| 1 |
According to the Census Rep. 1901,
the present townships of Tottington and
Ramsbottom contain respectively 2,543
and 6,424 acres, with 26 and 76 acres of
inland water. |
| 2 |
An 'agger' is visible. |
| 3 |
Trans. Hist. Soc. xxiv, 60; the place
is called Cinder Hill. |
| 4 |
Rev. H. Dowsett, Notes on Holcombe,
55. |
| 5 |
Subsidy R. bdle. 250, no. 9.
Lancs. |
| 6 |
He was born in 1760, his father being
a weaver, who also had a small school.
James was educated by him and then at
Bury school; afterwards he went up to
St. John's College, Cambridge, as a Kay
exhibitioner and sizar. He was the typical 'poor scholar,' came out senior wrangler, was elected fellow, and ultimately
master of the college. He became Dean
of Ely in 1820, and rector of Freshwater
in 1823, holding these preferments with
the mastership. He wrote a treatise on
Algebra and many other mathematical
works. He was a great benefactor to
the college, both in money and books,
and it may be mentioned that he augmented the Kay exhibitions; Baker,
Hist. of St. John's College (ed. Mayor),
ii, 1094–1104; Dict. Nat. Biog. There
is a memorial tablet in Holcombe
Church. |
| 7 |
Lewis's Gazetteer. |
| 8 |
Rommesbothum, 1292. The story of
the town is told in Barton, Bury, 208–21.
The writer states that the Radical and
Chartist movement took strong hold of
Ramsbottom. In 1826, a time of bad
trade, an attempt was made to destroy
the power looms at Chatterton; and
'plug drawing' took place at a later
time. |
| 9 |
The Grants, father and mother,
with four sons and two daughters—
William, John, Daniel, Charles, Elizabeth, and Isabella—settled in Bury, where
they worked in the mills, travelled as
chapmen, opened a shop, &c. They prospered, and according to the Dir. of 1825
William Grant & Brothers then had
factories at Nuttall and Ramsbottom, and
John Grant was living at Nuttall Hall.
William Grant, the chief partner, born in
1769, died at Springside, near Bury, in
1842. Daniel and John Grant died in
1855. William Grant, the last of the
male line, nephew of the preceding
William, died 30 May 1873 at Grange.
The estates have come to Sir John
Grant Lawson, a grandson, by his mother Isabella, of John Grant of Nuttall;
Burke, Landed Gentry, Lawson of Aldborough. |
| 9 |
a See W. Hume Elliot, Country and
Church of the Cheeryble Brothers, and Story
of the Cheeryble Grants. |
| 10 |
Lond. Gaz. 18 Mar. 1864. |
| 11 |
46 & 47 Vict. cap. 225. |
| 12 |
This change took place in 1894, when
the township was also extended to include
a part of Elton; Local Govt. Bd. Orders
31671 and 32291. |
| 1 |
For a full account, with illustration,
see Rev. H. Dowsett, Notes on Holcombe,
21–35,119–32, 139–42; and the same
writer's Holcombe Long Ago, 109, &c. See
ibid. 68, for an account of the pile of stones
known as 'Ellen Strange.' See also Lancs.
and Ches. Antiq. Soc. xxii, 151. |
| 2 |
Dowsett, op. cit. 75. |
| 3 |
Lancs, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. iv, 304;
also Notes on Holcombe, 17. |
| 4 |
Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9, Lancs. |
| 5 |
The final change took place in 1894
by Local Govt. Bd. Orders 31671 and
32291. |
| 6 |
V.C.H. Lancs. i, 312, 319. Dower in
Tottington was claimed in 1233 by Olive,
widow of Roger de Montbegon; Final
Conc. (Rec. Soc. Lancs. and Ches.), i, 145.
In 1235 the lordship was sold to John de
Lacy by Henry de Monewdon; Duchy of
Lanc. Great Coucher, i, 63.
Tottington occurs in the extent of the
lands of John de Lacy in 1241–2; it was
worth £7 1s. 5d.; Inq. and Extents (Rec.
Soc. Lancs. and Ches.), i, 157. The manor
had been granted to William de la Mare,
who in 1274 exchanged it with Henry de
Lacy for Longton in Leyland; Final Conc.
i, 152. |
| 7 |
Dods. MSS. cxxxi, fol. 37. |
| 8 |
Sheriff's Compotus, 22 Edw. III. |
| 9 |
Feud. Aids, iii, 87. A similar statement was made in 1431; ibid, iii, 96. |
| 10 |
Whitaker, Whalley (ed. Nicholls), i,
323. In 1313 it was described as one of
the free chases of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster; Cal. Pat. 1313–17, p. 65. In 1327
Tottington was granted to Queen Isabel,
and a number of trespasses on the chase
were reported; ibid. 1327–30, pp. 69,
284; 1343–5, P. 417, &c. |
| 11 |
Whitaker, Whalley, i, 326, quoting
'Towneley MSS.' |
| 12 |
Lancs. Inq. and Extents, i, 61. William
de Peniston held the land in 1212 with
Cecily daughter of Alice. In 1278 Helewise
widow of Adam de Peniston was nonsuited in her claim against Henry de
Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, and Gilbert de
Clifton respecting a tenement in Tottington; Assize R. 1268, m. 13. Afterwards,
in 1292, William Helewise, son of Adam
de Peniston, sought to recover the 4
oxgangs which Henry de Lacy had taken
into his hands, but failed, the jury saying
that he was born out of wedlock; ibid.
