| 1 |
The Census Rep. 1901 gives 1,158
acres, including 8 of inland water; there
are also 29 acres of tidal water and 31 of
foreshore. |
| 2 |
C. Leigh, Nat. Hist. of Lancs. bk. i,
54. |
| 3 |
V.C.H. Lancs. i, 288a. |
| 4 |
Ibid. 357, n. 13. |
| 5 |
e.g. Extent of 1324; Dods. MSS.
exxxi, fol. 39b (Ingeham de Gynes). |
| 6 |
Lancs. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc.
Lancs. and Ches.), i, 2. |
| 7 |
Ibid. 154; Adam de Eccleston,
William de Molyneux, Hugh de Mitton,
Richard de Catterall and Henry de Longford held the same lands and Catterall by
the sixth part of a knight's fee in 1242.
The last three having Catterall, Adam
and William must have had the Ecclestons
and Larbreck, unless some names have
been omitted. |
| 8 |
Both were equally recognized as tenants
in 1212, but Molyneux alone in 1242 (if
the record is perfect). In 1346 the lordship of Wyresdale included a plough-land
and a half in Larbreck held by Richard
de Molyneux by knight's service; Inq.
p.m. 20 Edw. III (2nd nos.), no. 63
(William de Coucy). William son of
Richard de Molyneux held the manor of
Larbreck in 1358, having received it from
his father on his marriage, paying 1d.
rent and performing suit at the court of
Wyresdale, held at Goberthwaite every
three weeks; 7½d. was payable for castle
ward; ibid. 33 Edw. III (2nd nos.), no.
99. The clear value was given as 7 marks
then, and as 5 marks in 1362, when
William son of the above-named William
was heir but under age; ibid. 36 Edw. III,
pt. i, no. 120. In other records (of 1364
and 1366) the tenement of William son
of William son of Richard de Molyneux
was called a moiety of the manor; it was
held by knight's service of the manor of
Wyresdale, and John de Ashton was in
charge; Memo. R. (L.T.R.), 129, m. 5 d.;
Memo. R. (K..R.), 143, m. 20. William's
son Richard died in 1397 holding the
manor of Larbreck in Amounderness
among his other estates; Lancs. Inq. p.m.
(Chet. Soc.), i, 71.
It is possible that the 'moiety of the
manor' only means the Larbreck moiety
of the whole township. |
| 9 |
This does not seem to have been
usually regarded as a manor. It is not
recognized in the Blundell inquisitions. |
| 10 |
In 1318 Alan son of Henry le
Norreys demanded against John le Norreys
(of Speke) a messuage, 6 oxgangs of land,
&c., in Larbreck, which William Blundell
had given to Alan son of Alan le Norreys
and his issue, with reversion to Henry le
Norreys. Patrick, son of the grantee,
had died without issue. John le Norreys
alleged that Patrick had granted him
2 oxgangs of land, and the jury gave a
verdict for the plaintiff for the other
4; De Banco R. 222, m. 226. The
6 oxgangs show that the tenement was a
moiety of Larbreck. Notice of a similar
suit will be found in the account of
Formby.
The same plaintiff in 1329 claimed
land in Larbreck against Richard son of
William de Molyneux and John son of
Alan le Norreys; ibid. 279, m. 330 d.
Two years later he did not appear to
prosecute his claim to twelve messuages,
&c., held by John son of Alan; ibid.
287, m. 484. There may have been some
surrender by the latter, for the Norrises
of Speke do not again appear in connexion
with Larbreck.
William Danyers (Daniell) and Clemency
his wife (in her right) complained of waste
of her lands in Larbreck by William and
John Blundell of Ince in 1357–8; Duchy
of Lanc. Assize R. 6, m. 3 d. (Mich.),
m. 5 (Lent).
In 1435–6 it was recorded that William
Daniell held the manor of Larbreck of
William Blundell in socage by a rent of
6d.; Harl. MS. 2085, fol. 446b. |
| 11 |
The manor is named in a Molyneux
feoffment in 1558; Pal. of Lanc. Feet of
F. bdle. 20, m. 80. The object was to
provide a jointure for Bridget daughter of
John Caryll, who was to marry William
the son and heir-apparent of Sir Richard
Molyneux; Duchy of Lanc. Inq. p.m.
xiii, no. 35. |
| 12 |
John son and heir-apparent of Thomas
son of John Daniell of Daresbury received
his grandfather's lands in Larbreck in
1550; Anct.D. (P.R.O.), A 13476. John
his son assigned to his grandfather Thomas
an annuity of £4 from the Larbreck lands
in 1564; Harl. MS. 2077, fol. 193 d.
