WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



AUGHTON 



rose, by the church, to flow west to the Sudell. 

 Gerard Hall and Bowker's Green lie in the south- 

 eastern corner. 



The north-western slope of the hill is properly 

 Litherland,' formerly a separate manor. The New 

 Hall,' almost on the northern boundary, is called 

 Aughton New Hall. Aughton Moss is on the top of 

 the hill. The greater part of the country is flat, 

 and divided into cultivated fields, where wheat, 

 oats, potatoes, and other root crops are successfully 

 raised. There are also extensive market gardens, 

 which give employment to the villagers. The northern 

 portion of the district is bare and open, with very few 

 trees, but on the south there are clumps of trees, and 

 good hawthorn hedges divide the fields. The 

 upper mottled sandstone of the bunter series (new 

 red sandstone) occurs throughout the parish ex- 

 cept on Cleave Hill, where a narrow strip of the 

 lower keuper sandstone extends for a mile and a half 

 along the western side of the road leading to Halsall, and 

 another small strip three-quarters of a mile north-east 

 of Aughton village. The soil is light and sandy, with 

 clay in some places. There are now in the parish 

 3,407 acres arable land, 357 in permanent grass, and 

 7 of woods and plantations. 



The principal roads are those from Liverpool to 

 Ormskirk ; one passing northward through Melling, 

 the other north-eastward through Lydiate and Aughton 

 village. There are numerous intersecting roads and 

 footpaths ; one of the latter connects Town Green 

 and the parish church. The Lancashire and York- 

 shire Company's railway from Liverpool to Preston, 

 opened in 1 84.9, goes through the parish northward ; 

 there is a station at Town Green. 



Being easily accessible from Liverpool numerous 

 residences have sprung up in recent years, particularly 

 on the high ground. In the same district is Whim- 

 brick Mill, formerly a windmill, but now worked by 

 steam. Excellent sand for casting purposes is found 

 here. A quarry is also worked. There is a brewery 

 near the Ormskirk boundary. 



Formerly there were races, known as 'the Orms- 

 kirk Races,' held on Aughton Moss ; they are men- 

 tioned as early as 1705 and continued until 181 5. 

 In 1 8 1 3 an Act for the enclosure of the common was 

 passed,' and the racing was stopped. 



A perambulation of the boundaries took place in 

 1876 ; it was discovered that a small plot of ground 

 had escaped rates for many years. 



Pace-egging is kept up on Good Friday ; a troop of 

 boys go round acting a degenerate version of St. George 

 and the Dragon, and asking for eggs (or money).* 



Holt Green, a triangular piece of ground, still 

 remains open ; the other four greens have been enclosed, 

 viz.. Town Green, Codpiece Green, Bowker's Green, 

 and HoUinhurst Green. 



There were within recent times traces of seven 

 ancient crosses ; the pedestal of one remains on Holt 

 Green, and two other pedestals stand at the junction 

 of Mill Lane with the Liverpool and Ormskirk Road, 

 and in Green's Lane.' Sundials exist at Island House 

 (1719), the churchyard (1736), and Walsh Hall 

 (1738). It is said the parish clerk used formerly to 

 read out notices from the sundial in the churchyard.' 



Pudding Street is an interesting name ; it has been 

 renamed Brookfield Lane. Brats, duding-strings, 

 muckindalf (handkerchief), and barmskin (leather 

 apron) are words occurring in the overseer's accounts.' 



The church bell used to be rung at eight and one 

 o'clock on Sundays. 



The wakes were held on the first Sunday after 

 Michaelmas Day, and lasted most of the following 

 week.' 



Two items of folk-lore may be mentioned ; one 

 concerns the building of the church, averring that 

 what was done in the day was overthrown in the 

 night until the proper site was fixed upon ; ' the other 

 describes the building of the Devil's Wall.'" 



The open ground on the hill is said to have been 

 used as a training ground for the forces assembled in 

 anticipation of the Spanish Armada in 1588. With 

 the exception of the battle in 1 644 the history of the 

 parish has been quite peaceful. Aughton paid 

 jf 2 I -js. 6\d. to the fifteenth ; " and to the county 

 lay a quarter of what Ormskirk paid, viz. £,z \s. id. 

 towards a contribution of ^^loo payable by the 

 hundred. 



The Reformation entailed persecution on the Hes- 

 keths and some others who adhered to the Roman 

 Catholic faith. In 1592 the churchwardens were 

 ordered to levy the izd. of 'the absents.''* In 1606 

 Jane, wife of Gabriel Hesketh, Edward Stanley 

 and Bridget his wife, Elizabeth Gerard, widow, 

 Margaret Hesketh, Gabriel Shaw, Jane Moorcroft, 

 widow, Alice wife of Barnaby Molyneux, Margaret 

 wife of James Burscough, Richard Wolsie and his 

 wife, and a number of others were named to the 

 bishop as ' not coming to church.' " 



In 1628 the landowners who paid the subsidy 

 were Bartholomew Hesketh, Henry Starkie and Mary 

 Starkie (widow), Peter Stanley and Bridget his mother, 

 Thomas Gerard and Mary Rigby, Robert Walsh, James 

 Burscough, and the heirs of James Rainforth." The 

 Sankeys also were landowners at this time.'* 



^ It was called Uplitherland to distin- 

 guish it from Litherland in Sefton — Down- 

 litherland. The name is now disused, 

 except in some field names ; but Uplither- 

 land Hall, or its successor, is still standing. 



2 This name goes back to the sixteenth 

 century. 



' 53 Geo. Ill, cap. 100. In the same 

 session (cap. 151) an Act was passed 

 relating to the tithes. 



^ Newstead, Ann. of Aughton^ 3 9-40 ; 

 the verses sung are printed. 



^ It is on record that a century ago 

 Roman Catholic funeral processions stopped 

 on arriving at the remains of the crosses, 

 the mourners alighting and reciting De 

 Profundis on their knees. 



^ Lanes, and Ckes. Antiq. Soc, xix, 1 65-8 ; 

 and Newstead, op. cit. 107. 



7 Ibid. 128. 



' Ibid. IIO-II. 



9 CkeMre Sheaf (%er. 3), ii, 117. 



^^ Landreth, Legends of Lanes. (1841), 

 91-154. 



" When the hundred paid ;f 106. 



'2 Trans. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.}, x, 184. 

 At the same time, Eleanor, wife of Richard 

 Holdeii, was excommunicated for having 

 her child baptized 'not at her parish church, 

 but supposed contrary to Her Majesty's 

 laws.' 



18 Visit. Book at Chester. One Thomas 

 Cocketh appeared for his wife Eliza- 

 beth (a Bickerstath) ; he had married 

 her at North Meols in the house of 

 Nicholas Bank, curate there, without 

 licence or banns, and in the night time, 

 but in the presence of witnesses ; she was 



285 



then a recusant, but * now she doth duti- 

 fully repair to church and shall do here- 

 after.' 



The recusant roll of 1641 shows a long 

 list of names, including Rowson, Taylor, 

 Burscough, Buchard, Hulme, and Moor- 

 croft ; Trans. Hist, Soc. (New Ser.), xiv, 



235- 



" Norris D. (B. M.). John Rainford, 

 in 1583, bought land in Uplitherland from 

 Thomas Molyneux, of Hawkley, and 

 Sibyl his wife ; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. 

 bdle. 45, m. 139 ; Duchy of Lane. Inq, 

 p.m. xvii, K. 65. 



^^ Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec, Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), i, 276. Their interest was ac- 

 quired by purchase from William Brad- 

 shaw } Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle, 44, 

 m. 142. 



