MUSBURY
Musbury, 1329.
This township, which lies in the hundred of
Blackburn, has three portions called Musbury Park,
904½ acres, Musden Head, 398½ acres, and the
Trippet of Ogden, 410½ acres; the total area is
nearly 1,713 acres. The northern boundary is
formed by Ogden Brook, flowing east and south-east
to join the Irwell. From the west and south two
spurs of the hills project into the township, called
Musbury Heights, 1,268 ft., and Burnt Hill and Tor
Hill. The valley on the northernmost slope is called
Ogden, that between the spurs Musbury, the head of
it being called Musden Head, and that on the south
Alden. Musbury Park is on the southern spur.
The principal road is that from Bury to Accrington, from which another to Blackburn branches off.
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Company's railway
from Bury to Accrington crosses the eastern corner.
There are several mills beside the Ogden and
Alden, and some quarries on the hills. The Ogden
Valley contains two reservoirs of the Bury Waterworks.
Musbury has ceased to be a township since 1894,
when the borough of Haslingden was made a civil
parish. (fn. 1)
Park
A licence for free warren in Tottington
was granted to the Earl of Lincoln in 1294, (fn. 2)
and the park at Musbury appears to have
been formed shortly afterwards. (fn. 3) There is little to
be noted of this district, (fn. 4) nor does there seem to be
any record of the manner in which it became attached
to the hundred of Blackburn. Possibly as being a
park it was included in the Forest of Rossendale. (fn. 5)
The only places of worship in the township are
Sion Chapel and another Methodist chapel.
Footnotes
| 1 |
Local Govt. Bd. Order 32291. |
| 2 |
Chart. R. 87 (22 Edw. I), m. 11,
no. 23. |
| 3 |
By a comparison of the De Lacy
Compoti (Chet. Soc.) of 1295–6 and
1304–5, the 'newly made park' is seen
to have been formed about that time;
pp. 5, 100–1. The accounts for the park
palings are given; ibid. 98, 115. 'The
whole land of Musbury' had been granted
to John de Lacy (before 1241) by Lewis
de Bernavill; Whitaker, Whalley (ed.
Nicholls), i, 316. Henry de Lacy in 1307
granted to Adam son of Adam de Holden
part of the waste in Tottington adjoining
Musbury Park, at a rent of 5s.; ibid. 191,
quoting Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xiv, 54.
The park, with its herbage and agistments, was said to be worth 13s. 4d. in
1311; De Lacy Inq. (Chet. Soc.), 19.
Trespasses in Queen Isabel's park of
Musbury are recorded in 1329 and 1330;
Cal. Pat. 1327–30, pp.435, 566. In 1334
Adam son of William de Radcliffe and
many others, including the rector of Bury,
broke and entered the park and took and
carried away venison; Coram Rege. R. 302,
Rex, m. 6 d. William de Tonge was
parker in 1346; Cal. Close, 1346–9, p.
50. |
| 4 |
In 1485 the king leased the herbage
and pannage of his park of Musbury to
Lawrence Maderer; Duchy of Lane. Misc.
Bks. 21, fol. 9, A/54. Notes of other
leases and the following list of parkers
are given in Whitaker, Whalley, loc. sup.
cit.:—Nicholas Brownlow, 1413; John
Barlow; John Kay, 1463; Lawrence
Maderer.
The Tippet (Trippet) of Ogden or Ugden was the subject of several disputes in
the time of Elizabeth. It was stated to
be within the manor of Accrington;
Ducatus Lanc. (Rec. Com.), ii, 385; iii,
56, 78. |
| 5 |
From the Compoti above referred to it
is clear that Musbury was within the
manor of Tottington in 1305. The references in Queen Isabel's time are vague,
but suggest that it had become independent, though perhaps not included in
Rossendale.
There are references to Musbury among
the inquests of the Forest of Rossendale
in the court rolls of the manor of Accrington preserved at Clitheroe Castle and the
Public Record Office.
For instance, in 1518 the greave of
Rossendale surrendered a corn-mill in
Oakenhead Wood, with its water-course
and the soke of all the tenants and inhabitants in Rossendale, Musbury, and
New hall Hey; see also the roll of
1514.
In 1538 Richard Duckworth of Musbury was found to have died holding a
house and land; John Duckworth was
his son and heir (see also Ducatus Lanc.
(Rec. Com.), ii, 317).
A messuage and lands in Musbury
Park in the Forest of Rossendale were in
1546 surrendered to the use of Lawrence
son of Lawrence Taylor; the fine, 32s. 6d.
was the same as the annual rent, and this
seems to have been the rule in such
transfers.
Alexander Entwisle of Edgeworth held
two messuages in Musbury in 1603;
Duchy of Lanc. Inq. p.m. xviii, no.
13. |