408, m. 56.
A grant by Henry de Montbegon to
Robert son of Uriel de Tottington is in
Towneley MS. DD, no. 852. |
| 13 |
Roger de Montbegon, who died in
1226, granted to Monk Bretton all his
forest called Holcombe. The bounds
mention Longshaw Head, Alden Head,
Harcles How, Pilgrim's Cross Shaw,
Tittleshaw (Titeles How), the Robbers'
Path, Salter Bridge, and the road by
Oskeley. He reserved hunting and falcons.
Pasture was allowed within bounds from
Caldwell Head and Syke to the Irwell, by
this river to Tittleshaw Brook, and up
this brook to the road. Three acres of
meadow under Harcles How were also
granted. The whole was given in free
alms for the souls of the donor and his
wife, parents, brother John Malherbe, and
others; Whitaker, Whalley, i, 324. This
charter is perhaps an extension or correction of two others (ibid, i, 325), which
profess to give the whole of Holcombe
and pasture rights; but the boundaries do
not agree. See also Dugdale, Mon. v, 138.
The monks appear to have lost their
land soon afterwards, but in 1304–5 occurs
a loss of rent of 5s. 9½d. from land which
had been restored to them; De Lacy Compoti (Chet. Soc.), 114.
In 1346 the Prior of Monk Bretton
claimed against Queen Isabel 1,500 acres
of pasture and 1,500 acres of wood in
Tottington, of which Henry de Lacy had
disseised his predecessor, William de
Rihale, prior in the time of Edward I;
De Banco R. 348, m. 218. |
| 14 |
Whitaker, Whalley, i, 325; the date
is 8 Feb. 1483–4. Also Cal. Pat. 1476–85,
p. 388. |
| 15 |
Dugdale, Mon. v, 141. |
| 16 |
Pat. 38 Hen. VIII, pt. ix. |
| 17 |
Chet. Soc. Publ. cxii. |
| 18 |
Ibid. lxxiv.
In 1295–6 the rent of Tottington was
£13 12s. 6½d.; the rents of free tenants
came to 4s. 11½d.; fines of lands, court
fees, &c., brought in £4 14s.; the mill,
26s.; and stallage, herbage, pannage, &c.,
£7 19s. 1d. The total given—£27 17s. 8d.
—is a little in excess of the details;
Compoti, 5.
In 1304–5, excluding the £4 10s.
scutage for the army of Scotland, the
profits amounted to £38 1s. 6½d.; most
of the items showed an increase, allowance
being made for the park newly formed at
Musbury. A new approvement of 60¾
acres of land yielded 20s. 3d. for the first
year; ibid. 100–1. |
| 19 |
De Lacy Inq. 19; Whitaker, Wballey, i,
326, 327. The total estimated net value
was only £6 6s. 3½d., against gross receipts of £38 in 1304–5.
In 1399–1400 the bailiwick of Tottington produced 47s. 7d. and the manor
£33 19s. 9d.; Farrer, Clitberoe Ct. R. 489.
In 1505 the mills were leased to Sir
John Booth for twenty-one years; Duchy
of Lanc. Misc. Books, xxi, A/59 d. |
| 20 |
See the account of Shuttleworth. |
| 21 |
The Radcliffes of Radcliffe continued
to hold this land till the beginning of the
16th century. Richard son of Robert de
Radcliffe in 1292 claimed 80 acres of
pasture in Tottington against Henry de
Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, but withdrew;
Assize R. 408, m. 57. In 1295 Richard
de Radcliffe held 20 acres by the earl's
charter at a rent of 3s., and he paid 10d.
for 2½ acres, inclosed with the preceding
land, but held at will; Compoti, 5. The
court roll of September 1513 shows that
John Radcliffe had recently died, holding
Holehouse and lands in Tottington; his
nephew John was his heir. The roll of
September 1517 states that John Radcliffe had held Holehouse, and 25 acres,
with common rights in Alden; he left a
widow Mary, and his heirs were his four
sisters. |
| 22 |
In 1311 Robert de Bradshagh held
a pasture freely by the service of 12d. a
year; De Lacy Inq. 19. The court rolls
for 1508, 1543, and 1551 show that this
estate was an acre at Affetside. |
| 23 |
Geoffrey de Chadderton for Shillingbottom in 1295–6 gave 1½d. in lieu of a
pound of cummin, and the same in
1304–5; Compoti, 5, 177. In 1311 Roger
de Chadderton held 12 acres on the same
terms; De Lacy Inq. 19. Roger de Chadderton in 1325 had licence to enfeoff
Roger son of Roger de Chadderton of a
messuage, &c., in Tottington; Cal. Pat.
1324–7, p. 182. From the court roll of
1528 it appears that William Chadderton
had held the Peel in Tottington; Edmund
was his son and heir. In 1550 Edmund
was dead, and George his son and heir
succeeded to the Peel and lands in Tottington and Edenfield; while in June
1551 George Chadderton of Nuthurst
sold Shillingbottom to Thurstan Hamer.
Thurstan Hamer had land in Buckden
in 1547.
The estate was in 1849 the property
of Robert Nuttall of Kempsey; Raines
MSS. xxxi, fol. 333, &c. |
| 24 |
Rec. Soc. Lancs. and Ches. xli, 6–15.
