The research here was undertaken from the mid 1990's. Leverhulme had purchased the Rivington Hall estate and then was served notice of compulsory purchase two years later through the Liverpool Corporation Act 1902, he was awarded a substantial payment and permitted to create a park containing a folly castle and a summer home there, he did make a profit and his legacy has benefitted the general public to this day, the people of Liverpool got their much needed clean drinking water.
Leverhulmes honours were the Lever Baronetcy, of Thornton Manor 1911, Baron Leverhulme, of Bolton-le-Moors in the County Palatine of Lancaster 1917, Viscount Leverhulme, of The Western Isles in the Counties of Inverness and Ross and Cromarty 1922, High, Sheriff of Lancashire, 1917. Leverhulmes titles and styles were Mr William Lever 1851–1911, Sir William Lever, Bt 1911–1917, The Rt. Hon. The Lord Leverhulme 1917–1922, The Rt. Hon. The Viscount Leverhulme 1922–1925. Leverhulme was not known as Lord of Rivington, that is erroneous. Regarding Rivington Hall, in the book by John Rawlinson 'About Rivington', 1969, page 32, “The Norman-French term manor-house has never been applied here.”
Rivington was owned in shares of eight, the Cromptons of Rivington Hall until sale to Leverhulme owned 5/8th, the descendants of the Lathams owned 1/4 and the descendants of the shaws owned 1/8. The size of the Rivington Hall estate in acres is recorded by the Tithe Tax returns.
The early Shaw Family link back to the Pilkington family by marriage then bloodlines and the Breres were also relations of the Pilkington family of Wigan, Rivington, Blackrod, Croston and Salford. The most recent book was 'The Pilkington Story'.
The old system in England after the Norman conquest was a complex structure starting at the Crown as the owner of all lands and titles, followed by nobles and overlords and the bottom of the old title system was Lord of the Manor.
In regard to Lords of Manors in general there are three elements, the first is Lordship of the manor, the second is Manorial land and the third being Manorial rights. The three elements may exist separately or be combined, the first element being the title may be held in moieties.1) The title cannot be subdivided 2) this has been prohibited since 1290 in the Statute of Quia Emptores that prevents subinfeudation, instead requiring all tenants wishing to alienate their land to do so by substitution. 3) in effect the manor must retain the same overlord and cannot used to create new manors.
Some writers confuse land ownership with manors. However a person may own all the land in and around a village but not all or even part of a Manor. Rivington is an example of a manor split in 8 shares.
At Rivington the larger Cheshire measure of acres seems to have been used until the 20th century. The statue, Lancashire, and Cheshire Acres contain respectively 4840, 7740 and 10, 240 square yards. 4)
The owners of the shares were 5/8 held by W.H Lever from his purchase of Rivington Hall, the Liverpool Corporation Act 1902 did not snuff out the manor, as United Utilities have suggested as the law at that time made no such provision. There was also an odd sale in 1611, discussed later. It is very unlikely Liverpool Corporation would have had any interest in the Manorial rights, the 1902 act gave them land and water rights without need or legal right to acquire the manor. The interest the 5/8 share of the Manor was held of The Duchy of Lancaster. 5)6)
A 1/4 share was held by the descendants of the Bradleys with extensive title deeds at various archives, the final 1/8th share being held by the descendants of the Shaws and is backed up by bundles of title deeds held in both local and national archives, the Shaw portion was not sold to W.H Lever, nor taken under Compulsory purchase and is still valid.
Rivington Hall was 32 acres according to Tithe records in 1850, Leverhulmes total acreage sold to Liverpool was 2100 acres, this clearly included more land than the Hall. Lever Park was formed on land belonging to The Crosses and Great House Farm, both once large farms. It is also likely that land forming vast area's of ancestral common lands and wastes of the Manor were unwittingly sold with the Hall.
The oldest of all the Rivington families are the Ruhwintons or giving the name a modern spelling, the family surname Rivington. The name of the area we now know as Rivington was adopted as the family name of the early landowners after 1166 who were step brothers of the Rivington Pilkingtons. The name Rivington has early variations of Ruhwinton 7). Later becoming Roving or Riven with ton as illustrated in the Charter of 1566 founding the Church and School. The name finally settled as Rivington by 1827. For a short period the village was known as Roynton when a daughter of the early Lever family of Bolton held land at Rivington. Only once in history was Rivington solely owned by one family as illustrated in a very early deed showing an exclusive ownership by the Pilkingtons. No one family has ever owned all of Rivington since.
