| 1 |
Brown Moss adjoined Lythe Carr in
a release of claim (by Henry de Clifton in
1259); the calendar speaks of 'common
in the moss called Brown Moss outside
Lythe Carr,' but the name is not in the
deed itself; Lytham Charters at Durham,
2a, 4 ae, Ebor. no. 31. |
| 2 |
3,600 acres, including 15 acres of
inland water; Census Rep. 1901. |
| 3 |
Foxlane Ends Cross; Lancs, and Ches.
Antiq. Soc. xx, 187. |
| 4 |
Dict. Nat. Biog.; Gillow, Bibl. Dict.
EngL Cath. |
| 5 |
Gillow, op. cit. |
| 6 |
V.C.H. Lancs, i, 288a. |
| 7 |
See the account of Clifton. Richard
de Holland and Margery his wife claimed
4 acres of brushwood and 150 acres of
moss against the Priors of Durham and
Lytham, who proved that the 4 acres
were in Lytham, and alleged that Henry
de Clifton, formerly husband of Margery,
had allowed them common in the moss,
but on this point the verdict was for the
plaintiffs; Assize R. 407, m. 3.
In 1323 the capital messuage of Westby
was worth 40d. a year; in demesne were
72 acres of arable land, worth 8d. each,
and 6 acres of meadow, worth 12d. each,
a water-mill, a horse-mill, and a windmill, each worth 13s. 4d. Tenants at
will held eight cottages, 96 acres of arable
land and 4 acres of meadow. In Little
Fieldplumpton were eight cottages and
96 acres of arable land held by tenants at
will, and in Great Fieldplumpton two
cottages and 32 acres, held similarly;
Inq. p.m. 17 Edw. II, no. 32.
The rental of Westby (Towneley MS.
OO) shows that the demesne was worth
£12 a year in 1509; the tenants' rents
and services were valued at £12 13s. 7½d.
The field-names include Gude Marton,
Stanall, Prestoft, Humbur and Smerdell.
Peel in Marton and Ballam are mentioned in the account of Clifton. The
former pasture belonged to the Earl of
Derby, and was about 1520 occupied by
William Clifton, who paid £2 a year,
as appears from the rental at Lathom. |
| 8 |
De Banco R. 446, m. 96. Plaintiff
said his grandfather William Garlick had
come to Westby from Hoole in the time
of Edward I. |
| 9 |
Thomas de Clifton seems to have held
4 oxgangs of land in Great Fieldplumpton in 1289–that would be a fourth part
of Plumpton; De Banco R. 80, m. 125 d.
In 1299 Egelina widow of Walter de
Clifton claimed dower in a messuage, &c.,
ana 4 oxgangs of land in Great Fieldplumpton against Gilbert de Singleton,
who called Thomas de Clifton to warrant
him; ibid. 127, m. 114d. Afterwards
Thomas called John son of Walter de
Clifton to warrant him; ibid. 138, m. 99.
Isabel widow of William de Clifton
claimed dower in two messuages, &c., and
4 oxgangs of land in Field Plumpton in
1324–5 against William son of William de
Clifton, and recovered; Assize R. 426,
m. 8.
Nicholas del Marsh in 1327 complained that John son of Walter de Clifton
and William his son had carried off certain
goods of his at Great Plumpton; De
Banco R. 269, m. 63 d. Then in 1345
Joan widow of John son of Walter de
Plumpton claimed dower in a messuage
and 4 oxgangs of land in Great Fieldplumpton. against William son of John
de Plumpton; ibid. R. 342, m. 336 d.
This was probably the estate of six
messuages, 4 oxgangs and 8 acres of land,
and 60 acres of pasture, which was in
1359 settled upon Robert Griffin and
Joan his wife and their heirs male, with
remainders to Thomas Tittele, to the
issue of Joan, and to Sir William de
Clifton; Final Conc. (Rec. Soc. Lancs,
and Ches.), ii, 160.
It may be added that Denis son of
Nicholas del Marsh was plaintiff and
William de Clifton defendant in a dispute
as to land, &c., in Westby in 1322;
De Banco R. 244, m. 128. |
| 10 |
Duchy of Lanc. Inq. p.m. ii, no. 7.
