TARBOCK
Torboc, Dom. Bk.; the regular spelling (with variants
like Torbok or Torbock) till the xvii cent., when the
present spelling appears, and has gradually prevailed.
Turboc, 1245; Terbok, 1327.
The south-western boundary of Tarbock is formed
principally by the old course of the Ditton Brook and
its affluent the Netherley Brook. The northern
boundary is in a great measure formed by two little
brooks which divide it from Whiston, running one
east and the other west, and uniting about the centre
to form the Ochre Brook, which flows south and
south-west through the township. Tarbock Green is
near the centre of the township; Coney Green is a
hamlet in the northern corner.
The area of the township is 2,446½ acres. (fn. 1) In
1901 the population was 590.
The flat country is divided into pastures and cultivated fields, where crops of potatoes, turnips, oats and
wheat thrive in a loamy soil. It is not at all picturesque owing to its level nature and the absence of
woods, excepting those of Halsnead Park, which fringe
the township on the north. A little relief is given to
the otherwise uninteresting landscape by the Ditton
Brook, which is rather a pretty stream. With the exception of an area one mile square of the coal measures
in the north part of the township the new red sandstone is elsewhere represented by the three beds of
the bunter series, the lowest in the centre, the pebble
beds in the south and east, and the upper bed in the
western part.
Two principal roads cross Tarbock east and west;
one near the northern boundary going from Huyton
to Cronton and to Warrington; the other through
the centre from Little Woolton to Ditton, crossing
Ochre Brook at Millbridge and going through Tarbock Green. There are several cross-roads, including
one from Prescot and Whiston to Halewood, passing
Tarbock Hall and crossing Ditton Brook by Green
Bridge. The Cheshire Lines Committee's railway
from Liverpool to Manchester cuts through the
southern corner of the township.
The principal industry is agriculture. There is also
a brewery.
In 1824 there were several collieries at the northern
end of the township, but they have now been worked
out.
Tarbock is governed by a parish council.
A little hoard of silver and copper coins was discovered at a farm called the Old Sprink in 1838. (fn. 2)
MANOR
The manor of TARBOCK was held
by Dot in 1066 in conjunction with
Huyton. It early became part of the
Widnes fee, and was held by the barons of Halton in
Cheshire as a member of their manor of Knowsley at
a rating of 3 plough-lands. It passed to the crown in
the same manner as the remainder of the fee. (fn. 3)
The Lathom family, holding Knowsley under
Widnes, twice assigned Tarbock as a portion for the
younger sons. About the end of the twelfth century
Richard son of Henry de Lathom was established
here, holding of the lord of Knowsley. (fn. 4) He appears
to have had three sons—Richard, Robert, and Henry. (fn. 5)
Richard de Torbock, son of Richard son of Henry,
was a witness to some Stanlaw charters. He granted
to the prior and convent of Burscough an annual rent
of 3s. from the mill which he held of them in
Tarbock. (fn. 6)
His son Henry, later called Sir Henry de Torbock,
was also a witness to many Stanlaw and other charters,
in one place being described as bailiff between Ribble
and Mersey. (fn. 7) In 1247–8 he had acquittance of all
suits to county and hundred. (fn. 8) Nine years later he
secured the privilege of free warren in Tarbock,
Turton, Dalton, Whittle, and Bridehead; also a
weekly market at Tarbock on Thursdays and an
annual fair there on the eve, feast, and morrow of
St. Andrew. (fn. 9) He married Ellen daughter of Jordan
de Sankey, and her brother Robert gave as dowry
lands in Wrightington and conveyed or reconveyed
the manor of Welch Whittle also. (fn. 10) Henry held
Dalton of the lord of Lathom in 1242, and his name
occurs as late as 1251. (fn. 11)
His son and heir Robert succeeded him; (fn. 12) and left
an only daughter and heiress Ellen, 'Lady of Tarbock,'
who being a minor became the ward of her feudal
superior, Robert de Lathom. He married her before
1283 to one of his younger sons, Henry de Lathom, (fn. 13)
and thus for the second time a younger de Lathom
became 'lord of Tarbock.' (fn. 14) He and his wife Ellen
gave lands in Ridgate in Whiston to Burscough
