Little Crosby, Lancashire Genealogy

England Lancashire  Lancashire Parishes

Chapelry History
CROSBY, LITTLE, a township, in the parish of Sefton, union and hundred of West Derby, S. division of the county of Lancaster, 7¾ miles (N. by W.) from Liverpool; containing 394 inhabitants. Paganus de Villers was the first lord of Little Crosby, which, in the reign of Stephen, came by marriage to the family of De Molines. The daughter of Sir John, or Sir William, Molyneux was married to David Blundell (living in the reign of Edward I.), and thus conveyed the manor into that family. Nicholas Blundell died in 1737, leaving two daughters; the surviving one married Henry Pepard, Esq., of Drogheda, and upon her death in 1772, Nicholas, the then eldest son, took the name of Blundell. William Blundell, Esq., is now lord of the manor, and owner of the township, which comprises 1740 acres, and of which the surface is level, with a light sandy soil. His seat, Crosby Hall, was built by his ancestors in 1500, and has since been altered and improved at various times, a portion bearing the date 1647; the park is gracefully laid out, and well wooded, and among the trees the laurel is unique. Mr. Blundell served the office of high sheriff of Lancashire in 1838. The tithes have been commuted for £196. 10. The Roman Catholic chapel here, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, was rebuilt in 1847, at the sole cost of Mr. Blundell, amounting to £2500; it is a handsome structure of stone, in the early English style, with a tower surmounted by a spire. The interior is richly ornamented: the windows are of painted glass, with the arms of the benefactors; and the east window, of stained glass, by Barnett, of York, represents Our Lady and Child in the centre, with St. William and St. Catherine on the right and left. The roof contains the Litany of Loretto; and the chancel arch is a fresco painting, by Nicholas Blundell, Esq., of the Day of Judgment. The priest has a house, nine acres of land, and an annuity charged upon the estate. A school, built on land given by Mr. Blundell, is supported by subscription. At Harkirk, an ancient burial-ground, a number of Saxon and other ancient coins, of which a print is preserved in the British Museum, were found in April, 1611; and in 1847 were discovered the remains of an arched window.

From: A Topographical Dictionary of England by Samuel Lewis (1848), pp. 733-737. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50907 Date accessed: 29 June 2010.

Civil Registration
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Church 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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