Townships: Wardleworth

A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 5. Originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1911.

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'Townships: Wardleworth', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 5, (London, 1911) pp. 225-227. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol5/pp225-227 [accessed 19 April 2024]

WARDLEWORTH

In Wardleworth the principal estate appears to have been BUCKLEY. It was owned by a family or families surnamed after it. (fn. 1) A Geoffrey de Buckley, living about 1300, made various grants (fn. 2) of Buckley and other lands in Hundersfield, and in 1309 surrendered to Adam son of Richard son of John de Hulton and Christiana his wife, the daughter of Geoffrey, his manor of Hundersfield. (fn. 3) Adam appears to have taken the surname of Buckley, and his son John, living in 1392, (fn. 4) was succeeded by Robert his son, (fn. 5) and the descent of the estate is fairly clear (fn. 6) down to Edward Buckley, who in 1786 sold it to Robert Entwisle of Foxholes, whose descendants have retained it. (fn. 7) Fieldhouse, part of the Buckley lands, (fn. 8) was the scene of a great demonstration in 1447, hostile, it would seem, to Ralph Holt. Some sixty persons, led by Richard and Geoffrey Belfield and Gilbert Butterworth, marched to the place and fixed their white banner there 'with much noise and blowing of horns.' (fn. 9)

Buckley of Buckley.Sable a cheveron between three bulls' heads cabossed argent.

FOXHOLES itself appears to have been originally part of the Buckley estate, (fn. 10) but early in the 16th. century was held by the Entwisle family. (fn. 11) At the Survey in 1626 it was stated that the 78 acres then held by Richard son of Richard Entwisle had formerly been the lands of Shipwalbottom, and later of Henry de Bradshaw, whose daughter married the ancestor of Entwisle; another moiety descended to John Holden, and was in 1626 the inheritance of Charles Nuttall, who had the deeds, and held 52 acres in Wardleworth. (fn. 12) The most prominent member of the family was John Entwisle, Recorder of Liverpool in 1662, and an active county magistrate; (fn. 13) his granddaughter Ellen married John Markland of Wigan, and her grandson, who eventually succeeded to the estates, assumed the name and arms of Entwisle in 1787; from him Foxholes, augmented by many purchases, has descended to the present owner, Mr. John Bertin Norreys Entwisle. (fn. 14) The house was built in 1792 on the site of the old hall.

Entwisle of Foxholes. Argent on a bend engrailed sable three molets of the field.

The abbey of Whalley had 2 oxgangs of land in Wardleworth. (fn. 15)

In 1626 the copyhold land was 65 acres.

The land tax returns of 1788 show that Wardleworth was very much subdivided; John Entwisle was the principal owner, contributing about a sixth part of the sum collected. (fn. 16)