Rivington Manor has always been owned by various branches of families who via daughters had a new surname. However although these families had different names, every old family of Rivington is related. 8). Here you can view an extract of the early Pilkington / Shaw family tree, the chart illustrates the connections of the early Pilkington, Shaw, Asshaw and willoughby families.
An erroneous statement in the book 'A Short History of Rivington' by Irvine published in 1904 wrongly stated that in 1733 the Andrews became sold owner of the manor, this was clearly wrong and should have read became sold owner of Rivington Hall. Later works used the book as a source, repeating the same error.
The oldest records of Rivington maybe documents that refer to Hreofingtun, an old English name 9) The place name Ruhwinton occurs in records relating to the Barony of Manchester and is specifically named in 1166 in a grant of land of three calves size by Albert Grelley Junior to Thomas de Perponte and was in this time in the Upper Bailiwick of the Barony of Mamecestre, later known as the Salord Hundred.10)
The descent of the Manor of Rivington commences with Alexander de Pilkington (born c. 1110 - died 1180) 11) when the Pilkington family owned six Oxganges of land. Over time and with some gaps in records the Rivington Manor became separated in moieties and by the sixteenth century the Pilkingtons of Rivington Hall owned a 5/8 share.
Robert Pilkington held the manor of Rivington of the Duchy of Lancaster directly, he was Lord of the Manors of Walton-le-Dale and Heath Charnock in Lancashire, as detailed in his inquisition post mortem. 23) Robert Pilkington died 17 November 1605, his estate was complex and legal disputes followed until 1611.
Richard Pilkington, grandfather of the brothers Robert and James Pilkington by an indenture in 1544 tied the estate to his male heirs. Roberts will disregarded the 1544 indenture. On Roberts death James the younger brother had full legal right to the estate and title. James was by law the Lord of the Manor of Rivington on Roberts death in 1605. For reasons that cannot be explained the 1544 indenture is not mentioned in Roberts will, his inquisition post mortem or the 1611 of Rivington Hall. More unusual is that the sale in 1611 makes no mention of James, he was not named and did not sign.
According to The History of the Pilkington Family 1066 - 1600 James accepted a payment not to block his brothers will in late 1605 and in 1620 he agreed to sell to the Breres the proceeds of a rent charge and claim to land belonging to Rivington Hall.
The Anderton lease would have reverted in 1905, after the expiry of powers in the Liverpool Corporation Act 1902 and after the 1900 and 1902 sales by the Cromptons and W.H Lever.
The 1611 sale agreement for Rivington Hall was not absolute. The Pilkingtons excluded New Hall and many fields near the village.
New Hall, Rivington, in it's last days known as New Hall Farm, prior to demolition in 1905, photo, c.1900, it's barn remains, site is across from the Unitarian Chapel. The building was known for its spiral stair case. The last use was as a Pig Farm, remains of the slaughter house are near the barn at the rear. 24)
In this same period the Lathom family of Irlam owned 1/4 and the Shaw family of Rivington, Heath Charnock and Anglezarke owned 1/8 of the Manor.
In 1212 the Pilkington family held of King John of England in thanage six oxgangs of land at a rent of 10s.25) In 1324 Roger de Pilkington held seven-eighths of the manor at a rent of 8s. 9d while Richard de Hulton held the other eighth for 1s. 3d. per year26)This partition appears again in 1445 27) The Hall was sold to their in-laws the Breres in association with the Levers of Little Lever also their relations
An early grant of land occurred in 1250: a grant of land from Simon de Rivington to William of Brownhill grants all his land in winterhold. The tenants list of 1240 names:
A lay subsidy of 132728) gives us the names of the inhabitants as:
The lay subsidy of 133229) lists:
Through this information we can see that the Pilkingtons were in residence after 1327. There is then little detail of the occupancy at Rivington Hall until 1478 when we find Robert Pilkington arranging to build a more spacious house30).
