CHILDWALL
Cildeuuelle, Dm. Bk.; Childwall, 1261; Childewelle,
1291; Childewalle, 1212, 1332; Childewall, 1354
and onwards (common form); also Chaldewall, 1238;
Chaldewal, 1305. The terminations 'wall' and 'well'
appear indifferently. Childow is the local pronunciation.
The township of Childwall, containing 831 acres, (fn. 1) is
principally situated on the slope of a low hill, the highest
point of which is 223 ft. above sea-level, commanding
an extensive panorama of a wide, flat plain lying to
the east. The district has an agreeable park-like
appearance, with plantations and pastures, diversified
with cultivated fields, where crops of corn, turnips,
and potatoes are raised. There are but few dwellings,
besides the hall and the houses which cluster about
the church. The geological formation consists of the
bunter series of the new red sandstone or trias;
the pebble beds to the south-west of the Cheshire
Lines Railway and the upper mottled sandstones to the
north-east. The soil is loamy.
An interesting road is that through the centre of
the township from Liverpool through the Old Swan
to Gateacre and Hale. (fn. 2) It is joined at the church by
a cross road from Wavertree; another road from Old
Swan to Huyton runs along part of the northern
boundary. The Cheshire Lines Committee's Railway
from Manchester to Southport passes through the
centre of the township, and there is a station in Well
Lane, about a quarter of a mile east of the church.
The population in 1901 numbered 219.
Jeremiah Markland, a celebrated classical scholar,
was born here in 1693, son of the vicar of Childwall. (fn. 3)
'The roads from Liverpool,' wrote Samuel Derrick
in 1760, 'are deep and sandy; consequently rather
unpleasant; but the views are rather extensive, particularly from a summerhouse on Childwall Hill,
about three miles distant, where you have a prospect
of fifteen counties and a good view of the sea. In
the skirts of this hill are several small villages with
gentlemen's seats scattered about, well covered and
for the most part delightfully situated.' (fn. 4) Gregson
also says: 'The views from the neighbourhood of the
church, from the hall, Gateacre, and as far as Woolton
Hall … are extensive and particularly fine. On
the west are seen with more distant eminences,
Aughton Hills, near Ormskirk, traversing a line of
country to the north-east. The prospect from Prescot
to Farnworth terminates on the south-east with a
distant view of the ruins of Halton Castle—now fast
mouldering away—a range of hills beyond, and
Norton Priory … A large portion of the Mersey
water forms one of the features of this scene, and gives
great interest to a landscape that extends nearly
fifteen miles … This highly cultivated vale is interspersed with more churches than are usually seen at
one view in Lancashire.' (fn. 5)
A cross formerly stood on the roadside near Well
Lane; the base is still there. (fn. 6) Another cross stood
on the boundary of the township, near the entrance
lodge of the hall; on the opposite side of the road
are a number of 'seats' cut in the rock.
Well Acre is the name of a field in Well Lane just
below the church. Another well or pool at the
bottom of the slope to the north-east of the church
was known as Monk's Bath; it was well protected by
an interior four-sided wall of masonry, and a stream
from it used to flow into the Childwall Brook a
short distance away. (fn. 7) Ashfield is the name of the
land round this well; Mire Lake and Coneygrey
are fields near the railway and the Little Woolton
boundary.
A local board was formed in 1867; (fn. 8) since 1894.
the township has been governed by an urban district
council of five members.
MANOR
Four Radmans held CHILDWALL in
1066 for four manors; it was assessed at half
a hide, and its value beyond the customary
rent was 8s. (fn. 9) The place is mentioned again in 1094,
when Roger of Poitou gave the church to St. Martin
of Séez. (fn. 10) Afterwards Childwall, with the adjoining Allerton, was given to Albert Grelley,
baron of Manchester, and in
his successors the superior lordship of the manor continued
to be vested. It is recorded
among the members of the
barony down to 1473. (fn. 11)
Grelley, Lord of Manchester. Gules, three bendlets enhanced or.
Under the lords of Manchester a subordinate fee of
6½ plough-lands was created, of
which a portion was Childwall, being held in 1212 by
Richard son of Robert (de
Lathom). (fn. 12) In 1282 and later the regular statement
is that the Lathoms held half a fee in Childwall. (fn. 13)
In 1473 Thomas Lord Stanley, heir of the Lathoms,
held Childwall for half a knight's
fee, paying yearly for 'sake fee'
4s. 6d. and for ward of the
castle 5s. (fn. 14) Later it appears to
have been consolidated with
Rainford and Anglezark, and
these were held together of
Lord la Warre by Thomas
second earl of Derby, who died
in 1521, by fealty and a rent
of 3s., the value being estimated
as £44 17s. 6d. (fn. 15) A similar
statement is made in the inquisition after the death of
Ferdinando, fifth earl, who died in 1594, but the
value had declined to £30. (fn. 16)
Lathom of Lathom. Or, on a chief indented azure three bezants.