Footnotes

  • 1. Geoffrey de Buckley made a grant to Stanlaw Abbey early in the 13th century; he speaks of Geoffrey, Dean of Whalley, as his patron; Whalley Couch, i, 142. Robert the brother of Geoffrey also occurs; ibid, ii, 608. A Geoffrey de Buckley is styled 'dominus' about 1260; ibid, ii, 609. About 1270 Geoffrey son of Geoffrey de Buckley was one of the men of Nicholas son of Michael de Wardle; ibid, i, 157.
  • 2. Abstracts of the charters are contained in Add. MS. 32107, no. 396, &c.
  • 3. Add. MS. 32107 no. 432; Geoffrey de Buckley to Randle son of Henry de Stott, part of Middlecliff at a rent of 14d.; Robert de Buckley was a witness, so that this deed may be one of the earlier Geoffrey's. In 1281 Geoffrey gave to Adam de Hulton for life all his lands in Buckley, together with an eighth part of the mill, at a rent of 1 mark; no. 464. In 1296 he gave a third part of three-fourths of Buckley mill to Michael de la Shaw; no. 443, 422. The grants to Adam de Hulton (no. 436, 461, 434) included the services of Henry de Haworth, John de Holden, Michael de la Shaw, and Alexander de Henesnape, for lands in Hundersfield and Castleton. Adam de Hulton received other grants, as of Woldurth or Worldesworth, the mill, &c.; see ibid. no. 448, 446, 447, 459, 445, 427, 425.
  • 4. John son of Adam de Buckley, as early as 1335, released to his brother Robert all claim on the latter's tenement in the hamlet of Wardle in the vill of Hundersfield; ibid. no. 421. A tripartite agreement was made in 1369 between (1) Geoffrey de Buckley, (2) John de Buckley and others, and (3) John the son of Geoffrey, who was a minor, concerning the release of the last-named from all claims arising out of the death of Thomas son of William de Butterworth; no. 440. Robert son of Adam de Buckley in 1373 made a grant of lands in Butterworth; John de Buckley was a witness; Towneley MS. GG, no. 565. In 1392 John son of Adam de Buckley gave lands to his son Thomas; Add. MS. 32107, no. 460. Thomas son of John gave a quittance to Robert his brother (no. 439); Robert de Buckley the elder was a witness. From another charter it appears that Robert was the elder brother; no. 473.
  • 5. In 1393 the same Thomas de Buckley enfeoffed Roger de Clegg, chaplain, of all his lands in Hundersfield, and four years later the feoffee gave them to Robert son of John de Buckley; no. 449, 396. About the same time Robert made a settlement of Buckley and its appurtenances, w th remainder to John his son and his issue by Alice daughter of Roger de Wolfenden, and a further remainder to Robert de Buckley; no. 444. Geoffrey de Buckley was a witness. See also no. 430–1 (1401–3). Thomas de Buckley had a son Robert; no. 452, 423. After the death of Robert de Buckley his widow Alice married Henry de Dearnley, an outlaw, whereupon the escheator took the estate into the king's hands, or, at least, the widow's third part. Alice died in Sept. 1423, and John de Buckley, son of Robert, in Oct. 1429, leaving a son and heir James; ibid. no. 496; Towneley MS. DD, no. 1483; Dep. Keeper's Rep. xl, App. 536. The lands were held of Sir Thomas Savile in socage. In 1421 licence was granted to Randle de Buckley and Katherine his wife for an oratory; Add. MS. 32107, no. 442.
  • 6. In 1460 James son and heir of John Buckley made a feoffment of all his lands in Hundersfield and Spotland, and in 1476 granted messuages called Stockrode in Hundersfield to his son Robert; ibid, no. 454, 492. It is at this point that the descent is obscure. The next in possession was Thomas Buckley, probably the son of Alice widow of James Buckley, named in an undated acknowledgement for 32 marks; ibid. no. 481. Thomas appears in several deeds of the time of Henry VII (no. 474, 468, 476), and in 1511 made a grant to James his son and heir apparent; no. 478. It was probably another James Buckley who in 1492 gave his son John, for life, a close of land at the east end of the vill of Rochdale, which he had received from Maud Buckley; no. 453. James Buckley of Buckley arranged for the marriage of his daughter Katherine in 1512, and appears to have been in possession of the family lands; see no. 406, 489, 433. He was living in 1539, when he delivered up a box containing thirty-two pieces of evidence; no. 403. The next to appear is Thomas Buckley, probably the Thomas who in 1521 procured a divorce from Agnes Shepherd; no. 472. A little later, in 1528, a Henry Buckley was divorced from Isabel Haworth, to whom he had been contracted in childhood; no. 488. It appears that Thomas Buckley was in possession in 1541 (no. 490, 475); in conjunction with Robert his son and heir apparent he made a lease of the Stockrode in 1557 to his brother Hugh and Katherine his wife, and in 1559 he assigned to Ellen widow of Edmund Cowper a dower rent of 40s. out of lands called Hastley in Buckley; no. 452, 466. Thomas Buckley in 1569 made a settlement of his manor of Buckley and lands in Hundersfield, Spotland, and Butterworth, with remainder to his sons Robert, Arthur, James, Anthony, and Francis; their surname is given as Buckley alias Haworth, so that they were probably illegitimate; Pal. of Lanc. Feet of F. bdle. 31, m. 194. Robert Buckley died in 1576, holding the manor