Lord John de Legh & Cecilia de Towneley

 2954292. Lord John de Legh & 2954293. Cecilia de Towneley

~1280, Cecilia born in England, d/o 5908586. Richard de Towneley

~1285, John de la Legh born in Lancashire, England, s/o 5908584. Gilbert del Legh.

1292, Cicely and her sisters holding land in Worsthorne. [Must have been gifted by Nicolas.]

1292, John de Legh and Cecily his wife free tenants (in her right) of Henry de Lacy. (S) Hist. of Lancaster, V6, 1911, Worsthorne with Hurstwood.

1295-96, Cicilia’s brother Nicholas died, Agnes, Isabel, and Cecily co-heiresses.

1295-96, Cicely and her sisters paid 10s each for relief on all 3 parts of the estate.

[––Cecilia & Michael––]

Cecilia 1^st married to Michael de la Legh. [Possibly an older brother of John.]

Michael died.

1303, Cecilia de Thonlay in her widowhood granted to John son of Gilbert de la Legh all the lands she had by reversion of dower in Towneley, Brunshaw and Worsthorne. [Lancashire.]

[––John & Cecilia––]

~1304, John married Cecilia.

1310-11, Gilbert and his son John attested a local deed in Hapton.

1311, John, heir of Towneley, held Brunshaw and Towneley for homage and by the service of 18s. 3d., doing suit at the court of Clitheroe from 3 weeks to 3 weeks.

1311, John, free tenant with the largest holding of Henry de Lacy, had 20 acres and rendered 4s. 7d. yearly. (S) Hist. of Lancaster, V6, 1911, Cliviger.

1312, Conf: Mathew Galwas to John de la Legh; a mess, in Cleuachir [Lancashire] which I have of the feoffment of … (S) UKNA.

1315, Robert de Gretton and Agnes his wife sued John de la Legh [2^nd husband] and Cecilia his wife, and Philip de Clayton and Isabel his wife, complaining they refused to make a partition of the manor of Towneley, inherited from their brother Nicholas de Townelely. [Agnes, Cecilia, and Isabel are sisters.]

1315, Quitclaim: Gilbert de la Legh to John de la Legh my son; all my right in the tenement in Hirstwode which Oliver de Stansfeld gave to the same John and which John demised to Gilbert for a term of years. (S) UKNA.

3/1/1323, Bond in 100 shillings, from Hugh dil Wode … Witn. …, John de Legh … [Lancashire] (S) UKNA.

1324, John de la Legh successfully defended against a charge of unlawful hunting in the East Moors in Towneley and in Cliviger. John cited the hunting rights given to Cecily de Thonlay’s family. The bounds of these rights expanded beyond Cliviger and included land almost 10 miles across at its greatest extent, totalling over 40 square miles. (S) UKNA.

1/24/1327, Edward III succeeded Edward II as King of England.

1332, John de Legh contributed to the subsidy, and along with Philip de Clayton was a juror.

1334, Gilbert (5908584) and John de Legh were among the more important parishioners, when a settlement about the tithe of hay was made with the Abbot of Whalley.

1336, Conf: Gilbert de la Legh (5908584) to Gilbert s. of John de la Legh (2954292); the manor of Hapton, with lands, etc., in Hapton, Brunlay, Clyuachre, Worsthorn, Hyrstewod, Brereclyf, Exthwysill, with the homage & service of …, except one mess. & 5 acres of land in Brereclyf to hold to Gilbert s. of John de la Legh’ the heirs of his body & of Katherine, dau. of Ric, de Baldreston, remainder to the said Katherine for her life remainder to the heirs of the body of the said Gilbert s. of John de la Legh; … remainder to John de la Legh my son [John s/o (5908584)] & the heirs of his body & of Cecilia, dau. of Ric. de Tounlay (5908586), now his wife. (S) UKNA.

1338, William del Hargreaves granted to Richard de Towneley, son of John de la Leigh, the land and tenements which he [William] had from his father in Towneley.

1338, Defendant, Gilbert son of John de la Legh, called John son and heir of Gilbert de la Legh (i.e. his father) to warrant him.

1339, John and Richard de Shuttleworth held land in Hapton of John de la Legh.