There are various families in ownership of the manor of Rivington from the very earliest records to modern day. However one family had the largest portion of the Manor for the longest period, the Pilkington family of Rivington held the majority until the death of Robert Pilkington in 1605. The senior line of the Pilkington family had sided with the losing side at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 and the family's lands were confiscated. The Rivington estate was not part of the lands confiscated.31)
The best known of this family is Bishop James Pilkington (1518–1576), first Protestant Bishop of Durham, the son of Richard Pilkington of Rivington Hall and Alice Asshawe. The family of Alice Asshawe owned a one eighth share of the manor, later another branch of the family were to acquire the New Hall estate by marriage.
On the death of Richard Pilkington in 1551 the estate passed to his son George who continued to live at New Hall in the village of Rivington. It was on the death of George Pikington 1597 that the estate passed to his son Robert.32) The family are pictured in the Pilkington painting and a full tracription of the text and details of the arms are provided in the article about Bishop James Pilkington.
In 1600 Robert Pilkington made an agreement to buy up the life leases of the occupants of Rivington Old Hall estates for £4000 and in 1601 risked the estate by using it as surety for a debt of £250 to William Bispham, a Citizen of London. Robert defaulted 25 July 1601 and Rivington and other lands except his manor of Walton-le-Dale were passed by several writs of extent and Liberare Facias to William Bisham to settle this debt. Bisham would have collected the proceeds of the manor at this time. 33)
Robert Pilkington died 17 November 1605 at Rivington and made his last will 16 November the same year. In his will he directed his body be buried at the Rivington Church among his ancestors 34) The period of the next few years, after Robert's death were to see much litigation. William Bispham had left his own affairs in bad order and on his death his brother James Bispham had no choice but to sell off his brother's estates.
In the Inquisition Post Mortem of Robert Pilkington 12 March 7th year of James I 1610 upon oath it was stated on 6 July 43rd year of Elizabeth I, 1601 was seized of his demesne of his manor of Rivington or Rovington and of 24 messuages, 4 cottages,300 acre of land, 100 acre of meadow, 40 acre of pasture, 20 acre of wood, 500 acre of furze and heath, 200 acre of moor, 500 acre of moss with appurtenances in Rivington or Rovington, Heath Charnock and Walton-le-Dale.35)
In the will of Robert Pilkington in 1605 he leaves sums of money to a number of parties but he left the Rivington estate and his other lands to Richard Hutton, Sergeant-at-law, his executor, to have the residue of his estate after his debts and legacies are discharged, he also appoints Thomas Tyldesley as second executor, he then leaves his sister Katherine £100, the 25 marks (£16-13-4d in sterling) per year to his brother James on condition James did not block his will, he left his sister Alice £20, Thomas Warburton £3 6s 8d per year and annexed a schedule of his debts to his will.36) Roberts will could have been overturned by his brother James who by the will of their grandfather became legal owner of the manor on the death of Robert. James was not a party in the 1611 sale agreement and did not sign it37).
The eventual sale of freehold of a large portion of the Rivington Old Hall estate was agreed 30 March 1611, signed by Roberts executors. The Old Hall Estate was sold to Robert Lever and Thomas Breres brother of John Breres for £1730. The Breres had married into the Pilkington family.38)
Within this sale agreement a large house called New Hall, alias Ferneley was retained from the sale along with the Barne Flatt, the North Church Hill, South Church Hill, the Riding, the Great Meadow, the Middle Meadow, the Half Acre, the Cow Lane, the Rush Riding, the Ryding lying to the west of the new alehouse, the Mylne Croft, the land to Bullough Moor for the benefit of Katherine Pilkington and her heirs.39), 40)
There are long standing questions relating to the sale of Rivington Hall and Manor without James Pilkington, younger brother of Robert signing or being party to the the sale. According to a deed executed in 1544 by Richard Pilkington, James was true heir of the estate after the death his elder brother Robert in 1605, Richard, his Grandfather tied the Hall and Manor to pass to 'heirs male of his body'.42) The new owners from 1611 had concluded the earlier sale with James sister. The 1544 deed was not mentioned at his Roberts Inquisition Post Mortem. Within the lifetime of Robert, his elder brother in 1605 James Pilkington, heir to the estate agreed to allow a 300 year lease of the Manor of Rivington to the Andertons and agreed by indenture to the alienation of 300 years from any claim to his Manor for an amount of 5 marks during his lifetime. By 1620 the new owners had asked James to sign away any claim by him of any rents or claim to the estate. 43) The Breres who purchased the estate were relations of Pilkingtons. The early Shaw Familywere also related to the Pilkingtons and Lord Willoughy of Parham.