Priory, the gift being confirmed by Henry de Lacy
and the bishop of Lichfield in 1287. (fn. 15) A more
important act was his establishment of a private chapel
or oratory at Tarbock, which he engaged should be
no prejudice to the mother church of Huyton. (fn. 16) His
name occurs in various pleas down to 1294. (fn. 17) Ten
years later his widow Ellen de Torbock was plaintiff
or defendant in similar pleas, and so down to 1332,
about which time probably she died. (fn. 18)
She appears to have married a second husband,
called John de Torbock, perhaps from his wife's inheritance. He in 1329 arranged for the succession
of the manor of Tarbock and lands in Welch Whittle,
Turton, Walton Lees in Dalton, &c.; from himself and
his wife Ellen, they were to descend to his 'son and
heir' Richard, or in default of heirs to John's brother
William. (fn. 19)
Though the succeeding lord of Tarbock is called
'son and heir' of John de Torbock, it seems quite
clear that he was the son of Ellen's former husband,
and as 'Richard son of Ellen de Torbock' or 'Richard
son of Henry de Lathom of
Tarbock' he occurs in the plea
rolls of the time. (fn. 20) He seems
to have died shortly after his
mother, leaving a son and heir
Richard, (fn. 21) whose brief career
was marked by matrimonial
entanglements resulting in a
forty years' dispute over the
heirship.
Torbock of Tarbock. Or, an eagle's leg erased at the thigh gules; on a chief indented azure three plates.
First he married Margaret,
by whom he had three daughters
—Emma, Ellen, and Alice,
who were minors at his death.
Later he repudiated her and
espoused Maud de Standish (fn. 22)
at the door of the church of Ormskirk, having
by her a son (perhaps posthumous) named Henry.
Both Margaret and Maud survived him and married
again, the former to Henry Russell of Chester (fn. 23)
and the latter to Henry son of Bernard. In 1337
John de Holland claimed from Emma and her
sisters, from their feudal guardians the Lathoms, from
Margaret 'late wife of Richard de Torbock chivaler,'
and others an annual rent of 3s. 4d. from the manor
of Tarbock and a robe worth 20s. of the suit of his
esquires which he alleged had in 1334 been granted
to him by Richard de Torbock. At the same time
John de Dutton (or Ditton) claimed from them a
rent of 40s. and a robe (with a hood) of the value of
20s. by the year. (fn. 24) In 1341 Maud, then wife of
Henry son of Bernard, sought dower against Katherine,
formerly wife of Robert de Lathom, and Sir Thomas
de Lathom, the guardians of the lands and heir of Sir
Richard de Torbock, and against Henry Russell and
Margaret his wife. The defence was that Maud was
never legally married to Richard, and the question
being referred to the bishop of Lichfield for inquiry
he reported that there was no lawful marriage. (fn. 25) Five
or six years later there was a contest between
Katherine de Lathom and her son Thomas and
Henry Russell of Chester as to the custody of the
heirs. (fn. 26)
In the summer of 1344 the daughter Alice had
'entered into religion in the order of the [Gilbertine]
nuns at Watton' in the East Riding; while Emma,
the eldest daughter, had married Sir William Carles,
probably a Shropshire man, (fn. 27) and fresh suits were
instituted and a settlement of the property made. (fn. 28)
Henry, son of Maud, put forward his claims about
1363, when he must have been nearly thirty years of
age. In November, 1364, Urban V sent his mandate
to the archbishop of York to take order touching the
case of Henry de Torbock, son of Richard de Torbock,
knight, who died intestate, and of Maud, now also
deceased, who duly married the said Richard; Henry
had been defamed by William Carles, knt., and his
wife Emma, who, in order to exclude him from his
inheritance, said that he was illegitimate. (fn. 29) The
prior of Burscough was accordingly delegated to
inquire, and at Prescot in July, 1365, declared Henry
to be legitimate. (fn. 30) At the beginning of 1365 the
king directed the rolls to be searched with reference
to the former claim by Maud for her dower; and in
July sent a statement of Henry's claim to the
bishop of Lichfield, commanding him to inquire into
the legitimacy of the claimant. In November a
further letter was sent by the king to the bishop on
the petition of Sir William Carles and his wife Emma.
