| 1 |
1,005, including 25 of inland water,
according to the 1901 Census Report. |
| 2 |
Pop. Returns, 1901. |
| 3 |
Clammerclough Cotton Mill was built
about 1828; Barton, Farnworth, 84. Benjamin Rawson's Alkali Works were established earlier. |
| 4 |
Lond. Gaz. 17 Oct. 1865. In Barton's
Farnworth, pp. 89–101, are printed extracts
from the township books from 1809 onwards. The constables and burley men
were officials. |
| 5 |
Subs. R. bdle. 250, no. 9, Lancs. |
| 6 |
Barton, Farnworth, 16. |
| 7 |
Cockersand Chartul. (Chet. Soc), ii,
709. This charter gives a portion of her
land in Farnworth, 'the whole of Kearsley
with all its appurtenances' within bounds
as follows:—Up the deep lache from Irwell
towards Stockbridge, then going down Flethithaleth to the Irwell again; for the
health of the soul of Edith's son John.
Kearsley is not named in the Cockersand
Rentals, so that the grant may have been
revoked or exchanged. |
| 8 |
Assize R. 1238, m. 34.
In 1294 Richard son of Adam de
Redford released to Adam son of John
de Lever all his claim to lands held by
the latter in Farnworth and Great Lever;
Towneley's LeverChartul.(Add.MS.32103
no. 1–260), no. 53. The same Richard
gave to Adam de Lever, for the service
of an arrow, land which Henry de Blindshill had approved beyond Walkden; no. 27.
To his brother Henry he granted all the
land of Hassumbottom, the Hokensnape
and Ritherake being among the boundary marks, no. 40. To Richard son of
John de Hulton he granted 6 acres on
the north side of Walkden Bank, at a
rent of a pair of white gloves, Richard
de Hulton at the same time allowing
certain approvements of the waste of
Farnworth; no. 43. The elder Richard
was still living in 1297 when, as Richard
de Redford the elder, he released to Robert
son of Jordan (de Hulton), rector of Warrington, all his right in land in Barton
and Farnworth; no. 69. |
| 9 |
Richard de Redford the younger attested a charter in 1295; Towneley's
Lever Chartul. (Add. MS. 32102, no.
1–260), no. 60; and another in
1297 as Richard son of Richard de Redford; no. 69. In the year before he
had made an agreement with Adam de
Lever respecting the mediety of three
parts of approvements in Hope Hey and
opposite Blindeshill and Whitecroft; no.59.
From Henry de Worsley he procured a
confirmation of his common of pasture
within bounds beginning at Hope Lache,
at the Farnworth end of it, then by the
Hope Hey to Wicheshaw Lydiate in Wicheves in Worsley (Little Hulton), by the
highway to Longshaw, and straight to the
Edge in Lepar Lache, by Black. Lache to
Walden Brook, and up the brook to the
Hope and the starting-point; no. 67. He
made an exchange with Henry son of
John de Hulton in 1299; no. 72. Richard
de Redford was one of the lords of Farnworth in 1320; Mamcestre (Chet. Soc.), 289. |
| 10 |
John de Redford was a witness in
1316; LeverChartul.no. 81. To John son
of Henry de Hulton he in 1321 released all
his right in the mill and land called Peck
in the hamlet of Farnworth and in all
land of the mill within the lanes by which
the king's highway went on to Manchester, John de Hulton allowing him to grind
freely at the mill; no. 86. From Adam
son of Henry de Blindishill, he in 1326
acquired the land called Ashinbottom (no
doubt the Hassumbottom of a previous
charter); no. 88. In 1341 he agreed to
an exchange of lands—in the Newfield,
the Marsh, and Black Bottom—with John
de Hulton; no. 93. |
| 11 |
Richard son of John de Redford in
1350 received from his feoffee all his lands
in Farnworth, with remainders to his heirs
by Alice; ibid. no. 94. At the same time
a rent-charge of 13s. 4d. out of the Farnworth lands was settled on Alice daughter
of Robert de Worsley; no. 95. |
| 12 |
The Prestall family occur in the
13th century; Adam son of Eve de
'Presthall' being named in 1278 and
1392; Assize R. 1238, m. 34; 418,
m. 3 d. The same Adam was witness to
a Farnworth charter; LeverChartul. no. 24;
in 1299 he had a release of actions from
William son of Richard the Chief; no. 70.
