WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



ORMSKIRK 



Sir Thomas took a prominent part in the Civil 

 War, upon the Parliamentary side. It is said, indeed, 

 that in the attack on Lord Strange at Manchester in 

 July, 1642, it was this distant cousin who fired at 

 him thrice. He had in the previous March been 

 made a deputy-lieutenant of the county by the Com- 

 mons, and in October was made a magistrate ; in 

 April next year he was placed on the newly-formed 

 committee 'for sequestering notorious delinquents' 

 estates." He married, in or before 164.3, Mary, 

 daughter of Peter Egerton of Shaw, another Parlia- 

 mentarian, by whom he had two sons and two 

 daughters. He died in May, 1653, and was suc- 

 ceeded by his son Sir Edward Stanley.* Sir Edward's 

 son Thomas, just a year old, succeeded in 1671. 

 Before he came of age he married Elizabeth, daughter 

 and heir of Thomas Patten, through whom he ac- 

 quired a great estate in and near Preston.' In 1695 

 he was returned as one of the Whig members for 

 Preston.'' He died in May, 1714, and his son, Sir 

 Edward Stanley, succeeded him in February, 1735-6, 

 becoming earl of Derby, in succession to James, the 

 tenth earl, since which time the manor of BickerstafFe 

 has descended with Knowsley.' In 1831 Edward 

 Smith Stanley, afterwards thirteenth earl, was sum- 

 moned to the House of Lords as Baron Stanley of 

 BickerstafFe. The hall is a shooting box of the earl of 

 Derby. Court rolls from 1735 are preserved at 

 Knowsley. 



There were several other branches of the local 

 family ; some of them setded in Aughton, but others 

 continued to reside in BickerstafFe. Simon de Bicker- 

 stath contributed to the stipend of a priest at Orms- 

 kirk in 1366.* 



The Renacres family' have been mentioned ; they 

 appear to have been closely related to the lords of the 

 manor, and on one occasion ' put in their claim ' at a 

 settlement of the family estates. A number of deeds 

 concerning them have been preserved by Kuerden, 

 but it is not possible to give a complete account. 

 From cases cited above it appears that Stephen de 

 Renacres* was a prominent personage in BickerstafFe 

 about 1290, and that he was succeeded by his son 

 Simon, who occurs in the reign of Edward 11." In 

 1348 Richard, son of Simon de Renacres, granted to 

 his father a rent of zs. \d. issuing from lands in Bicker- 

 stafFe," and in 139 1-2 Ellen (Walsh), the widow of 

 Richard de Renacres of BickerstafFe, granted to Hugh 

 le Spencer of Ormskirk certain lands which had come 

 to her after the death of her husband." Their son 

 was Thomas, who in 1424—5 arranged for the succes- 

 sion to these lands.'* Perhaps it was the same Thomas 

 who, as 'Thomas, son of Richard de Renacres,' granted 

 some land in BickerstafFe to ' Thomas de Renacres son 

 of Maud de Hopcroue,' in 1402-3." The following 

 year a settlement was made, by which there were re- 

 mainders to other of Maud's children — Richard, 

 Henry, Cecily, and Isabel." These lands seem 

 shortly afterwards to have been acquired by John 

 Atherton of BickerstafFe.'^ 



Another family of long standing in the township 

 was that of Mossock, who acquired lands also in 

 Aughton and elsewhere in the district. Sometime 

 about 1280 Richard de Bickerstath, son of Alan de 

 Renacres, gave to William son of Simon de Bicker- 

 stath a portion of his land, which from its boundaries 

 appears to be that on which Mossock Hall now stands. 

 The rent was to be zd}^ Another portion, lying on 



1 Ci-vil War Tracts (Chet. Soc), 33, 2, 

 60, 90. Some despatches signed by him 

 and other officials of the party are printed 

 in Local Gleanings Lanes* and Ches. i, 5, 

 IT, 23. 



2 The Stanleys of Cross Hall are de- 

 scended from Sir Edward's younger brother, 

 Peter Stanley. 



Sir Edward matriculated at Oxf. 

 (Brasenose Coll.) in 1661, and married 

 in 1663 Elizabeth, daughter and coheir of 

 Thomas Bosvile of Warmsworth ; Dug- 

 dale, Visit. (Chet. Soc), 284. 



8 PoWard, Stanleys of Knatvsley, 93. Pat- 

 ten House in Preston became one of the 

 chief residences of the family. A private 

 Act was passed (12 Will. IH, cap. 32) to 

 enable Sir Thomas Stanley to charge cer- 

 tain manors and lands in Lanes, with 

 j^30o for payment of his debts and his 

 sisters' portions. 



* Pink and Beavan, op. cit. 158. 



