One Branch of the Lancaster family of Gisburn:

The Merchants with the Mansion House!

 

This is part of a larger study of all Lancaster families in the region of Gisburn parish on the border between Lancashire and Yorkshire in Northern England. This particular family seemed to die out in the 17th century, but it was very well documented due to a series of legal disputes over the mansion house first purchased by the first John Lancaster below. Therefore we can account for a whole series of register entries.

If interested in this family, please contact me.

Another web page looks at the records of earlier Lancasters in Gisburn. Note that the Merchant Lancasters owned land in Paythorne, which was the township where other Lancasters seemed to be centred over the centuries. Yet another web page studies later Lancasters of Paythorne. The first merchant John furthermore assigned Christopher Lancaster of Newsholme (just over the river Ribble from Paythorne) as one of his executors. Newsholme was another long term residence of the Lancasters of Gisburn. So it seems clear that this is a branch of the same family as the other Lancasters of Gisburn.

John Lancaster 1.

There were apparently several John Lancasters in Gisburn having children around 1600. Below I do not mention them all, so there is a possibility that John may have had more children. The registers tend to indicate the John under discussion as John “of Gisburn” (the town itself within the parish) or that he was a mercer (merchant). To see other baptisms which might be associated, see the web page more concerned with the earliest Lancasters of Gisburn.

John’s own parentage is difficult to determine with absolute certainty because the registers of Gisburn in the 1500s are very incomplete. However, we can guess there are some obvious proposals we can make:

·         John son of Christopher Lancaster de Swinden was baptised 20th February 1575/6, apparently an older brother of William son of Christopher Lancaster de Swinden 21st May 1581. Not only is this one of two surviving records for a John of the right age, but we also find evidence of a relative named William in the registers. An un-named child of Willmi Lancaster, Mercer, was baptised 6th October 1606, and buried a few days later on the 9th. This William also had a daughter named Margaret baptised on the 27th of March 1608. (Alice, a bastard daughter of a William Lancaster, is also registered as being baptized in 1596.)

·         The other alternative in this period would be John Lancaster son of Richard Lancaster, baptised 13 April 1574. He apparently had a brother named Laurence baptised 1571/2.

·         Last but not least, we know from the wills of this family that Christopher Lancaster of Newsholme in the early 1600s was probably a close relative. And it seems likely that this Christopher was the young heir of Richard Lancaster of Newsholme buried 3 February 1577/78 and mentioned in his will. This Richard had a second son named John, and a third named William. This baptism possibility may seem too early, but…

An additional fact which may be helpful is that according to the will of the second John, the first John Lancaster in this series apparently had a sister who married one Thomas Lister, the Listers being local lords of the manor, and the family from whom Richard Lancaster of Newsholme had purchased his land. There is an appropriate marriage on the registers, but also very far back: 4th Feb 1580/1 Thomas Lister and Alice Lancaster (thanks to Bob Dodgson for pointing this out). Can this be a coincidence? This at least indicates that John may have been an adult also by the 1580s. Richard’s will does not mention daughters, but it appears his wife was named Alice. (Alice was a common name amongst the Gisburn Lancasters of this period.) Thomas Lister was the traditional name held by the leaders of the local family, but published pedigrees of the family do not show any of those Thomases living this long at this time, nor marrying a Lancaster.

Marriages:

1. Nothing is known of the first wife, mother of John’s children, except her burial date (below). His son however mentions his uncle Thomas Lister. Might John’s wife have been a member of the Lister family, lords of much of the area? More likely John was brother of Alice Lancaster who married Thomas Lister in 1581? There are John Lancaster marriages recorded in this period but too late to account for at least the first apparent child:

2. Jane Windle of Barnoldswick:     Pavers marriages 1634: John, mercer, Gisburn and Jane Windle, widow of Barnoldswick

Thanks to Rick Lancaster in Fairlight for spotting this second marriage.

Note that this is after the burial of John’s adult son.

