Page:History of the Fylde of Lancashire (IA historyoffyldeof00portiala).pdf/202

 Demande (the collector), William de Thorneton, Richard de Brockholes, Geoffrey le Procuratoure (the proctor), and Adam le Reve (the reeve), attacked the prior, Ralph de Truno, and his train of attendants, when on their way to Poulton. They seized and carried off both him and his retinue to Thornton, where, after treating them with great indignity, they chastised and imprisoned them. Edward I., on hearing of the disgraceful outrage, appointed John Travers, William de Tatham, and John de Horneby to investigate the matter and ascertain the cause, if possible; but no paper is now to be found revealing the result of the examination or hinting at the provocation, although a surmise may be hazarded that it was no new quarrel, but simply the old feud, which had at last culminated in a cowardly assault on a defenseless ecclesiastic.

In 1299, Poulton was held in trust by Thomas, earl of Lancaster, for the prior of St. Mary; and eight years anterior to that date the abbot of Deulacres, in Staffordshire, drew certain revenues from land in the township, viz., £8 per annum from 16 carucates of land, about 13s. 4d. each year from the sale of meadow land, 10s. from assessed rents, and £5 from the profit of stock, making in all an annual total of £14 3s. 4d. The repeated disputes between Sir Adam Banastre and Adam Conrates, prior of Lancaster, relative to the trespasses of the latter's tenants and the collection of tithes on the domains of the former were peaceably settled in 1330, by an arrangement, in which Sir Adam pledged himself to allow two good roads across his lands—one from Poulton and Thornton to Skippool and thence across the ford of Aldwath, now called Shard, on to Singleton, the other starting from the same localities and running to the ford of Bulk higher up the river, probably the modern Cartford, or in its vicinity, in addition the knight agreed to make good any damage that the prior or his dependants might suffer over that portion of their journeys. Adam Conrates on his side promised to withdraw all actions for trespass, etc., on the fulfilment of these conditions. In 1354 a person named Robert de Pulton held some small possessions in Poulton, but nothing further than that trifling fact is recorded about him, although it is probable from the orthography of his name that his ancestors were at some time closely and honourably