WALTON
Waleton, Dom. Bk.; Walton, 1246.
This township, having a wedge-like form, lies on
the west and north-west of West Derby and Fazakerley; it has a length of over 4 miles and an area of
1,944 acres. (fn. 1) At the extreme north is Warbreck on
the border of Aintree; the Gildhouses were also at
the north end, and along the southern border from
north-west to south-east are the districts called
Spellow, Anfield, Walton Breck, and Newsham;
these are often regarded and named as Anfield. The
natural features of the township have long since been
obscured or entirely swept away by bricks and
mortar, and thronged streets of small houses and busy
shops and electric-car standards occupy the site
of country lanes, gardens, and trees. The geological
formation is the new red sandstone or trias, the
ridge of higher land on the west, reaching the 175 ft.
level, consists of the pebble beds, and the eastern
slope towards the Fazakerley brook of the upper
mottled sandstones of the bunter series of that
formation. The population in 1901 was 54,615.
The principal road is that from Liverpool to
Ormskirk, (fn. 2) passing close by the parish church on the
higher ground; descending the hill it is called Rice
Lane. (fn. 3) The Lancashire and Yorkshire Company's
line from Liverpool to Preston passes through the
township, having a station at Walton Junction; here
the line to Bury and Manchester branches off to the
east, with an adjacent station called Preston Road.
The branch to the docks also goes through the township. The London and North-western Company's
branch line from Edge Hill to the docks crosses the
southern end of Walton, with stations called Walton
and Spellow. The Cheshire Lines Committee's railway from Manchester and Liverpool to Southport
crosses Warbreck, and has one branch turning south-west to the docks and another with a station at
Walton village.
The old village (fn. 4) lay near the church, in a street
bending round its northern side. The workhouse of
the West Derby Union lies about a mile to the north;
close by is a cemetery belonging to the parish of
Liverpool. Farther north still is the county prison;
here executions take place. The cemetery for Kirkdale lies near the Fazakerley border. Greenwich
Park Athletic Grounds are near it.
The principal road, already mentioned, at its
entrance into the township from Kirkdale, passes
through Spellow. The grounds of Spellow House,
used as a nursery garden till about twenty years
ago, have been covered with streets of cottage
houses; the district is now urban all along this road
until Aintree is reached. On the west side of the
road Clayfield Lane, now Breeze Hill, led from the
church to Bootle; in it there is now a reservoir of
the Liverpool Water Works.
From Spellow a road led east through Mere Green
and thence north to the village. Stanley Park and
Anfield Cemetery now skirt the right side of it; on
the left is the Everton football ground. (fn. 5) On reaching
the village, the road or lane was prolonged northwards to pass Walton Hall and demesne on the lower
ground near the Fazakerley border; while another
road, Rake Lane or Cherry Lane, ran eastward to
West Derby. Near the Everton border two roads
led south-eastward to Newsham; between these
Stanley Park now lies, with the Liverpool football
ground near it. (fn. 6) Further to the south-east the two
roads are crossed by that leading through Everton to
Kirkby, called Breck Road and Townsend Lane;
'Cabbage Hall,' an old-established inn, (fn. 7) has given a
name to the surrounding district, which is also called
Walton Breck. Here there is a disused stone quarry.
At the extreme south-east, the projecting part of the
township is crossed by the main road from Liverpool
to West Derby, known here as Rocky Lane. Newsham House, in the modern park, is on the southern
side of it. In the neighbourhood are the test house
of the West Derby Guardians and a house of the
Little Sisters of the Poor. This part of the township
has long been urban.
MANOR
At the death of Edward the Confessor
Winestan held the manor of WALTON;
it was assessed as two ploughlands and three
oxgangs of land, and its value beyond the customary
rent was 8s. (fn. 8) After the Conquest it is supposed
that Roger of Poitou included Walton in a large
estate which he gave to Godfrey, his sheriff, by whom
it was held at the date of the compilation of the
Domesday Survey. (fn. 9) Possibly Godfrey resigned his
lands to Count Roger, who in 1094 granted the
tithe of his demesne to the abbey of St. Martin of
Séez. (fn. 10)
After Count Roger's forfeiture Walton passed
with the demesne of the honour of Lancaster until
William, son of King Stephen, granted or confirmed
fourteen oxgangs of land in Walton, Wavertree, and
Newsham, to his servant Waldeve, with the office of
master-serjeant or bailiff of the wapentake of West
Derby. (fn. 11) The estate, with its accompanying grand
serjeanty, continued in Waldeve's descendants for
many generations.