According to his grandson’s will, this John Lancaster purchased a mansion house from Richard Pickhaver and his son Thomas, 17th day of January in the 2nd year of the reign of King James (so about 1605).

However, there is also an archive record MD335/1/1/12/1/46 from the Ribblesdale estate, the catalogue of which can be searched online. This records a 4000 year lease made 28 January 1605, between “John Lancaster chapman” and Henry Farrer, and concerning a recently built house with a close of land. Like several other deals made with Mr Farrer in this period, it involved the other party having his corn milled at Farrer’s mill. This record describes the property: "house lately built between the house occupied by Jennett Ellis late wife of Hugh Ellis and a cottage occupied by Alice Blackburn, with a close of land". Looking at such documents about similar Farrer transactions involving Ellises and Blackburns, for example MD335/1/1/12/1/47 29 Jan 1605, MD335/1/1/12/1/50 2 Jun 1607, and MD335/1/1/12/1/62 May 1611, it seems likely the house was on the east end of Gisburn village, somewhere between Painley on Stock Beck, and Spittle Syke. More specifically I guess it was probably on the northern side of the main road.

Document MD335/1/1/12/1/134 makes it clear that this chapman was the grandfather of Margaret Mitchell, married to James Mitchell, in 1675. Perhaps there were several purchases involved in putting together the whole “mansion”.

Children:

Janet Lancaster           bap.  Jenta filia Johis Lancaster de Gisburne xxviij o die Marcij (28 March) 1598

bur.   Jeneta filia Johis Lancaster, Marcer, xxvij o die Junij (27 June) 1598

John Lancaster         bap.  Johes filius Johis Lancaster tertio die Octobris (3 October) 1603

(either the 2nd John the mercer or the first John of Horton?)

Alice Lancaster            bap. Alicia filia Johis Lancaster, Mercer vicessimo quarto die Augustij (24 August) 1605

On the internet it is proposed that this Alice married a Jacob Wilkinson

Anne Lancaster           bap. Anna filia Johis Lancaster septimo die Maij 1607.

The record does not specify Paythorne, but she seems to fit in this family.

Jane Lancaster            bap.  Jana filia Johis Lancaster de Gisburne xvjo die Junij (16 June) 1614

On the internet it is proposed that this Jane married a Richard Walker in Bolton-by-Bowland in 1633.

Richard Lancaster        bap. Richus filius Johis Lancaster vltimo die Aprilis 1610. He is mentioned in his brother’s will.

His baptism does not mention his father’s profession or township, implying that the other John Lancasters in the parish were no longer having children.

Thomas Lancaster       bap.  Thomas filius Johis Lancaster de Gisburne duodecimo die Septembris (12 September) 1617

At this moment no descendents are proposed, and he may have died young or found a career elsewhere than Gisburn.

Burials:

Wife of John Lancaster of Gisburn: bur. Uxor Johis Lancaster de Gisburne Octauo die Decembris (8 October) 1626

John Lancaster senior of Gisburn:   bur. Johes Lancaster, Senior de Gisburne die sequent (day after) xxiij o die Marcij (24 March) 1649/50

John Lancaster 2.

Marriage:

Elizabeth Hopkinson:    Boyds Index confirms 1628, the marriage between John Lancaster and Eliz Hopkinson.

Pavers Index mentions that she was from Slaidburn.

One of the legal documents says she was Newton in Bolland, and there is a Newton in Slaidburn.

That legal document mentions that her father’s name was William.

Her will mentions her mother Elizabeth Wood?

This couple are known from later inheritance disputes to the parents of the third John in the mansion house.

Children:

John Lancaster         bap.  Johanes filius Johis Lancaster Junr secundo die Julij   (2 July) 1629

Margaret Lancaster      bap.  Margreta filia Johis Lancaster de Gisburne Junior vndecimo die Augustij (11 August) 1631

After the death of her parents John and Elizabeth, it would appear that Margaret inherited lands, grounds and houses in Paythorne, while her brother took eventually took over the dwelling house or mansion in Gisburn itself.