In 1605 in the second year of James I dated 17 January, James Pilkington of Rivington, born c. 1575, brother of Roger Pilkington and heir to the estate agreed to allow a 300 year lease of the Manor of Rivington to James Anderton of Lostock. This lease was followed by an indenture on 1 March the same year for the alienation of 300 years of James Pilkington from any claim to his Manor for an amount of 5 marks during his lifetime. The lease ran its course.
Rivington old hall was the name of the Georgian and earlier rear stone remaining stone building. The older part of the Hall bears the initials WM B on various date stones being the initials for William and Martha Breres, one stone has a date of 1694 and further Breres date stones are in the years 1700 and 1713. 45)46)}}]
The Breres family can be traced back many years and have an entry within The Visitation of 1613,47) the family were prominent members of the Preston Guild and in 1397 the family appear as master skinners and farriers, later the Breres are recorded as burgesses.
In connection with Rivington the brothers Thomas Breres and John Breres are most prominent. There were four brothers, Henry, Thomas, John and Edmund who were sons of Alexander Breres whose wife was Ellyn, daughter of Thomas Gellybrand of Chorley.
In 1582 Thomas Breres was Steward of the Guild and in 1602 John Breres was Clerk of the Guild. Their brother Henry became Steward of the Guild in 1622. John Breres was granted Martin Hall in 1612 and one of the window panes dated 1614 bore the heraldry of John Breres and his wife Katherine Shaw, daughter of Thomas Shaw of Heath Charnock.
Their brother Henry Breres was Mayor of Preston for 1611, 1618, 1627 and 1637. During the Civil War, Alexander Breres, son of John 48) initially supported Lord Derby and was garrisoned at Lathom House but during the first siege of Lathom House, in March 1644, he switched sides and became part of the Cromwellian army. His name appeared on the Recusant Roll for West Derby Hundred in 1641. The Breres are recorded as being at Martin Hall until 1663. Robert Breres was reckoned to be amongst the gentry of West Derby in 1688. Other members of the Breres family have been recorded as living at several other prestigious addresses, including, Buckshaw Hall, Euxton, Walton Old Hall, Walton, Rivington Hall and Owning part of Duxbury manor, near Chorley.
At Rivington a sale of lands to John Breres is mentioned within the Inquisition Post Mortem of Robert Pilkington 1610 in which it is stated that on 29 August 1603 Robert Pilkington had sold to John Breres 3 messuages, 1 cottage, 4 gardens, 4 orchards, 70 acre of land, 30 acre of meadow, 80 acre of pasture, 6 acre of wood, 120 acre of furze and heath and 100 acre of moor with appurtenances in Rivington of which Robert Pilkington was seized on 6 July 1601.49)
Within the sale of 1611 an estate is reserved for Katherine Pilkington and in addition we see that the estate of John Breres at Rivington was purchased in 1603, the remainder was sold on 30 March 1611 to Robert Lever and Thomas Breres brother of John Breres. In 1667, John Breres mentions in his will in 1667 that he had mortgaged his interests in Rivington Hall in 1617 after the death of his Uncle Thomas Breres to James Pilkington of Heaton Rhodes, Gent and William Pilkington of Wigan, Gent, these two men were the relatives of his wife Elizabeth Pilkington. John Breres also mentions his wife Elizabeth and brother William in his will.50)
The Breres family lived at Rivington Hall, the last being William and his wife Martha Gill. William Breres died in 1723 and the estate passed to John their son. This John Breres sold his ownership of the Rivington Old Hall estate in 1729 to John Andrews who had inherited his share from the Levers51).