The bishop's reply does not seem to have been preserved; being again directed to make inquiry, in
November, 1372, on the following 25 April he certified
to the justices at Westminster that upon diligent inquiry
it was found that Henry de Torbock was legitimate. (fn. 31)
In the meantime a decision had been given in the
king's court. In 1365 Sir William Carles and Emma
his wife complained that Henry de Torbock and
others had ousted them from their manor of Tarbock.
Henry replied that he was the lawful son and heir
and had therefore done no injury or disseisin, for
Emma was a bastard and had no right in the manor.
The recognitors acquiesced in the above decision that
Henry was born in lawful wedlock and was the true
and right heir of Richard de Torbock, and accordingly gave judgement that the claim of William and
Emma was a false one. (fn. 32)
Henry de Torbock, now in possession, had to
make complaints as to destruction of trees, &c. (fn. 33) On
7 March, 1370, as Henry son of Sir Richard de
Torbock, he enfeoffed John Bellerby, vicar of Prestbury, (fn. 34) and Richard Causey of his manors of Tarbock,
Turton, Walton Lees, Welch Whittle, and the fourth
part of Dalton, and all his other lands. (fn. 35) This was
probably in view of his marriage with Isabel, widow
of Robert atte Poole, and daughter and heir of
Thomas de Capenhurst. (fn. 36)
In 1375 John Carles, apparently the heir of Sir
William, made another attempt to recover the manor
of Tarbock; (fn. 37) but the bishop's declaration would decide
the matter against him, and the last heard of this
claim is in the Lent of 1391, when acknowledging
that 'Henry son of Henry de Torbock is now of my
certain knowledge' in possession of the manors in
dispute, he quitclaimed all right in them and gave a
warranty to the possessor. (fn. 38)
Henry son of Richard de Torbock, who thus recovered his father's manors, died about 1380, and in
1382 his son Richard made a settlement of them, the
remainders being to Henry brother of Richard and
others. Four years later, as Sir Richard de Torbock,
knt., he made a further settlement. (fn. 39) He died on
8 February, 1386–7, in Spain, having no doubt accompanied the duke of Lancaster on his journey to claim
the crown. At inquisitions in June, 1389, it was
found that he had held Tarbock of the manor of
Knowsley by knight's service and a rent of 7s. 6d.;
also Walton Lees of the lord of Upholland in socage;
and the manor of Turton of the lord of Lathom.
