A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



of them by the Bickerstaths and Inces of Aughton, 

 whose rights passed to the Stanleys of Moor Hall.' 

 It gave a name to the tenants ; Richard de Stotfold- 

 shaw occurs in the time of Edward II. One of his 

 grants — to his son Henry — has been preserved ; ' and 

 in 1370 Henry son of Simon de Stotfoldshaw re- 

 leased to Gilbert de Ince of Aughton all his lands in 

 Bickerstaffe.' Another family connected with the 



MOSSOCKilALL 



10 o 



UH HHHt= 



10 



20 



30 



Sca-le of Feet 



40 



E3i7*'ccr)t. ra i8*ccr>t. 



CD modern 



place was that of Withard, Whitehoud, or White- 

 head, sometimes called Stotfoldshaw.* 



A long list of the inhabitants in 1366 is given in 

 the roll o£ contributors to the stipend of a priest at 

 Onnskirk.' 



Stanley of Bickerstaffe was the only freeholder in 

 1600,' but in 1628 three were named — Sir Edward 

 Stanley, Henry Mossock, and Thomas Cobham.' 

 John Bullen of Bickerstaffe, as a ' Papist,' registered 

 an estate in I 7 17.' 



In 1650 the surveyors for the Commonwealth 

 recommended that a church should be built in this 

 township.' 



The church of Holy Trinity was built in 1843 

 by the earl of Derby, and enlarged in 1 860. There 

 is a burial ground attached. The incumbents are 

 presented by the earls of Derby. 



The Society of Friends early had a meeting at 

 Stanley Gate.'" A house was licensed for meetings 

 in 1689," which were discontinued in 1786, and the 

 house made into cottages." They had also a burial 

 ground in Bickerstaffe, close to Moor Hall in Aughton." 



SKELMERSDALE 



Schelmeresdele, Dom. Bk. ; Skelmersdale, 1 202 ; Scal- 

 mardale, 1246; Skelmaresdale, 1300. There are some 

 eccentric spellings (e.g. Kermersdale, 1292), but only 

 one variant requiring notice, viz. Skelmardesdale and 

 the like, occurring 1300 to 1360. 



Skelmersdale is a particularly bare, unpleasing 

 district, for the most part occupied by collieries, with 

 huge banks of black refuse at intervals amongst tree- 

 less fields. In the outlying parts of the township 

 crops of potatoes and corn are grown in a soil which 

 appears to be sand and clay mixed. That clay con- 

 stitutes a large proportion of the sub-soil is evidenced 

 by the numerous brickworks, which do not tend to 

 render the landscape more picturesque. The River 

 Tawd flows northward through the township on its 

 way to the shady Lathom woodlands, quickly ex- 

 changing a monotonous landscape for one varied with 

 foliage and pleasant meadows. The geological forma- 

 tion consists almost entirely of the middle coal mea- 

 sures, which, over a very small area on the eastern 

 border of the township, are overlaid by the lower 

 mottled bunter sandstones. Near Sephton's Hall in 



^ Sec the account of Aughton; also 

 Lanes, and Chet. Rec. (Rec. Soc. Lanes. 

 and Che8.% ii, 329 ; and Lanes, Inq.p. m. 

 (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), j, 168. 

 John Starkie, about 1 540, held a close 

 here of the Hospitallers, for a rent of 

 •^d ; Kuerden MSS. v, 84. 



' Ibid, il, 268, B. 7. The bounds 

 began at the Calverhey ; thence going by 

 the Small-gate to the Gap, and by a Ll\kc 

 to Hanneyard; thence to a dyke in the 

 Hey Moss, and along this dyke to Stot- 

 foldshaw. Richard attested two of the 

 Scarisbrick D. nn. 33, 52 ; the date of 

 the latter is 1318-19. He had a son 

 Simon J see below. 



Some further grants to this family are 

 given by Kuerden (vi, 63^, n. 7-12). In 

 1 1 Edw. I (? II) Simon son of Stephen 

 de Renacres gave Alan de Stotfoldshaw 

 and Alice his wife a rent of 40J. out 

 of the lands and tenements of Edusa, 

 formerly wife of Richard de Renacres 

 (grandfather of the grantor) ; remainder 

 to Richard de Stotfoldshaw. Richard de 

 Bickerstath in 1340 gave to Robert son 

 of this Alan and Sibyl his wife an acre of 

 land ; among the witnesses were Simon 

 de Stotfoldshaw and John his brother. 