His son and successor, Gilbert, was outlawed after
the barons' rebellion of 1173–4, (fn. 12) but in 1176 made
his peace, proffering the enormous sum of £400 to
obtain remission of the sentence. (fn. 13) Between 1189
and 1194, John, count of Mortain, confirmed this estate
and serjeanty to Gilbert, to hold by the yearly service
of 2 marks. (fn. 14) Gilbert had two sons, Henry and
Richard. To the former in 1199 King John confirmed the fourteen oxgangs; (fn. 15)
to the latter, known as Richard
de Meath, he gave in 1200
'the whole town of Walton with
all its appurtenances,' which
used to render 40s. farm, for
the increased rent of 60s. (fn. 16)
Richard de Meath soon afterwards gave four oxgangs here to
Richard son of Robert de Walton to be held by a rent of
5s. 6d., which gift was confirmed in 1204 by the king. (fn. 17)
For some reason not known
Walton was resumed by the crown, so that the grant
to Richard de Meath does not appear in the survey
of 1212, which recites the minor holding of Henry de
Walton, who had made grants in alms to the priory of
Birkenhead and to the hospital of St. John at Chester;
Hugh son of Gilbert held one oxgang for half a
pound of pepper. (fn. 18)
Walton of Walton-on-the-Hill. Azure, three swans argent.
In 1215, however, Richard de Meath proffered
four palfreys for seisin of his land of Walton, Formby,
and Hale, and the offer being accepted the sheriff of
Lancaster was directed to take security for the payment. (fn. 19) This was confirmed by Henry III in 1227.
The succession to Richard de Meath's lands is stated
more fully under Hale, which passed to his natural
children. Walton was given by him to his brother
Henry, whom he made his heir. (fn. 20) Henry de Walton,
who thus became lord of the whole manor, died in
1241, when his widow Juliana received dower in his
lands from his son William; (fn. 21) she failed in a claim
against Richard son of Henry in 1246, (fn. 22) but partly
succeeded in another against William de Walton for
an oxgang and 20 acres of land and 8d. rent in
Walton. (fn. 23)
William gave lands in the Breck to Burscough
Priory, (fn. 24) and was still living in 1261. (fn. 25) Some of his
grants have been preserved, including one for the
maintenance of a chaplain in Walton church. (fn. 26) He
died before 1266, for Robert de Ferrers, earl of
Derby, gave the wardship of the heir, Richard, son of
William, son of William de Walton, to Nicholas de la
Hose, who assigned it to Robert de Holand. (fn. 27) The
latter was afterwards charged with having permitted
waste. (fn. 28) Richard died early, between 1295 and
1298, leaving as heir a son William, a minor. (fn. 29)
Subsequently Thomas, earl of Lancaster, granted
the lordship of the manor of Walton, with the
homage and service of William de Walton, to Sir
Robert de Holand. (fn. 30)
William de Walton in 1312 made a settlement of
the manor of Walton, except seven oxgangs, with
remainder to his son Simon. (fn. 31) Three years later he
was one of the supervisors of the assize of arms and
array in the county, and next year and in 1319 was
returned to Parliament as one of the knights of the
shire. (fn. 32) He died 1 June, 1321, holding fourteen
oxgangs and the serjeanty; also the manor of
Walton by the free service of 60s. a year. His
mother Alice was still living and in possession of
her dower lands; Simon, his son and heir, who was
nearly seventeen years of age, had been married six
years before. (fn. 33)
Simon de Walton proved his age in 1326 and had
livery of his estates and office. (fn. 34) Between 1339 and
1343 he enfeoffed Gilbert and William de Haydock
of lands worth £20 a year, which Gilbert de Haydock
in 1357 recovered with damages against Simon de
Walton and Eleanor his wife. (fn. 35) Already, however,
Robert son of William de Walton (fn. 36) had in 1355
sued several persons for lands in Walton which he
claimed against Emma, wife of Richard de Halsall,
bastard; she and her husband having, as he alleged,
no entry except by Simon de Walton, who had
disseised Robert's father. (fn. 37) He afterwards succeeded
to the manor and bailiwick, and lived until the
beginning of 1400; John de Walton, his son and
heir, being then sixteen years of age. (fn. 38)
The heir's claim was impugned by Robert de
Fazakerley and Ellen his wife, eldest daughter of
Robert de Walton, who alleged bastardy. In
August, 1412, Robert with a hundred others came in
warlike array to the manor of Walton and dispossessed
John de Walton, his wife and children, taking away
all the goods and chattels there. (fn. 39) Sir Thomas
Gerard and others were commissioned to expel the
evildoers and make inquiry, (fn. 40) and in 1418 the sheriff
was directed to make proclamation that Sir John de
Stanley, Robert de Fazakerley and others, under
penalty of £100, should, by authority of Parliament,
suffer John de Walton to occupy peacefully his manor
of Walton. (fn. 41) The dispute was not settled until
1426–7, when a third part of the manor was awarded
to Robert de Fazakerley and Ellen his wife in lieu
of her marriage portion. (fn. 42) Thomas de Walton succeeded his father John about 1450–1, and his son,
Roger de Walton, was the last of the name to possess
the manor. (fn. 43)
Roger had issue two daughters—Elizabeth, who
married Richard Crosse of Liverpool, and Margaret,
who married William Chorley, of Chorley; they
divided their two-thirds of the manor equally, so that
the lords became Crosse, Chorley, and Fazakerley. (fn. 44)
Richard Crosse left a son Roger,
who died in 1530, holding
lands in Walton of the king, as
well as other estates. (fn. 45) Roger
and his brothers all dying without issue, their mother's third
of the manor was divided between their sisters Blanche and
Margaret. The latter married
George Garston of Walton, (fn. 46)
and dying childless, the other
sister and her heirs had the
whole share.