Fines were paid, for instance, for licence
to brew, for selling bad ale, for multure
carried away, for a sparrow-hawk taken
in the forest, and for 'Haymald ' of a colt.
There are numerous later court rolls
from 1507 onwards, some preserved at
Clitheroe Castle and some at the Public
Record Office. The courts were held at
Holcombe twice or thrice a year, usually
in June and October, both for the manor
and fee of Tottington. The judges, who
were the lords of the manors, were required to attend from Bury, Middleton,
Alkrington, and Chadderton; also two
constables from each of these townships.
The officers of the manor or 'greaveship'
of Tottington were the greave, appraisers,
supervisors of bread and ale, byrlaw men,
affeerers of the court, and sometimes
fence-lookers, and moor and moss-lookers,
appointed annually. The usual business
of such courts was done. The common
pastures of Duerdcn, Affetside, Wykeside,
and Hawkshaw were regulated, highways
kept in order, and complaints heard about
mills, folds, &c.
In 1516 it was stated that the court had
not been held from three weeks to three
weeks because there was no court-house.
There was then no pinfold. The tenants
had been summoned to the wapentake court
at Salford, to which they did not owe suit.
The miller of Coldwall mill in 1560 had
not kept the 'mill fleam' 1½ ft. deep and
3 ft. wide. Stocks for the punishment of
malefactors were asked for in 1525. One
woman and her daughter were reported in
1530 for absenting themselves from
divine service on feast days and other days
all the year round. Forbidden games received notice; Edmund Lomax of Crossclough and another were in 1522 common
players at cards, &c., in time of divine
service, at mass on feast days; and in
1545 bowling alleys were suppressed at
Holcombe and Edenfield. Common regrators and forestallers were punished.
Edmund Greenhalgh was in 1520 fined
for levying a toll on people going through
to the markets in a place called Shuttleworth in Tottington. Several were fined
for obtaining turf, stone, and slate stones
without licence, or for obtaining them and
selling to persons outside the manor.
Ministers' accounts for Clitheroe in
1341–2 give particulars of Tottington,
with its two mills and chase, and mention
the keeper of Musbury; Mins. Accts.
bdle. 1091, no. 6.
|
| 25 |
The family took its name from Nuttall, originally Nuthough or Nuthaw, on
the bank of the Irwell. Roger de Noteho
was a defendant in a Bury mill case in
1256; Final Conc. i, 120; and Richard
son of Thomas de Notehoh had a grant of
land; Towneley MS. DD, no. 864.
Richard de Notehogh in 1332 contributed
to the subsidy in Bury; Exch. Lay Subs.
(Rec. Soc. Lancs. and Ches.), 33. James
Bury in 1479 complained that some of his
cattle at Gooden and Woodroad had been
taken by Henry and Geoffrey Nuttall of
Bury, Charles Nuttall of Tottington, and
others; Pal. of Lanc. Writs Proton. file
19 Edw. IV, b.
There were two branches of the family
established in Tottington—Nuttall of
Nuttall, and Nuttall of Tottington Hall.
Of the former family was Richard de
Nuttall, who in 1408 leased to his son
William all that land called Nuttall (Nothogh) in Tottington, with the buildings
thereon, lately leased to Henry de Nuttall;
Ormerod, Parentalia, 40. Henry son of
a later Richard Nuttall of Nuttall in 1491
acquired Gollinrod in Walmersley; ibid.
41.
From the court rolls it appears that
Richard Nuttall died in 1510 holding
four messuages, 120 acres of land, &c.,
Charles being his son and heir. In
October 1537 Charles Nuttall made a
settlement of his lands in Little Holcombe; and in
1549 he made a
further settlement,
Richard his son
and heir, being a
party. In 1561
Richard Nuttall,
whose heir was his
son Charles, made
a lease of certain
land. Charles Nuttall, gentleman,
was buried 8 Mar.
1604–5; Charles
Nuttall of Holcombe, 1 Aug.
1613; and Richard Nuttall of Nuttall, 20
Jan. 1616–17; Bury Reg. Charles Nuttall of Nuttall was a freeholder in 1600,
and another Charles contributed to the
subsidy in 1622; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lancs.
and Ches.), i, 248, 162. He was living
in 1624, and Blome names the family in
his list of Lancashire gentry in 1673;
Ormerod, op. cit. 41. 'The estate passed
from this family, probably by marriage, to
Miles Lonsdale, of Field House, Esq.,
about the year 1698, and was conveyed by
his descendant and representative, Ann,
only child of Henry Lonsdale, Esq., about
1790, in marriage to the Rev. Richard
Formby of Formby, LL.B., by whom it was
sold to Mr. Grant'; Raines, in Notitia
Cestr. ii, 30, 32.
Of the Tottington Hall family was
Ralph Nuttall, who according to the
court rolls died in 1530 holding two messuages, 6 oxgangs of land, and a third part
of 64 acres called Roodland in Tottington,
with common of pasture in Alden; also a
messuage, &c., in Deardenfield. Thomas
Nuttall, his son and heir, was admitted on
a fine of 20s. Emmot, widow of Giles
Nuttall, perhaps of another family, occurs
in the roll of 1541.