of Buckley, and messuages, &c., in Hundersfield of Robert Savile in socage by a rent of 2s. 11d.; also holding a close called Dicon Meadow in Hundersfield of the queen as of her manor of Rochdale in socage by a rent of 2s. Thomas the son and heir was twenty-three years of age; Duchy of Lanc. Inq. p.m. xii, no. 13. Thomas Buckley died in 1588 holding the same manor and lands, together with Fisher Field and Green Intake in Spotland, held of Charles Holt by rents of 3s. 2d. and 6d.; Robert his son and heir was ten years of age; ibid, xv, no. 54; xvi, no. 47. Robert Buckley died in 1598, leaving a brother and heir named Abel, aged twenty; ibid, xvii, no. 58. In addition to the lands previously named he held a capital messuage, &c., called Fieldhouse in Hundersfield, formerly the inheritance of Henry Holt, held of John Byron in socage by a rent of 3s. Abel Buckley made a settlement of the manor of Buckley and various lands in 1601; Pal. of Lanc. Feet of F. bdle. 63, m. 332. He held the manor and 291 acres of land in 1626, paying a rent of 3s. 10d. to Savile and 2s. to the king for Ditton (or Diccon) Mead; Surv. ut sup. 78. He died in Oct. 1637 holding the family estates, together with a messuage in Butterworth formerly belonging to the Hospitallers, another in Saddleworth, and others in Todmorden. John his son and heir was twenty-three years of age; Duchy of Lanc. Inq. p.m. xxvii, no. 67. John Buckley recorded a pedigree in 1665, his son Abel being then twenty-five years old; Dugdale, Visit. 60.
  • 7. Abel Buckley had a son Thomas, who died in 1697, his daughter Anne's son, Thomas Foster, being his heir; but a brother, William Buckley, who died about 1730, succeeded. Thomas Foster then inherited Buckley, and took the local surname. His son Edward was the vendor; see Fishwick, Rochdale, 393, 397 (where there is a pedigree), and the account of Skerton.
  • 8. a Many Fieldhouse deeds are contained in the Buckley charters in Add. MS. 32107. The earliest is dated 1369, being a grant of it by Robert del Shore, chaplain, to William son of Thomas del Stock (or Slack), with remainder to the grantor's mother, Margaret; no. 450. Alice Holt of Fieldhouse, widow of John Holt, granted it to her son Alan Holt in 1506; no. 477. Henry Holt, brother of Alan, was in possession in 1507 (no. 415) and,dying in or before 1526, left a daughter Grace, about whose inheritance there was some disputing; nos. 398, 407, 412, 402, 414,417, 418, 456. Grace married Thomas Buckley,who died in 1588, and the abovenamed Robert was her son, as appears by the inq. p.m. of Thomas. Robert Holt of Fieldhouse occurs in 1581; no. 494.
  • 9. b Pal. of Lanc. Plea R. 11, m. 32. In a dispute in 1448 between William and Alice Stock concerning a box of charters, the following pedigree was alleged: Thomas —s. William —s. Henry (died 1446) —s. John —dau. Alice; ibid. m. 16b.
  • 10. To Robert son of John de Buckley the trustee in 1397 granted the parcels of land called Foxholes and ' Woodfulrode' in Hundersfield and Tong Moss in Spotland; Add. MS. 32107, no. 483. A year later Thomas son of John de Buckley released to Robert his son (? brother) all his claim to messuages, &c, in 'Wolfalrode,' Foxholes, and Stockrode; no. 452. In 1400 John son of Robert de Buckley granted the Foxholes and 'Wolfenhole' to Thomas Dickson and his heirs at the rent of a grain of pepper for twenty-four years and 40s. afterwards; no. 451.
  • 11. In an indenture of — Hen. VII William Entwisle and Janet his wife agreed with Thomas Buckley and James his son as to the division of lands called Foxholes; Janet was to have a close called Summerhey, while the Buckleys were to have some other closes; ibid. no. 474. Janet, therefore, was probably the heir of the Thomas Dickson of 1400. Edmund Entwisle contributed to the subsidy in 1523; Fishwick, op. cit. 37. Robert Entwisle died in Aug. 1574, leaving as heir his eldest son Richard; to Jane his wife and Richard he bequeathed a little Bible, 'they to see the same occupied every Sabbath day when there is no sermons or sacraments in ministering, and in the week day my will and mind is that my poorest kinsfolks which are not able to buy a Bible shall have the same lent unto them'; Piccope, Wills, ii. 221–3. Richard Entwisle died in 1621 holding in Wardleworth, Spotland, and Hundersfield of Sir John Byron in socage, by a rent of 4s., also lands in Worsley. Richard his son and heir was thirty-four years old; Lancs. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lancs. and Ches.), ii, 241.
  • 12. Surv. ut sup. 80. In 1631 Richard Entwisle paid £10 on refusing knighthood; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lancs. and Ches.), i, 215. He died in 1645.
  • 13. He recorded a pedigree in 1665; Dugdale, Visit. 104. For some notices of his doings with letters see Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 101, 135, &c.; O. Heywood, Diaries, ii, go.
  • 14. See the pedigree and account of the family in Fishwick, Rochdale, 409–13.
  • 15. They were given by Gilbert de Notton to Stanlaw Abbey, together with two oxgangs in Healey; Whalley Couch. ii, 623, 626, 627; iii, 680.
  • 16. Land Tax Ret. at Preston.
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