REEDLEY HALLOWS, FILLY CLOSE AND NEW LAUND BOOTH
Redlaihalghes, 1342; Redelegh-hallous, 1459;
Redhalowes, 1507.
Filicloos, 1324; Filieclose, 1423.
Newlande, 1459.
These three portions of the forest of Pendle were
considered as extra-parochial, i.e. they remained
attached to the Castle parish of Clitheroe after other
chapelries had been carved out of it, though they were
8 miles away. Pendle Water winds through the
township, having Reedley Hallows, 545 acres, on the
east side of it, adjoining Burnley; New Laund Booth,
431 acres, on the north-east, and Filly Close, 470
acres, on the north-west and the south. The total
area is therefore 1,446 acres, and in 1901 the population numbered 1,285. Owing, however, to the
growth of Burnley the township was divided in 1894;
parts of Reedley Hallows and Filly Close were incorporated with the extended township of Burnley,
and the remainder was constituted into a township
with the name of Reedley Hallows alone. (fn. 1) The
area of this new township is 1,106 acres, including
25 acres of inland water, and in 1901 its population
was 658; it is governed by a parish council.
Reedley slopes down in general from east to west
towards Pendle Water, the limits being 680 ft. and
a little under 400 ft. above sea level. The other
components of the township, divided partly by the deep
ravine of Spurn Clough, slope down from the north
and north-west, from about 580 ft. to 300 ft. From
Burnley a road goes north through Reedley towards
Nelson and Colne, while another goes north-west as
Byerden Lane, and then, after crossing the river at
Pendle Bridge, goes on through New Laund Booth as
Greenhead Lane; a minor road branches off from
the bridge to cross Filly Close. The road from
Brierfield to Pendle Forest crosses into New Laund
by Chamber Bridge, better known as Quakers' Bridge,
from the active part said to have been taken by that
religious society in its erection. The Leeds and
Liverpool Canal and the Colne line of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway go north through Reedley.
In Reedley, Haulgh is on the eastern boundary,
now within Burnley; Reedley proper, to the north,
has a number of modern residences, including the
Rectory; Monk Heys or Monkholme is to the northwest and Lodge to the south-west. In New Laund
the house so named stands in the centre, Greenhead
being to the south-west, Waterside to the east and
Montford to the north. Moor Isles or Moorhiles is
near the north-west boundary of Filly Close.
The soil is clay, overlying clay and rock. Apart
from the urban district adjoining Burnley the land
is mostly used for pasturage, the following being the
distribution: arable land, 3 acres; permanent grass,
1,201; woods and plantations, 15½ (fn. 2)
In Byerden Clough, formerly the boundary between Reedley and Burnley, were brickworks. To
the north is a colliery. There are mills in Reedley
and New Laund; the Burnley sewage works (Duck
Pits) and sewage farm (Wood End) are in Filly Close,
adjoining Pendle Water.
Forest
In the close of REEDLEY HALLOWS
there was at Michaelmas 1341 stock consisting of a bull, seventy-eight cows and
one heifer. This inclosure of pasture was originally
used as a store farm from which to replenish the
adjoining vaccaries, but in 1342 the herbage had
been demised to farm for £10. (fn. 3) In 1418 Roger
Flore, chief steward, demised three parts of a meadow
called the Reedley Hallows, lately demised to Sir
Henry Hoghton at £6 13s. 4d., to James Banastre
for the increased rent of £8, and the other part
to Richard Folds at £2 10s. rent for ten years. (fn. 4)
Afterwards the whole was let for £9 16s. 8d.,
and in 1459 and 1464 was held by Lord Stanley