Features of the old Hall include date stones placed there by the owners as each addition was made to the property. A date stone of 1694 with the initials WB is located over a doorway at the rear of the house and this is thought to have been placed there by William Breres. A further date stone is located in the courtyard with the initials WMB dated 1700, the date stone is of William and Martha Breres. Over the old stable door was a further date stone of 1713 with the initials WMIB. On the stable door were carved A.I.A. 1732 and this was placed there by John Andrews.52)
Robert Lever, the purchaser in 1611 with Thomas Breres died in 1620 and in 1617 had already given his moiety of the Rivington estate to his youngest son Robert who had settled in London. His son Robert never married and his estate passed to a nephew, another Robert, son of his brother James. This Robert Lever had one daughter called Jane who in 1648 had married John Andrews of Little Lever, Bolton.53)
Robert Lever who died in 1688 left the estate to his daughter Jane Andrews and subsequently on his death the estate passed to John Andrews who died without male issue in 1743.
The Andrews crest was the moors head in profile adourned with an earing 55). The Andrews family business connections included the port of Liverpool where slaves were traded. Their emblem was an Africans Black O Moores Head with an earling which gave name to the former Public house once located in the village,56)demolished in the early twentieth century.57)
In 1729 John Andrews purchased the Breres portion of the estate and in 1732 commenced work on the Rivington Pike Tower completing this in 1733, the building was erected as a shelter for hunting parties. As can be seen there were various families in ownership of Rivington.
On page 51 of A Short History of Rivington, Irvine, 190458), the author states that John Andrews in 1729 became sole Lord of the Manor, a statement that is clearly wrong, the statement was repeated in the later works. John Andrews became sole owner of the Rivington Hall, rather than the Manor.
On the death of John Andrews the estate passed to his daughter Abigail who had married Joseph Wilson of Bolton. Joseph Wilson died in 1765. The next owner was Robert Andrews who is mentioned in Church warden accounts for the year 1745, as 'Squire Andrews'.60) It was this Robert Andrews who built the great red brick Georgian house we see today. Robert Andrews died in 1793 and the property passed to his son Robert, a Justice of the Peace 61) who died unmarried in 1858.
The extent of the land recorded as owned by Robert Andrews at Rivington Hall for the Tithe Commutation Act 1836 was Big Meadow on demesne 20 acres, 2 roods, 30 perches, occupied by himself, other land he owned was occupied by others possibly under terms of lease and included Big Meadow 4 acres, 3 roods and 16 perches, Deane Meadow 4 acre and 37 perches, meadow, 4 acre, 1 rood and 16 perches, no further ownership is recorded. A example of a lease now preserved at the Lancashire Records Office relates to Rivington Unitarian Chapel, showing the Andrews freehold and a lease to the chapel of 2000 years.
On Roberts death the estate then passed to his brother John who died without issue in 1865. The estate then passed to the sister Hannah Maria Andrews who had married Robert Fletcher of Liverpool. Their daughter Lucy married Woodhouse Crompton in 1834. The Cromptons remained resident until 1910 although they had sold the land in 1900 to W. H. Lever.
It was widely rumoured that W.H. Lever had bought the rights to the Manor from the Cromptons within the land purchase, however no evidence can be found of this purchase of Manorial rights to W.H Lever, it is assumed. It has long been rumoured his deeds were destroyed by the 1913 fire at his first Bungalow. Liverpool Corporation acquired by Compulsory purchase in 1902, it gave them gave no power to them to snuff out the manor.
Leverhulme purchased Rivington Hall in 1900 from the Cromptons and agreed the elderly couple could remain at the Hall until their deaths, Liverpool Corporation after arbitration purchased the land for the park through the Liverpool Corporation Act 1902, the same act enabled Leverhulme to retain 45 acre, the remainder of Leverhulmes land was sold to Liverpool Corporation in 1905. The Crompton family were resident until 1910.
The Manors overriding interests are today no more than an historic relic, although it may be noted that manorial rights can include rights relating to mines and minerals. United Utilities is the successor to Liverpool Corporation. Their position on this is that Compulsory Purchase served against land owned by W.H Lever in 1902 and other buildings owned by others including New Hall would have snuffed out any manorial rights. This is set out in later legislation in the Compulsory Purchase Act 1965, 'all such commonable and other rights shall cease and be extinguished.' it did not apply in the time of Leverhulme.