Thomas Nuttall of Tottington was a
freeholder in 1600, while Ralph Nuttall
contributed to the subsidy of 1622; Misc.
(Rec. Soc. Lancs. and Ches.), i, 248, 162.
From the Bury Registers it appears that
Thomas Nuttall, gentleman, was buried
19 June 1609; and Thomas Nuttall of
Tottington 12 Oct. 1614. These are
probably the father and son who head the
Nuttall pedigree recorded in 1664–5;
Dugdale, Visit. (Chet. Soc), 222.
A further account of this family will be
found under Oldham; they are now represented by the Radclyffes of Foxdenton.
Some documents concerning them are in
Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxiv, fol. 245–
57. Thomas Nuttall, who died about
1727, built a schoolhouse at Tottington
and left £3 a year towards the endowment; End. Cbar. Rep. Bury, 1901, p. 6.
Mr. Grimshaw was owner of Tottington
Hall in 1828; ibid. 8. |
| 26 |
The name was originally Routhesthorn,
and has taken a great variety of forms;
including Rostron. Adam de Rawsthorne
was defendant to a plea by Roger son of
Geoffrey son of Joan de Bury in 1304;
Coram Rege R. 176, m. 48. Adam the
elder and Adam the younger contributed
to the subsidy of 1332; Exch. Lay Subs.
(Rec. Soc. Lancs. and Ches.), 36, 37.
Lumb Hall in Edenfield is said to have
been the seat of Adam Rawsthorne in
1482; Raines, in Notitia Cestr. ii, 30.
From the court rolls it appears that
Adam Rawsthorne died in 1508 holding
five messuages and 153 acres of roodland,
he left a widow Ellen, and a son and heir
Henry. In 1528 Henry Rawsthorne died,
his son and heir Adam succeeding.
Adam Rawsthorne of the Lumb and
Richard his son were concerned in a covenant of marriage with Richard Ormerod of
Wolfenden in 1551. Adam died in 1562,
and Richard, as son and heir, succeeded.
The will of Richard Rawsthorne (1580)
is printed in Piccope, Wills (Chet. Soc.),
ii, 168; it mentions his wife Agnes, his
sons Richard, the heir, Adam, parson of
Bircham Newton (Norfolk), and Lawrence, 'scholar,' and his daughter Ellen,
wife of Thomas Fish. The will of his
widow Agnes (1594) is also printed; ibid,
iii, 146. Richard, the son and heir, was
buried in 1593; Bury Reg. His will
(1593) is printed; Piccope, op. cit. iii,
38; his son Edward was the heir, but
legacies were given to younger children
and others. Certain furniture, including
seven silver spoons, were to remain as
heirlooms at the capital house of the Lumb.
The will of his widow Eleanor (1599) is
in Wills (Chet. Soc. new ser.), i, 226.
Edward Rawsthorne of Lumb was a
freeholder in 1600, and contributed to the
subsidy in 1622; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lancs.
and Ches.), i, 247, 162. He died 20 Dec
1634, holding lands in Ditton of the king
as of his manor of West Derby; the Tottington estate is not mentioned. The
heir was his grandson Edward (son of
Edward), two years of age; Duchy of
Lanc. Inq. p.m. xxviii, no. 23. Edward
Rawsthorne of the Lumb, no doubt the
father of the heir, was buried 16 Mar.
1631–2; and Edward son of Edward
Rawsthorne of the Lumb was baptized
23 May 1632; Bury Reg. It is said to
have been the second Edward's daughter
and heir Elizabeth who conveyed the
estate in marriage about 1660 to Thomas
Bradshaw of Bradshaw; Raines, in Notitia
Cestr. ii, 30. Oliver Heywood tells the
following story, which illustrates a popular
superstition: 'Mr. Rawsthorne of Lumb
and Mr. Thomas Bradshaw walked out
and after they had drunk a cup of ale returned home. Going in the night by a
pit side Mr. Rawsthorne (being troubled
with the falling sickness) fell in; Mr.
Bradshaw leapt after him to take him out,
because he could swim, but they were
both drowned. Mr. R. swam at top, but
Mr. B. could not be found. A woman
bade them cast a white loaf in, and they
doing so it would not be removed from over
the place where he was; so they took him
up, and they were buried together. A sad
family it was, my brother being eye-witness thereof; Diaries, iii, 89. The date
seems to be Dec. 1664. There is a pedigree in Piccope MSS. (Chet. Lib.), i, 162,
in which it is stated that Elizabeth's son
Thomas had a son and heir Rawsthorne
Bradshaw, born in 1689, who, finding the
estate much encumbered with debts, sold
it in 1725 to Miles Lonsdale.
New Hall in Edenfield is stated to have
been purchased in 1538 by Lawrence
Rawstorne of Windsor; Raines, loc. cit.
In 1556–7 Lawrence Rawstorne of New
Hall made a settlement of his lands; he
mentions William and Edward his sons
and Jane his daughter; the trustees were
William son and heir of John Orrell of
Turton; Thomas son and heir of Ralph
Nuttall of Bury; and Peter son and heir
of James Heywood of Bury; Raines MSS.
(Chet. Lib.), xiv, fol. 89. He is mentioned in the court rolls in 1538 and
1541.