After her brothers death, and that of his wife, Margaret brought a case against the family of her sister-in-law, the Ellhills. She seems to have won.

Margaret appears to have later married James Mitchell in Skipton in Craven, 1 May 1662, and been resident in a dwelling house in Gisburn originally purchased by her grand father from Henry Farrer of Ewood in Colne.

A document MD335/1/1/12/1/134, dated 28 Apr 1675, notes that the lease was sold for £180 by James Mitchell of Painley in Horton, yeoman, and Margaret his wife, to Mary Lister, mother of Thomas Lister, son and heir of John Lister of Arnoldsbigging.

Burials:

John Lancaster Junior:  bur. Johes Lancaster, Junior secundo die Marcij (2 March) 1631/2.

A will also exists for this John which confirms wife Elizabeth, young children Margaret and John, father John, and the inheritance of this John’s “mansion or dwelling house in Gisburne”. It is an important will for the later legal cases, because it insists that if John III should die heirless, the land and houses should go to Margaret. The will also mentions an uncle Thomas Lister and a brother Richard Lancaster.

Wife of John Lancaster of Gisburn: bur. Vxor Johes Lancaster de Gisburne, Junior vicessimo quinto die Augustij (25 August) 1640

Elizabeth also made a will the day before her burial, which was proven May 1641. It mentions father-in-law John, son John, daughter Margaret.

This second John clearly died young and in the prime of his life, with his wife expecting their second child.

John Lancaster 3.

Marriage:

From the inheritance dispute it is known that John married Mary Ellhill, who in turn later married Robert Bleasdall and died soon after him (Robert buried 26 April 1658, Mary 10 September 1658). The case also involved her sister Jane, the wife of Richard Armitstead, having married him soon after Mary’s death (marriage 28 October 1658), and her father Henry Ellhill, who was called as a witness.

Children:

Elizabeth Lancaster      bap.  Elizabetha filia Johis Lancaster de Gisburne vndecimo die Nouembris (11 November) 1650

This Elizabath was buried a few days later on 16 November. Her father referred to as “John junior” in this entry had already written his will and had only months to live.

William Lancaster        Born after 1641. (Not yet 9 in 1650/51.)

Mentioned in John’s PCC will as a “supposed child” William Lancaster, presumably born out of wedlock.

He was left 12 pounds, and was to be educated by his wife and her executors, administrators and assignees “until he shall be fit to put forth as an apprentice”. (A similar clause appeared in the will of William’s grandfather John Lancaster, concerning William’s father.) There was a complex formula for annual payments, and even the possible partial taking over of the house, should Mary (and her executors, administrators and assignees) fail to have him bound to a trade.

In this way it is possible that there might be Lancasters of this line somewhere?

Several register entries seem worth considering:

·         20 October 1707 there was a marriage between William Lancaster of Stirk House (just outside the town) and Jeneta Andrews. It does not appear possible that Stirk House was the Lancaster mansion house. The Oddie family seem to have controlled the house in 1707, and William may have just been a resident there?

·         Burial registers indicate that there were a William senior and junior “of Gisburn” seemingly buried 22 September 1718 and 17 March 1727/28. William junior had a son named John baptised 8 February 1710/11, only to have to bury him the next day. A William “of Gisburn” also had a daughter Margaret baptised 15 September 1709.

·         William Lancaster “senior” of Walton House in Ellenthorpe Grange, buried 19 April 1712 (leaving a will). From the will it appears this William had no children but his wife was Dorothie, and he had some connection to the Dodgsons, who were also closely related to the Paythorne Lancasters. (Might Dorothy have remarried in 1735 to Thomas Foster?)

 

Burials:

 

bur    Elizabetha filia. Johis Lancaster de Gisburne, Junior xvi die Nouembris (26 November) 1650

bur    Johes Lancaster de Gisburne, Junior vicessimo Tertio die Marcij (23 March) 1651/52

 

John’s PCC will had been written about a year before his death, just a few weeks before the burial of his grandfather. All three generations died within a few decades, and this seems to be partly to blame for the legal complexities that arose.