Broughton, Lancashire Genealogy

England Lancashire  Lancashire Parishes

Chapelry History
BROUGHTON, a chapelry, in the parish and union of Preston, hundred of Amounderness, N. division of the county of Lancaster; comprising the townships of Broughton, Barton, and Haighton; and containing 1320 inhabitants, of whom 695 are in the township of Broughton, 3¼ miles (N. by W.) from Preston, on the road to Lancaster. This place is supposed to have received its name from a small Roman fort. In the reign of John, Theobald Walter claimed against Ralph, son of Utred, and Robert his brother, the whole town of "Brocton;" and in the 19th of Edward II., Gilbert de Singleton held a messuage here, probably Broughton Tower, a strong heavy structure of stone, which was taken down about 40 years ago: this property passed to the Rawstornes, by whom it was sold to the Rothwell family, of Hoole. The township contains 2341 acres, the soil of which is in general a retentive clay; the surface is elevated, and there are fine views of the surrounding country, and the river Ribble. Here is a station of the Preston and Lancaster railway. Broughton Hall, an old dwelling, formerly belonged to the Atherton family: Bank House is the property of J. W. R. Wilson, Esq.; and Uplands, the seat of Lieut.-General Sir Thomas Whitehead. Mr. Thornborrow, also, has a residence here. The living is a perpetual curacy, with a net income of £106, including a house; patrons, the Trustees of Hulme's estate; impropriators, Messrs. Rothwell and Mr. Richard Seed. The rectorial tithes have been commuted for £157. 10., and the vicarial for £12. 12. The chapel is in the early English style, and has a noble square tower bearing the date 1533; the body of the edifice, the interior of which is very neat, was rebuilt in 1822 at a cost of £2000. At Fernyhalgh is a Roman Catholic chapel, erected in 1795, principally at the expense of the Rev. Anthony Lund, V.G., who also built a house for the priest, and endowed the chapel with five acres of land. A school in the chapelry, which was rebuilt in 1845, has an endowment of £120 per annum; and adjacent to the Roman Catholic chapel is a school built by the Rev. Richard Gillow. There are some small charities.

From: A Topographical Dictionary of England by Samuel Lewis (1848), pp. 409-412. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50837 Date accessed: 25 June 2010.

Civil Registration
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Church records
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Census records
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Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Lancashire Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

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 * England Jurisdictions 1851
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Web sites
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