Edward Rawstorne of New Hall was a
freeholder in 1600, and one of the same
name contributed to the subsidy in 1622;
Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lancs. and Ches.), i, 246,
162. Edward Rawstorne was sheriff in
1628–9; P.R.O. List, 73. During the
Civil War Captain Edward Rawstorne,
probably a son of the last-named, took an
active part on the king's side, being engaged in the defence of Lathom House,
and being appointed colonel and governor
of it by Prince Rupert; he was compelled to surrender it by famine and mutiny;
Civil War Tracts (Chet. Soc), 169–84,
201, 212. His estates were sequestered
by the Parliament; he died without male
issue in or before 1650, when his brother
and heir Lawrence, 'having faithfully
served Parliament,' claimed the restoration of the estate under a settlement made
about 1620 by his grandfather, with remainders to Edward, claimant's father, to
Edward his eldest son, the 'delinquent,'
and heirs male; Cal. of Com. for Comp.
iv, 2653. The estates were restored to
Lawrence.
A pedigree was recorded in 1664; Dugdale, Visit. (Chet. Soc.), 248. Of this
family Lawrence Rawstorne was sheriff
of the county in 1680–1, William his son
in 1712, Lawrence, grandson of the latter,
in 1776; P.R.O. List, 73, 74. Lawrence
son of Lawrence purchased Penwortham,
and is represented by Mr. Lawrence Rawstorne of Penwortham, recently the owner
of New Hall; see Burke, Landed Gentry.
There is a pedigree in Piccope MSS.
(Chet Lib.), i, fol. 159. The Bury Water
Board has obtained an Act for the purchase of the estate. |
| 27 |
From the Tottington Court Rolls it
appears that Geoffrey Ramsbottom died
in or before 1532, holding Ramsbottom,
Digfield, and Carr House; he left a widow
Alice, and his next of kin was one Richard
Ramsbottom. In 1540 Richard son and
heir of Edmund Ramsbottom and Joan
his wife sold or mortgaged Ramsbottom
and the other lands to Thomas Warburton
of Little Clegg.
In 1562 Richard Ramsbottom of Ramsbottom was found to be kinsman and heir
of Elizabeth, widow of Lawrence Rawstorne.
Francis Gartside in 1573 had the water
corn-mill of Caldwell under Geoffrey
Ramsbottom; Ducatus Lanc. (Rec. Com.),
iii, 6, 43.
Richard Ramsbottom contributed to the
subsidy in 1622; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lancs.
and Ches.), i, 162. |
| 28 |
In the court rolls it is stated that
Richard son and heir of John Booth asked
admission to messuages and land, with
common of pasture, &c., in Alden. He
appeared again in 1509; the property was
a messuage and 42 acres in the Booth, a
messuage and oxgang in the Old Earth,
and a messuage, &c., in the Hollins in
Edenfield. Richard Booth, perhaps the
same, died in 1564, holding various land
and the fourth part of an oxgang; two
sons are mentioned—Christopher, the heir,
and Richard; Richard the son of Christopher had a wife, Alice.
Richard Booth in 1573 claimed a
capital messuage in Tottington against
Thomas Holden; Ducatus Lanc. iii, 3.
Another of this name contributed to the
subsidy in 1622; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lancs.
and Ches.), i, 162. A pedigree was recorded in 1665 showing that John Booth,
who died about 1615, had a son Richard
living in 1665, with a son George, aged
thirty-four, and a grandson William, aged
five; Dugdale, Visit. 44. In 1682 William son and heir of George Booth and
grandson of Richard Booth by Margaret
his wife was admitted at Tottington Court
to a messuage in Booth Lane; but ten
years earlier James Lomax of Unsworth
appears to have purchased Booth Hall.
His daughter and heir Elizabeth married
John Halliwell of Pike House, and their
son John died intestate in 1771; Raines
MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxxi, fol. 345–6. It
descended to John Beswicke, and after his
death was in 1796 sold to Robert Nuttall
of Bury, whose grandson, Robert Nuttall
of Kempsey, was the owner in 1849;
Raines, in Notitia Cestr. ii, 31. |
| 29 |
Henry de Lacy in 1302 granted that
Geoffrey de Elton should in future hold
freely that tenement he had held at will,
paying 13s. 4d. a year; Add. MS. 32104,
no. 966. In 1511 Robert Elton was
admitted to a messuage and 20 acres in
Edenfield. He died in 1548 or 1549,
and his son Roger succeeded him; Ct. R.
Lands were held in Horncliffe about
1355 by Hugh son of Robert de Horncliffe; Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxii, App.
344.
The Warburton family occur early.
Thomas de Warburton paid to the subsidy in Bury in 1332; Exch. Lay Subs.
(Rec. Soc. Lancs. and Ches.), 33. Two
years earlier he had acquired a messuage
in Tottington, in the possession of John
del Heywood and Margery his wife, the
widow of Roger de Red Lees; Final Conc.
ii, 75, 76. In 1539 Thomas Warburton
seems to have been the owner and George
Warburton the tenant of Red Lees;
Ct. R. A Thomas Warburton contributed to the subsidy in 1622; Misc.
(Rec. Soc. Lancs. and Ches.), i, 162. Of
this family perhaps was John Warburton,
F.R.S., F.S.A., Somerset Herald, son of
Benjamin Warburton of Bury by his
wife Mary, daughter and heir of Michael
Buxton of Buxton. He was born in
1681 and died in 1759. A full account
of him is given in Baines, Lancs. (ed.
