| 1 |
853 acres, including 12 of inland
water; Census Rep. of 1901. |
| 2 |
It is supposed to have been part of
the demesne of West Derby in 1066.
Though the adjacent manor of Sefton
appears to have lost a plough-land, being
rated later as five instead of the six
plough-lands of 1066, there is nothing to
indicate that Aintree formed the missing
part, the lordship and tenure being
distinct. |
| 3 |
Lancs. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lancs. and Ches.), 49. Aintree is not
named, but the subsequent history shows
that those named held in this place;
Hawise daughter of Richard, however, is
doubtful. The service was 8s. 2d. in all.
The whole of Henry de Holland's holding being 3¼ plough-lands, and Downholland with Barton being 1¼, and Ribbleton 1, it follows that Aintree was one
plough-land.
The Cockersand grant was known as
St. Marystead; Henry son of Alan de
Holland granted it in pure alms for the
health of his soul and the souls of his
wife and his father. The bounds were
from the Akenhead Brook, along the
bounds of Efward to the Alt as far as
Southfield Brook, from this following the
Meneway which crosses the brook as far
as Stonyford in the Alt; in breadth from
Lunddel Meneway to the Alt; Cockersand
Chartul. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 631. This is
described as 'a culture' in 1212. It
was held by the Wards of Maghull
in 1357; by Thurstan Maghull in 1451;
by John, the chaplain of Maghull, in
1461, at a rent of 12d.; and by Matthew
Maghull in 1501 and 1537; ibid. iv,
1244–5; Duchy of Lanc. Assize R. 4,
m. 11. On the suppression it was granted
to Thomas Holt; Duchy of Lanc. Inq.
p. m. xi, n. 46. |
| 4 |
In a suit between William son of
Adam Baret, and William son of William
Baret, in 1292, concerning a messuage
and one oxgang in Aintree, it was stated
that Alice, daughter of Robert de Molyneux, grandmother of the former plaintiff,
was seised of them. A certain Richard
Baret rendered them to Robert de Molyneux, his chief lord, who thereupon gave
them, with his daughter Alice, to Richard's
son William in free marriage. There were
two sons, Adam and William, fathers of
plaintiff and defendant. William son of
Adam recovered; Assize R. 408, m. 12d.
From a Haydock charter it seems that
the Barets held land by grant of Matthew
de Haydock, who had 1½ oxgangs in
Aintree, and gave half of this to William
Baret for life; Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.),
xxxviii, 236. |
| 5 |
William Baret dying without issue,
his sister Alice inherited. She married a
Rudgate, or Ridgate, perhaps of Whiston;
their son William had a son Richard de
Ridgate, who in 1351 had to defend his
right against Gilbert de Haydock; the
moiety of an oxgang had been added by
this time; Duchy of Lanc. Assize R.
1 (Lent), m. iij d.; R. 2 (July), m. j d.;
R. 3, m. ix; R. 5, m. 26d. The claim
by Gilbert de Haydock was defeated;
but lands in Aintree were held by him as
early as 1332; Final Conc. (Rec. Soc.
Lancs. and Ches.), ii, 82. The writ concerning the manor of Aintree, 'except
6½ oxgangs, &c.,' probably refers to this
suit; Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxii, App. p.
332.
Some later notices of this family occur.
In 1381 Gilbert de Ridgate contributed
to the poll tax; Lay Subs. Lancs. 130/24.
John del Ridgate of Aintree received the
royal protection on proceeding to Ireland
in 1386 in the company of Sir John de
Stanley; Cal. of Pat. 1385–9, p. 156.
Robert de Ridgate in 1426 granted
land in Aintree to Nicholas del Lunt; and
in 1454 Robert del Ridgate, perhaps the
same, was in possession of one oxgang,
5 acres, and half an oxgang, about which
the suit had been contested a century
before; Croxteth D. B. vi, 3; i, 4.
