WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



ALTCAR 



The monks of Merivale on being established at 

 Altcar began improvements, in particular by draining 

 their land. This brought them into conflict with 

 their brother Cistercians of Stanlaw on the southern 

 side of the river, vifhose lands and mill might be 

 damaged by any alteration of the course of the Alt.' 



The monks also made an agreement with John de 

 Lea of Raven Meols by which he granted them for 

 their cattle a road next to the Alt over his land, the 

 road being 3 perches wide (each of twenty lawful 

 feet) and extending from the King's way between 

 Raven Meols and Alt Bridge, as far as the pasture on 

 Alt Marsh. On the other hand he obtained leave to 

 embank and enclose Herdebreck Pool." 



In 1292 the abbot was called upon to show by 

 what right he held a messuage and a plough-land in 

 Altcar. In reply he cited the above grants by 

 William de Ferrers and Agnes his widow. For the 

 king it was urged that he should also show some 

 royal confirmation, and that being unable to do so 

 his tenure was bad. The abbot retained Altcar.' In 

 the eyre of the forest of Henry earl of Lancaster in 

 1329 the abbot and convent were again called upon 

 to show their warrant for holding the manor in alms.' 



The abbot seems to have sent two or three monks 

 from Warwickshire to farm the land.' 



In January, 1383-4, Sir Thomas de Stafford 

 surrendered to the monks the grange of Altcar which 

 he had held from them, together with the mill and 

 crofts of the Gore, &c. In 1389 the abbot and 

 convent leased (for his life) to Thomas Heton of 



Lydiate a moiety of the Gore, with hall, barn, and 

 appurtenances, for a rent of 33/. ^d., the tenant to 

 pay all tithes and other dues as might be levied. At 

 the same time they leased (also for life) to Robert 

 Coton of Lydiate a messuage called Long Houses and 

 a meadow called Priest Meadow lying next to the 

 Gore, paying yearly to their warden (' custos ') of 

 Altcar I %s., as well as tithes, &c.* 



In June, 1429, Abbot John Ruggeley and the 

 convent of Merivale leased to Edmund Lord Ferrers, 

 Thomas Mollesley and William Donyngton the 

 manor of Altcar for the life of the abbot, an annual 

 rent of 50 marks to be paid. The abbot and convent 

 undertook also to send one of their monks to celebrate 

 divine services in the chapel of St. Mary ' in the said 

 manor, at the cost of the tenants. It was provided 

 ' that if Robert Molyneux, Roger Wyrley, and 

 Richard Lowe should die before the abbot ' the 

 monks might re-enter.* 



About ten years after this, Sir Richard Molyneux of 

 Sefton, brother of Robert the lessee of Altcar, 

 endeavoured to make an exchange with the monks. 

 He would give them two acres in Sefton with the 

 advowson of the parish church, which they might 

 appropriate, appointing a vicar ; in return he was to 

 have the manor of Altcar, and so much land there as 

 would bring in the same amount of money as the 

 rectory of Sefton would be worth to the monks. 

 This scheme for making a profit out of Sefton church 

 was not carried through ; but it shows that the 

 family of Molyneux had already cast eyes upon Altcar.' 



^ The dispute was referred to the abbots 

 of three other Cistercian houses — Roche, 

 Kirkstall, and Sawley — and these in 1238 

 decided against any innovations by the 

 Merivale monks; fVhalley Coucher^W, 512. 

 Original at Croxteth. 



A dispute in 1274. was settled by the 

 arbitration of the abbots of Combermere 

 and CroJrton. The monks of Stanlaw had 

 obstructed the Merivale openings through 

 which the flood-waters of the Alt escaped, 

 and had raised their own flood-gates too 

 high ; their mill also obstructed the flow 

 of water. Thus the abbot of Merivale's 

 crops were in danger 5 ibid, ii, 513. 



2 Croxteth D. It might be inferred 

 from these deeds that the Merivale monks 

 had a right to use the marshy pastures at 

 the mouth of the Alt, driving their cattle 

 through Raven Meols. This grant might 

 account for the above-mentioned strip of 

 land extending to the west. 



Another charter, granted about 1300, 

 is from Thomas son of Richard de Halsall 

 to the monks, being a quitclaim of any 

 right he might have in certain land next 

 to the channel of Hole Beck, where parts 

 of two houses * at our place of the Gore * 

 are built. Croxteth D. ; for Hole Beck 

 cf. Ale Pool in the first charter ; Gore 

 is on the border of Lydiate and Mag- 

 hull. 



Much earlier than this (1251) Henry 

 de Nottingham had quitclaimed to the 

 monks all his right in common of pasture 

 in Altcar ; the abbot giving him 40s. 

 Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 



i, 113- 



s Plac. de quo Warr. (Rec. Com.), 383 ; 

 Ahbre-u. Plac. (Rec. Com.), 230A, 288*. 



In the Taxatio of Pope Nicholas, 1291 

 (p. 258), the abbot of Merivale is said to 

 have at the grange called Altcar 4 plough- 

 lands of an annual value of ^l 6s. id., 

 profits of his stock of cattle, &c., ^^3, and 

 rent in various places, ^^lo. The word 



' plough-land ' here is obviously not the 

 * plough-land ' of the ancient assessment. 



Some liberties were conceded to the 

 abbot in the time of Edward II. Robert de 

 Halsall gave right of entry and exit by 

 the road called Holbeck Gate, from Altcar 

 to the High Street of Lydiate 5 and some 

 dispute as to right of way was formally 

 settled before the sheriff in his tourn of 

 West Derby ; Kuerden MSS. Ii, fol. 270A, 

 R.81. 



■• Duchy of Lane. Forest Proc. 1-17. 

 m. 6. 



At the beginning of 1377 John of 

 Gaunt seems to have laid claim to this 

 manor, but on inquiry the abbot's right 

 was once more affirmed. The tenement 

 was described as a messuage, 200 acres of 

 (arable) land, 200 acres of meadow, 100 

 acres of wood, and 1,000 acres of pas- 

 ture, held in pure and perpetual alms 

 without any secular service or demand ; 

 Croxteth D. A. 5. 



* Generally speaking, their existence 

 was peaceable enough, but in 1343 

 Richard son of Sir John de Molyneux of 

 Little Crosby, Henry Blundell of the 

 same place, Richard de Standish, and 

 other evil-doers, were accused of having 

 gone Into the abbot's manor of Altcar 

 with force and arms and threatened the 

 monks, so that they removed from the 

 place with their servants, not daring to 

 live there any longer. The doors were 

 broken down, and the stores and utensils 

 consumed; Assize R. 430, m. 14, zod. 

 29 d. On the other hand, Thomas de 

 Shevlngton, monk of Altcar, was in 

 1354 charged with having struck William 

 Gervase of Ince Blundell, and thrown 

 Robert de Bickerstath into the ditch and 

 kept him there till he was nearly 

 drowned ; Assize R. 436, m. i. 



The abbot had a dispute with some of 

 the neighbours about watercourses in 

 1363, and another as to boundaries was 



223 



carried on with the rector of Halsall in 

 1367 ; De Banc. R. 413, m. 184 ; Crox- 

 teth D. A. I. 



6 Croxteth D. A. 6, 7, 8. Some time 

 in the fourteenth century the monks are 

 said to have lost lands here by the inroads 

 of the sea ; but the statement rests only 

 on a vague tradition ; Duchy Plea. (Rec. 

 Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i. 24. 



7 The last and present churches have 

 been named St. Michael's. 



^ These three gave a bond for ;^20o to 

 perform their covenant with Lord Ferrers 

 and the others ; Croxteth D. A. 9. 



A valuable inventory is attached to 

 this lease. In the first place in the 

 chapel were a missal, two vestments (one 

 of black satin, the other of black stuff 

 with crowns), a chalice worth 20s., a 

 cross with staff and banner, a breviary, a 

 book called ' Krystnyng book,' and 

 another called * Buryyng book,' a brass 

 vessel for holy water, and two chairs. 

 In the /tail two trestles, one table, and 

 two tables dormant, a basin with wash 

 bowl, and hanging tapestry (dosum). 

 In the chamber a coverlet with a bed- 

 carpet {tapetum) worth 6i. %d.y a pair of 

 sheets, a mattress worth zs. with two 

 blankets, a coffer bound with iron. The 

 buttery, larder, and kitchen were fully 

 furnished. The cattle were 12 cows, 12 

 calves and a bull, 16 'twinters* and 20 

 stirks, 8 oxen, 100 sheep, 4 horses and a 

 mare i worth in all ^^23 6s. %d. There 

 were also wains, etc. The mill had 4 

 sail cloths worth los. and 2 millstones 

 and a 'royne' worth \os.\ at the other 

 mill were 2 stones and a *ryne* worth 

 6s. %d, ; Croxteth D. A. 10. 



^ Trans. Hist. Soc. xxxiv, 125-7. 



In 1480 Thomas Molyneux of Sefton 

 was endeavouring to obtain a lease of 

 Altcar from the abbot of Merivale, and as 

 a preliminary he came to an agreement 

 with Piers Holland of Downholland as 



