80 
The water-mill here or there, where the people had their 
corn ground, needed renewal ; cottages needed repair ; 
barns and fences were faulty. Moreover allowances had to 
be made sometimes as the Compote or Computi for 1296 
and 1305 shew. From the vaccaries or pasturages in the 
Forest of Rossendale, a cow or two had been “ taken away 
by robbers,” or had been “ strangled by the wolf ” ; ancl 
wages were paid for “ guarding the calves from the wolf.” 
The very early fulling-mill near Burnley required attention, 
etc., and the lord s agents kept account of the expenses 
incurred. Burnley then had a population of about 50 
families. 
A visit from the warrior Lord of the Honour himself, in 
almost regal style, must have been a great occasion. Whether 
the Earl arrived at Clitheroe from his greater castle at Ponte- 
fract, via Wakefield, Halifax, Heptonstall, the Long Cause- 
way, Burnley, Padiham, Sabden, and over the nick of Pendle ; 
or by way of his Manor of Bradford, his Forest of Trawden! 
Colne, the Barrow-ford, and Downham ; or whether he 
came direct from the south by Denbigh, Chester, Warrington, 
Wigan, and his Blackburn Manor, his own retinue, with 
the gathering from dependencies in the three near counties, 
would make a great cavalcade. And if, as is held by some! 
the 12th June, 1296, were such an occasion, when “ the 
great and good Earl, in person,” laid the foundation-stone 
of Whalley Abbey, attended by an array of abbots, 
monks and ecclesiastics from other monastries, the scene 
would indeed be impressive. Two persons in particular 
would attend : one being Oliver de Stanesfield, of Heasanford, 
the Earl’s faithful keeper of Pontefract Castle ; and the other 
his young, light-hearted daughter, Lady Alice de Laci, only 
surviving child, now about thirteen years old. She. or her 
richly adorned palfrey, would be attended by her lady-in- 
waiting, Mabota, also mounted, and other waiting-maids. 
At any rate, in the Clitheroe accounts for 1296 appears 10/- 
allowed to the Lady Alice’s maid for certain expenses. 
The Lecturer made reference to many events of national im- 
portance in which Henry de Laci played a responsible part, in- 
cluding the great battle of Falkirk, July 22nd, 1296, when at’the 
head of a division containing a thousand men from his manors 
of Lancashire and Yorkshire he greatly helped to win the 
victory ; and to the fact that the Earl was with the king on 
his ill-fated journey to Scotland in 1307, in the course of 
which he (Edward I.) “ greatest of English kings ” of the 
past, died at Burgh-on-Sands, July 4th. Before dying he 
expressed misgivings concerning young Edward, his successor, 
