WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



LEIGH 



The reputed manor of MORLEYS was originally 

 a parcel of pasture ground, first mentioned about 

 1 200-20 as the More-Leghe,' lying on the north- 

 western border of Chat Moss and held of the manor 

 of Astley in socage by fealty and the yearly rent of 

 1 2d.^ Subsequently it gave name to a branch of the 

 local family of Astley, who held it of the mesne lords. 

 In 1303 Alice, relict of Hugh de Morlegh, son of 

 William de Astley, demanded her dower in a mes- 

 suage and oxgang of land from her sons Richard and 

 Henry, who called Hugh son of Hugh de Morlegh 

 to warrant.' The last-named heads the list of con- 

 tributors to the subsidy collected here in 1332.* In 

 1 344 Hugh de Morley held this estate of Adam de 

 TrafFord, who gave the service of the said Hugh to 

 Robert de Radcliffe in fee tail.' In 1352 Henry son 

 of Hugh de Morley was claiming a messuage and 

 lands here.* The name does not occur in the Poll 

 Tax Roll of 1 38 1, about which time the estate 

 passed to the Leyland family, but the names Robert 

 and Thurstan de Leyland occur in Tyldesley.' In 

 143 1 Robert Leyland held a free tenement in the 

 manor, which was undoubtedly Morleys, of Sir 

 Richard Radcliffe, knt., for 1 3/. 4</. yearly.' He was 

 probably father of John Leyland of Kirkby, who mar- 

 ried first Eleanor, daughter of Richard Molyneux, 

 knt., and secondly Cecily, who was living a widow 

 in 1501.' Sir William Leyland, knt., of Morleys,'" 

 succeeded his father in 1501, and the year following 

 sold his lands in Kirkby to William Molyneux, esq." 

 He married first, Anne daughter and coheir of Alan 

 Singleton of Wightgill, Yorkshire," by whom he had 

 issue, and secondly Alice daughter of Sir Edmund 

 TrafFord, knt.," by whom he had no issue. He was 

 knighted in 15 13." He was an active agent in tlie 

 suppression of the monasteries.'* He was suc- 

 ceeded by his son Thomas Leyland, who married 

 Ann, daughter of George Atherton of Atherton, esq., 

 by whom he had an only daughter Ann, married in 

 1550 to Edward, second son of Thurstan Tyldesley 

 of Wardley, esq.,'* in whose family the manor de- 

 scended to James Tyldesley of Holcroft," who sold it in 

 1755 to the Leghs ofChorley. Subsequently the old 

 hall and a moiety of the demesne were purchased by 

 Josiah Wilkinson, who devised it to his son John 



Wilkinson, F.R.S. The other moiety was purchased 

 by Thomas Lyon of Warrington.'* In 1 787 Thomas 

 Lyon paid £j os. 8a'. and John Wilkinson £^ I p. id. 

 for land t.ix in Astley, in respect of this estate. 

 Within recent years the hall and estate have been 

 sold by Messrs. Wilkinson and Lyon, the joint 

 owners, to the Tyldesley Urban Council for purposes 

 connected with sewage disposal. 



PEEL HALL represents an estate granted to 

 Cockersand Abbey between 1 1 90 and 122 1 by Hugh 

 de Tyldesley, whose charter describes the boundary 

 as beginning at the water called the The Fleet, 

 following this brook northward to th2 higher part of 

 Limput (Loam pit) hurst, as defined by crosses set 

 up there, thence following the Brunehevese southward 

 by the crosses set there, to the water called The 

 Fleet." In 1 25 1 Alecock (Alexander) de Astley 

 held it of the canons of Cockersand for \zd. yearly,™ 

 and in 1286 John Gilibrond and Margery his wile 

 demanded against Richard son of Alexander de Astley 

 the third part of a messuage here as the wife's dower." 

 In 1292 John son of John Gilibrond held the 

 estate under the abbey by the free rent of 2/. yearly. 

 In 1356 it was entailed upon Roger Gilibrond and 

 his heirs male, with successive remainders to his 

 brothers Humphrey, Richard, and Robert, and 

 kinsmen, Adam, Richard son of John, and Henry son 

 of Henry Gilibrond.'* Robert Gilibrond had letters 

 of protection in 1383 upon going to Ireland on the 

 king's service.*' In the time of Edward III Thurstan 

 Gilibrond and Margaret his wife, daughter of Richard 

 de Hulton of the Wythens, possessed a considerable 

 estate in Astley, which descended to their son Hugh, 

 who had issue, by Catherine Sale his wife, Thurstan 

 his son and heir. Thurstan Gilibrond, son of the 

 last-named Thurstan, resisted — apparently with suc- 

 cess — a claim to the estate made in 1448 by Henry 

 de Kighley (who alleged that Thurstan was a bastard), 

 claiming in right of his grandmother Ellen, daughter 

 and coheir of Nicholas Tyldesley ; her father having 

 been named fourth in remainder after Thurstan Gili- 

 brond the eldest in a settlement of the estate made temp. 