and William Leyland at a rent of £9 6s. 8d., (fn. 5) in
which was probably included the 50s. 1d. due for a
fourth part of the herbage demised in 1464 for twelve
years to Richard Halstead and Richard Folds, who
were required to reserve for the king's deer such
amount of pasture as it had been customary to reserve
in time past. (fn. 6) Lord Stanley held it at the same
rent in 1474, (fn. 7) and at the greatly enhanced rent of
£20 2s. 8d. (sic) in 1495. (fn. 8)
Upon the granting of the forests in 1507 the
vaccary called Reedley Hallows, containing 200 acres
by customary measure, was demised by copy of Court
Roll to William Winder and his fellows for £10 a
year. (fn. 9) In 1527 the heir of William Barcroft held
half, the remainder being divided almost equally
between Christopher Jackson, Ellis Nutter and
George Ormerod. (fn. 10) At the same time the heir of
Thomas Radcliffe paid 13s. 4d. for (Little) Reedley
Hallows, (fn. 11) but this tenement appears to be the same
as Chamber in Pendle. (fn. 12) Robert Barcroft in 1609
held the Barcroft and Ormerod shares of 1527,
while Christopher Jackson and Henry Nutter had
the other parts. (fn. 13) Thomas Barcroft of Lodge paid
£15 in 1631 for having refused knighthood. (fn. 14) In
1662 Thomas Barcroft, Ellis Nutter, John Jackson
and William Robert were tenants, the Jackson estate
having been diminished a little to the profit of Nutter
and Robert. (fn. 15) The hearth tax return of 1666 shows
that Thomas Sagar and Ellis Nutter were each
assessed upon seven hearths and Mary Jackson on
four. (fn. 16)
The principal family was that of Barcroft of Lodge,
a younger branch of the Barcrofts of Cliviger. (fn. 17) In
1590 John Towneley brought a bill of complaint
in the Duchy Chamber against William Barcroft of
Lodge and James Hargreaves touching a right of
way over Banister Heald in the vaccary of Reedley
Hallows, through Filly Close to Fence Gate, and
from Byerden Gate to Saxifield Common. (fn. 18) In 1727
Leonard Clayton, son of Henry Clayton of Pendle
Hall, yeoman, was described as 'of Lodge.' (fn. 19) Thomas
Bradshaw of Marple in Cheshire was in 1739 the
owner of tenements called Haugh Head and Haugh
Row. (fn. 20) Sarah the daughter and co-heir of Thomas
Barcroft in 1670 married Nicholas Townley of
Royle, and the Lodge has descended with that estate
to Mr. R. A. Tatton of Cuerden. (fn. 21)
The Nutters were of Reedley. (fn. 22) The family gave
two victims to the Elizabethan persecution. John
Nutter went over seas to Rheims, where he was
ordained priest in 1582. Being sent on the English
mission he was put ashore at Dunwich sick of a fever.
The officials of the place, having found some Roman
Catholic books in a bag, gave information to the
justices and Nutter was arrested. He was imprisoned
in the Marshalsea and the Tower and executed at
Tyburn for his priesthood on 12 February 1583–4. (fn. 23)
His brother Robert went with him to Rheims, and
was likewise ordained and sent on the English mission.
After being imprisoned and tortured in the Tower
he was banished in 1585, but returning soon afterwards was recaptured and imprisoned at Wisbech for
more than twelve years. He escaped to his native
county, where he was again caught, condemned to
death for his priesthood, and
executed at Lancaster 26 July
1600. (fn. 24) Ellis son of Robert
Nutter of Reedley made a
settlement of his estates in
1738. His son, Henry Nutter
of Colne, surrendered Reedley
and Tupholme, copyhold rent
39s., to the use of John
Crossley of Hundersfield in
1741. (fn. 25) The trustees of Col.
Holden and Mr. Harry Tunstill now hold a large part of
Reedley.
Grimshaw. Argent a griffin segreant gules, beaked and membered or.