1836), ii, 678; also Dict. Nat. Biog.
John Nabbs of Tottington was a freeholder in 1600; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lancs.
and Ches.), i, 247. The surname occurs
in the court rolls.
Edward Rothwell died in 1530, leaving
Peter his son as heir. Margaret widow
of Edmund is named in 1547. Adam
Rothwell died in 1561, leaving John his
idiot brother as heir; another Adam
died about the same time, the heir being
his son Thomas; Ct. R.
There appear to have been several Holt
families in Tottington. Robert del Holt
of Tottington in 1429 complained that
Richard son of Richard de Radcliffe of
Radcliffe and others had broken into his
close at Tottington and taken his cows;
Pal. of Lanc. Plea R. 2, m. 13b. Christopher Holt in 1512 or 1513 made a
settlement of his estate. He died in
1517, holding Hollingrave, Birch Hey,
and Wood Hey; Geoffrey was his son and
heir. Geoffrey died in 1541, leaving the
estate to his son Christopher. George
Holt died in 1523, his heir being his son
William; Ct. R. John Holt in 1622
contributed to the subsidy for his lands;
Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lancs. and Ches.), i,
162.
Roger Holt married Jane cousin and
heir of Oliver Law, and they had disputes,
about 1540, with Edmund Law concerning
lands in Alden; Ducatus Lanc. (Rec.
Com.), i, 163, 208; ii, 73. From the
Court Rolls of 1544 it appears that Jane
was the daughter and heir of John son
and heir of Oliver Law. There was a
dispute as to the measure of the land,
whether it was by 8 or 7 cloth yards to the
rod. Oliver son of Edmund Law held
the Law in Tottington in 1551.
Robert Holt left several daughters as
heirs to lands in Alden, Holcombe, and
Blacklow; Alice, one of the daughters,
was in 1595 the wife of John Greenhalgh, and Margaret, another, the wife of
John Belfield; Ducatus Lanc. (Rec. Com.),
iii, 336, 353.
Croichley seems to have been in the
possession of the Ley and Leyland families. Robert Leyland in 1539 made a
feoffment of 'Crichlow'; the rent to the
king as chief lord was 3s. 8d.; Ct. R.
Other families named in the Court Rolls
are Ashworth, Bamford, Barton, Brook,
Bury, Chadwick, Elcock, Haslam (Walshaw), Holden, Lomax, Robert, Scholefield (of Carr), and Wood.
Tottington occurs as a surname in
1292, when Henry son of Hugh de Tottington and Mabel his wife claimed a
tenement held by Alexander son of Adam
de Tottington, but were non-suited;
Assize R. 408, m. 32 d.
A full list of the tenants and freeholders
in 1443 is given in W. Farrer's Clitheroe
Ct. R. i, 501, 507.
Giles Morris and Agnes his wife laid
claim to a messuage and lands in Tottington about 1553; Ducatus Lanc. (Rec.
Com.), i, 300; ii, 157. In 1560 Agnes
Morris, widow, made a settlement of her
lands, with remainders to her sons Richard
and William; Pal. of Lanc. Feet of F.
bdle. 22, m. 16. Soon afterwards Agnes
married George Birch, and disputes began
with John Ainsworth, who claimed under
the will of a grandfather; Ducatus Lanc.
(Rec. Com.), ii, 259, 273, 384; iii, 24.
A settlement appears to have been made
in 1582 by John Ainsworth and Jane his
wife, and Richard Morris and Dorothy
his wife; Pal. of Lanc. Feet of F. bdle.
44, m. 153.
Richard Towneley, who died in 1636,
had lands in Edenfield and Tottington;
Lancs. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 165. |
| 30 |
Whitaker, Whalley, i, 327; Duchy
Plead. (Rec. Soc. Lancs, and Ches.), ii,
108. |
| 31 |
Geoffrey Greenhalgh died in 1552,
holding a messuage and land in Tottington; Thomas was his son and heir;
Ct. R.
John Greenhalgh had a capital messuage called Fearnes and land which he
in 1592 settled upon his son Thomas and
his issue by Christabel his wife. Thomas
succeeded his father, and died in 1608
without issue, Richard Greenhalgh, his
brother and heir, being over forty years of
age. The lands were held of John Holt
in socage, by a rent of 6d.; Lancs. Inq.
p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lancs. and Ches.), i,
129. |
| 32 |
In 1540 Robert Holt and other
tenants of Tottington made complaint
against John Bradshaw and others respecting the common in Affetside; Ducatus Lanc. (Rec. Com.), ii, 62, 72. In
1554 the tenants complained that Roger
Gartside had trespassed on the waste;
ibid, i, 282. |
| 33 |
The documents are printed in Mr.
Dowsett's Holcombe Long Ago, 25–36;
see also Lancs. and Ches. Rec. (Lancs. and
Ches. Rec. Soc.), ii, 276, 277. The
tenants alleged 'with regard to their
ancient copyhold lands and the commons,
&c. (which they owned were the king's
and had never been demised by copy of
Court Roll), that they had usually and
respectively every one in his own copyhold land been accustomed, time immemorial, at their free will and pleasure
upon any occasion to dig, take, and get
coals, slate stones and other stones, marl,
clay, sods, turves, and peat,' and had
common of pasture and turbary on the
commons, moors, and waste grounds, and
liberty to get coal, slate stones, &c., for
use upon their lands in Tottington. They
had resisted 'the arbitrary, excessive, and
unaccustomed fines which had of late
been taxed and claimed,' but made a
composition as stated in the text. An
Act of Parliament was to have been
passed for confirming the title, but
nothing was done till 1641. This Bill
did not receive the royal assent, and an
Act in 1650 being judged insecure, another Act was passed in 1662; 23 & 24
Chas. II, cap. 21 (private).