8 Kuerden MSS. ii, 268, B. 24. 

 There was also an Alan de Stotfoldshagh 

 who had a son Robert ; ibid, iii, R. i. 



"• There is a grant from Richard de 

 Walshcroft to Thomas Whitehead of 

 land in Bickerstaffe, and a release to 

 him by Adam son of Gilbert and Agnes 

 his wife; both dated 1326-7. Kuerden 

 MSS. ii, 26S, B. 2, 14. 



Simon son of Thomas and Cecily his 

 wife had at the same time a grant of 

 14 acres from Roger de Walshcroft, lying 

 near the land of Adam son of Gilbert de 

 Greenol (ibid. B. 13). The last-named 

 Adam had complained of having been 

 disseised by William de Withinsnape, 

 Richard de Stotfoldshaw, and Adam de 

 Bickerstath of certain lands (Assize R. 

 424, m. 9). Cecily, Simon's widow, was 

 living in 1360, holding lands for her life 

 w'hich would descend to Thomas del 

 Hall (or Hull) on her death (ibid, ii, 

 268). Simon son of Thomas del Hall in 

 1336 released to Adam son of Thomas 

 Whitehead 6 acres in Bickerstaffe, and 

 this Adam son of Thomas had grants 

 from his father also (ibid. 268i, B. 5, 

 B. 11 [Ermlachfield, 1329], B. 8 [1338]). 

 In 1336 Adam, together with Robert of 

 the Cross of Lathom and Simon son of 

 Richard de Stotfoldshaw, gave a bond to 

 Simon son of Thomas del Hall of Bicker- 

 staffe (ibid. 268, B. 17). 



In 1362 Thomas son of Simon de 

 Stotfoldshaw sold land to William de 

 Ince (ibid. 268*, B. 7). 



In 1397 Agnes widow of John de 

 Huytou released to the son of Adam 

 Whitehead all the tenements formerly 

 belonging to John son of Thomas White- 

 head in Bickerstaffe (ibid. 268, B. 21). 

 About twenty years later (6 Hen. V) 

 John Whitehead alias Stotfoldshaw of 

 Sleaford, son of Thomas Whitehead of 

 Bickerstaffe, sold his lands to Robert 

 Cliver of Ormskirk (ibid. B. 9, 10, i;). 



It does not appear how these families 



282 



were related, but in 1360 there was an 

 inquiry as to whether Thomas White- 

 head had disseised Cecily, daughter of 

 Madoc del Plat and wife of John Baxter 

 of MaghuU, of a messuage and land in 

 Bickerstaffe, and she gained the day ; 

 Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 8, m. 8. 

 Thomas Whitehead — here the form of 

 the surname is Whitehoud — was son of 

 Adam son of Thomas. Cecily was 

 under age in 1340, but is probably the 

 widow of Simon Whitehead. 



^ Exch. Lay Subs. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), 1 14. 



^ Misc. (Rec, Soc. Lanca. and Ches.), 

 1,238. 



' Norris D. (B.M.). 



^ Engl. Cath. Non-jurors, 108. 



^ Commonivealtb Ch. Sur'v. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lane, and Ches.), 93. 



^° Two Quakers, women, are said to 

 have been beaten to death in 1660, while 

 going from the meeting. 



11 Kenyan MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.), 

 231. 



^2 Ex inform. Mr. J. S. Hodgson. 



^ Here lies one Oliver Atherton, who, 

 refusing to pay tithes to the countess of 

 Derby, lay rector of Ormskirk, was cast 

 into prison, where he died in Feb, 1663, 

 after two years' confinement. His 

 friends, obtaining his corpse, carried it 

 through, certain towns in Lancashire, 

 affixing an inscription to the market 

 cross of each, stating that he had been 

 ' persecuted to death ' by the countess ' for 

 keeping a good conscience ' j Newstcad, 

 Annals of A ugb ton J 15, 16. 



