WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



LEIGH 



His son Sir John Atherton,' who was knighted in 

 1544, was high sheriff in 1550, 1554, and 1560, and 

 represented the county in the Parliament of 1559.* 

 He was married in his father's lifetime to Elizabeth, 

 daughter of Sir Alexander RadclifFe, knt.,' from whom 

 he was divorced. He afterwards married Margaret, 

 daughter and coheir of Thomas Catterall of Little 

 Mitton, esq.' He was buried at Leigh 8 July, 

 1573. By his will dated 18 April, 1573, he gave his 

 manors of Atherton, Lancashire, Slingsby, Fryton, 

 and Hovingham, Yorkshire,' after his death, to his 

 eldest son and heir John, whom he had agreed to 

 marry to Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Byron of 

 Newstead, knt.° 



John the son, was aged sixteen at his father's death, 

 was high sheriff in 1582,' and one of the Parliamentary 

 representatives of the county in 1586, and for Lan- 

 caster in 1588—9.* He married secondly, Katherine, 

 daughter and coheiress of John, Lord Conyers, of 

 Hornby Castle,' Yorkshire, and was buried at Leigh 

 23 May, 1617. By his first wife he had issue John, 

 his heir, who was buried at Leigh, 23 July, 1628, 

 and by his second wife another John, of Skelton, who 

 was heir to his mother.'" The former was father 

 of John Atherton, esq.," who died in 1646, having 

 married Eleanor, daughter of Sir Thomas Ireland 

 of Bewsey, knt. This lady was eventually heir to 

 her cousin. Dame Margaret, wife of Sir Gilbert Ire- 

 land of Bewsey and granddaughter of Sir Thomas. 

 Surviving her husband, Dame Margaret devised her 

 Bewsey estate to Sir Richard Atherton, grandson 

 of her cousin Eleanor, and died two months after her 

 husband. 



John Atherton, third but eldest surviving son of 

 John Atherton by his wife Eleanor, was a Presby- 

 terian, a captain in the Parliamentary army, a justice 

 of the peace and high sheriff of the county in 1654, 

 and at his death early in 1656.'' His posthumous son 

 Richard Atherton took an active part in politics and 

 was knighted by Charles II at Windsor in 1684.'' 

 He died two years later. His only son, John, married 

 Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of Robert Cholmonde- 

 ley of Vale Royal, and died in 1707 at the age 

 of 29. His son, Richard Atherton, was the last 

 direct male representative of the family. By Eliza- 

 beth his wife, daughter of William Farington of Shaw 

 Hall, he had issue an only daughter, Elizabeth, who 

 married Robert Gwillym of Langston and Walford, 



Herefordshire. They had issue two sons: William, 

 who died at Atherton in 177 1, and Robert Vernon 

 Atherton, who at the age of twenty-two succeeded to 

 the family estates and assumed the name and arms of 

 Atherton. From 1774 to 1780 he represented the 

 borough of Newton in Parliament. He died 9 July, 

 1783, aged 42 years. In 1763 he married Henrietta 

 Maria, eldest daughter and coheir of Peter Legh of 

 Lyme, by whom he had, besides other children who 

 died young, a son, Atherton Legh Atherton, who 

 died in his minority and unmarried in 1789, and three 

 daughters, Henrietta Maria, married to Thomas 

 Powys, second Baron Lilford ; " Elizabeth, married 

 to George Anthony Legh-Keck of Stoughton Grange, 

 Leicestershire ; and Esther, married to the Rev. James 

 John Hornby, rector of Winwick, whose only children, 

 two sons, died respectively in 1818 and 1857 without 

 issue. Thomas Littleton Powys, who succeeded his 

 father as fourth Baron Lilford in 1861, inherited in 

 i860 the estates of George Anthony Legh-Keck at 

 Bank Hall in this county. John, second but eldest 

 surviving son of the fourth baron, succeeded his fathei 

 in 1896 as fifth Baron Lilford, and is now lord of 

 the manor. No courts for the manor of Atherton 

 have been held for many years." 



Chanters, now a farm house standing near the 

 brook of that name, formerly a fine stone- built house 

 with mullioned windows, was built in 1678 on the 

 site of an older building or incorporated with part 

 of an older structure. The initials W.A., which 

 appear over the door of the porch above the date 

 1678, are possibly those of William Atherton, 

 younger brother of John Atherton, the Parliamen- 

 tarian who died in 1646. The house is now falling 

 to decay owing to subsidence caused by old coal 

 workings. 