Robert's son William, whose wife was
named Margery, in 1479 gave all his
hereditary lands to his brother Richard,
and Emma his wife; ibid. B. i, 5, 6. |
| 6 |
Ibid. B. i, 7–9. |
| 7 |
Final Conc. i, 179; William de Aintree actually held 5¼ oxgangs, 221 acres
of land, 2s. 3d. rent, and the quarter of
the mill, and on the death of Alice, widow
of Henry de Aintree, there would revert
to him another oxgang, an acre of land,
12d. rent, and a quarter of the mill. The
succession was settled upon Henry de
Aintree and his brothers Gilbert and
Robert; probably they were William's
sons, as a Henry, son of William de Aintree, occurs in 1292; Assize R. 408, m.
54. William de Aintree was son of a
Henry de Aintree, as appears by a suit
against him and Robert de Molyneux
brought in 1276 by William son of Adam
the Demand; De Banc. R. 13, m. 37,
&c. He was living in 1298; Inq. and
Extents, 284. William de Aintree in
1295 granted part of his land to William
son of Thomas de Nateby; Croxteth D.
B. vi, 2. Earlier was Richard de Aintree, living in 1255; Inq. and Extents,
201.
It appears from a Melling suit that
Henry, Gilbert, and Robert died without
issue before 1305; Assize R. 420, m. 3d. |
| 8 |
Henry de Aintree married Agnes,
daughter of Richard de Molyneux of Sefton, and her daughter Emma was defendant in various suits in 1301. Gilbert
son of William de Aintree brought a writ
of novel disseisin against her, but did not
prosecute it; Assize R. 419, m. 3; also
m. 8d.
Then Alice, widow of Henry de Ain-
tree, claimed dower in certain lands held
by Emma; Richard de Molyneux, her
grandfather, Simon de Balderston, and
Emma widow of William de Aintree
being joined as defendants, the grandfather in his capacity of guardian to Emma,
who was a minor; Assize R. 419, m. 6 d.
In one statement of defence it was alleged
that William de Aintree held the parcel
in dispute for life, by grant of Henry;
ibid. m. 7 d.
In 1323 Henry son of Hugh de Atherton and Emma his wife complained that
William de Molyneux of Sefton and others
had disseised them of part of their tenement in Aintree; Assize R. 425, m. 6.
Two years later he proceeded against
William the Demand of Netherton and
others, for cutting his turf; De Banc. R.
255, m. 207.
Henry de Atherton contributed to the
subsidy of 1332; Exch. Lay Subs. 27.
John, son of William de Cowdrey,
Otes de Halsall, and Alan, son of Alan de
Cowdrey, were accused of taking Emma,
widow of Henry de Atherton of Aintree,
from Sefton church on 10 November,
1343; they were acquitted; Assize R.
430, m. 13. There appears to have been
a daughter and heir Joan, who married
Robert de Nevill of Hornby. The latter
in 1346 is found claiming various lands
as the right of his wife, daughter of
Henry, and granddaughter and heir of
Hugh de Atherton of Hindley; De Banc.
R. 346, m. 349.
In 1356 Joan, widow of Adam de Aintree sought dower from Henry, son of
Simon de Bickersteth and Agnes his wife;
Duchy of Lanc. Assize R. 5, m. 4d. |
| 9 |
Margery and Alice, daughters of William de Aintree, were plaintiffs in 1305
respecting land in Aintree which should
have descended to them after the death
of Gilbert their brother; Assize R. 420,
m. 5. In 1307 they claimed lands from
the above-named Emma, daughter of
Henry de Aintree; De Banc. R. 164, m.
142.