He had no issue, and his next heirs were Sir William
de Atherton, senior, and Elizabeth daughter of Sir
Geoffrey de Worsley; but by virtue of the feoffments
made his brother Henry, son of Henry de Torbock,
then seventeen years of age, was heir to the manors
and in possession of them. (fn. 40)
The new lord of Tarbock was made a knight in
1399–1400, and married (fn. 41) Katherine daughter of
Sir Gilbert Halsall; in 1407 the succession was
granted to her children, John, Thomas, William,
Robert, Elizabeth, Ellen, and Alice. This was confirmed in May, 1418. (fn. 42) Sir Henry died soon afterwards, and his son and heir John died at Halsall on
30 September, 1420, leaving a son Henry, nine
years of age, and two daughters, Margaret and Elizabeth, also very young. (fn. 43)
John de Torbock, who in 1410 had been espoused
to Clemency, daughter of Ralph de Standish, (fn. 44) had
before his death arranged for the succession to his
estates, by enfeoffing Henry Halsall, archdeacon of
Chester, and Richard Smith, chaplain; but misunderstandings followed. (fn. 45) The son Henry died within a
year after his father, on 21 July, 1421, his sisters
being his heirs, but by the entail, William, their
uncle, claimed the manors, being then twenty-two
years of age. (fn. 46)
The claims of the two daughters were at once in
question, Sir John Stanley, the feudal superior, and
Laurence Standish as kinsman, claiming from Archdeacon Halsall what the latter apparently would
not give. The matter was referred to arbitration. (fn. 47)
On 2 May, 1423 (or 1424), letters of protection
and attorney were granted to William Torbock of
Lancashire, going to France in the retinue of
Christopher Preston, and similar protection on 8 May,
1430, to Sir William de Torbock, in the retinue of
John duke of Norfolk. (fn. 48)
Sir William de Torbock was still living in 1441, (fn. 49)
but died before 1447, when Dame Cecily was a
widow. In 1459–60, his son and heir Richard and
his wife Elizabeth received from the feoffees a messuage and land, called the Longriding, which had
descended according to the charter of Sir Henry
Torbock, Richard's grandfather. (fn. 50) Some other charters concerning him have survived, showing that he
was alive in July, 1472. (fn. 51)
He was succeeded by his son Henry, knighted by
Lord Stanley in July, 1482, on the taking of Berwick
from the Scots. (fn. 52) He died on 1 May, 1489, and was
succeeded by his brother William, then about twentyfive years of age. (fn. 53) In the following January Dame
Elizabeth, wife of Sir John Done of Utkinton, agreed
with him as to his marriage with her daughter
Margery by her former husband, John Stanley of
Weaver. (fn. 54) He was made a knight by George, Lord
Strange, in Scotland, during the expedition of 1497. (fn. 55)
William died 5 May, 1505, seised of the manor of
Tarbock, held of the earl of Derby (as of the manor of
Knowsley) by knight's service and worth £40 clear,
and of a messuage and six acres in Ridgate. His
son and heir was Thomas, aged eight years. (fn. 56)
In 1520 Thomas Torbock came to an agreement
with Hamlet Harrington as to a corpse-way from
Tarbock to Huyton church through the demesne
lands of Huyton Hey; the owner of the latter agreed
to allow the use of this way during the winter season,
the ordinary road to be used during the summer. (fn. 57)
He died on 20 September, 1554, holding the manor
of Tarbock, with thirty-two messuages, a windmill,
two water-mills, a fulling mill, and lands, wood, heath,
and moor in the township, and rents from George
Ireland, Richard Easthead, and Thomas Knolle, also
the premises in Ridgate by Prescot; his son and heir
was William Torbock, aged twenty-eight and more. (fn. 58)
William Torbock survived his father only three or
four years. (fn. 59) His daughters Frances and Margaret
were aged thirty months and two months at the
inquest (fn. 60) —the latter was not yet born when his will
was made—and his brother Edward succeeded him in
the manor of Tarbock. (fn. 61) In January, 1577, he
made a settlement of his manor and lands, first for his
own use, then for that of his sons Edward and
Thomas, and other family arrangements have been
preserved. He and his son Edward in 1591 also
came to a final agreement with William Orrell of
Turton, as to Tarbock, Turton and Walton Lees. (fn. 62)
The family appear to have become overwhelmed by
debt, and in May, 1611, the manor was sold to
Thomas Sutton of London, founder of the Charterhouse School. (fn. 63)
Before this, however, Edward Torbock the elder
died, and administration had been granted in 1608
to his widow and son. He appears to have conformed
externally to the change in religion made by Elizabeth,
for in 1584 he was returned as 'suspected' only, and
in 1590 was among the 'more usual comers to church,
but not communicants.' (fn. 64) His son and heir had been
made a knight by James I at Whitehall on 1 November, 1606, (fn. 65) but he was not able to retrieve the family
fortunes and died in the King's Bench, a prisoner,
being buried at St. George's, Southwark, on 28 May,
1617. (fn. 66)
As stated, the manor of Tarbock, with lands in
Cronton and Whiston, and the rectory of Huyton
had been sold to Thomas
Sutton in 1611, Sir Edward's
sons Edward and George joining in the sale. Thomas Sutton
died in December, 1611, and
his heir was his nephew Simon
Baxter of London. (fn. 67) In July,
1614, Sir Richard Molyneux
of Sefton entered into possession of Tarbock, having purchased it from Simon Baxter
for £10,500. (fn. 68)
Sutton of London. Or, on a chevron between three annulets gules as many crescents of the first.