Other private land that was not effected by the Compulsory purchase and owned by others may have legally preserved the manor to this day. All three elements of the Manor rights must be specified at the point of sale in legal documents for the rights to pass with land, otherwise manor rights descend on a different path separately to ownership of land.
The Manor was originally held in eight shares, five eights that was once attached to the Rivington Hall estate, this portion United Utilities claims is snuffed out, a quarter of the manor is held by descendants of the Bradleys and an eighth by the descendants of the Shaws.
Further reading HM Land Registry
In 1347 Roger de Westleigh of Irlam, Emma his wife, and Adam de Birkhead or Birkenhead of Wigan claimed the fourth part of two messuages in Rivington against Robert de Rivington, Richard his son, and others.63) Three years earlier Roger son of Roger de Westleigh and Emma his wife had made a settlement of the fifth part of the manor of Rivington in favour of their son Richard64)
In 1640 after the death of Edmund Lathom the inquisition stated, George the deceased's grandfather held a quarter of Rivington Manor of the Crown and made a settlement in 1570.65) George Lathom of Huyton and his wife Elizabeth were engaged in suits with Richard Pilkington and others in 1549 and 1550, regarding Moldesfield and land in Rivington. Hyefurth House at Deane Head was part of the Lathom estate and the legal action continues until 1614. Eventually Thomas Lathom son of George Lathom was granted 50 acre in settlement.66)
In 1683 the 50 acre mentioned as settlement to the Lathoms in 1614 was sold within the following document: Bargain and Sale by Lease and Release: (i) Thomas Lathom of Irelom, esq., associated with Thomas Ashurst of Ashurst, esq., and Ralph Egerton of Turton, gent., to (ii)n John Bradley of Rivington, gent., for £120 to T.L. and 5/- apiece to T.A. and R.E. – messuages, closes and parcels of land in Rivington 50 acre moiety of waste ground in Rivington belonging to T.L., and moiety of messuages, cottages etc., in Rivington where T.L. has freehold.67)
There has been further research regarding the Latham family that may be viewed via a PDF file, Latham of Knowsley and Whiston 68)
John Shaw was defendant in Rivington cases in 1507, 1528, and 154569) relating to the eighth part previously held by the Hultons. Robert Shaw, son and heir of Thomas Shaw made a settlement of the eighth part of the manor of Rivington and other lands in 1606.70)
At the start of the seventeenth century five eighths remained with the Pilkington family of Rivington.71) while a quarter of the Rivington Manor was held by the Lathoms of Irlam and the other eighth by the Shaws of Heath Charnock. The division of the manor is illustrated at the enclosure of the manorial waste land in 1536, out of 20 acre, Richard Pilkington had 13 acre, James Shaw 3, and George Lathom 4 acre.72)
This 1/8th held by the Shaws was sold in 1656 to John Risley of Risley to raise funds for recovery from the English Civil War. Peter Shaw Jnr bought back the estate in 1663, the same was again sold some time later and again purchased back in 1671 from John Breres, father of the John Breres who died 1667, for £200.73),74) Robert Lever and John Breres were involved in a legal dispute in 1684 with Peter Shaw for tithe corn and hay.75)
At the beginning of the eighteenth century due to extended legal disputes over rights to lead mines at Anglezarke Peter Shaw of Shaw Place, Heath Charnock and his son Thomas became in debt and in order to recover for these debts sold their estate to Hugh, 12th Lord Willoughby of Parham. On his death in 1712 Hugh, 12th Lord Willoughby left the lands bought from Peter Shaw to his nephew Edward, 13th Lord Willoughby who died 1713. The estate then passed to his son Charles, 14th Lord Willoughby who died in 1715 to pass to his son Hugh, 15th Lord Willoughby on who's death in 1765 half of his estate passed to his sister Elizabeth who had married John Shaw of Stones House Anglezarke, while the other half passed to his sister Helena who married Baxter Roscoe of Anglezarke. 76)
In 1734 a lease was agreed by Hugh Lord Willoughby of large tracts of land that were once owned by Rivington School. The land forms the slope leading to the Pike Tower. The farms Higher Knowle and Lower Knowle in Rivington, Darbyshires and Lathoms tenements in Rivington were a significant part of the Rivington area.77) This document shows that a lease was agreed for one year for amongst other lands various other messuages belonging to Lord Willoughby in Rivington and on Rivington Moor.