CHOrVBENT. — Chollebynt, Shollebent, c. 1350.'" 

 In 1385 Thomas Smith, ' nayller ' of Cholle, was 

 sued for debt at the sessions at Lancaster." In 1535 

 William, George, Richard, and Gilbert Cholle were 

 indicted for taking part in a riot at Leigh church, 

 caused by the unseemly arrest of three persons by the 

 under-sheriff in the church immediately after the 

 celebration of high mass.'* Chowe's tenement, which 

 appears to have been held by the Cholle or Chowe 

 family " under a lease from the Athertons in the 

 sixteenth century, was sold in 16 16-17, together with 

 the Green Hall and Carrbank tenements, by John 



1 He entered his pedigree at Bennalt's 

 visitation in 1533 ; Chet. Soc. xcviii, 86. 



^ Pink and Beavan, op. cit. 65. 



^ Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. iii, «. 39. 

 Sir John Atherton was engaged in many 

 suits in the Duchy chamber during his 

 lifetime. Duchy of Lane. Cal. FleadingSf 

 (Rec. Com.), paisim. 



* Foster, Fisit. ofTorks, 1584-5, p. 70. 

 = He purchased ' the manor of Fryton, 



in 1562, from Richard Assheton of 

 Middleton, esq., and Elizabeth his wife ; 

 the manor of Slingsby in 1563 from 

 Henry earl of Huntingdon and Sir 

 Thomas Gerard, knt. and their wives ; 

 and the manor of Hovingham in 1570 

 from Sir Thomas Gerard, knt. and Eliza- 

 beth his wife ; Feet of F. (Yorks Rec. 

 Soc), ii, 261, 279, 384. 



* Dodsworth MSS. Iviii, 166. 

 ' P.R.O. List, 73 . 



* Pink and Beavan, op. cit. 67, 114. 



' Foster, f^isit. ofTorks. 1584-5, pp. 70, 

 72, 206. 



1" Fisit. (Chet. Soc, xcviii), 86-7. 



^^ In 1632 he compounded for not 

 taking up the order of knighthood. He 

 died about 1646, His will bears date in 

 1642, proved 1662. In it he names all 

 his children and his mansion house called 

 the Lodge, in Atherton. 



12 The Rev. James Livesey, M.A. 

 minister of Chowbent Chapel 1652-7, 

 has left an eulogistic biography of his 

 patron John Atherton ; Leigh Chron. 

 12 Mar. 1892. 



18 Sir Richard Atherton is said to have 

 been a frequent visitor at the Court of 

 Charles II and in his political principles 

 a high Tory. He was parliamentary re- 

 presentative for Liverpool, 1677-79 and 

 1685 ; mayor of Liverpool, 1684, in 

 which year he assisted Judge Jeffreys, 

 chief justice of England, in obtaining from 

 the corporation of Liverpool the surrender 

 of their charters ; Leigh Chron. 12 Mar. 

 1892. 



He married first Isabel, daughter of 

 Robert Holt of Castleton and Stubley, 

 and secondly Agnes, daughter of Miles 



437 



Dodding of Conishead ; Dugdale, Visit. 

 (Chet. Soc. Ixxxiv), 99. In his will 

 (30 Dec. 1686, proved 1690) he ap- 

 pointed his brother-in-law James Holt 

 and his friend William Bankes guardians 

 of his son John. 



" See V. C. H. Northants, Gen. vol. 

 255-69. 



16 Ex inform. Mr. J. B. Selby. 



16 Cal. Pat. Cholle, 1385. 



In 1496 Randle Atherton of ' Choi- 

 bent ' held a tenement in Astley of the 

 king as of the manor of Widnes for izd. 

 per annum ; Harl. MS. 21 12,41. ' Bent ' 

 is the grass Juncus squarrosus, called in 

 Lancashire 'Goose corn,' upon the ripe 

 seeds of which grouse feed largely in 

 autumn. 



17 Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxii, App. 363. 



18 Cal. Plead, xxii, B. 25 ; Rec. Soc. xxv, 



19 In 1616-7 this tenement was m the 

 occupation of George Chowe, whose 

 father, Arthur Chowe, had previously 

 held it. 