Twenty-five years later Roger de Wedacre and Margery his wife claimed messuages and lands in Aintree as of the
wife's right; De Banc. R. 280, m. 115;
R. 282, m. 13; R. 288, m. 55d.
In one of the Randle Holme pedigrees
it is stated that Alice de Aintree married
Richard de Maghull. This family had
land in Aintree from about 1300, for in
1301 Richard de Maghull and his wife
Alice warranted to his son Richard and
his wife certain lands in Aintree and
Melling; Harl. MS. 2042, fol. 46. The
Maghull family continued to hold land
here down to the sixteenth century;
Croxteth D. B. v, 1. |
| 10 |
John, son of Robert, son of Hiche of
Sefton in 1321 enfeoffed Richard de Lunt,
clerk, of all the lands in Aintree which
had belonged to his father; Harl. MS.
2042, fol. 46.
William, son of John del Brooks, in
1398 granted an annual rent of 10s. from
his lands in Aintree to John del Brooks;
and in 1524 Thomas, son and heir of
Lawrence Hareflynch, and Margery his
wife, a daughter and coheir of Thomas
Brooks, granted lands here to Edward
Molyneux, rector of Sefton; Croxteth D.
B. iii, 1 2. |
| 11 |
Probably in his mother's right; see
a previous note. |
| 12 |
Lancs. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), i, 28;
though his father was living, his sisters
proved to be his heirs. Not long before,
in 1374, Adam de Hoghton held the
manor of Roger de Holland by a service
of 8s. 3d. yearly; Coram Reg. R. 454
m. 13.
There is a brief note of a fine between
William de Aintree and Maud de Byron
in Harl. MS. 2042, fol. 59. |
| 13 |
Sir Thomas's sisters were Margaret,
who married Sir William Harrington, and
Joan, who married Sir John Langton;
Whitaker, Craven, 11. For their descendants see Whitaker, Whalley, ii, 509, and
Craven, 234; Lancs. and Ches. Rec. (Rec.
Soc. Lancs. and Ches.), ii, 330.
In 1520 John Swift and Anne his wife,
a daughter and coheir of Elizabeth, lately
wife of Richard Beaumont and previously
of John Stanley, demised all their part of
the manors, lands, mills, &c., in Aintree
and Melling to Edward Molyneux, rector
of Sefton, for his life at a rent of 5 marks;
and this was followed next year by a sale
of the same, Sir William Molyneux being
joined with his brother the rector in the
recoveries; Croxteth D. B. ii, 1, 2, 3, 8;
Pal. of Lanc. Feet of F. bdle. 11, m.
200.
Thomas Grimshaw married Margaret,
another daughter of John Stanley; Whitaker, Whalley, ii, 274.
In 1552 a partition was made between
Richard Grimshaw, John Osbaldeston and
Joan his wife, and Richard Molyneux, by
which the last-named, who held one-third
by his purchase from the Swifts, secured
the manor of Aintree with the appurtenances, closes called the Great and Little
Gos, a meadow called the Farraches, the
messuages, &c., held by Thomas Heche
and others, a rent of 3d. from the lands
of Thomas Maghull, 1d. from the heirs
of John Shurlacre, 12d. from the heirs of
Robert Hey, 2d. from John Abbe, 3d.
from John Hesketh, and certain messuages, &c., in Liverpool; Croxteth D.
B. v, 1. See also Pal. of Lanc. Feet of
F. bdle. 15, m. 113. |
| 14 |
Croxteth D. B. iv, 2. This rent of
£12 issuing from Aintree and Melling is
described as formerly paid to Sir Robert
Nevill. Sir Christopher Danby in 1536
took lands in Holtby, Heworth, and
Clifton near York, in exchange. |
| 15 |
In 1623 the manor of Aintree was
found to have been held by Sir Richard
Molyneux as the 40th part of a knight's
fee; the clear value was £10 2s.; Lancs.
Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lancs. and Ches.),
iii, 389. |
| 16 |
Norris D. (B.M.). |
| 17 |
Kenyon MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.).
109; see also N. Blundell, Diary, 91,
Probably Richard Lathom of Liverpool,
surgeon, 1686. |
| 18 |
Engl. Cath. Nonjurors, 93; some
particulars of their families are given. |