In 1596 Childwall formed part of the lands settled
on Thomas Stanley, (fn. 17) but reverted to the earl of Derby
in 1614. (fn. 18) During the Civil War the earl's estates were
sequestered by the Parliament. The manor was contracted for sale in 1653 to Henry Nevill and Arthur
Samwell; the mill, then in the occupation of Isabel
Broughton, to George Hurd and George Leaf, and other
land there to John Broughton. (fn. 19) From another case
before the parliamentary commissioners it appears that
Childwall House had been leased to Hugh Houghton,
deceased, but the lease had expired. (fn. 20) The succeeding
earl of Derby was able to repurchase Childwall among
other lands; (fn. 21) and in 1657 he obtained an Act of
Parliament to enable him to sell several manors and
chief rents at Childwall, Little Woolton, part of
Dalton, and all Upholland, &c., whereby he raised a
sum sufficient to free his estates from certain charges. (fn. 22)
The manors of Knowsley, Much Woolton, Little
Woolton, and Childwall, with lands there, and the
manor house of Childwall, lately occupied by Isabel
Houghton, were in August, 1657, sold or rather
mortgaged to Dame Elizabeth Finch and Edward
Bagnell. (fn. 23) A year later, on 14 October, 1658, the
purchasers, in conjunction with the earl and countess
of Derby, for £4,700 transferred to Peter Legay the
younger and Isaac Legay, who are described as 'of
London, Merchants,' their right in the manors of
Much and Little Woolton and Childwall, with the
lands and mansion house, (fn. 24) and in the following
February Peter Legay released his right in them to
Isaac. (fn. 25)
From this Isaac Legay, who died in 1690, aged
sixty-five, and was buried at West Stoke in Sussex, (fn. 26)
the estates descended to his son Samuel, who appears
to have resided at Childwall House, and died at
Warrington in 1700, being buried at Childwall on
23 July in that year. (fn. 27) The heirs were his two sisters,
one of whom, Hannah, was married to Thomas Hollis,
and the other, Martha, to Nicholas Solly. These
joined in 1718 in the actual sale to Isaac Greene of
Prescot, an attorney practising in Liverpool, (fn. 28) of all
three manors and the house known as the hall of
Childwall or Childwall House, together with lands in
Much and Little Woolton and Childwall. (fn. 29)
Isaac Greene (fn. 30) married Mary, surviving daughter
and heir of Edward Aspinall of Hale, and thus became
lord of Hale as well as of the manors of Childwall,
Wavertree, Much and Little Woolton, and West Derby.
He built a new Childwall Hall, but it was demolished
by his grandson, and a castellated building from
the designs of John Nash, the popular architect,
substituted for it. (fn. 31) Of the three daughters of
Isaac Greene the eldest did not marry, and the
inheritance was divided between her sisters, the elder
(Ireland) having Hale and the younger (Mary) Childwall and the other Derby manors. The latter married
Bamber, son of Sir Crisp Gascoyne. (fn. 32) Her eldest
son Bamber Gascoyne, who was member of Parliament for Liverpool (1780–96) (fn. 33) had an only
child Mary Frances, who married the second marquis
of Salisbury. Her grandson, the present marquis,
is now lord of Childwall and the other manors.
Mr. Hugh Schintz is the present tenant of Childwall Hall.
Land in Childwall was early granted to Stanlaw
Abbey. (fn. 34) Richard son of Robert de Lathom gave a
'culture' in Deepdale to Burscough Priory. (fn. 35) An
early charter by Robert de Grenol granted to Robert (fn. 36)
son of Simon, son of Orm land in the Dale, and Henry
son of Richard of the Dale transferred it to Nicholas
son of Sir Robert Blundell of Crosby. Stephen son
of Adam de Ditton released land in the Dale, perhaps
the same portion, to the above Nicholas Blundell in
1298. (fn. 37)
Childwall does not appear frequently on the Plea
Rolls, but a dispute between Robert son of Robert del
Moss and John the priest's brother continued several
years in Edward III's reign. (fn. 38) Later it was found
that 2s. of issue of a messuage and 2½ acres in Childwall remained in the king's hands by reason of an
appropriation made by the prior of Upholland from
John the priest's brother. (fn. 39) Childwall Lodge, a very
quaint old building, is the residence of Mr. A. Earle,
member of an old Liverpool family.
An enclosure act for Childwall and Great and
Little Woolton was passed in 1805. (fn. 40)