1344, The manor of Hapton was held by Gilbert son of John and Alice his wife for the life of Katherine daughter of Richard de Balderston, with remainder to John son of Gilbert de Legh and Cecily his wife, daughter of Richard de Towneley. (S) Hist. of Lancaster, V6, 1911, Hapton.

1346, John s/o John de Catterall [property previously of Agnes, sister of Cecilia] granted a lease of the third of the Townley estates he held for life to Richard de Towneley, younger son of John de la Legh and Cecily. (S) Trans. of Lancashire & Cheshire, V27, 1910, P149.

John and Cicely died.

6/1349, The Plague reached Dorset, and had spread across England by the end of 1349.

(S) A Gen. & Heraldic Hist. of the Commoners of Great Britain, Burke, 1835, P262. (S) Trans. of Lancashire & Cheshire, V27, 1910, P148. (S) Tracing the Towneleys, 2004. (S) Hist. of Lancaster, V6, 1911, Townships: Havergham Eaves & Hapton.

Family notes:

·         Contemporary persons named “John de la Legh” or “John de legh” died in 1320 [wife Juliana]; 1325 in Surrey with son John as heir; and 1328 in Northumberland (his heir his brother Robert);  1344 in Kent, wife Margaret; another living in 1344 in Bedford. [And others in Chester, York, Lancaster, …]

Children of John and Alice:

i. Gilbert del Legh, born ~1314 in England.

1336, Gilbert married to Katherine de Balderston.

1336, Conf: Gilbert de la Legh (5908584) to Gilbert s. of John de la Legh (2954292); the manor of Hapton, with lands, etc., in Hapton, Brunlay, Clyuachre, Worsthorn, Hyrstewod, Brereclyf, Exthwysill, with the homage & service of …, except one mess. & 5 acres of land in Brereclyf to hold to Gilbert s. of John de la Legh’ the heirs of his body & of Katherine, dau. of Ric, de Baldreston, remainder to the said Katherine for her life remainder to the heirs of the body of the said Gilbert s. of John de la Legh; … remainder to John de la Legh (2954292) my son [John s/o (5908584)] & the heirs of his body & of Cecilia, dau. of Ric. de Tounlay (5908586), now his wife. (S) UKNA.

Gilbert married 2^nd Alice, d/o Robert Vernon of Warforth.

1343, An indenture showing Hapton was made over to Gilbert de la Legh and Alice his second wife during the life of Katherine Balderston, his former wife.

2/1351, The franchise for providing a bailiff for the district of Blackburnshire was shared between the Abbot of Whalley, John de Altham, Gilbert de la Legh and Richard de Touneley. They collected the profits and in return rendered a fix yearly sum to the Lord of Blackburnshire who at this time was Henry Grosmont, 4^th Earl of Lancaster.

1356, Gilbert del Legh purchased the manor of Birtwistle.

1362, Richard and his elder brother Gilbert del Legh of Hapton and Towneley pardoned for 26s by King Edward for acquiring land without royal licence. (S) The Palatine Note-book, V2, 1882, P248.

1372-73, Thomas de Legh [Gilbert’s uncle] granted the third part of Towneley to Gilbert de la Legh on condition he founded a chantry at Burnley.

1373, Gilbert acquired a third of the manor of Towneley from his uncle Robert Vernon of Warforth. (S) Hist. of the Chantries … Co. Palantine, V1, Raines, 1862, P148.

Bef. 1388, Gilbert died, his nephew John (age 38, b.1350), son of Richard, his heir.

3/31/1388, IPM of Alice late the wife of Gilbert del Legh. Duchy of Lancaster: She held …  John de Tounlay, aged 38 years, son and heir of Richard de Tounlay, Gilbert’s brother, is next heir of the said Gilbert and Alice by virtue of the entail. (S) CIsPM.

ii. Richard de Towneley (1477146), born ~1315 in Lancashire, England.

1338, William del Hargreaves granted to Richard de Towneley, son of John de la Leigh, the land and tenements which he [William] had from his father in Towneley.

1346, John s/o John de Catterall granted a lease of the third of the Townley estates he held for life to Richard de Towneley, younger son of John de la Legh and Cecily. (S) Trans. of Lancashire & Cheshire, V27, 1910, P149. [Cecily is John’s paternal grandmother.]

iii. Laurence de Legh, born ~1317 in Lancashire, England.

1340-43, Laurence appears as son of John de Legh in records.