John Nowell

Personal and Family Information

John was born about 1335, the son of Lawrence Nowell but his mother is unknown. The place is not known.

He died about 1417. The place is not known.

His wife is not known. They were married, but the date and place have not been found. Their only known child was Nicholas (c1370-?).

Pedigree Chart (3 generations)

Events

Notes

Note 1

!Source: Full text of "The Victoria history of the county of Lancaster;"

The Victoria history of the Counties of England, EDITED BY WILLIAM PAGE, F.S.A., A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE, VOLUME VI, THE VICTORIA HISTORY

https://archive.org/stream/cu31924088434620/cu31924088434620_djvu.txt#:~:text=k%20[Standish]%2C%20211%20Emmott%20[Whalley]%2C%20525%20Euxton,[p]%20115%2C%20[m]%20115%20Thorp%20[Croston]%2C%20104.

—

In 1378 9 John Nowell granted to

feoftees his manor of Read and lands in

Great Harwood and Church ; Towneley

MS. DD, no. 40. He had the king's

protection in 1386 on going to Ireland

with Sir John Stanley ; Cal. Par. 1385-9,

p- 126.

—

On John Nowell’s death the custody of <<<< John Nowell [~1335 - ~1417].

the manor, &c., was granted to Hugh <<<< Hugh Hesketh [~1390 - ?].

Hesketh and Richard ‘Towneley 3 Lanes.

Ing. ut sup. ; Duchy of Lanc. Misc. Bks.

xvill, 32d. His sons Arthur and Ottwell

Nowell were executors of his will; Final

Core. iii, 126.

—

On Easter Monday, 1390, John Nowell, son and

heir of Lawrence Nowell, came to Harwood Chapel

and did homage and fealty to Thomas de Hesketh

for the lands which he held of him in chief by

knight’s service.” The superior lordship descended

in the Hesketh family until 1818, like the manor of

Rufford, whilst the mesne manor of Netherton de-

scended in the Nowell family, like that of Read,

until 1772.

—

The parochial chapel of St. Law-

rence has been mentioned under the

date 1390 on the occasion of John

Nowell rendering homage and service to his chief

lord Thomas Hesketh before a gathering of friends

and neighbours.

—

28 Ibid. no. 1729. The proceedings which

took place before Roger de Etheliston,

Henry de Rishton, Robert and Henry

de Tounlay were certified by ten neigh-

bours as follows: Hesketh having turned

towards the west with a hat upon his

head, Nowell uncovered before him [both

standing face to face] and held his

hands clasped between Heskcth’s hands

and said, ‘I become your man from this

day forth and will bear you fealty [foy]

for the lands which I hold of you in

Harwood, saving the fealty which I owe

to our lord the king.’ Having so spoken

Hesketh kissed him, and after a book had

been put before them, Nowell placed his

right hand upon it and spoke as follows :

‘Hear, my lord Thomas, that I John will

be loyal and true to you, and will bear you

fealty for the frank tenement which I

hold of you in Harwood and loyally will

do all the customs and services which I

ought to do at the terms appointed, so help

me God ‘and the saints.’ Then Nowell

kissed the book in our sight and in the

sight of many others.

—

In 13%0 a puture rent of 7s. 2d. was levied here <<<< Probably 1390.

yearly ; whilst Hesketh paid 20¢. and Nowell rod.

at Midsummer for castle-guard rent.* In 1421 John

Nowell demised to his son Nicholas a water-mill upon

Shaw Brook and a hey called the Denefeld. Again

in 1429, as John son and heir of Lawrence Nowell,

he did homage and fealty to Thomas Hesketh, son <<<< Grandson as son died 1413.

of Nicholas Hesketh, for his lands here on the

occasion of a wapentake court being held at a place

called Billingehill in Witton. He died four years

later, well advanced in years.” Thomas Hesketh, esq.,

having pulled down the ‘ teynde barne on the fermet

lande’ of Ralph, Abbot of Whalley, in 1445 by the

award of an arbitrator was constrained to permit the

abbot to rebuild it and to deliver up the timber and

provide six ‘sappelinges’ for the work. In another

dispute touching the boundaries between Harwood

and Rishton, in 1457, John Bradshaw of Bradshaw

awarded to Thomas Hesketh common of pasture in

Harwood, beginning at the foot of the North Deyne,

ascending the same water westward to a little beck

running ‘ auretwert ’—that is athwart—Dungecarre,

ascending the beck beneath the Taghed stone as far

as it lasts, and thence unto the head of Rede Brook.”®

The dispute was renewed in 1491, when an award

was made that the tenants of Thomas Talbot, kt.,

and Nicholas Rishton, esq., in Rishton, and of

Thomas Hesketh and John Nowell, esqs.,in ‘ Mikill

Harwood,’ should inter-common with all their cattle

upon the common in variance as they had used in

times past. Notwithstanding the grants of Henry

and Robert de Lacy to Richard Fiton, the parcel of

common on the north side of Norden, above Tottie-

worth, has long been reputed to be part of Rishton.”

In 1490-1 an award was made in a dispute touching

rights of way, by which a way on horseback and foot

from Martholme through Mr. John Nowell’s ground

called The Park” was awarded to Mr. Thomas

Hesketh. Further, Mr. Nowell and his tenants

and servants were inhibited from using a way

with cart, horse or on foot through Mr. Hesketh’s

grounds called the Lymetrough, Hyefurlong and

Thyring Moor, whilst Hesketh was

inhibited from using a way through Nowell’s

ground to a ford called Sheyford without the latter’s

permission.”®