Crosse of Liverpool. Quarterly gules and or, in the first and fourth quarters a cross potent argent.
Blanche Crosse married Roger
Breres. (fn. 47) Their son is said to
have been Lawrence Breres, who in giving evidence
at West Derby in 1570 described himself as fiftyfour years of age. (fn. 48) He died in 1584, holding
various lands in Walton and Fazakerley of the queen
by a rent of 20s., i.e. a third of that due from the
whole of Walton. Roger, his son and heir, was fortynine years of age. (fn. 49) This son survived his father only
about nine years, his heir being his son Lawrence, ten
years old. (fn. 50) Lawrence Breres also was short-lived,
dying in 1612, and leaving a son and heir Roger, aged
nine years. (fn. 51)
The family adhered in the main to the Roman Catholic faith, and Roger Breres, as a convicted recusant, paid
double to the subsidy in 1628; (fn. 52) he appears, nevertheless, to have escaped the attentions of the Commonwealth authorities, and was still living in 1665, when
a pedigree was recorded at the visitation. His eldest
son Lawrence was then dead without issue, the heir
being a younger son Robert, who had married a
daughter of John Molyneux of New Hall in West
Derby. (fn. 53) Robert Breres was reckoned among the
gentry of the parish in 1688, (fn. 54) but in his will dated
April, 1708, is described as 'of
Wigan.' (fn. 55) In this he mentions
Roger his son and heir, whose
wife's name was Bridget, and
who had two children, Lawrence and Catherine. These
last, in 1730, mortgaged Walton Old Hall to Thomas Moss
of Liverpool, and subsequently
to Nicholas Fazakerley, who in
1746 purchased it, (fn. 56) no doubt
as agent for John Atherton. (fn. 57)
John's grandson, John Joseph
Atherton, sold it about 1804
to Thomas Leyland, banker, of Liverpool. (fn. 58) It
descended like the other Leyland properties. (fn. 59) The
hall has lately been pulled down.
Breres of Walton Ermine, on a canton azure a falcon volant or.
The Chorleys' third part of the manor descended
with the Chorley estate until 1715, when, being forfeited for Richard Chorley's participation in the rebellion it was sold to Abraham Crompton, (fn. 60) whose
descendant Abraham Crompton died at Skerton in
1822, having dispersed most of the Walton estate. (fn. 61)
The Fazakerleys' third part
descended in that family until
the eighteenth century, when
it was sold to James, tenth earl
of Derby, and has since descended with the earldom. (fn. 62)
Chorley of Chorley. Argent, a chevron gules between three cornflowers slipped proper.
In 1328 Richard de Northbrook granted his capital messuage at Northbrook in Walton
to Thomas, son of Richard de
Molyneux of Sefton, (fn. 63) and in
1382 Hugh de Ince of Wigan
released all his claim in the
same place to Thomas de
Molyneux of Cuerdale. (fn. 64) This
and other lands granted to younger branches of the
Sefton family (fn. 65) appear to have been purchased by
the head of the family, and were acquired in the fifteenth century by Sir Richard Molyneux of Sefton,
with other small holdings in Walton. (fn. 66) These were
afterwards reputed a manor. (fn. 67)
NEWSHAM
NEWSHAM with its four oxgangs of land, was part
of the original grant to Waldeve de Walton, as already
stated. (fn. 68) In the inquest taken after the death of John
Bolton of Newsham in 1613, it was found that he held
a messuage, with 30 acres of land, &c., of the
king in socage, and that Robert Bolton his son
was his next heir. (fn. 69) Robert Bolton died 18 October,
1630, his son and heir John being only sixteen years of
age. (fn. 70) The family appear to have adhered to the Roman
church or reverted to it, for in 1717 John Bolton
of Newsham within Walton, registered his entailed
estate as a 'Papist.' (fn. 71) Ten years later it is mentioned that his daughter had married a Mr. Molyneux. (fn. 72) It was, perhaps, in this way that the estate
came into the possession of a family named Molyneux, one of whom, Thomas Molyneux, held it
a century ago and built the present Newsham house.
