Written in the Reign of CHARLES 1st, 1636 PRESTON, Lancashire, fine vellum document, Signed by Chris Banastre, of Grays Inn, (Later High Sheriff of Lancashire) William Sudell of Preston (Mayor in 1634), Roger Gillibrand of Beardwood , Blackburn, (1st Governor of Blackburn Grammar School), the document relating to property & land at Balderston, Lancs. the reverse is also signed at a later date 1682 upon it being examined and verified by Francis Price, Vicar of Blackburn, John Oddy, Scholar and Magistrate of Blackburn and James Bolton.
Banastre, Christopher Christopher Banastre (or Banister) was the last of the Banastres of Bank, lords of the manor of Bretherton. He succeeded to the estate on the death of his elder brother, Henry, in 1665, and in 1670 served as high sheriff of the county. He died in 1690 and the estate passed to his two daughters, the elder of whom, Anne, was married to Thomas Fleetwood. Elizabeth, the younger daughter, married Robert Parker, ancestor of Parker of Cuerden. [1] The Banastres make frequent appearances in the diaries of Lawrence Rawstorne, as when Rawstorne records being ‘At Mr. Banistre’s Copie a buck-hunting’ (13 August 1685). He refers to them as ‘cousin’, suggesting a family relationship, but it is not clear what. Thomas Fleetwood, who married Banastre’s eldest daughter, was related to Rawstorne’s brother-in-law Edward Fleetwood of Penwortham. GILLTBRAND OF BEARDWOOD. The above family branched from Gillibrand of Chorley. Roger Gyllybrand of Chorley, by his wife Anne, daughter of William Chorley of Chorley, had a son John, the first of Beardwood in Blackburn. John Gelebrande of Beardwood is named in the Grammar School Records as a Governor, before 1590, and as giving, in the year 1592, 20s. to the School Stock. He was taxed to the Subsidy of 161 1 ; and was witness to a Will in 1620. "John Gelibrand de Berdwood " was buried at Blackburn, Oct. 31st, 1630. " Uxor John Gelibrond, gent.," was buried Aug. 7th, 1623. Roger Gillibrand of Beardwood, son of John, was elected a Governor of the Gram- mar School in 1630. Dr. Richard Astley, in his Will, dated 1635, names Mr. Roger Gellibrand of Beardwood a trustee of his bequest to the Poor of Blackburn. Roger Gillibrand was living in 1658, but died before 1660. By Ann his wife, Roger Gilli- brand had an only daughter and heir, Grace Gillibrand, who became wife of Lawrence, son and heir of Peter Haworth of Highercroft, gent., and conveyed to him the Beard- wood estate. This heiress, and last representative of the Gillibrands of this branch, died in i686. Her mother, " Ann Gillibrand of Beardwood, widow," was buried Aug. 27th, 1683. William Sudell, an alderman for forty years, was a member of the classis and mayor in 1634, 1651 and 1659. On his fourth election to the mayoralty, in 1671, the corporation minutes record that he took the oaths 'according to the charter of this borough', implying the sort of evasion of the detailed requirements of the Corporations Act that made continuity possible in the membership of the corporation between the republic and the restored monarchy.10 Had the Corporations Act Commissioners visited Preston in 1672 they might have had less cause for satisfaction than in 1662, when the corporation had been made ready for their visit and swore the oaths they tendered. Endorsed in its composition by the commissioners, the corporation was ready to be confirmed by royal charter, in line with the petition of leading corporators for a regrant in 1661. By December 1661 the corporation had surrendered its old charter and the warrant had been made out for a confirmation. The corporation gained considerably from this confirmation, not least in that co-option was upheld and the burgesses excluded from the election of mayors.11 Was the crown attempting to uphold a 'presbyterian' corporation against a cavalier parliament? Hardly. Apart from a tendency in these post-Restoration charters to prefer oligarchic to democratic patterns, there is little sign in them of a centralising policy and little attempt to take into account the political complexion of particular towns. If the problem of municipal liberties was tackled at all, the solution was to submit the towns to their counties rather than to Whitehall. True, in this Preston reincorporation