Huck ¹

  Events

• Manorial Estate: Broughton Manor, Broughton, Preston, Lancashire, PR3, GB. ¹ In 1066 BROUGHTON, assessed as one plough-land, formed part of Earl Tostig's lordship of Preston or Amounderness. (fn. 4) After the Conquest it appears to have been held in thegnage, perhaps by the old lords and their descendants. Between 1153 and 1160 William Count of Boulogne, son of King Stephen, confirmed to Uctred son of Huck and his heirs 8 oxgangs of land in Broughton by the service due, viz. 8s. a year. (fn. 5) Uctred and his family took their surname from Little Singleton, which they held by serjeanty of the wapentake of Amounderness. (fn. 6)

Richard son of Uctred succeeded, but was ejected by Theobald Walter, after whose forfeiture and death King John detained the manor and it remained in the hands of Henry III. The township during this time gave an increased revenue to the Crown. (fn. 7) In 1261 Henry III, after inquiry, restored it as a matter of right to William de Singleton, grandson of Richard, who paid 3 marks of gold. (fn. 8). William had already in 1256 acquired land in Broughton from Geoffrey the Cook, (fn. 9) and in 1262 he warranted to Alan de Singleton a moiety of Broughton. (fn. 10)

William and his son Alan died before 1292, when Alan's son Thomas was in possession and engaged in various disputes. (fn. 11) Soon afterwards Broughton and the other estates of the family are found in the possession of Joan wife of Thomas Banastre of Bretherton, she being the sister and heir of Thomas de Singleton. Thomas died in 1299 or 1300, Joan claiming dower in the latter year. (fn. 12) As a widow in 1303 she made a settlement of the manor of Little Singleton and various lands in Thornton, Broughton, Dilworth and Bilsborrow, the remainders being to William Banastre and Adam his brother. (fn. 13) From the account already given of Bretherton in the parish of Croston it will be seen that William was the son of Joan and Thomas. Broughton descended in the same way as Bretherton, (fn. 14) and in the 16th century the Earl of Derby held the manor, (fn. 15) though the other heirs of Balderston had estates in Broughton. (fn. 16) This principal manor of Broughton then disappears from the records.

Footnotes:
8. The story is told Lancs. Inq. and Extents, i, 192, 226\endash 7. King Henry had given the manor for life to Master William the queen's Sauser (Salsarius.) The manor was not liable to tallage. In 1194\endash 5 Theobald Walter sued Richard son of Uctred and Robert his brother for the whole town of Broughton, one plough-land, as part of his demesne, having been held by the king or his father in demesne. Richard said in reply that the moiety of the town was of his own demesne, held of the said Theobald by certain services which he was ready to perform. Robert had the other moiety; Coram Rege R. 5, m. 2 d. William the Sauser received Broughton from the king in 1244; he had 8 marks of silver 'of his farm ' from William de Singleton in 1261 5 Dods. MSS. cxlix, fol. 50. Richard and Robert, sons of Uctred, seem to have succeeded their father as early as 1185; Farrer, op, cit. 56. In 1205 Richard son of Uctred proffered 5 marks for having his serjeanty (of Amounderness and Blackburn), which had been taken into the king's hands; ibid. 204. In 1208 he proffered 10 marks for the restoration of the plough-land in Broughton; Abbrev. Plac. (Rec. Com.), 58. Richard died in or before 1211, when his son Alan proffered 20 marks for livery of his father's estates in Singleton and Broughton, and for confirmation of his office of bailiff of Amounderness; Farrer, op. cit. 237\endash 8. In 1212 Alan is found in possession of his serjeanties of Amounderness and Blackburn; but Broughton was in the king's hands, rendering 6 marks yearly; Lancs. Inq. and Extents, i, 52, 134. He also held Bilsborrow in 1226, and portions of Freckleton and Whittingham in 1242; ibid. i, 140, 152. He died in 1244 holding these offices and lands, and leaving a son William who was the heir; ibid. i, 158, 160. In 1245 Alice widow of Alan de Singleton came to an agreement with William de Singleton as to dower; Final Conc. (Rec. Soc. Lancs, and Ches.), i, 92. She was marriageable in 1246, and the king had granted her marriage to William de Lancaster; Assize R. 404, m. 22. Alan had perhaps a brother John, for John son of Richard de Singleton in 1261 eld 2 oxgangs of land; Lancs. Inq. and Extents, i, 228. Alan had a second son named Richard, who perhaps became a canon of Cockersand; Final Conc, i, 103, 150. The family were benefactors of this house; see Cockersand Chartul. (Chet. Soc), i, 225\endash 8, 264\endash 5.