'In 1846, owing to commercial reverses, the estate
was offered for sale and purchased by the Corporation of Liverpool for the sum of £80,000'; (fn. 73) an
adjacent estate was also acquired, and eventually
both were laid out as public parks, Newsham House
being fitted up as a residence for the judges. Queen
Victoria resided there during her visit to Liverpool
in 1886.
SPELLOW
SPELLOW gave its name to the family who resided there in the fourteenth century; (fn. 74) afterwards
escheating to the lord of Walton, (fn. 75) it was acquired by
the Fazakerley family, (fn. 76) and descended with their share
of the manor until 1728–9, becoming the property of
James, tenth earl of Derby. (fn. 77)
Among the earlier families may be named those of
Hauerbergh, Quicke or Whike, (fn. 78) Rice and Halsall. (fn. 79)
Thomas Harrison, of Walton, as a 'papist' registered
an estate in 1717. (fn. 80) The land tax returns of 1785
show that there were then a large number of proprietors; the chief were the rector, John Atherton,
Abraham Crompton, Lord Derby, — Howard,
and S. H. Fazakerley.
One of the notabilities of the village was John
Holt, (fn. 81) schoolmaster, parish clerk, and antiquary, who
died in 1801.
An enclosure award for Walton-on-the-Hill and
Fazakerley was made in 1763. (fn. 82)
A local board was formed in 1863 (fn. 83) and a school
board in 1883. (fn. 84) The township was incorporated
within the borough of Liverpool in 1895, when
three wards were assigned to it, each with an alderman and three councillors.
The parish church has been described already; a
mission room in Rice Lane was opened in 1890. A
number of churches have been built in recent times
for the worship of the Established Church. These
are as follows:—Holy Trinity, Walton Breck, built
in 1847; patron, Mr. J. H. Stock. The old St.
Peter's, Aintree, at one time the Aintree cockpit, was
opened for service as an Episcopal chapel in 1848, but
never consecrated. The present church was built in
1877; the rector of Sefton is patron, the marquis de
Rothwell having given a large contribution to the
building fund on that condition. (fn. 85)
St. John the Evangelist's, Warbreck, was built in
1881, an iron church having been used for ten
years. (fn. 86) Emmanuel is a chapel of ease. The patronage
is in the hands of official trustees—the bishop and
archdeacon of Liverpool and the rector of Walton.
St. Margaret's, Belmont Road, a large and dignified
church of brick, was erected in 1873; the patronage
is vested in the Preston trustees. (fn. 87) St. Luke the Evangelist's, Spellow, dates from 1882, a temporary
building giving place to a permanent one in 1892;
the bishop of Liverpool collates. St. Simon and St.
Jude's, Anfield, is the result of work begun in a room
in Anfield House, since demolished, in 1883; an iron
church followed in 1884, and on the demolition of
St. Barnabas', Toxteth, the money received was
applied to the building of the church, which was consecrated in 1896. The patronage is vested in trustees.
The Wesleyan Methodists have several churches.
Kirkdale Chapel, in County Road, dates from 1880;
Anfield Chapel, in Oakfield Road, from 1885; and
Walton Chapel, in Rice Lane, from 1890. There are
others at Warbreck Moor, 1899, and Cowley Road,
1903. In Anglesea Road is a preaching room. The
United Methodist Free Church has a school chapel,
built in 1890. The Primitive Methodists have
churches in Walton and Warbreck.
The Baptist church in Carisbrooke Road was
opened in 1879; that in Rice Lane in 1888.
In 1870 the Congregationalists began to conduct
services in an uninhabited house in Walton Park; a
school chapel was opened in the following year, which
was enlarged in 1875. Services were also commenced
in a mission hall in Rice Lane in 1890. (fn. 88)
In Walton Park the Welsh Calvinistic Methodists
have a church. For their English-speaking members
there are chapels in Spellow Lane and Breeze Hill.
The Presbyterian Church of England has Trinity
Church in Rice Lane, built in 1898, the congregation
having been formed in 1881.
The provision possible after the Reformation for
Roman Catholics is unknown; but as the three
squires, down to 1715 at least, and many of the
inhabitants (fn. 89) were numbered among them it is probable that missionary priests were able to minister here
at intervals. A mission at Fazakerley was served from
Lydiate till the end of the eighteenth century. The
existing churches, however, are of recent foundation.
That of the Blessed Sacrament, Warbreck, originated
in 1872 in the saying of mass in a barn, generously
lent by a Protestant; the church was opened on
Trinity Sunday, 1878. Work at St. Francis of
Sales' in Hale Road had an equally humble beginning,
a stable being used from 1883 to 1887, when a
school chapel was erected. All Saints', Walton Breck,
also a school chapel, was opened in 1889. (fn. 90)