SLYNE-WITH-HEST
Sline, Dom. Bk.; Slene, 1246; Slyne, 1249.
Hest, 1176; Heest, 1246.
Stopeltierne, Dom. Bk.; Stapelthorn, 1190;
Stapelthiern, 1226.
This township has three divisions. On the shore
of Morecambe Bay is Hest, with an area of 210½
acres, and containing the growing hamlet of Hest
Bank, from which in former times the crossing of
Lancaster Sands was usually made. To the east, on
higher land, is the main portion, Slyne, 630 acres;
the village lies near the northern boundary. On the
eastern side of this is Stapleton Terne, including
Ancliffe; it occupies rising ground, the highest in
the township, and has an area of 303 acres. The
total area is thus 1,143½ acres, (fn. 1) and in 1901 there
was a population of 424.
Considerable changes in the boundaries have been
made recently; Beaumont Cote in Bolton has been
added to this township, (fn. 2) as well as a large portion
of Skerton. (fn. 3)
The principal road is that from Lancaster north
through Slyne to Bolton; it has a branch north-west
to Hest Bank on the edge of the bay; and from
the village another road goes west to the same place,
a second to Torrisholme and a third to Halton.
From Hest Bank there is a road by the shore,
through Bare, to Morecambe. On the eastern edge
of the township is the road north from Skerton to
Kellet; it crosses the highest part of the land, and
a fine view is obtained over the bay. The London
and North-Western Company's railway from Lancaster to Carlisle, with a branch to Morecambe,
runs near the western border; it has a station on
the shore at Hest Bank, where it is joined by a line
from Morecambe. The Lancaster and Kendal Canal
goes north a little to the east of the railway.
In 1820 a breakwater was constructed to enable
small coasting vessels from Liverpool and Glasgow to
discharge their cargoes at Hest Bank, from which
place they could be transported north and south by
the canal. (fn. 4) This traffic ceased after the opening of
the railway in 1846. The remains of the jetty are
now some distance from the shore owing to encroachments by the sea. There were formerly salt works.
At the west side of Slyne, below the house called
Belmont, is St. Patrick's Well. ' Tradition states
that St. Patrick, when wrecked near Heysham,
wandered northward, and being unable to obtain
any water to quench his thirst, struck his staff into
the ground, causing a spring to gush forth. The
water is said to have a remarkable curative power in
affections of the eyes.' (fn. 5)
The soil is a light loam overlying gravel.
The enlarged township is governed by a parish
council.
Manors
In 1066 Slyne was assessed as six
plough-lands and Stapleton Terne as
two; the former no doubt included
Hest, which is not separately named. Both vills
then belonged to Earl Tostig's fee of Halton (fn. 6) ; afterwards they were included in the demesne of the
honour of Lancaster, (fn. 7) and seem to have been
regarded as members of Skerton.
In SLYNE half a plough-land was held in 1212
by Gillemichael son of Godwin by being carpenter
in Lancaster Castle (fn. 8) ; to it Adam son of Gillemichael
succeeded in 1221. (fn. 9) This estate was in part held by
Ralph de Kellet in 1246, (fn. 10) and by Thomas Travers in
1297 by a rent of 8s., (fn. 11) which was afterwards held
by Robert de Holland. (fn. 12) The remainder of the
township, 16 oxgangs of land, was held in bondage, (fn. 13)
and in 1226 the assized rent of Slyne was 72s. (fn. 14)
Ailsi and Gamel de Slyne with their associates had
in 1184–5 to pay 20s. for the king's hawks which
had been lost. (fn. 15) The township is named as contributing to aids and tallages, (fn. 16) and the yearly issues in
1256–8 amounted to £5 16s. 2d., to which about 10s.
for pleas and perquisites of the courts had to be added. (fn. 17)
The record of the halmote of Slyne in 1324 has
been printed. (fn. 18) The widow of Ellis de Slyne, one
of the king's natives, paid 14s. for an ox, representing
that third part of his goods which was the lord's
right. John the son of Ellis paid 6s. 8d. for entry
to the half oxgang of land which his father had held.
Alice daughter of William Burhurt paid 2s. for licence
to marry. William de Slyne was fined 6d. because
he brewed and sold contrary to the assize; others
were penalized for withdrawing suit of mill.
The extent made in 1346 shows that each of the
16 oxgangs rendered 13s. 4d. a year, half of which
was in lieu of certain services due from the tenants—
ploughing for winter and spring corn, harrowing and
reaping the lord's demesne in Skerton. The tenants
had also certain duties to perform for the castle at
Lancaster, such as carrying timber for its repair, and
services like those the tenants of Overton had to render.
