Chapter 1 - The Chorleys in Medieval Days

 Chapter 1

The Chorleys in Medieval Days

Holland Watson a bygone Lancashire antiquary says of the Chorleys “This town (Chorley) gave name to a family who resided there at or soon after the Conquest and who bore for their arms blue bottles (corn flowers) and a tree vert, till William Chorley of Chorley, about the time of Edward III, gave argent à chevron gules between three blue bottles slipped proper, which his posterity have borne ever since.” These heraldic emblems are still used by the Charleys of Northern Ireland.

The first of the Norman overlords was the famous Roger de Poictou to whom the Conqueror gave enormous possessions in this part of England. After the battle of Tewkesbury where Roger with his brother the Earl of Shrewsbury fought again Henry I on behalf of Robert, Duke of Normandy, he was deprived of his estates and compelled to quit the realm. The next overlords of Chorley were the Earls of Chester, later the Earls of Derby.

The first Chorley found in Lancashire records is Gilbert de Chorlegh who in 1252 was one of the jurors at the Inquisitionem Post Mortem of Baldwin of Preston. In 1276 there appears in the Lancashire Assize Rolls the name of Elias son of Henry de Chorlegh. In 1396-7 William de Chorlegh was a juror at the Inquisitonem of Henry de Standish.

It will be found that the name varies in spelling from time to time, changed no doubt according to the ruling power of the day. For instance de Chorlegh suggests the influence of the Conqueror. The name Chorley is derived from the two words “Chor” and “Ley or lea” and signifies the field or place by the river Chor, this describing exactly the place which still flourishes today.

About 1482 the Lords of the Manor of Chorley, it is not known if they were the Chorley family, claimed a market on Tuesday every week at their Manor of Chorley, also the right to try and punish thieves taken within the Manor; the power to hang criminals on a locally erected gallows; a system of lock security that required all men to combine in associations of ten to produce or to be answerable for any of their number in a court of law; a tumbrel or ducking stool for the punishment of scolds.

It was also granted that a fair on the eve of St Lawrence should be held yearly and should last two days. The market is still held on Tuesday though the fair has ceased. The patron saint of the church is St Lawrence. This early church was small, consisting merely of a nave and a chancel and a low tower at the west end. The style was of the decorated verging to the perpendicular and the whole coarsely executed. The windows were mainly of heraldic symbols of neighbouring families e.g. Standishe of Duxbury, Gillibrand, Chorley, Walton and Anderton of Euxton. 

Custom gave to the leading families in the district the right of burial place in the church. Thus the Standishes owned the space above the two steps and the portion below was between the Charnocks and the Chorleys of Chorley. The church was enlarged between 1859 and 1861.

In early times Chorley was an agricultural district; there were no less than 68 farms each of which gave a hattock of barley or oats to the church every harvest. The names of the farmers can often be identified with the tenants today. There were also the Halls of Astley, Chorley, Crosse, and Lower Chorley. These latter gave to the church for use of the Clerk, a “pecke of meale at Christmas and a hattock of barley and a hattock of oats at harvest.”

The Christian names repeated again and again in the Chorley pedigrees at this time were Stephen, Adam, Hugo, Thomas, Robertus, Simon, Willemus, and William.

In 1492 we read that Agnes Chorley married Edward de Chernock a neighbour living at Astley Hall.
It is unfortunate but no reason is recorded why, in the 13th Century, William Chorley was attainted for treason and forfeited his whole estate. He was known as Will Chorley and his will was preserved. Nothing further is recorded of him. After the forfeiture, Henry, son of Robert de Heppawall, granted to this Chorley and his heirs for ever the Hall of Chorley, the Milne, The Pigeon House, The Milnefeld, The Dryfenacres, The Horsehey, The Rough Hey and a meadow at Reddish which property was held in free socage on the yearly rent of one pounds, one shilling and one penny. This same Henry de Heppawall also granted to William Chorley and his heirs for ever seatplace and sepulture in the southern side of the church below the steps of the high altar on payment of a peppercorn.

In 1363 it is recorded that William Chorley, armiger, had a son Ralph. This William was entrusted with the high office of Escheator to the King in the County of Lancashire. Evidently he was not a traitor like his ancestor. This Ralph gave lands to the neighbouring parsons for their lives.

In 1378 the family acquired other property called Foxholes near Birkacre.

A Richard Chorley son of William de Chorley, later succeeded his father in the possession of the family estate. This was the first Richard in the line, a name to become famous in later years.