A grant of two mills in Tottington
was made in 1609; Pat. 7 Jas. I, pt. vii. |
| 34 |
Land tax returns at Preston. |
| 35 |
This chapel is probably of remote
origin. It is mentioned incidentally in the
Tottington Court Roll of 1509, Richard
Kay of Sheep Hey having made an assault on Hugh Hartside in the chapel of
Holcombe.
The spelling Holecumbe occurs in 1265
in a plea in Curia Regis R. 179, m. 5 d. |
| 36 |
Ck. Goods (Chet. Soc.), 46. The
goods of the chapel were sold for
£3 6s. 8d.; Raines, Chantries (Chet.
Soc), ii, 271, 273. Warden Wroe
reported that it was consecrated in the
time of Elizabeth; Notitia Cestr. ii, 33.
Perhaps the old building had become
ruinous, for in 1717 it was the tradition
that the existing chapel had been built
for a prison. It was 49 ft. long by 23 ft.
9 in. wide, and 10 ft. 9 in. high. The
pulpit, screen, and some of the oak
benches were set up in 1696. In 1714
it was repewed, a reading desk and warden's pew being erected out of old
benches; ibid, ii, 36 n. |
| 37 |
So about 1610; Hist. MSS. Com.
Rep. xiv, App. iv, 12. |
| 38 |
This seems to have been a temporary arrangement, enforced by Bishop
Bridgeman, who 'compelled each chapelry
[i.e. Holcombe and Edenfield] to allow
£10 per annum apiece to the minister
whom they should choose, or he should
send, to officiate once a month in each
chapel; but now [1706] there are only
contributions of about £8 per annum to
both;' Notitia, loc. cit. The number of
services required should be noticed; it
was no doubt an improvement on what
had been. The monthly service continued down to 1733, when the curate
began a fortnightly service, going to
Edenfield the alternate Sundays; Holcombe Long Ago, 85. |
| 39 |
Commonwealth Ch. Surv. (Rec. Soc.
Lancs, and Ches.), 44. Holcombe was
made a separate parish in 1659, but this
decree was treated as null on the Restoration; Plund. Mins. Accts. (Rec. Soc.
Lancs. and Ches.), ii, 274. The Lower
End of Tottington was assigned to it; a
list of the tenants is given. |
| 40 |
So Bishop Gastrell, loc. sup. cit.; 'nothing certain' then belonged to the chapel. |
| 41 |
Holcombe became a perpetual curacy
in 1725. In addition to the fortnightly
Sunday service, with two sermons, the
sacrament was administered four times a
year. On Easter Day, Whit Sunday, and
Christmas Day, the incumbent attended
at the mother church of Bury; Holcombe Long Ago, 85.
The old chapel was taken down in
1851; an account of it and the building
of the present church is given in the
work cited, 87–98. There is a view in
Notes on Holcombe, 69. |
| 42 |
Lond. Gaz. 20 Nov. 1863. It was
declared a rectory in 1866; ibid. 3 Apr. |
| 43 |
This list is mainly taken from Mr.
Dowsett's Notes on Holcombe, 82–5, and
Holcombe Long Ago, 138. |
| 44 |
Visit. List at Chest. Dioc. Reg. |
| 45 |
Note by Mr. Earwaker from Chest.
Registry. |
| 46 |
Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lancs. and Ches.),
i, 95. His name occurs at the end of
the Protestation of 1641. |
| 47 |
Afterwards at Milnrow. |
| 48 |
Afterwards at Manchester, &c. Noah
son of Nicholas Cudworth, minister at
Holcombe, was baptized at Bury, 22 Mar.
1645–6. |
| 49 |
Bury Classis (Chet. Soc), 28, &c.
He was very soon in trouble, being accused of frequenting the ale-house on
Sabbath days and fast-days, playing at
bowls, breaking forth 'into much rage
and unseemly expressions,' &c.; ibid. 77,
82–5, 87. He signed the 'Harmonious
Consent' as minister of Holcombe in
1648, but seems to have left soon after,
and became minister of Haslingden;
ibid. 227, 228. |
| 50 |
Ibid. 128. He became one of the
foremost Nonconformists of the time.
He was born at Jowkin in Bamford
(Bury) in 1626, educated at Christ's
College, Cambridge; became a minister
in 1650 at Horwich, removing to Holcombe in 1652; was ejected in 1662,
but continued to minister in the neighbourhood until his death in 1695. He
was interred in Bury churchyard on
20 June 1695, a multitude of people
attending and making 'great lamentation
over him'; Nightingale, Lancs. Nonconformity, iii, 154; Manch. Guardian N. and
Q. no. 570, 602, 728; W. Hewitson in
Heywood N. and Q. notes 318, 320, containing much new matter. He wrote
a number of sermons and tracts, the
principal of which is a Plain Representation
of Transubstantiation, 1687. |
| 51 |
He was there from about 1667 till
1691 (or later), as appears from Stratford's
Visitation List. In 1671 he wrote that
he had been promised 30s. a year by
Edward Kenyon, rector of Prestwich
(died 1668), as stipend for his service at
the chapels of Edenfield and Holcombe;
Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 87.