A tenant was obliged to act as reeve, when chosen,
receiving nothing for his trouble. Each of them also
owed suit to Lune Mill to the thirteenth measure.
John son of John de Barton held the 40 acres formerly
belonging to Thomas Travers, paying 8s. as before. (fn. 19)
For the year ending Michaelmas 1441 the net receipts
from Slyne were a little over £20, including 8s. from
John Barton for his messuage and 40 acres. The
tenants in bondage paid £10 14s. 4d. The moiety
of the mill of Bolton was farmed to John Austin in
succession to William Bolton for 23s. 4d. Perquisites
of courts amounted to 1s. 6d., and 5s. (out of 10s.)
had been received from John Heysham for entry to a
tenement formerly belonging to Thomas Wales. (fn. 20)
The manor remained in the Crown until August
1816, when it was sold to Robert Greene Bradley
upon trust for Thomas Greene
and Robert Bradley, the former of these (fn. 21) becoming lord
of the manor. From him it
has descended regularly to the
present lord, Mr. Henry
Dawson Greene of Whittington. The Court Rolls from
1800 to 1847 are in his possession, but no courts are now
held. (fn. 22)
Greene of Whittington. Vert on a fesse inverted or between in chief two pheons and in base a bugle-horn argent stringed gules three fleurs de lis o the last.
The house known as the
Manor House is a three-story
building with mullioned and
transomed windows and a
doorway with shaped head
above which are the initials
and date C / C M / 1681.
Nicholas Singleton of Brockholes in 1458 held an
estate in the township, which was in 1500 found to
be held by knight's service, viz. by the eighth part of
a fee. (fn. 23) Edmund Gardner of Slyne paid £10 in
1631, having declined knighthood. (fn. 24)
HEST was originally included in Slyne, but in the
16th century was regarded as a distinct manor. (fn. 25) To
an aid in 1176–7 10 marks was contributed. (fn. 26) In
1212 William de Hest held half a plough-land in
thegnage by a charter granted in 1199, rendering
8s. a year. (fn. 27) In 1280 it was found that this had
been forfeited for felony by Thomas de Hest and
that Thomas Travers was in possession for the time. (fn. 28)
In 1346 the Prior of Cartmel held a messuage and
10 acres there, while four other tenants had the
4 oxgangs escheated as above. (fn. 29) A more detailed
survey of the same year shows that each oxgang had
a messuage and 10 acres of land and rendered 10s.
yearly. Thomas de Hest held an oxgang and a
quarter, and there were three other tenants; each
had to renew his tenancy every ten years. In
addition there were a water-mill yielding 15s. a
year and inclosures extending to 48 acres of arable
land and 16 acres of meadow. The whole sum
received from Hest was £7 11s. (fn. 30) In a rental of
1441 occurs the statement that the tenants of the
four escheated oxgangs in Hest took them for a rent
charged in the account of the greave of Overton. (fn. 31)
Randle Ashton, defendant in a trial in the manor
court, was in 1594 sued by Robert Atkinson, claiming by descent, for the moiety of a messuage and
lands in the manor of Hest. (fn. 32) Thomas Ashton of
Hest Bank took part with the king at the beginning
of the Civil War, and his copyhold tenement was
seized by the Parliament for this 'delinquency '; he
compounded in 1649 by a fine of £16 4s. (fn. 33)
STAPLETON TERNE or Staplethorn was granted
by Warine son of Orm, (fn. 34) William Gernet (fn. 35) and
King John to Furness Abbey. From an account
compiled about 1320 it seems that Warine's grant
was really that of Beaumont in Skerton, and William's
may have been adjacent, for it was King John who
gave Stapleton proper, at a rent of 40s. yearly. (fn. 36)
He found that the abbot and convent had made a
grange at Beaumont, but that it was too small and
poor, and therefore added the vill of Stapleton
Terne. The monks at once removed all those dwelling there and annexed it to Beaumont, making a
single grange for the whole, and therefore withdrew
the tithes due to Bolton Church. However, in 1299
this church peaceably recovered its right to the tithes
of Stapleton. (fn. 37) In 1297 the abbot was stated to hold
three plough-lands in Stapleton Terne, rendering
40s. (fn. 38) to the earl. This part of the township then
disappears from view, but Andiffe is mentioned in a
pleading of 1575. (fn. 39) This is part of the Beaumont
Hall estate owned by Mr. Gaskell.
There appears to have been a chantry (fn. 40) or
hermitage (fn. 41) at Hest, probably owned by Cartmel
Priory, (fn. 42) but nothing is known of its history. No
place of worship is recorded in the township till
recent years; in 1900 St. Luke's, Slyne, was built as
a chapel of ease to the parish church of Bolton and
in 1904 the Congregationalists built a chapel at
Hest Bank.