In 1571 John Daniell sold his lands in
Larbreck, the principal purchaser (seven
messuages, &c.) being Thomas Eccleston;
Pal. of Lanc. Feet of F. bdle. 33, m. 58,
&c. |
| 13 |
Ibid. 27, m. 33. The deforciant,
Richard Chisnall, was one of the trustees
appearing in the Molyneux fine of 1558
above referred to. The sale included
the manor, five messuages, windmill, saltpit, fishery in the Wyre, &c.
Chisnall had been plaintiff in a dispute
as to right of way, &c, in 1563; Ducatus
Lanc. (Rec. Com.), ii, 260. |
| 14 |
Duchy of Lanc. Inq. p.m. xviii, no.
37. For Goberthwaite see the account of
Cabus. Soon after his purchase William
Burgh had had a dispute with Henry
Butler of Rawcliffe respecting a messuage
and salt marsh by the Wyre; Ducatus
Lanc. ii, 337. |
| 15 |
Duchy of Lanc. Inq. p.m. xxx, no.
100. |
| 16 |
Ibid. 99. Alice the wife of
Richard had formerly been married to
Thomas Holt, and she was afterwards wife
to John Greenhalgh, being a widow the
third time in 1652; Royalist Comf. Papers
(Rec. Soc. Lancs. and Ches.), iii, 111–13. |
| 17 |
This paragraph is a summary of the
account in Fishwick's Kirkham (Chet.
Soc), 183–4, where further details may
be seen, the 'title deeds' being the
authority. |
| 18 |
In a fine in 1689 respecting a moiety
of the manor of Larbreck and messuages,
&c., there and in Thornton, Greenhalgh
and Medlar, the deforciants were Charles
Leigh and Dorothy his wife; Pal. of
Lanc. Feet of F. bdle. 224, m. 40; Pal.
of Lanc. Plea R. 451, m. 6. |
| 19 |
Edward Pedder owned in 1836;
Baines, Lancs. (ed. 1), iv, 404. |
| 20 |
Information of Mr. Whiteside. |
| 21 |
Richard de Molyneux granted to
Adam son of Roger de Larbreck the
messuage of Girard, with half an oxgang
of land in the lord's hands, half of
Thurnewaitacre; this lay beside the
Wyre, and its two salt-pits were excluded
from the grant. The witnesses included
Robert, rector of Garstang, and William
Blundell; Add. MS. 32106, no. 334.
In 1366 William son of Richard de
Larbreck complained that Adam son of
Ralph de Bickerstath had taken his cattle
at Cornholm in Larbreck, but defendant
pleaded that Cornholm was partly in
Little Eccleston, and it was here that the
seizure had been made; De Banco R.425,
m. 446 d., 441 d. |
| 22 |
Among the purchasers from John
Daniell in 1571 were Nicholas Thompson
and Robert Kirkham; Pal. of Lanc. Feet
of F. bdle. 33, m. 61, 64. Nicholas
Thompson (who was son of Henry) died
in 1609 holding his messuage and land
in Larbreck of the king by the hundredth
part of a knight's fee. John, his son and
heir, was nineteen years of age; Lancs.
Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lancs. and Ches.),
i, 201.
Robert Kirkham in 1573–5 sold some
of his lands to George Duddell, his wife
Anne and son Henry being concerned
also; Pal. of Lanc. Feet of F. bdle. 35,
m. 149; 38, m. 132. Duddell (in right
of Thomas Daniell) had in 1578 a dispute
with the attorney-general as to lands in
Larbreck for Rufford Chapel; Ducatus
Lanc. iii, 62. He died in 1589 holding
lands in Larbreck and other places, tenure
unstated, and leaving a son William, aged
twenty-four; Duchy of Lanc. Inq. p.m.
xv, no. 4.3.
Henry Kirkham died in 1630 holding
a messuage, &c., in Larbreck of Richard
Burgh as of his manor of Larbreck by
knight's service; Towneley MS. C 8, 13
(Chet. Lib.), 721. He left three infant
daughters—Agnes, Margaret and Anne.
Robert Higgenson, who died in 1618,
also held his messuage, &c., of Richard
Burgh as of his manor of Larbreck by
knight's service. His heir was his
daughter Janet wife of Richard Simpson;
Lancs. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc), ii, 169–70.
Thomas Stanley of Great Eccleston
(1641) purchased a water-mill at Larbreck; Duchy of Lanc. Inq. p.m. xxix,
no. 14. |
| 23 |
Cockersand Chartul. (Chet. Soc), i,
185. The gift was made by Richard de
Molyneux and included one of his men,
viz. Alan son of Roger de Larbreck. |
| 24 |
Ducatus Lanc. iii, 373; John France
was tenant in 1597. For details of the
pleading and pedigree see Fishwick, op.
cit 194. |
| 25 |
Adam son of Patrick in 1246
obtained an oxgang of land in Little
Eccleiton from Beatrice widow of Ralph
de Eccleston; Assize R. 404, m. 14.
