Page:VCH Lancaster 1.djvu/470

 A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE prior and convent of Warter.* Having settled his estates,' he died without issue in 1334, when the barony became extinct.' A short time previous to his death he sold his half part of Ulverston to John de Harrington.* He appears to have had an elder brother of the half blood, Robert de Lancaster, who in 1282, during the lifetime of his father, held the manors of Barton and Witherslack of William de Lindsay.' John de Lancaster and Annora his wife had licence in 1320 to settle the manor of Rydal and a messuage in Barton upon John, son of this Robert de Lancaster of Howgill, and his heirs, reserving to themselves life estates' and after their lives, a life estate to Roger, brother of the first-named John. After Annora's death John de Lancaster of Howgill succeeded to the manor of Rydal, which continued in his line until the failure of male issue, when it passed by marriage to Thomas Fleming, kt., ancestor of the present possessor.^ THE BARONY OF NEWTON IN MAKERFIELD' This liberty is almost conterminous with the Domesday hundred of Newton. During the twelfth century it was charged in the ' corpus comi- tatus,' or sherifFs charge, at the assized rent of £8 i6s. 4^., increased to ^11 1 1 J. 4^. in the year 1201.' When Robert Banastre received it from Henry H. these lands appear to have been subject to the yearly payment of the former sum. When delivered to his son by the crown in 1204 the tenure was partly by knight's service and partly in socage. The name of Banastre appears to be a corrupted form of the Italian ' balastro ' (Lat. Ba/istarius), one who manipulates the ' balestra,' or machine for hurling stones against a fortification.'" From Balestro the name became changed to Banastre by the same process by which baluster (the handrail of a staircase) has taken the now accepted form of banister." In the court of the earls of Chester the Balestro, or Banastre, appears to have been an official of great importance. The late Mr. Langton deduced the name from old French, ' Banaste ' (Lat. Banasta), a basket or creel, such as may be slung in 1 Cal. Pat. R. 13 1 3-7, 523. ^ In 1319-20 John de Lancaster settled his Northumbrian estates upon William de Herle and his heirs (Cj/. Pal. R. 1317-21, 389, +31), his Essex estates upon Robert de Vere, earl of Oxford (ibid. 437); his manor of Barington, co. Cambridge, upon John de Wauton (ibid. 509, but see 1324-7, p. 333 and 1327-30, p. 389) ; and a messuage in Barton upon Ranulf de Dacre (ibid. 513) ; reserving in each case a life estate for himself, Annora his wife, and after their decease for his brother Roger de Lancaster. ' Cokayne, Com/i. Peerage, v. 3. « Cal. Pat. ie. 1 3 17-2 1, 523 ; Close R. 1 33 3-7, 270. John son of Robert de Lancaster of HolegiU was pardoned for the death of John de Helton on 13 14. CaL Pot. R. 131 3-7, 177. 7 Foster, Visit, of Cum. and Westmld. 46. 8 The reputed barony, fee, or liberty of Newton in Makerfield, comprises the several townships of Newton, Golbome, Lowton, Kenyon, Haydock, Croft, Southworth, Middleton, Arbury, Houghton, Fern- head, Poulton, Woolston, Hulme, Winwick, Ashton, Pemberton, Orrell, Billinge, Winstanley, Wigan, Ince, Hindley, and Abram. 3 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 131, 249 ; Lanes. Inquests, Rec. Soc. xlviii. 79. 10 See Ducange's Glossary, ed. Henschel, i. 537^. 11 ' Banister,' the handrail of a staircase, has for centuries been accepted as a proper word, although a corruption of tJie older word 'baluster.' See liew Eng. Diet. s.v. banister. Variants of this nime may be seen in that of Helpo Balistarius, the Domesday tenant in chief in Lincolnshire, whose descendant Helpe Balista, occurs in the Lincolnshire Pipe Roll of Hen. IL ; also in Roger Bancista (possibly a brother of Richard Banastre), who attests a charter between 1 121 and 1 129 of Ranulf Meschin, earl of Chester to the abbey of St. Evroul, in the diocese of Lisieux (CaL of Does. France, 222). Adam Banastre, kt., is mentioned in a record cicirea 1320 as 'Adam Ballaster ' ; Gale, Reg. Honor, de Richmond, App. 72 366
 * Coucher ofFuntesi, Chetham Soc. 481. ''Lanes. Inq. Rec. Soc. xlviii. 256.