FILLY CLOSE was in 1324 held by Richard de
Whitacre in conjunction with the adjacent Royle
in Burnley. (fn. 26) In 1341–2 Filly Close was in
hand, in connexion with the king's stud-farm at
Ightenhill. (fn. 27) Royle appears to have become separate
some years later, (fn. 28) and in 1459 John Sotehill
rented Filly Close for £9 6s. 8d., (fn. 29) obtaining a
twenty years' lease of it at the same rent in 1467. (fn. 30)
But in 1471 Hugh Gartside had it granted to him
on lease similarly. (fn. 31) Lord Stanley paid the rent in
1495. (fn. 32)
When the forests were granted in 1507 Filly Close
was demised by copy of Court Roll to Lawrence
Towneley and Ralph Askew at a rent of £10 13s. 4d. (fn. 33)
At this rent Sir John Towneley held it in 1527, (fn. 34) and
in his line the ownership nominally descended. Ellis
Nutter of Reedley in 1530–1 resigned his lease and
goodwill in Filly Close to Sir John in consideration
of an annuity of 26s. 8d. There were nine tenants
in 1536, paying the £10 13s. 4d. copyhold rent and
an additional rent of £5 11s. 6d. to Towneley. (fn. 35)
The chief tenant then was George Grimshaw of
Moorhiles, paying £7; he and Thomas Watmough
were the only ones exempt from suit to the corn-mill
in Burnley. (fn. 36) In 1577 John Towneley brought a
bill of complaint against Richard Grimshaw son of
George touching the messuage of Moorhiles and
lands in Filly Close. (fn. 37) The will of Richard Grimshaw, dated 1 June 1608, shows that he had lands in
Pendle and in Craven; he left a widow Ellen, and
had daughters, Janet (deceased) wife of John Woodroffe of Bank Top, and Elizabeth Grimshaw. (fn. 38)
Moorhiles became the residence of Christopher
Towneley, the transcriber. After the death of his wife
he partially rebuilt it, his initials, C. T. 1668, appearing on a doorway, and he died there in 1674. (fn. 39)
Mr. John Shuttleworth, John Skerrow, Bernard
Stuttard and George Spencer were those assessed to
the hearth tax in 1666 in Filly Close. (fn. 40)
The NEW LAUND was in 1459 held by
Thomas Harrington at a yearly farm of £5 6s. 8d. (fn. 41)
Three years later the herbage and pasture there were
demised at this rent to William Leyland for a term, (fn. 42)
and a new lease for seven years was granted him soon
afterwards. (fn. 43) On its expiry in 1471 Hugh Gartside
obtained a twenty years' lease at the same rent, (fn. 44) and
in 1495 Lawrence Towneley was farmer. (fn. 45)
In 1507 the commissioners for granting the forest
demised New Laund to Robert Nutter to hold by
copy of Court Roll for £6 13s. 4d. yearly rent. (fn. 46)
For this rent it was in 1527 held equally by Ellis
Nutter of Waterside, John Haliday and John Nowell. (fn. 47)
In 1550 Henry Nutter brought a bill of complaint
in the Duchy Chamber against his younger brother,
John Nutter, touching his title to tenements in New
Laund and Reedley Hallows. (fn. 48) The rental of 1609
shows that Ellis Nutter's tenement had descended to
John Nutter, (fn. 49) those of Haliday and Nowell being
held divisibly between John Crombock, John Moor
and Margaret Nutter. (fn. 50) Another John Nutter held
the third part in 1662, when the remainder was
held by Richard Crombock, John Moore and Bernard
Parker (in right of his wife), each paying 29s. 7½d.
of copyhold rent. (fn. 51) The hearth tax return of 1666
shows the following assessments: Mr. Anthony Wade
nine hearths, Ellis Nutter six and Bernard Parker
(for Henry Nutter) four. (fn. 52)
In the witches' trials in 1612 it was alleged that
Robert Nutter of Greenhead and his father Christopher had been bewitched to death some eighteen
or nineteen years before. (fn. 53) Eleanor daughter of
Ellis Nutter of Waterside was the grandmother of
Archbishop Tillotson. (fn. 54)
Montford was towards the end of the 18th century
the residence of one Thomas Tipping, who devised
it to his gardener. The estate, including New Laund
Farm and Waterside, was purchased by the late
Robert Tunstill, and is now the property of his
nephew, Mr. Harry Tunstill of Reedyford House,
Nelson.
Edmund Robinson of New Laund in 1648 was
allowed to compound for his 'delinquency' by a fine
of £40. He had been in Clitheroe Castle while it
was held for the king, but in 1645 had voluntarily
submitted to the Parliament and taken the National
Covenant. (fn. 55)
Complaint was made in 1592 that John Nutter
of New Laund had stopped a right of way used from
time immemorial between Marsden and Briercliffe
on the one side and Clitheroe, Preston, Colne and
Padiham on the other. The road, used by carts as
well as by horsemen and foot passengers, led through
lands of Sir Gilbert Gerard in Marsden to a place
called the Chamber in Pendle or Hansoncliffe, thence
by 'a certain place in the said New Laund called
the Helforth Gate, and so ascending to a bank called
the Rustie Bank, and thence to a gate called the New
Laund Gate,' and so to the lower side of the Fence
and to Clitheroe. John Nutter replied that his
grandfather Ellis made a partition of the lands in
the township with Henry and Christopher Nutter,
and it was then agreed that 'a highway should be
set out in the portion of the said Christopher on the
west side of the said close called the New Laund,
leading from a place called the Sandesforth to another
place called the Fence,' which road was still open. (fn. 56)