WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



as Haysarm,' Parr,' and Forshaw,' but no con- 

 nected history of these families can be given. 



The descent of HATSJRM, now owned by Lord 

 Derby, is to some extent cleared by pleadings of 

 1539-4.0. Alan Haysarm, seised of the hall and 

 estate, granted it to his son John, with remainder 

 to Alan's sister Alice, wife of Thomas More. As 

 John died childless the hall and lands were claimed 

 by John Marsh, son and heir of Henry, son and 

 heir of Janet, wife of John Marsh and daughter and 

 heir of Alice. The plaintiiF further alleged that the 

 said Alice was formerly in the custody of one Margaret 

 Haysarm, who in conjunction with her husband 

 Jenkin Parr caused her to marry Thomas More, 



PRESCOT 



Parr's servant, and that by More's consent a Robert 

 Parr obtained possession. Edward Parr, the actual 

 holder, in defence stated that the said Robert, his 

 grandfiither (died 1492), was in lawful possession, and 

 w,is followed by a son and heir William (died c. 1536), 

 to whom Edward (born 1489) had succeeded as son 

 and heir.* 



The number of the free tenants in 1246 is indi- 

 cated by the complaint by Richard Whitehaud and 

 Alice his wife, and Henry de Lascelles and Agnes his 

 wife, against Alan de Windle, Hugh the Serjeant, and 

 twenty others, including Cecily de Rainford, as to 

 10 acres, of which the plaintiffs alleged they had 

 disseised them, and which hereupon were restored to 



Russilache, and thence to Sankey ; along 

 this to Laundough. 



In 1208 Siward de Derwent and Juliana 

 his wife, who in 1246 held part of Hal- 

 snead in Whiston, acquired from William 

 dc Rainford part of his three oxgangs 

 of land, between the place called Bic- 

 swahe and Holcrofl Ford, tenable by the 

 free service of 6d. ; Final Cone, i, 29. 

 William, son of Hugh, and Emma his 

 wife agreed with Adam, son of Hugh, and 

 Agnes his wife, concerning half an oxgang 

 of land in Rainford in 1256 ; ibid, i, 

 127. 



In 1288 Adam de Rainford claimed 

 common of pasture for certain land of 

 which he alleged Robert de Lathom had 

 disseised him; Assize R. 1277, m. 32a, 

 There were at that time two Adams, one 

 being son of John and the other son of 

 Benedict ; Assize R. 408, m. 65. The 

 former Adam was great-grandson and 

 heir of John de Westleigh, who had been 

 enfeoffed of land in Rainford by a certain 

 Hawise, grandmother of Richard son of 

 Henry at the Cliff, claimant in 1292. 

 Adam son of John de Rainford in 1292 

 granted to John son of John de Rainford 

 land in the Lund ; Blundell of Crosby 

 evidences, K. 277. 



Adam son of John the rector of West- 

 leigh held land in Rainford, of which he 

 granted a portion to Cockersand Abbey ; 

 Cockenand Cbartul. (Chet. Soc), ii, 614. 

 His charter mentions Luthecrofts Head, 

 Bicshaw, ■ Holcroft, and Aldcroft in the 

 description of the boundaries. Alan, 

 another son of John de Westleigh, gave 

 4 acres on Shishaw Bank to Cockersand ; 

 ibid, il, 615. The land granted by Adam 

 de Westleigh was the subject of a quit- 

 claim by Richard de Wolfmoor and 

 Cecily his wife in 1272; ibid, ii, 615. 

 Richard and Cecily had ten years earlier 

 confirmed to Agnes de Crookhurst in 

 Billinge half an oxgang of land in Rain- 

 ford ; Final Cone, i, 141. The above- 

 named Ralph de Rainford had in 1202 

 land in Wolfmoor (in Lathom) ; ibid. 

 i, 16. 



In 1290 Ralph de Bickerstath sued for 

 the recovery of certain land of which he 

 asserted Adam de Rainford, William de 

 Rainford, and William his son and a num- 

 ber of others had disseised him ; but on 

 inquiry it was found that the land was in 

 Rainford and not in Bickerstaffe; Assize R. 

 1288, m. 12. William de Rainford was 

 one of the defendants to the suit of 

 Richard at the Cliff already mentioned ; 

 he called the abbot of Cockersand to war- 

 rant. He was also defendant in a claim 

 by Adam de Ramford, but the latter was 

 non-suited ; Assize R. 408, m. 58. Maud, 

 widow of William de Rainford, was 

 plaintiff in 1323-4 ; De Banc. R. 248, 

 m. 691/. 



William son of William de Rainford 



occurs in 1332 as defendant in a'plea by 

 Adam de Vesey and Margery his wife, 

 widow of William de Crookhurst, con- 

 cerning dower in six messuages, 200 acres 

 of land, etc. in Rainford ; De Banc. R. 

 292, m. 482 d. An exchange of lands 

 was made in 1354 by John son of 

 William de Rainford, and John son of 

 Alan son of Dandi ; Kuerden MSS. iii, 

 R. I, 477. 



The bishop of Lichfield!' in 1391 

 granted John de Rainford a ^licence for 

 the celebration of divine service by a 

 priest m his oratory in his manor house 

 at Rainford ; Lich. Epis. Reg. vi, fol. 127. 

 Henry brother of John de Rainford held 

 the manor in 1443 ; his brother's widow 

 Margery held part in dower ; Knowsley 

 D. bdle. 301, n. I, 2. In 145 1 the heir 

 of John de Rainford paid 4^/. to Cocker- 

 sand for the abbey's manor in the town- 

 ship ; and in 1501 the earl of Derby paid 

 it ; Cockersand Cbartul. iv, 1242-7. 