Probably he is the same as Adam son of
Henry de Prestall who received from the
first Richard de Redford a grant of a
mediety of three parts of Farnworth, the
boundaries following Rodenden to the
Irwell, by this stream to Greenlache, up
the lache to the highway, and so back to
the starting-point; no. 21. This land he
gave to Adam de Lever; the rent of 6d.
was due to the chief lords; no. 22.
Early in 1330 Henry de Prestall, perhaps the son or grandson of Adam, received
from Adam de Lever the mediety of three
parts of Prestall Banks, a rent of 7½d.
being payable; ibid. no. 90. Richard de
Farnworth, as trustee, in 1350 restored to
Henry de Prestall all his lands in the
hamlet of Farnworth in the vill of Barton,
with remainder, after his death, to Agnes
daughter of Robert de Walkden, for her
life, and then to Agnes' children Adam,
Philippa, and Maud, and their heirs, in
succession, and in default to the right
heirs of Henry de Prestall; Lord Ellesmere's D. no. 82. In 1364 Henry de
Prestall gave to Adam son of Agnes,
daughter of Robert de Walkden, all his
lands in Farnworth, with similar remainders; ibid. no. 83. From its terms this grant
was probably made on Adam's marriage.
An indenture of 1394 has been preserved, made between Ellen and Alice,
daughters and co-heirs of Richard de Redford, concerning land called Herefield in
Kearsley; from this agreement for partition it appears that Ellen was then the
widow of (Adam) de Prestall and Alice
the widow of Jordan de Tetlow; Lever
Chartul. no. 260. |
| 13 |
The pedigrees of the Redford heirs
were compiled in 1598 by Ralph Assheton
of Great Lever; but as to the Seddon
portion he is careful to state: 'I had it
but by the report of Thomas Marcroft,
without the sight of his evidence,' though
for the other portion 'I set it down by
the sight of my own evidence'; ibid. fol.
70b. From the deed last quoted it is
plain that Alice married a second time.
In 1473 Adam Prestall held of the
lord of Manchester his capital messuage
with the appurtenances, value £10 a year,
by a rent of 6d.; and Richard Seddon
held a message, &c., value 5 marks, also
by a rent of 6d.; Mamecestre, 478. |
| 14 |
The paternity of Richard is not stated
in the deeds preserved.
Among the De Trafford deeds are some
relating to Farnworth. The land to which
they refer had belonged to Robert son of
Robert de Walkden in 1380; he granted
it to Robert de Walkden, bastard son of
Cecily de Hough, who, with his brother
John, sold it to Richard de Prestall in the
beginning of the reign of Henry VI; no.
299–308. Adam de Prestall was a witness
in 1380; no. 300. Richard's mother was
named Ellen, his wife was Elizabeth, and
his son and heir Adam was in 1425 espoused to Margaret, daughter of Otes de
Holland; no. 308, 309.
In 1419 Richard Prestall leased to
Hugh son of Jack Hulton land then
occupied by Hugh in Farnworth, with remainder to Hugh's brother Roger; Ellesmere D. no. 91. In 1426 William and
Roger Lever were bound to Richard
Prestall, and he to them, in £100 to
abide an arbitration as to certain disputes;
Lever Chartul. no. 116. In 1445 Richard
Prestall complained that Giles Lever
of Barton and a number of others had
broken into his close and destroyed his corn
and grass; Pal. of Lanc. Plea R. 7, m. 5b.
A little later John Lever made a similar
complaint, Richard Prestall, William
Prestall, and Richard, William's son,
being among the accused; ibid. R. 8,
m. 3.