 Edward III.*'' Roger Gilibrond in 145 1, Nicholas 

 in 146 1, Charles in 1 501, and Nicholas in 1536, 

 successively held the estate under Cockersand Abbey.*' 



1 Cockersand Chartul. (Chet. Soc), 710. 

 * Morleys,' the generally accepted form of 

 the name, is merely the genitive case of 

 Morley. 



2 Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. xxiv, n. 27 

 (Rec. Soc. xvi, 267). 



3 De Banc. R. 145, m. 321 ; 148, 

 m. iizd. Hugh first occurs in 1278; 

 ibid. 23, m. 10. 



* Exch. Lay Sub. bdle. 130, 6 (Rec. 

 Soc. xxxi, 10). 



5 Lanes. Feet of F. (Rec. Soc. xlvi), 129. 

 In 1334 Ellen, relict of Hugh de Tyldesley, 

 William de Astley, Hugh de Morley, 

 Henry de Birches, and Henry de Valen- 

 tyne acknowledged a debt of 1 1 marks to 

 Master John de Blebury, vicar of the 

 church of Leigh ; Cal. Close R. 1333-7, 

 361. 



« Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 2, pt. ii, 

 m. t,d. against Simon son of John de 

 Morley and Richard brother of Simon, 

 John de Morley, Margaret daughter of 

 Alexander de Astley, and Hugh son of 

 Margaret de Whytyntherys, who called to 

 warrant John de Morleys ; Assize R. 

 435, "». id. 



1 Exch. Lay Sub. bdle. 130, n. 24, pt. 2. 



' Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc. xcix), 33. 



9 Croxteth D. P. i, 16. 



'" Leiand, the antiquary, wrote of this 

 house : ' Morle in (West) Darbyshire, Mr. 

 Leland's Place, is buildid — saving the 

 foundation of Stone squarid that risith 

 within a great Moote a vi Foote above 

 the Water — al of Tymbre, after the com- 

 mune sorte of building of Houses of the 

 Gentilmen for most of Lancastreshire. 

 Ther is as much Pleasur of Orchardes of 

 great Varite of Frute and fair made 

 Walkes and Gardines as ther is in any 

 Place of Lancastreshire. He brenith al 

 Turfes and Petes for the Commodite of 

 Mosses and Mores at hand. For Chateley 

 Mosse that with broking up of Abundance 

 of Water yn hit did much hurt to Landes 

 thereabout and Rivers with wandering 

 Mosse and corrupte Water is within lesse 

 than a mile of Morle. And yet by Morle 

 as in Hegge Rowes and Grovettes is 

 meately good Plenti of Wood, but good 

 Husbandes Keepe hit for a Jewell ' ; Book 

 v, fol. 83. 



11 Croxteth D. P. ii, 16. 



" Harl. MS. 6159, fol. 53. 



447 



^3 MS. Gen. at Knowsley Hall, case 



31- 



1^ Metcalfe, A Book of Knights, 55. 



^^ Raines, Lanes, Chantries (Chet. Soc 

 Ix), 237, «• 



^^ Thomas Leyland of Morleys, esq., 

 by his will made in 1562 (proved 1564.) 

 gave his body for Christian burial * within 

 my owne chapell at Leyghe churche called 

 Saynt Nycolas chapell, my feate neare 

 adjoyninge to my altar,' and desired to 

 have * a fayre stone layed over me with 

 scripture sett rounde aboute upon the 

 sayd stone* as specified in his will, and 

 * an image off brass as ys used upon the 

 same stone' ; Lanes. Wills (Chet. Soc, 

 (Old Sen), xxxjii), 163. This tomb has 

 long since disappeared. 



17 See the account of Myerscough. 



18 Baines, Direct, 1825, ii, 47. 



19 Cockersand ChartuL 712. 



20 Ibid. 1220. 



21 De Banc. R. 64, m. 41 i/. 



22 Visit, of Lanes. (Chet. Soc, (Old Sen), 

 Ixxxii), 124. 



23 Cal. Pat. R. 1381-7, p. 289. 



24 Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 1 1, m. 29. 



25 Cockersand Chartul. 12. 