The above-named Adam son of Bene- 

 dict had a son Alan, defendant in several 

 suits in 1323 and later years; he may 

 have been father of the John son of Alan 

 de Rainford who purchased land in 1356 

 from Richard son of Gilbert de Eccleston 

 and his wife ; Assize R. 425, m. i ^, 3 ; 

 426, m. 6. In this case Robert son of 

 John de Rainford was said to have enfeoffed 

 the defendants. Alan de Rainford occurs 

 in 1361 ; Assize R. 441, m. t, d. An 

 Alan de Rainford was reported as one of 

 the invaders of several of Sir Robert 

 Holand's manors in the time of Edward III ; 

 R. of Pari, ii, 380. 



Many other instances of the local name 

 may be found in the Plea Rolls ; also in 

 Kuerden fol. MS. p. 98, «. 343 ; iii, R 1, 

 T 2. 



^ Adam de Haysarm granted to Henry 

 his son, for a rent of 22</. land in Rain- 

 ford held of Alan de Westleigh, Adam 

 his brother, and Benedict de Rainford. 

 This was, perhaps, about 1260 ; later, 

 Henry son of Adam de Haysarm trans- 

 ferred the grant to his brother Richard, 

 who, in addition to the zzd. rent, was to 

 give a barbed arrow every year ; Kuerden 

 MSS. iii, R 2. Richard de Haysarm, 

 sen. was defendant in 1323-4 ; De Banc. 

 R. 248, m. 69 d. 



Land was settled on Henry son of 

 Richard de Haysarm in 1325-6, with 

 remainders to his sisters Amabel, Mary, 

 Alice, and Agnes. Henry de Haysarm 

 and his wife Ellen are mentioned in 1336 ; 

 and a daughter Margery in 1 340 ; Kuer- 

 den, iii, R 2. 



a In 1358 William de Parr of Rainford 

 and Katherine his wife were defendants 

 in a claim made by William son of 

 Richard de Fazakerley respecting a mes- 

 suage and land in Rainford ; Assize R. 

 438, m. 3 </. Alice widow of John de 

 Parr of Rainford gave a release of her 



lands to Alan de Ditton and Richard her 

 son in 14.26-7 ; Kuerden MSS. iii, R i, n, 

 417. She wa3 Alan's sister; Blundell 

 of Crosby evidences, K.. 68, 97, 104. 

 John son and heir of Richard Parr held 

 lands here in 1503 ; Pal. of Lane. Plea 

 R. 96, m. 3. 



^ Forshaw Js a contraction of Four- 

 oaks Shaw i the ancient spellings are 

 numerous — Fouracshagh, &c. 



In 1292 Robert, Roger, Alan, and 

 Adam de Forshaw were defendants to the 

 claims made by Richard at the Cliff; 

 Assize R. 4.08, m. 65. Of these Robert 

 and Adam called Adam son of John dc 

 Rainford to warrant them; Roger said 

 his tenement was the right of Amery 

 his wife ; and Alan held by the law of 

 England, of the inheritance of Adam his 

 son. 



There are several early grants to 

 Robert son of Alan de Forshaw ; William 

 son of Hugh de Rainford gave him land 

 called, Shalinghead ; Adam son of John 

 de Rainford, an acre in his waste ; and 

 Alan son of Richard de Barrow, a part 

 of the Lund next to Raueden ; in 1291 

 the above Adam de Rainford leased Ram- 

 dencrook to him for twelve years ; Blun- 

 dell of Crosby evidences ; K.. 69, 74, &c. 



A settlement of certain land was made 

 by Adam de Forshaw in 1315 ; it was to 

 go to his son Robert, or in default of 

 heirs, successively to his other children, 

 Alan, Mariota, and Alice. Roger son of 

 Adam put in his claim ; Final Cone. 

 ii, 21. It appears from a later plea that 

 Roger was Adam's son by his first wife 

 Alice, and Robert by his second, Margery, 

 The tenement had once been held by 

 Adam de Haysarm, who gave it in free 

 marriage to Alan de Forshaw and Alice 

 his wife ; their son and heir was the 

 Adam above mentioned. Robert the son 

 of Adam was still under age in 1323 ; 

 Coram Rege R. 254, m. ^y d. 



Margery widow of Adam de Forshaw 

 put in a claim against Robert in 1325-6 ; 

 De Banc. R. 260, m. 3. Robert was a 

 minor at his father's death ; Assize R, 

 425, m. 3 d. Four sons of Roger de 

 Forshaw — Alan, William, Roger, and 

 Randle — were charged with assaulting 

 Thomas Baudrick at Rainford in 1348; 

 De Banc. R. 356, m. 511 ^. The name 

 does not occur frequently after this. 



* Duchy of Lane. Pleadings, Hen. VIII, 

 xii, M3 ; Depos. xxxv. Pi. 



Edward Parr made a settlement of his 

 lands here by fine In April, 1555. One 

 of the same name was freeholder in 1600 

 and 1628 ; Pal. of Lane. Feet, of F, bdle. 

 15, m, 37 ; Mhc, (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), i, 242 ; Norris D. (B.M.) From a 

 deed of 1658 it appears that Edmund 

 Parr had sold lands in Rainford to Thomas 

 Bowyer, who agreed to give him the 

 refusal in the case of re-sale ; Croxteth D, 



