A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



Thomas Gilibrand entered his pedigree at the 

 J^caJ's Visitation of 1613,' died the same year and 

 was father of Thomas who, in 1648 was succeeded 

 by his second but eldest surviving son, Ralph, the 

 last representative of the family in the male line. Ralph 

 entered his pedigree in the visitation of 1665,* 

 and died in 1666. The estate subsequently passed 

 to the Kenworthy family, who held it for upwards 

 of a century. John Kenworthy was the father of 

 George Kenworthy, who died 25 or 30 years ago, after 

 whose death the estate was sold to Mr. Thomas 

 Oliver Cross, the present owner.' 



A family bearing the local name held a small estate 

 here, and are frequently named in thirteenth-century 

 records.' John Astley died in 1390 seised of lands 

 held by knight's service, when the custody of his son 

 John, aged twelve years, was delivered to Robert 

 Worsley. John the son died in 141 1, Hugh his son 

 being a minor. At his death in 1429 Hugh left a 

 son Thomas, likewise under age.' Subsequently John 

 Astley held the estate and enfeoffed Margaret his 

 wife for life. She died in I 502, when Thomas son 

 of William, younger son of John and Margaret, was 

 found to be heir to the estate, being then aged forty 

 years.' Thomas died in 1525 seised of a messuage, 

 80 acres of land, meadow and pasture, and 200 acres 

 of moor and moss in Astley, which he held of the 

 king for the eighteenth part of a knight's fee and ■^d. 

 rent. William his son and heir was aged forty years.' 

 William Astley appears to have been the last of his 

 line. In 1553 he conveyed his estate to trustees,' 

 probably for settlement. The later descent has not 

 been elucidated, but the estate was probably the same 

 as that next described. 



If'HlTEHEJD HJLL, a large farm-house with 

 lands adjoining the townships of Worsley and 

 Tyldesley, was in the possession of Richard Whitehead 

 of Astley, gent., in 1683, when he settled it upon his 

 xin Thomas Whitehead. Richard Whitehead of 

 New Hall in Astley, eldest son of Thomas, barred 

 the entail in 1728, and by his will, in which he is 

 described as of Salford, gent., dated in 1769, 

 devised the estate to William Campey of York city, 

 gent., with remainder to James Campey of Appleton 

 Roebuck, brother of William. In 1797 Mary, the 

 wife of Thomas Laycock, the elder, of Appleton 

 Roebuck, gent., and Anne Campey, sisters and heirs 

 of James Campey, conveyed the estate to Peter 

 Arrowsmith, by whose descendant it was sold in 

 1840 to the first Lord Ellesmere, in whose family it 

 remains.' 



Richard son of Henry de Atherton held an estate 



here in 1344'° and was living in I 361." In 1395-6 

 his three daughters and coheirs complained that they 

 had been disseised by Sir William de Atherton, chr.," 

 who held it in 143 I of Sir Richard Radcliffe, knt., 

 by the yearly rent of 6j." In 1547 Sir John 

 Atherton, knt., sold the estate with others in Bedford 

 and Pennington to Lawrence Asshawe of the Hall 

 on the Hill, gent." 



Hugh Gregory and Robert his son had lands here 

 in the time of Edward III," which William Gregory 

 held in 143 1 of Sir Richard Radcliffe, knt., by the 

 yearly rent of 13/. 41/." John Gregory, gent., 

 conveyed the estate in 1569 to Robert Edge." 



The family of Sale, inheriting from that of Birches, 

 of whom the first on record was Henry son ot 

 Henry 'at Birches' in 1292," long held lands here. 

 Also the family of Valentine, of whom Henry 

 Valentine before 1334 married Ellen daughter and 

 heir of John son of Hugh de Hulton, to whom Adam 

 de Tyldesley had granted an estate in Tyldesley 

 called ' The Dowere ' in 1308. In 1441 Thurstan 

 son of Hugh Tyldesley recovered from John Valentine 

 a yearly free service of 2s. 6d. for lands in Tjldesley 

 called ' The Dowere.' " This estate subsequently 

 descended in the family of Valentine of Shaw Hall 

 in Flixton, and no doubt passed with the latter estate 

 to the heirs general of that family.'" 



In 1787 the principal landowners, besides the 

 owners of Dam House and Morleys, were Samuel 

 Arrowsmith, William Campey, Thomas Stockton, 

 and William Newton." 