5 See the account of Knowsley. 



® Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii, 

 1 14. John son of Simon occurs in 1371, 

 as holding land in BickerstafFe and Augh- 

 ton ; Final Cone, ii, 182. Other mem- 

 bers of the family are mentioned in De 

 Banc. R. 425, m. 405 ; 439, m. 164. J j 

 453, m. 151. 



' There is a place so named in Halsall. 



8 In 1284 Richard de Renacres made a 

 claim but withdrew it ; Assize R. 1268. 

 Alan was Richard's father (see below) and 

 Stephen was his son ; Assize R. 408, 

 m. 76 ; Coram Rege R. 138, m. 59. 



9 Kuerden (fol. MS. 390, T.) has the 

 following abstract : ' I Simon de Renacres 

 have inspected a charter which Richard de 

 Renacres my grandfather made of divers 

 lands in Bickerstalfe.' The date is about 

 the end of the reign of Edw. I. 



"> Kuerden MSS. ii, 27 li, n. 85. 



^^ Ibid. n. 84. For some early Renacres 

 deeds see Kuerden MSS. iii, R. I. 



^2 Ibid, ii, n. 82. Contemporary with 

 him was a Richard de Renacres of Orms- 

 kirk, son of Thomas de Renacres, who in 

 1391—2 deputed Joan his wife and another 

 to take seisin of his father's lands in 

 Bickerstaffe ; ibid. «. 83 ; Kuerden (fol. 

 MS. (Chet. Lib.), 357, R. 370) has pre- 

 served a grant by Thomas de Renacres, 

 perhaps the father of this Richard, made 

 in 1366. His holding included the tene- 

 ment which Richard (? de Renacres) held 

 of Thomas in Bickerstaffe, the services of 

 Simon de Holme, Thomas de Rainford 

 and Elizabeth his wife (daughter of Wil- 

 liam), and Richard Godithson. In 1363 

 Richard de Halsall, clerk — possibly the 

 rector of Halsall, whose father was named 

 Thomas and whose successor was appointed 

 in 1365 — claimed lands in Bickerstaffe 

 from William Barrett, Alice his wife, and 

 John their son, alleging that they were 

 given by Stephen son of Alan de Renacres 

 to Thomas son of Richard de Halsall and 

 his wife Siegrith, and after their death 

 should have descended to the plaintiff ; 

 De Banc. R. 415, m. 199, and 416, m. 

 387. 



'' Kuerden MSS. ii, ». 91. Probably 

 he was a natural son of Thomas the 

 grantor. See «. 88. 



^^ Ibid. n. 93. One of the remainders 

 was to Thomas son of Richard de Ren- 

 acres — perhaps the Richard of Ormskirk, 

 who was living in 1429 ; ibid. «. 92. 



15 The dates and names as given by 

 Kuerden cannot be read with certainty, 

 but seem to stand as follows : In 1425-6 

 Wylder (?) de Thurnham (?) and Constance 

 his wife and her sister Ellen, daughters of 



279 



John de Renacres of Lancaster (?), attorn 

 certain persons to deliver seisin to John 

 Atherton of lands in BickerstafFe j Kuer- 

 den MSS. ii, 268^, n. 3. At the same 

 date William Wyld of BickerstafFe and 

 Christiana his wife, daughter and heir of 

 John Renacres of Wantage (?), granted to 

 John son of Nicholas Atherton lands which 

 formerly belonged to Thomas Renacres of 

 BickerstafFe; ibid. h. i8. Thenin 1435-6 

 John Atherton of BickerstafFe enfeofFed 

 Sir Thomas Stanley and Sir William 

 Atherton of all the messuages and lands 

 which formerly belonged to Thomas, son 

 of Richard son of Simon de Renacres in 

 BickerstafFe j ibid. n. 7. Then again in 

 1470 Christiana, lately wife of William 

 Wild of AIderington(.'') in Berks., quit- 

 claimed to John. Atherton all her right in 

 the lands which John Hunt had by her 

 gift and the gift of her sister Ellen in 

 BickerstafFe; ibid. 271A, n. 87. With 

 these may be compared fol. 262, n. 25, 

 where Alice and Averia are said to have 

 been daughters and co-heirs of a Richard 

 de Renacres. 



16 Kuerden MSS. ii, 231, n. loi. The 

 bounds began at a ditch on the eastern 

 side next to Crawshaw, proceeded to the 

 Harestone, and then to Wilmanford ; then 

 along a syke as far as the boundary between 

 Melling and BickerstafFe, along this boun- 

 dary to Crawshaw, and by Crawshaw to 

 the starting point. It adjoined land on 

 Crawshaw Moor held of the grantor by 

 Simon de Bickerstath. Edusa, widow of 

 Richard de Renacres, surrendered her 

 dower right to William and Richard, sons 

 of Simon de Bickerstath; ibid. «. 83. 

 There is also a grant by William de Ren- 

 acres to William de Bickerstath of land 

 called the Bickinshaw j ibid. n. 85. 