9. Final Conc, i, 119; concerning 40 acres of land.

10. Ibid. i, 141. Thirty acres were excepted, and these William warranted to Thomas de Singleton at the same time. The plaintiff was Hugh son of Richard de Stapleford. From other sources it is known that Alan was the son and heir of William; probably Thomas was another son. William son of Alan de Singleton, with the consent of Alan his heir, gave land in Bilsborrow to Cockersand Abbey; Ceckersand Chartul. i, 268. In 1297 the vill of Broughton rendered 8s. to the Earl of Lancaster, and the tenants paid a further 10s. for having common in the forest of Fulwood; Lancs. Inq. and Extents, i, 289.

11. Katherine widow of Alan de Singleton was in 1292 the wife of Thomas de Clifton, and claimed dower in lands in Broughton. One parcel had been granted to Master Robert de Singleton by William the father of Alan, and Alan had added some land in Whittingham; it was ordered that Master Robert should hold his land in peace, while Katherine should have an equivalent from the lands of Thomas the son of Alan; Assize R. 408, m. 23. A similar decision in her favour was given as to land held by Thomas son of Thomas de Singleton; ibid. In two other claims also Thomas the son and heir of Alan warranted the defendants\emdash Nicholas son of Alan de Singleton and William de Singleton\emdash and rendered dower to Katherine from his own land; ibid. m. 31 d. At the same time William de Earlsgate was non-suited in claims against Thomas de Clifton and Katherine his wife, and against Nicholas son of Alan de Singleton; ibid. m. 76. This Nicholas again appears in 1295; De Banco R. 109, m. 70.

12. Compare De Banco R. 127, m. 119 d.; 131, m. 106 d.

13. Final Conc, i, 201. The descent is thus recorded in pleadings of 1334: Alan -s. William -s. Alan -s. Thomas -sister Joan, who married Thomas Banastre -s. William -s. Adam; Coram Rege R. 297, m. 27. William son of Ellen de Broughton in 1308\endash 9 released all actions, &c., to Sir William Banastre; Dods. MSS, cxlix, fol. 45 b.

14. Adam son of William Banastre in 1324 held the manor of Broughton by the service of 81., and had pasture in Fulwood for the cattle of his tenants (except in time of pannage) by paying fol.; Dods. MSS. exxxi, fol. 396. In 1334 it appeared that the king had demanded a payment of £4. a year from the men of Broughton; Coram Rege R. 297, Rex m. 19 d. This probably referred to the right of pasture in Fulwood, for which 10s. was paid. The men of Broughton appear to have exceeded their rights, and in 1336 were fined £13 6s. 8d. for all transgressions; Whalley Couch. (Chet. Soc), ii, 373\endash 4. Thomas son of Adam Banastre held the town of Broughton, viz. one plough-land, in 1346, by the tenth part of a knight's fee and a rent of 10s.; Survey of 1346 (Chet. Soc), 50. Lands in Dilworth, Broughton, Whittingham, Preston and Goosnargh were held by Edward Banastre in 1382, and inherited by his daughter Constance; Lancs. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc), i, 16. In 1445\endash 6 Richard de Balderston held Broughton by the tenth part of a knight's fee; Duchy of Lanc. Knights' Fees, bdle. 2, no. 20.

15. Broughton was included in the forfeited Harrington lands given to Thomas Earl of Derby in 1489; Pat. 4 Hen. VII. In 1513 it was stated that Thomas, late Earl of Derby, William Knowles, clerk, and others (apparently trustees) held the manor of Broughton of the king in socage by the rent of 8s.; Duchy of Lanc Inq. p.m. iii, no. 15. On the partition made in 1564 the manor of Broughton was assigned to Edward Earl of Derby; Pal. of Lanc. Plea R. 216, m. 10.

16. See the inquisitions of Edmund Dudley (1509), Thomas Radcliffe of Winmarleigh (1521) and his successors, and Alexander Osbaldeston (1544). The Balderston manors, &c., are grouped together, without any statement of the separate tenures.

17. Adam de Singleton occurs 1254 to 1286; Lancs. Inq. and Extents, i, 192, 264. Gilbert de Singleton died in or before 1326 holding lands in Broughton of Adam son of Sir William Banastre by the service of a rose and 1d. yearly. There was a messuage there, 50 acres of arable land worth 8d. a year each, a horse-mill (fallen down) worth only 10s. a year, a windmill (broken) worth the same, a little close called the Fernyhalgh worth 2s. Tenants at will held 47 acres of arable land paying 6d. an acre; and 3 acres of meadow rendered is. each. Gilbert had lands also in Freckleton, Warton and Great Plumpton. His son and heir Thomas was twenty-tut years old; Chan. Inq. p.m. 19 Edw. II, no. 67. Thomas in 1335 claimed the family manors against John son of Thomas Banastre as son and heir of Gilbert son of Alan de Singleton; De Banco R. 301, m. 42. Thomas de Singleton was living in 1346, when he was called to warrant John son of Gilbert de Singleton; De Banco R. 346, m. 11; 347, m. 148 d.

Huck married.