The chapel of St. Stephen at Astley, 

 CHURCH consecrated in 1 63 1, was founded by 

 Adam Mort of Dam House in Tyldes- 

 ley, gent., who by his will dated 19 March, 1630-1, 

 and proved the same year, endowed the chapel with 

 a messuage and lands worth £iS a year for the 

 maintenance of a preaching minister to be appointed 

 by his son and his successors, or in default by the 

 nomination of the householders and heads of families 

 in Astley, the heirs male of Adam Mort's body and 

 such of his kindred as should have lands in Astley, 

 with the advice of some godly ministers of the 

 neighbourhood. On 3 August, 163 1, Thomas Mort, 

 the founder's son and heir, resigned his own and his 

 heirs' right of appointment to the bishop of Chester. 

 In consequence of this, and of the neglect to lay 

 down any order for the appointment of future 

 ministers, disputes and even riotous proceedings arose 

 between the inhabitants and the vicar of Leigh, who 

 claimed the right of appointment by ecclesiastical 

 law.*" After litigation in the King's Bench judgement 



^ riiir. (Chet. Soc. Uxxii), 124. He 

 died in 1623 ; /«y«4rjft (Rec Soc xvii), 392. 

 Margaret, his widow (d. 1623), by her 

 will desired to be buried * in the trenitye 

 or chappell that doth belong to the manner 

 howse of Shakerley.' She was sister of 

 Sir Henry Bunbury and had been first 

 married to Hugh Shakerley of Shakerley. 



» Fisit. (Chet Soc. Ixxiv), 122. 



' Ex Inform. Mr. W. D. Pink. 



' Duchy of Lane. Assize R. 2, pt. i, 

 m. 5 ; ibid. m. 4 </. ; Feet of F. (Rec. 

 Soc xlvi), 128; Rentals and Surv. 379, 

 m. I. 



' Injuists (Chet. Soc. xcv), 43. 



' Duchy of Lane Inq. p.m. iii, n. 90 ; 

 Dep. Keeper s Rep. xxxiii, App. 30. 



' Duchy of Lane. Inq. p.m. v, n. 78. 



* PaL of Lane Feet of F. bdle. 14, 

 m. 21. He was defendant in a plea 



about tithes in Astley in 1559; Duchy 

 of Lane. Plead, xlii, L. 8. 



' Ex inform. Mr. Strachan Holme. 



^'^ Inquests (Chet. Soc. xcix), 32. 



11 Dep. Keeper^s Rep. xxxii, App. iv, 343. 



'^ Inquests (Chet. Soc. xcv), 61. See the 

 account of Chowbent. 



^ Ibid, xcii, 33. See also Pal. of Lane. 

 Feet of F. bdle. 6, m. 49, a fine by which 

 Robert Rxgby and Elizabeth his wife in 

 1439 conveyed 3 messuages and 550 

 acres of land, pasture and moss here to 

 Sir William Atherton, knt. In the 

 time of Henry VII Randle Atherton of 

 * Cholbent ' held lands here of the king, 

 as of the manor of Halton, by izd. yearly 

 rent ; HarL MS. 2112, fol. 41. 



i< Pal. of Lane Feet of F. bdle. 13, 

 m. 297. See the account of Heath 

 Chamock. 



" Duchy of Lane. Assize R. i, pt. ii, 

 m. 4 ; 2, pt. i, m. ^d. \ De Banc. R. 

 458, m. 404. 



1' Inquests (Chet. Soc. xcix], 33. 



W Pal. of Lane Feet of F. bdle. 31, 

 m. 79. The pedigree and arms of 

 Gregory of Highhurst were entered at 

 Flower's Visit, in 1567 ; Chet. Soc, 

 Ixxxi, 7. 



*^ Assize R. 408, m. 21. 



" Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 3, m. 1 8. 



20 See ' The Garrett ' in Tyldesley. 



^ Land-tax records at Preston. 



'^ Baines, Hist, of Lanes, (ed. 1836), iii, 

 603, where the riots of 1822 are described. 

 In 1702 the curate was elected by 

 Thomas Mort of Dam House, and the 

 vicars of Leigh and Deane ; Bp. Gastrcll, 

 Notitia (Chet, Soc. xxi), 187. 



448 