there was some sign of a centralist policy as future recorders and town clerks were on appointment to seek the confirmation of the Crown. But the Crown's policy was to confirm the council membership. In the two lists below,12 list A is the senior membership of the corporation as it stood at the guild of September 1662 and list B that of the charter. James Hodgkinson William Sudell, Senior Thomas Sumpner Seth Blackhurst William Banister William Turner Luke Hodgkinson Thomas Werden Thomas Rishton Silvester Ingham Richard Hodgkinson James Abbot William Lemon (common council man September, 1662) William Hodgkinson ('now of the council' just after the guild) B James Hodgkinson Seth Blackhurst William Banister William Turner Luke Hodgkinson Thomas Werden Thomas Rishton Silvester Ingham Richard Hodgkinson James Abbot William Lemon (aid. March 1663) William Hodgkinson (posthumous alderman in March) Thomas Martin Lawrence Wall Two of the guild aldermen, then, Sudell and Sumpner, both commonwealth mayors, were dropped from the charter list but they were omitted before 30 September 1662 and as a preparation for the charter's reception. Similarly, of two absolute replacements for Sumpner and Sudell Martin and Wall one, Lawrence Wall, was already an alderman by 30 September 1662. Between the two lists there are six variations. Excluding the bailiffs, ten men are listed in senior corporate positions at the guild merchant and eight of these survived into March 1663 as aldermen. To make up March i663's twelve aldermen the names of Lawrence Wall, William Lemon, William Werden and William Hodgkinson were supplied and all of them were in some rank in the corporation by the end of September. Thus in this charter there was no purging beyond what the corporation itself had undertaken, though its purging was obviously in response to the known nature of the new government, and of pre-i66o mayors like Matthew Addison, William Cottam, Edward French, William Patten, Richard Sumpner, Evan Wall, none were aldermen at September 1662. Death was something of a regulator but essentially the corporation, not the charter, had brought the corporation into line with the new order.
Banastre, Christopher Christopher Banastre (or Banister) was the last of the Banastres of Bank, lords of the manor of Bretherton. He succeeded to the estate on the death of his elder brother, Henry, in 1665, and in 1670 served as high sheriff of the county. He died in 1690 and the estate passed to his two daughters, the elder of whom, Anne, was married to Thomas Fleetwood. Elizabeth, the younger daughter, married Robert Parker, ancestor of Parker of Cuerden. [1] The Banastres make frequent appearances in the diaries of Lawrence Rawstorne, as when Rawstorne records being ‘At Mr. Banistre’s Copie a buck-hunting’ (13 August 1685). He refers to them as ‘cousin’, suggesting a family relationship, but it is not clear what. Thomas Fleetwood, who married Banastre’s eldest daughter, was related to Rawstorne’s brother-in-law Edward Fleetwood of Penwortham. GILLTBRAND OF BEARDWOOD. The above family branched from Gillibrand of Chorley. Roger Gyllybrand of Chorley, by his wife Anne, daughter of William Chorley of Chorley, had a son John, the first of Beardwood in Blackburn. John Gelebrande of Beardwood is named in the Grammar School Records as a Governor, before 1590, and as giving, in the year 1592, 20s. to the School Stock. He was taxed to the Subsidy of 161 1 ; and was witness to a Will in 1620. "John Gelibrand de Berdwood " was buried at Blackburn, Oct. 31st, 1630. " Uxor John Gelibrond, gent.," was buried Aug. 7th, 1623. Roger Gillibrand of Beardwood, son of John, was elected a Governor of the Gram- mar School in 1630. Dr. Richard Astley, in his Will, dated 1635, names Mr. Roger Gellibrand of Beardwood a trustee of his bequest to the Poor of Blackburn. Roger Gillibrand was living in 1658, but died before 1660. By Ann his wife, Roger Gilli- brand had an only daughter and heir, Grace Gillibrand, who became wife of Lawrence, son and heir of Peter Haworth of Highercroft, gent., and conveyed to him the Beard- wood estate. This heiress, and last representative of the Gillibrands of this branch, died in i686. Her mother, " Ann Gillibrand of Beardwood, widow," was buried Aug. 27th, 