In 1284 inquiry was made whether or
not Robert de Eccleston had held 3½
oxgangs of land in Little Eccleston, the
right of Simon son of William de Burton
to 3 oxgangs being acknowledged by John
son of Christiana de Lingard and brother
of Petronilla, Mabel and Quenilda, John
and his sisters being the heirs of Robert;
Assize R. 1268, m. 12 d. Petronilla was
wife of William son of Simon de Stodley
and Quenilda of Roger at Creek.
John son of John de Lingard claimed
a moiety of the tenement in 1324 against
Richard del Cross; De Banco R. 252,
m. 99; 253, m. 352; 258, m. 100. |
| 26 |
Inq. p.m. 20 Edw. III (2nd nos.),
no. 63. See the account of Bickerstaffe.
From a pleading of 1292 it would
appear that Little Eccleston had been
granted out afresh to the Bickerstaths.
Adam son of Ellis de Eccleston claimed
three messuages and 31/8 oxgangs of land
in Little Eccleston against Ralph son of
Adam de Bickerstath, alleging that Ralph
had no entry except through William de
Lancaster, who had disseised plaintiff.
Ralph pleaded that there were other
tenants (including his brother Richard,
2/3 oxgang), but afterwards agreed with the
plaintiff, giving him a sor sparrow-hawk
for a quitclaim; Assize R.408, m. 15 d.
Henry de Bickerstath was in occupation of a moiety of Little Eccleston
(viz. 6 oxgangs of land, &c.) in 1331,
when Adam de Bickerstaffe granted the
reversion to his own son Ralph and Joan
his wife 5 Final Conc. ii, 80.
Adam son of Ralph de Bickerstath
complained of waste at Little Eccleston
in 1360; Duchy of Lanc. Assize R. 8,
m. 7 d. |
| 27 |
Nicholas Atherton in 1424 held
6 oxgangs of land, &c., in Little Eccleston
of John Duke of Bedford as of his manor
of Wyresdale, in socage, by suit at the
duke's court of Goberthwaite from three
weeks to three weeks; Towneley MS.
DD, no. 1477. |
| 28 |
Thomas Atherton in 1514 held his
lands, &c., in Little Eccleston of John
Boteler of Rawcliffe in socage by 2½d.
rent; Duchy of Lanc. Inq, p.m. iv, no.
68. His daughter Margaret Scarisbrick
held likewise; ibid. no. 92. |
| 29 |
Baines, Lancs. (ed. 1870), ii, 496;
J. Porter, Fylde, 161. In a recovery of
land, &c., at Little Eccleston, with a free
fishery in the Wyre in 1779, John France
was vouchee; Pal. of Lanc. Plea R. 629,
m. 3 d. |
| 30 |
Robert Pacok (Peacock) of Eccleston
and Agnes his wife held 2 oxgangs of
land in Great and Little Eccleston in
1369, when a division was arranged by
which 1 oxgang in Great Eccleston was
assigned to the husband and the rest to
his wife; Final Conc. ii, 175.
The estate of the Kighley family extended into Little Eccleston; ibid, iii, 4.
William Ambrose purchased two messuages in Little Eccleston and Larbreck
from Henry Farington in 1562, but
appears to have sold them to Thomas
Eccleston four years later; Pal. of Lanc.
Feet of F. bdle. 24, m. 250; 28, m. 165.
The tenure of Thomas Eccleston's land
in the township (1592) was not recorded.
William Thomason purchased a messuage, &c., from the Earl of Derby in
1564; ibid. 26, m. 156. He died
in 1587 holding the same 'in Little
Eccleston in the township of Larbreck.'
His heir was his son William, aged eight;
Duchy of Lanc. Inq. p.m. xv, no. 50.
At a later inquiry it was found that the
tenement was held of Henry Butler in
socage; ibid, xvii, no. 63.
John Wilkinson the younger died
in 1628 holding a messuage, &c., in
Little Eccleston of William Butler as of
his manor of Rawcliffe; the estate had
been purchased from John Leckonby and
Thomas Hall. He also held the Half-hey
in the Wall of the king. His heir was
his nephew John (son of William) Wilkinson, aged forty; Towneley MS. C 8, 13,
pp. 1311–12. |
| 31 |
Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lancs. and Ches.),
i, 221. |
| 32 |
Estcourt and Payne, Engl. Cath.
Nonjurors, 134. They were Henry
Kirkham the elder and Henry the
younger, both of Larbreck; William
Gillow, who was younger son of George
Gillow of Gillow House in Little
Eccleston; and Henry Barton. |