On the death of Hugh Willoughby, 15th Lord Willoughby of Parham in 1765 he died without issue and his heiresses were his sisters Helen Roscoe and Elizabeth Shaw. Some land in Rivington and Anglezarke was disposed of by heiresses, the remaining estate held by Rt. Hon. Elizabeth Shaw is detailed in her will of 1787. The will distributes the Rivington freeholds as follows: Pilkington's 2 roods and 24 perches to George Shaw eldest son, Hammers 21 acre 35 perches to Charles Shaw, Lower Knowle 27 acre 3 roods to John Shaw, Jepsons 31 acre 31 perches to Daniel Shaw including rivulet. Higher Knowle 30 acre 1 rood and Darbyshires 8 acre 1 rood 20 perches to daughter Jane Barker, with half of Higher Knowle estate kept in trust for heirs of Ann Hart, Brownlows 14 acre 1 rood daughter Betty Higson, Browns 2 acre 10 perches and Shaw spot in Pilkington's estate 2 roods 24 perches to Joseph Hatton. Only one lease at Rivington is mentioned being for Sales at a size of 10 acre for 99 years the freehold there being held by Robert Andrews.79)
In the mid 1990's the incorporeal rights of the manor of Rivington inherited by descendants of the Shaws were transferred to a local historian who is well known in the area and who assisted with the writing of a number of books on Rivington alongside M.D Smith. Supporting deeds are held at Bolton Archive and Local Studies. The transfer was a sale of rights without land and did not become registered as an overriding interest.
The Rivington sporting and shooting rights on the Moor were held by David Towler of Crosses who also held the fishing rights.
Bolton Chronicle 4th July 1863
For Sale by Private Treaty, Five Twelfths of Crosses at Rivington in the occupation of Mr. David Towler, consisting of 15 Cheshire acres with Farmhouse and buildings. The owner has right of Common Pasture on Rivington Moor and also a right - of sporting and shooting on the Moor and a right of fishing in the Reservoirs. Apply Bennett Anderton of Rivington or Richard Anderton of Heath Charnock.
Lease: Henry William Neville of John Dalton St., Manchester, receiver of rents and profits of the estate of Thomas Wright the elder, late of Hill Top in Sharples, to Richard Henry Ainsworth of Smithills - shooting and sporting rights over lands in Anglezarke, Rivington, Sharples and Longworth. Reference: ZAH/13/3/14, Date: 17 Jul 1882.(Draft)
NB Shooting rights were later held for Anglezarke by Percival Sumner-Mayhew and are dealt with under the Liverpool Corporation Act 1902
NOTE: Original documents missing:
Old registers 1560 to 1705 of Rivington Church missing, since 1856, pg 269, & pg 116 Pilkington
In the book, History of the Pilkington family of Lancashire and its branches, from 1066 to 1600 by John Pilkington, published in 1912 the author notes on page 269 and page 116 that old registers from 1560 to 1705 of Rivington Church had been missing since 1856. On page 85 he also notes Rivington Deeds and some Duchy of Lancaster Records were missing since 1894.
Chetham's Library, Assignment of the manors of Chisenhale, Wrightington, Shevington, Coppall, Rivington alias Revington, Laughtree, Holland, Hourerly and Lancaster co Lanc from William Chisenhale, son and heir apparent of Sir Edward Chisenhale of Chisenhale Hall, co Lanc Knight to Robert Williamson of Lincoln's Inn co Middlesex, gent, to secure £1200 and interest. 80)
Manchester University: University of Manchester Library: Conveyance from Richard Hutton, sergeant-at-law, Thomas Tyldisley of Orford, esq., and Katherine Pilkington to George Aynesworth, Reference: RYCH/579, Date: Mar. 30, 1611, 81)
Lancashire County Quarter Sessions: Lancashire Archives RIVINGTON 1629: signed certificate re appointment of constable by Lord of the manor, QSB/1/55/54 82)