He is perhaps the John Warburton son
of Francis Warburton of Stubbins who
entered St. John's College, Cambridge,
in 1639, and took the M.A. degree in
1664; Admissions to St. John's Col. i,
44. |
| 52 |
Gastrell, Notitia, ii, 36. |
| 53 |
The Church Papers at Chester begin
here. |
| 55 |
There is a memorial tablet in the
church. A number of his memoranda
are printed in Holcombe Long Ago. A
list of his goods, including his gown, cassock, and bands, and 71 books, is given
on p. 14. He valued his sermons at, £20.
One of these, on the Arians, appears to
have been printed. |
| 56 |
There is a memorial brass in the
church. |
| 57 |
There is a memorial brass to him. |
| 58 |
Mr. Dowsett resigned in 1905; he
is the author of Notes on Holcombe (1901)
and Holcombe Long Ago (1902), which
have been freely quoted in this account
of the chapel and township. |
| 59 |
The older spellings were Aytonfield
or Etonfield. |
| 60 |
In the Tottington Court Roll of 1542
it is recorded that Elizabeth Crabtree
made an assault on Margaret Henryson
and John Hey within Edenfield Chapel
on 8 Sept. 1541. Again in 1543 John
Shipplebottom was fined for having at
the time of vespers at Edenfield Chapel
beaten Thurstan Booth, to the disturbance of divine service in the chapel, and
to the danger of Thurstan's life had not
the people present given him assistance. |
| 61 |
Ct. R. of 22 May, 38 Hen. VIII;
the land measured a rood and a half. |
| 62 |
Ducatus Lanc. (Rec. Com.), ii, 119.
There was only one set of vestments
remaining at that time; Ch. Gds. 46.
The 'stock' was sold for 40s.; Raines,
Chant. ii, 273. Hugh Birtwisle was curate
of Edenfield in 1554 and 1563; he did
not appear in 1565; Visitation lists. |
| 63 |
Ct. R. of Thursday before Pentecost,
7 Edw. VI; the land is called half an
acre. |
| 64 |
Notitia, ut sup. 'Consecrated' may
mean no more than 'licensed for service.' |
| 65 |
Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv,
12. William Kay of Edenfield was presented (about 1590) for having an ale
and minstrels who played upon the Sabbath day; ibid. 582. |
| 66 |
See the note on Holcombe above. |
| 67 |
Commonwealth Ch. Surv. 44. Robert
Hill had been minister in 1647, but was
removed for misbehaviour; then one
William Langley followed for a time
(1648), but though a Puritan he set the
Classis at defiance, and had to leave; see
the notice of them in Shaw's Bury Classis,
233, 239–41. A Mr. Bridge was reproved
for ministering without ordination in
1649–50; ibid. 216.
Edenfield was a separate parish for a
brief period (1659–60); Plund. Mins.
Accts. ii, 279. The Upper End of Tottington, with Shuttleworth, Cowpe, Lench,
and Musbury were assigned to it. |
| 68 |
Notitia, ii, 33. |
| 69 |
Holcombe Long Ago, 85; two sermons were about 1767 preached on Sundays, and the Sacrament was administered
four times a year, Good Friday being one.
In the same volume (p. 38) is a record
of an ancient bequest of books to the
chapel. |
| 70 |
Lond. Gaz. 8 Aug. 1865. |
| 71 |
Died 13 Feb. 1870. |
| 72 |
Died 29 Oct. 1901. |
| 73 |
A district was assigned to it in 1844;
Lond. Gaz. 23 Feb. |
| 74 |
The district was formed in 1844;
Lond. Gaz. 3 June. |
| 75 |
The church was built in 1832 by
William Grant as a Presbyterian church,
and after being used for Anglican services
for some time, was formally transferred
to the Established Church in 1875. For
the district assigned to it, see Lond. Gaz. 15
Feb. 1876. |
| 76 |
Nightingale, Lancs. Nonconf. iii,
154–67. Bank Street Chapel, Bury, now
Unitarian, and Park Chapel, Walmersley,
are old offshoots of Holcombe. |
| 77 |
The story is also told in Barton, Bury,
213–20. It appears that Peter Ramsay,
the minister in 1813, offended the Grant
family by his personalities and was forcibly
ejected. After various changes Dr. Andrew MacLean came as pastor in 1829,
and was so popular that St. Andrew's was
built for him by the Grants, who also
maintained it. In 1869, Dr. MacLean
being infirm and incapable, the representative of the family, a member of the
Established Church, gave him notice to
go and offered a retiring pension, being
assured that the building was legally his
own property. |
| 78 |
The church at Stubbins was an offshoot from Park in 1861; that at Dundee is the result of a dispute among the
teachers and scholars at the old Dundee
School; it was built in 1885; Nightinggale, op. cit. iii, 238. The church at Green
Mount owes its beginnings to the arbitrary dismissal of the Sunday-school
superintendent at St. Anne's Church,
Tottington. A school-chapel was built
in 1848, and a church formed about nine
years later; ibid, iii, 211–15, 239, |