Another arbitration took place in 1478,
Alice widow of Richard Prestall and Sir
Geoffrey Massey being on one side, and
Sir Ralph Assheton, Ralph his son, and
others named on die other side; the
latter had to pay to the former a certain
sum of money 'in the chapel of St. James
the Apostle in the parish church of Manchester between the hour of ix of the clock
afore noon and the third hour after noon';
Ellesmere D. no. 226. |
| 15 |
Lever Chartul. no. 239–59, the record
of a long series of disputes concerning this
portion of the Prestall inheritance, arising
from the child marriage of Joan with
Adam Prestall. It may be observed that
the Leighs are described as 'of Highfield'
in Farnworth, for the Redford properties
were not confined to Kearsley.
In 1510 John Ashley of Ashley in
Cheshire agreed with Edward Bolton and
Joan his wife, late wife of John Leigh of
Highfield, one of the daughters and heirs
of Richard Prestall, concerning the marriage of Thomas Leigh, son and heir of
John and Joan, with Elizabeth, daughter
of John Ashley; no. 229. Alice, the
mother of Joan, and Isabel her sister,
wife of Henry Southworth, are mentioned.
In 1527 Thomas Leigh of Prestall and
James son of Edmund Bolton of Highfield,
referred their disputes to arbitration, which
resulted in favour of the former; no. 240.
An exchange was made.
About 1555 the contention as to the
legitimacy of the Leighs was brought to a
trial. James Bolton alleged that Joan
Prestall married (1) Adam Prestall, who
died without issue, and (2) Edmund Bolton,
father of the petitioner (who was only
twelve years old at his mother's death
and under age at his father's); the Leigh
marriage was adulterous; no. 245. Thomas
Leigh, one of the six children of John and
Joan Leigh, made reply; he had been in
possession for twenty-six years, viz. from
the death of Edmund Bolton; no. 246.
About 1557 Cuthbert, Bishop of Chester,
certified that the disputed marriage was
lawful, no. 254; but on the accession of
Elizabeth a new petition was made, and
in 1561 the queen ordered the new Bishop
of Chester to make inquiry as to the disputed marriage; no. 247. This was favourable to its legality, and in 1562 an award
was made between James Bolton and
George, his son and heir apparent, on the
one side, and Thomas Leigh and Richard,
his son and heir apparent, on the other.
The latter were adjudged in the right, but
directed to make a lease of certain lands
at a rent of 6s. 8d. to James Bolton; no.
248–52.
In 1575 Thomas Leigh of Highfield
and Richard his son, with Richard's wife
Katherine, sold Prestall to James Bolton;
no. 253. This seems to have been followed
by a fine in 1578, Thomas Leigh being
dead; Pal. of Lanc. Feet of F. bdle. 40,
m. 38. |
| 16 |
The fact of sale is stated in the pedigree compiled by Ralph Assheton, but the
deeds are not transcribed. In the inquisition the lands in Kearsley are grouped
with those in Farnworth; Lancs. Inq. p.m.
(Rec. Soc. Lancs. and Ches.), ii, 287. A
'manor' of Kearsley is mentioned in 1628;
Pal. of Lanc. Feet of F. bdle. 114, no. 8.
The Leigh family continued to hold
property in Farnworth down to the end of
the 18th century; Barton, Farnworth, 159. |
| 17 |
See previous note. Robert Bolton of
Kearsley frequently served on juries in
the time of James I. He died 30 Aug.
1638, holding a house and lands in Kearsley, Farnworth, and Worsley of the lord
of Manchester; Robert his son and heir
was twenty-eight years of age; Towneley
MS. C. 8, 13 (Chet. Lib.), 65. |
| 18 |
This statement is taken from the
pedigree compiled by Ralph Assheton. Sir
Edmund Trafford and Edmund his son
and heir in 1582 joined in selling twenty
messuages, a water-mill, &c., in Prestall,
Kearsley, and Farnworth to Nicholas
Mosley; Pal. of Lanc. Feet of F. bdle.
44, no. 39. These lands subsequently
appear in the Mosley inquisitions; Lancs.
Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), ii,
66. |
| 19 |
In 1494 Joan widow of John Hulton
of Farnworth granted to Giles Seddon of
Kearsley all the lands which Oliver Seddon
had held of her in Kearsley and Rudaden;
Lever Chartul. no. 197; and in 1506 Ralph
Assheton the younger likewise demised to
Giles Seddon of Kearsley, Katherine his
wife, and John, Adam, and Arthur Seddon
their sons, lands tenanted by Oliver Seddon; no. 198.
In 1553 Thomas Marcroft and Elizabeth his wife and Peter Seddon and Cecily
his wife sought lands in Kearsley and
Farnworth from Giles and William Seddon;
Ducafus Lanc. (Rec. Com.), i, 279. |
| 20 |
Richard Leigh of Highfield and
Thomas Marcroft of Kearsley were
among the proprietors of Farnworth in
1598; Lever Chartul. no. 204. Thomas
Marcroft of Kearsley was living in 1600;
Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i,
249. |
| 21 |
A division of a tenement in Kearsley
held in common by Henry, Earl of Derby,
Ralph Assheton of Great Lever, and Ralph
Seddon of Pilkington, was made in 1589.
The tenement had been Oliver Seddon's,
and the following rents were due from it:
To the Earl of Derby, 22d.; to Ralph
Assheton, 10s. and four hens; and to Ralph
Seddon, 6s., two hens, and two days'
'shearing' (reaping). The lands held by
Thomas Marcroft in right of his wife
Elizabeth are mentioned; Lever Chartul.
no. 205.
A 'manor' of Kearsley is mentioned
among the Earl of Derby's possessions in
1631; Pal. of Lane. Feet of F. bdle. 118,
no. 1.
Peter Seddon of Prestolee in Prestwich,
and Ralph Smith of Unsworth, trustees of
Hugh Parr of Kearsley, and John Parr,
his only son and heir apparent, settled
lands in Kearsley and a house in Manchester in 1654; Hulme D. 111.
For the Seddons of Outwood and Kearsley see Nathan Walworth's Correspondence
(Chet. Soc). |
| 22 |
Information of Mr. Daniel Howsin
of Padiham. |
| 23 |
Baines, Lancs. iii, 42. |
| 24 |
Kearsley was usually named among
the Hulton manors; e.g. Pal. of Lanc.
Feet of F. bdle. 321, m. 3. |
| 25 |
Richard de Redford, Adam de Lever,
and Richard the Chief granted to John
son of Adam de Kearsley 3 acres of the
waste in Backbottom, with housebote, heybote, and other liberties; Lever Chartul.
no. 30. The compiler has added a note
that the land was (in 1607) supposed to
be the Little Heys, part held by Thomas
Marcroft and part by Oliver Seddon.
See Lancs. and Ches. Hist, and Gen.
Notes, i, 249. |
| 26 |
Land tax returns at Preston. |
| 27 |
Barton, Farnworth, 143. See the
account of Reddish. |
| 28 |
Land. Gaz. 13 Jan. 1829. It
was built under the 'Million Act,' by
which several Lancashire districts benefited. For an account of the origin and
progress of this church see Barton,
Farnworth 191–216. The foundation
stone was laid in 1824; the church was
opened in 1826, and greatly enlarged in
1871. |
| 29 |
For district, Lond. Gaz. 6 Feb. 1872.
The foundation stone was laid in 1870, and
the church was consecrated in July 1871;
Barton, op. cit. 236–40. |
| 30 |
Ibid. 231, 365. The Wesleyans began to hold Sunday services in 1835; the
chapel was built in 1870. Meetings had
begun even earlier in Lower Kearsley;
schools were built in 1836 and a chapel
in 1865. |
| 31 |
B. Nightingale, Lancs. Nonconf. iii,
142. |
| 32 |
Barton, op. cit. 372–5; services
were begun in 1827, and a chapel erected
in 1836; the present church was dedicated in 1878. The Rev. Woodville
Woodman, pastor from 1837 to 1872,
was a man of some note. |