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From: Doug McDonald <>
Subject: Re: Lathom and Chaworth: descents from Robert de Alfreton
Date: Sun, 23 Jan 2005 14:49:28 -0600
References: <79.3d73151f.2f245041@aol.com>
In-Reply-To: <79.3d73151f.2f245041@aol.com>
wrote:
>
> Should anyone have direct access to the VCH and Thoroton
> publications you've mentioned, perhaps those texts can be searched
> and cited on the list;
Here is the relevant part.
He was succeeded by his brother Robert, a man of
note in the affairs of the county. He confirmed the
charter of Burscough and added the land of Adam de
Birkes, which his brother Richard had bequeathed
with his body, as well as two other plats." By his
marriage with Joan,'5 sister and coheir of Thomas
son of Robert de Alfreton, he became possessed of a
moiety of her father's estates in Alfreton, Norton, and
Marnham, held of the honour of Tickhill.16 She prob-
ably died without issue, as these manors did not
remain with the Lathom family. Robert was made a
knight in 1243 in consequence of the king's writ to
enforce knighthood on all who had an estate of fifteen
librates of land.17 In 1249 the county and castle of
Lancaster were committed to Sir Robert, during the
king's pleasure.18 By this appointment he held the
office of sheriff from Easter, 1249, to Michaelmas,
1254 ; he held it again from Easter, 1264, to Michael-
mas, 1265."' His second wife was Joan, daughter of
Adam de Millom,20 by whom he had several children.
From 1277 until his death about 1290, he was engaged
in the wars.1
14 Burscough Reg. fol. 3, 3b. One of
these had been held by Stephen son of
Richard de Alton; the bounds began
at the ford of Hurleton, ascending the
watercourse to Pilatecroft, around this to
the watercourse, following this to the
church road from Alton ; by this road
to Blacklache, by this to Fulshaw, and
following Fulshaw to Hurleton Ford,
saving the exit of Richard de Riding
from the great lache by Pilatecroft unto
the little lache which extends to the
ford of Richard. The second grant was
of all the land of Richard de Riding, for
the fabric (o/Jeri) of the priory church.
He also gave half a plough-land in Child-
wall to the monks of Stanlaw ; Whalley
Coucher (Chet. Soc.), ii, 551.
l5 Otherwise Amicia , on. Angl.
vi, 8.
16 By writ of n Feb. 1242, he had
seisin of these estates, having done
homage and given security for the pay-
ment of his relief—7 10s., the usual
render for a knight's fee and a half.
Later (27 May) he proffered 100 and
15 marks (in lieu of three palfreys) for
wardship of the other moiety, belonging
to Thomas de Chaworth, son of his
wife's sister Alice, and it was granted to
him , Fine R. 26 Hen. III, pt. i, m. 9 ;
and pt. ii, m. 6. In the Chart. R.
of 36 Hen. III is the grant of a
market at Alfreton to Robert de Lathom
and Thomas de Chaworth ; Robert
afterwards released to Thomas all his
right in the lordship. By the inquest
taken about Christmas, 1242, to inquire
as to the knights' fees which should
contribute to the scutage of Gascony, it
was found that in Notts. Robert de
Lathom held two-thirds of a knight's
fee in Alfreton and Norton of Alice,
countess of Eu, and half a knight's fee
of the earl of Leicester in Edwalton of
ancient feoffment, while in Lanes, he
held one fee in Knowsley, Huyton,
and Roby of the earl of Lincoln, and
other fees in Childwall, Parbold, and
Wrightington, of the baron of Manchester;
Lanes. Inq. and Extents, i, 148, 154.
V Close R. 56, m. 4 d.
18 Fine R. 33 Hen. III, p t. i, m. 7.
The grant was repeated in 1254; Origi-
nalia R. i, p. 13.
" P.R.O. List of Sheriffs, 72. It is
possible that he was sheriff continuously
from 1249 to 1255, those whose names
appear in the list of sheriffs being his
deputies. In Sept. 1266, the king ex-
cused his coming to give account at the
Exchequer for the period during which
he had been sheriff, on the ground that
.he was then, by the king's order, stay-
ing in Lanes, with horses and arms to
keep watch over the king's peace there ;
Close R. 87, m. I.
20 Chartul. of Beauchief Abbey. In
1260 Robert de Lathom and Joan his
wife had a dispute with the abbot of
Furness concerning the advowson of
Millom ; Cur. Reg. R. 166, m. 21 d. and
169, m. 22. Connected with this mar-
riage is the subject of the two coats
borne by Robert de Lathom. In a roll
of arms (Harl. MS. 6589) of this period
he is said to have borne ' gules, fretty
vair' ; but about 1250 he sealed a charter
of manumission of Roger son of Gun-
hilda, and this seal bears the coat subse-
quently used by the family—'or, on a
chief indented azure, three plates.' The
former coat may have been that of his
second wife's family. The grant just
mentioned included also a grant of land
in Lathom, the boundaries beginning at
Gerald's Well, William, prior of Bur-
scough, was a witness. Another charter
of about the same date gave to Robert son
of' Ughtred de Lathom land on the
western side of Scakersdale, the bounds
beginning at Bradeyate Ford, touching the
road from Lathom to Ormskirk as far as
Brechehale Syke, crossing to Deepdale
and going down to Marcheal Ford ; there
were reservations as to the use of this
ford, as also of mastfall in his park and
in Burscough. The charters are from
Towneley MSS. GG. 1278, RR 1060,
RR. 891 and GG. 1334. For a manu-
mission by fine in 1246 see Final Conc.
(Rec. Soc.), i, 88.
1 Palgrave, Parl Writs i, 698. In
1277 he was summoned to serve against
Llewelyn prince of Wales, and again in
1282 , five years later he had to appear
with horse and arms at a military council
at Gloucester before Edmund earl of Corn-
wall, and in 1291 he or his son Robert
was called to serve against the Scots.
One of his latest acts at Lathom was
an agreement in 1287 with the canons
of Burscough, relating to certain lands
there and the mill, and other points in
dispute. The prior and canons surrendered
their mills to him, with the right to
construct others also, provided that any
new one should not be set up on Scaker-
dale Brook nor on the Burscough side
of Alton, and that they might have the
right to construct mills within their own
lands ; in return he gave them 4.0 acres
of land by the king's highway from
Burscough to Wirplesmoss. Burscough
Reg. fol. 16b
Doug McDonald
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