 

 HtjLL. Argent, a balista 

 azure loaded ivith a stone 



i\d. annual rent was also to be paid.' This was the 

 origin of the holding of the Maghull family. 



In I zgz Richard son of Robert de Maghull claimed 

 from Gilbert d.; Halsall 5 acres of land and 2^ acres 

 of wood as his inheritance, 

 from his grandfather Richard 

 son of William, who had held 

 it in the time of Henry III. 

 Gilbert raised the technical plea 

 that his brother Henry ought 

 to have been joined with him 

 as defendant, since he held 

 l^ acres of the disputed land.' 



In August, 1301, Richard 

 son of Robert de Maghull 

 gave to his son Richard and 

 his wife Emmota, daughter of 

 Robert de Rydings of Sefton, <"'■ 

 all his lands in Aintree and 

 in Melling ; he and his wife Alice giving warranty.' 



Gilbert de Halsall, Richard son of Robert de Mag- 

 hull, Richard son of Simon de Maghull, and others 

 were in I 304 defendants in a claim made by Thurstan 

 de Maghull in right of his wife Margery, formerly 

 the wife of Adam de Crosby, regarding common of 

 pasture in 100 acres of moor, wood, and pasture. 

 Gilbert de Halsall and Richard de Maghull were 

 lords of the vill ; and their defence w.is that the 

 approvement made was lawful according to the statute 

 of Merton.' 



In 1336 Richard son of Richard de Maghull 

 granted his son Richard land in the township, with 

 remainders to Adam and to William, brothers of the 

 grantor. Three years later the same Richard made a 

 similar grant to his brothers William, Adam, and 

 Henry in succession.' Between these grants (in 

 1338) Thomas son of Ellen de Maghull (with whom 

 his son Simon was joined) brought a claim by writ of 

 novel disseisin, against Richard son of Richard son of 



Robert dc Maghull and Emma his wife, Thomas son 

 of Richard son of Simon de M.ighuU and Alice his 

 wife, Richard son of Simon de Maghull and Margery 

 his wife, and Robert and Henry sons of the first 

 defendant." In another suit in 1334 it was stated 

 that Gilbert de Halsall was lord of one moiety ; 

 Thomas son of Richard son of Simon, and Richard 

 son of Richard son of Robert being lords of the other 

 moiety.' 



It thus appears there were two families taking their 

 name from Maghull, one descending from Robert and 

 the other from Simon, and probably both from the 

 above-named William de Maghull.' This comes out 

 again in 1350 in a claim by Gilbert de Halsall in 

 which the defendants were the grandsons above- 

 named — Richard and Thomas.' 



Gilbert de Halsall in 1346 prosecuted Thomas son 

 of Richard de Maghull for breaking his mill, to the 

 loss of lOos. profit.'" William son of Thomas de 

 Maghull was a grantor in 1361." Six years later 

 Thomas de Maghull complained that John the 

 Mercer and others had attacked him with bows and 

 arrows, and that he dare not go to church or visit 

 anyone in the town without protection ; but the 

 jury acquitted the accused. There were counter 

 charges against Thomas, his son John and brother 

 William." Thomas was living in 1358. 



At this point there is a defect in the evidences." 



Richard de Maghull occurs as one of the lords of 

 the vill in i 395.'* The name of Thomas de Maghull 

 occurs in 141 8 and 1 42 3 and again in 1447." The 

 series of Maghull charters begins again in 1 421 with 

 a grant by Hugh de Bretlands and Margery his wife 

 to Thomas de Maghull of Aintree, of all the mes- 

 suages and lands in Maghull, Melling, and Aintree 

 which had belonged to Emmota the widow of Henry 

 del Crosse.'" 



William Maghull is said to have been lord of this 

 portion of the manor about 1420, and to have granted 



' Harl. MS. 2042, fol. 46A. Rightj 

 of paonagc and enclosure in the woods 

 were granted, but oaks and ash trees were 

 reserved. The date (19-25 Hen. Ill) is 

 fixed by the style of one of the witnesses, 

 * Simon dc Thornton, then sheriff.' 



Simon de Halsall in 1 246 brought a 

 writ of novel disseisin against Adam de 

 Molyneux and others regarding land in 

 Maghull, but did not prosecute it ; Assize 

 R. 404, m. 7. 



- Assiic R. 408, m. 21 ; also m. 42, 

 58 J. 



A William de Maghull in 1278 put 

 forward a claim upon the same Gilbert, 

 alleging disseisin; Assize R. 1238, m. 