1683. William Sudell, an alderman for forty years, was a member of the classis and mayor in 1634, 1651 and 1659. On his fourth election to the mayoralty, in 1671, the corporation minutes record that he took the oaths 'according to the charter of this borough', implying the sort of evasion of the detailed requirements of the Corporations Act that made continuity possible in the membership of the corporation between the republic and the restored monarchy.10 Had the Corporations Act Commissioners visited Preston in 1672 they might have had less cause for satisfaction than in 1662, when the corporation had been made ready for their visit and swore the oaths they tendered. Endorsed in its composition by the commissioners, the corporation was ready to be confirmed by royal charter, in line with the petition of leading corporators for a regrant in 1661. By December 1661 the corporation had surrendered its old charter and the warrant had been made out for a confirmation. The corporation gained considerably from this confirmation, not least in that co-option was upheld and the burgesses excluded from the election of mayors.11 Was the crown attempting to uphold a 'presbyterian' corporation against a cavalier parliament? Hardly. Apart from a tendency in these post-Restoration charters to prefer oligarchic to democratic patterns, there is little sign in them of a centralising policy and little attempt to take into account the political complexion of particular towns. If the problem of municipal liberties was tackled at all, the solution was to submit the towns to their counties rather than to Whitehall. True, in this Preston reincorporation there was some sign of a centralist policy as future recorders and town clerks were on appointment to seek the confirmation of the Crown. But the Crown's policy was to confirm the council membership. In the two lists below,12 list A is the senior membership of the corporation as it stood at the guild of September 1662 and list B that of the charter. James Hodgkinson William Sudell, Senior Thomas Sumpner Seth Blackhurst William Banister William Turner Luke Hodgkinson Thomas Werden Thomas Rishton Silvester Ingham Richard Hodgkinson James Abbot William Lemon (common council man September, 1662) William Hodgkinson ('now of the council' just after the guild) B James Hodgkinson Seth Blackhurst William Banister William Turner Luke Hodgkinson Thomas Werden Thomas Rishton Silvester Ingham Richard Hodgkinson James Abbot William Lemon (aid. March 1663) William Hodgkinson (posthumous alderman in March) Thomas Martin Lawrence Wall Two of the guild aldermen, then, Sudell and Sumpner, both commonwealth mayors, were dropped from the charter list but they were omitted before 30 September 1662 and as a preparation for the charter's reception. Similarly, of two absolute replacements for Sumpner and Sudell Martin and Wall one, Lawrence Wall, was already an alderman by 30 September 1662. Between the two lists there are six variations. Excluding the bailiffs, ten men are listed in senior corporate positions at the guild merchant and eight of these survived into March 1663 as aldermen. To make up March i663's twelve aldermen the names of Lawrence Wall, William Lemon, William Werden and William Hodgkinson were supplied and all of them were in some rank in the corporation by the end of September. Thus in this charter there was no purging beyond what the corporation itself had undertaken, though its purging was obviously in response to the known nature of the new government, and of pre-i66o mayors like Matthew Addison, William Cottam, Edward French, William Patten, Richard Sumpner, Evan Wall, none were aldermen at September 1662. Death was something of a regulator but essentially the corporation, not the charter, had brought the corporation into line with the new order.
Continuity in the membership was kept up by the reintroduction into the corporation of aldermen Thomas Sumpner and William Sudell after the period of the commissioners and the charter and by the retention of family names. The Preston corporation was never without its complement of Walls, Hodgkinsons, Werdens and Sudells and as a club of families the Preston corporation was restored in the new charter
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