Sir Richard Molyneux died
seised of the manor as well as
of lands in Tarbock and Huyton and the rectory. (fn. 69) The manor has descended
regularly to the present earl of Sefton. In 1798
quit-rents amounting to 6s. were paid by various
tenants. The water-mill and the windmill were
in operation.
Other persons or families also took surname from
the place, some of them no doubt descendants of
younger sons. (fn. 70)
The Easthead family also occurs. In 1339 William
Easthead was in prison at Lancaster charged with the
death of Henry son of Ellis le Keu of Tarbock; but
the jury found that he was unjustly accused by one
Robert Utting, whose wages William took, in his
capacity as reaper for Ellen de Torbock. (fn. 71) John
Easthead was a free tenant in 1600; and John Eastwood of Tarbock, gent., who died in 1613, held
a messuage, etc., of Simon Baxter in socage by 4s. 4d.
rent as well as lands in Burscough and Lathom. His
son and heir was John Eastwood, then aged thirty. (fn. 72)
The Whitefields are a family whose records reach
to Edward I's reign. Robert de Whitefield in 1292
claimed from Henry de Torbock and Ellen his wife
acquittance of the service demanded from him by
the superior lord, Henry de Lacy, in respect of a
tenement in Tarbock, but was non-suited. (fn. 73) By
an inquisition made in 1446–7 it was found that
William Whitefield had held nineteen acres in
Tarbock of Sir Henry de Torbock in socage by a
service of 5s. He died on 7 September, 1402, and
Richard Orme, aged twenty-three years, was his
next heir, being son of Alice, the daughter of William
Whitefield. (fn. 74)
An assessment of 1731 shows £73 to have been
raised; John Torbock, as collector, occurs down to
1757. The principal contributor was, of course,
Lord Molyneux, for demesne lands, tithes and mills,
and part of the New Pale; his payments were doubled
on account of his being a 'Papist.' Others in the
township paying double for the same reason were
Robert Waring, James Abram, Caryll Hawarden, and
John Abram. (fn. 75) The other portion of the New Pale
was occupied by James Glover. (fn. 76)
In 1786 a dispute arose as to Penny Lane croft,
and the matter was referred to Charles Pole, mayor
of Liverpool, for decision; from the witnesses' statements it appears that the croft was divided by a
gutter into an eastern and a western part, and that
the former was in Cronton, and the latter in
Tarbock. (fn. 77)
In 1785 Lord Sefton contributed £57 to the land
tax of £145; Nathaniel Milner, £5, was the next in
amount.
The existence of an oratory at Tarbock has been
noticed. (fn. 78) In 1332 Simon de Walton was charged with
wounding Nicholas the chaplain of Tarbock. (fn. 79) Licences
for an oratory occur in the Lichfield registers. (fn. 80) The
Torbocks also had a chapel in Huyton church. (fn. 81)
William Torbock in 1558 bequeathed to Sir George
Robinson a black gown and yearly stipend of £4, for
which he was to 'serve and say mass and other divine
service that longs for a priest to do. . . . at the
chapel that stands upon Tarbock Green. If the said
chapel be not builded up at the time of my decease
then I will that the said chapel shall be made up
upon my costs and charge.' He also left for it a
chalice of silver parcel-gilt, and a suit of vestments. (fn. 82)
The Commonwealth surveyors and Bishop Gastrell
make no allusion to the chapel; but in 1882 it
was stated that it had been pulled down 'about
fifty years ago,' and that it 'was rich in carved
wood-work.' (fn. 83)