 33 J. Sec also R. 408, m. 341/. for Wil- 

 liam de Maghull a plaintiff. 



In I 303 Cecily daughter of William de 

 Maghull had a messuage and 14J acres 

 of land confirmed to her ; Final Cone. 

 (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 202. 



» Harl. MS. 2042, fol. 46. Alice is 

 supposed to have been an Aintree heiress. 



Richard granted 1 1 acres to his sister 

 Margerv, five lying by Quinbrok and six 

 towards the vill ; ibid. fol. 46. Whin- 

 ney's Brook runs through the centre of 

 the township. 



< Assize R. 419, m. 61/.; R. 420, m. i, 

 4, 4(3. 10 d, II. The plaintiffs were 

 partia ly successful. Thurstan may be 

 the Thurstan son of Alice de Whitelaw 

 of an earlier suit (1292) ; Assize R. 408, 

 m. 34 d. 



In 1 318 Richard (as heir to his brother 



William), son of Thurstan de Maghull, 

 released to Simon his brother land which 

 the grantor's uncle William son of Richard 

 the Rede gave to the first-named William. 

 Richard son of Simon de Maghull is 

 among the witnesses ; Croxteth D. 



* K-Ucrdcn MSS. ii, fol. 262, nn. 69, 

 ^4. Richard son of Simon de Maghull 

 was a witness to both charters. 



• Assize R. 1425, m. 6. 



7 Coram Rege R. 297, m. 2 d. 



'* There is a charter by Thomas son of 

 Richar.i de Maghull, dated 1341, in Anct. 

 D. (P.R.O.), A. 10300. 

 ' Assize R. 1 444, m, 6. 



10 De Banco R. 347, m. 23 (/. 



" Croxteth D., T. i, 2. 



^' Exch. Misc. xc. m. 46, 49. 



^ Some contemporary cases may be re- 

 corded. One is that of Joan widow of 

 Adam de Aintree, who claimed dower in a 

 messuage and land from Henry son of 

 Simon de Bickerstath and Agnes his wife ; 

 Isabel daughter of William son of William 

 del Halgh was called to warrant ; Duchy 

 of Lane. Assize R. 3, m. ij, v ; R. 4, m. 

 17 ; Assize R. 438, m. ^d. Agnes de 

 Bickerstath also proceeded against Thomas 

 son of Ralph de Maghull and John his 

 son ; Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 3, m. i, ij. 

 These cases lasted from 1354 to 1360. 



Richard de Bechington sought from 

 Richard the WarJ of Maghull, Richard 

 son of William de Molyneux, and Jordan 

 de Massy, rector of Sefton, the wardship 

 of Emma daughter and heir of Robert son 



216 



of Richard the Ward. Robert had held 

 lands and houses in Aintree and Melling 

 in socage, and Richard de Bechington 

 claimed the wardship as nearest of kin, 

 namely, son of Simon the brother of Mar- 

 garet, who was mother of Emma. The 

 defence was that Robert had nothing, 

 except at the will of his father, the first- 

 named defendant j Duchy of Lane. Assize 

 R. 3, m. vd.; R. 4, m. 4</.; Assize R. 

 43;, m. 5. It is possible that Richard 

 the Ward is the same as Richard de Mag- 

 hull, but a Roger the Ward of Maghull 

 is mentioned in 1292; Assize R. 408, 

 m. 94. 



Adam de Orrell in i 360 complained that 

 William de Lydiate had taken from him 

 Henry, son and heir of Roger son of 

 William de Maghull, the marriage of this 

 minor pertaining to Adam ; Duchy of 

 Lane, Assize R. 8, m. 4 j Assize R. 441, 

 m. I d. 



" Nicholas de Maghull had held a mes- 

 suage and 10 acres of him there, which 

 after his death had descended to Richard 

 de Derbyshire, a 'native' of the duke's, 

 as son and heir of Nicholas's sister Alice. 

 Lanci. Inj. f. m. (Chet. Soc), i, 56. 



In 1397-8 Nicholas son of William de 

 Maghull leased to Emmot his wife cer- 

 tain lands in Maghull for the life of his 

 brother Thomas ; Norris D. (Rydal Hall), 

 F. 89. 



^' Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc), i, ij; ; 

 ii, 54. 



" Harl. MS. 2042, fol. 47. 