It is recorded that Thomas de Lathom
'died seised of the service of Robert de
Clifton, who held of him the manor of
Field Plumpton in socage, rendering
yearly 6s. 8d., which manor Thomas held
of the manor of Penwortham by the said
service.' This last clause seems to be
erroneous, but it is possible that the
Robert de Clifton here named as tenant
was the Robert Griffin of the last note. |
| 11 |
Gilbert de Singleton of Broughton
has been named above. In 1325 he held
a fourth part of the vill of Great Plumpton, which Nicholas del Marsh held of
him for life by the service of a rose at
Midsummer; Inq. p.m. 19 Edw. II, no. 67.
In the 16th century the Singletons of
Staining held land in Plumpton, but the
tenure is not stated. |
| 12 |
Thomas Earl of Derby in 1521 held
lands in Plumpton, but the tenure is not
recorded; Duchy of Lanc. Inq. p.m. v,
no. 68. This may have been the ancient
estate of Thomas de Lathom in Field
Plumpton. In the Derby rentnl of the
time (preserved at Lathom) appears '£4
from the farm of the manor and 8 oxgangs of land with the appurtenances' in
Plumpton demised to John Skillicorne.
The name appears again in 1653 among
the confiscated estates of the seventh
earl; Royalist Comp. Papers (Rec. Soc.
Lancs, and Ches.), ii, 237.
George Allen of Poulton died in 1579
holding messuages, &c., in Plumpton
of Cuthbert Clifton in socage; Duchy of
Lanc. Inq. p.m. xiv, no. 80; Lancs. Inq.
p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lancs, and Ches.), i, 198.
The tenure of the lands of Shireburne
of Stonyhurst is not stated.
Anthony Billington died in 1631 holding a messuage, &c., in Plumpton of
Robert Bannester; John his son and heir
was nineteen years of age; Duchy of
Lanc. Inq. p.m. xxx, no. 70. |
| 13 |
Walter son of Osbertgave the canons
the house which had been Alan Taylor's,
with the croft, also a moiety of Pilatefurlong, with common in the vill of
Plumpton; Cockersand Chartul. (Chet.
Soc.), i, 2ii. William son of Walter
confirmed the gift. Richard son of
Richard Russel seems to have been the
tenant in 1268; ibid. 212. The rental
is printed ibid, iii, 1262. |
| 14 |
Estcourt and Payne, Engl. Cath.
Non-jurors, 90, 96, 97. The other names
were William Lund, William Hodgson,
Grace Thompson, widow, Roger Taylor,
John Postlethwaite, Thomas and Richard
Kirby, Thomas Blackburne of Great
Plumpton, William Bamber, George Ball,
Edward Parkinson of Ballam (under the
will of Gregory Crook), George Cowburn
of Little Plumpton, and William Lathom
(at Tarbock). |
| 15 |
Gillow, Haydock Papers, 31. 'In the
days of persecution mass was said at two
farm-houses in this district, one at Mossside, the other at Little Plumpton, where
William Hodgson used to live, one room,
containing theological books, being always
kept locked'; Estcourt and Payne, op.
cit. 90. |
| 16 |
Gillow, op. cit. 232–4. The government's officer gives a lively account of his
search for the priest and his spoliation of
the chapel, in which he had been assured
there was good quantity of plate; 'this
I gathered,' he says, 'from one of the
dragoons who was of these congregations
about four years since, but now a true
Protestant, and was privy to all those
secret places.' He did not find the
plate, and the people vainly endeavoured
to rescue the books, &c., which he took.
Fr. Barrow had £12 from the college
(i.e. his order) and £6 from Sir T. Clifton
and others; his successor in 1751 had
the more liberal stipend of £80 10s.;
Foley, Rec. S. J. v, 321–5;. |
| 17 |
Full particulars will be found in
Gillow, op. cit. 236–8; Hewitson, Our
Country Churches, 345. Bishop Gibson
visited Westby in 1784 and confirmed
78 persons; the number of communicants
was given as 360. |