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The History of the Church and Manor of Wigan/John de Winwick

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​John de Winwick to the benefice, and commanded the bishop to grant institution.[1] On iv Id. (12th) March a commission was accordingly granted by Roger, bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, dated at Heywod, to Henry de Chaddesden, to institute John de Winwick to the church of Wigan on the presentation of the King.[2] But the right of patronage was doubtless still contested by Sir Robert de Langton, for the bishop or his commissioners seemingly withheld their hands for awhile, and during the litigation the rectory was held for John de Winwick by Henry de Chaddesden.[3] On 26th April, 1350, the King ​re-issued his letters patent for the institution of John de Winwick, dated from Windsor, but he does not appear to have been actually admitted until the 5th November of that year.[4]

John de Winwick was chaplain to King Edward III., warden of the chapel of Clitheroe Castle, and Treasurer of York Minster, to which last office he had been appointed by the King's patent, dated 29th July, 1349. He had previously been appointed by the King's patent, in 1343, to a prebendal stall at York, and in 1347 to a prebendal stall at Lincoln, which he afterwards exchanged with Henry de Blackborne for the Mastership of St. Thomas' Hospital at Marlborough.[5]

On 27th November, 1342, he occurs as deputy constable of the Tower of London;[6] and 20th June, 1345, he had letters of protection to go abroad with the King.[7]

In the year of his appointment to the rectory of Wigan he obtained from the King a full confirmation of the charters granted to John Maunsell and Robert de Clyderhou, with the following ​special addition thereto: "Moreover because of the special affection which we bear to the aforesaid John (de Wynewyk) on account of the diligent service he has rendered to us for a long time past, being willing to do him the more abundant favour on this behalf, we have granted, for us and our heirs, that although the same John or his predecessors, parsons of the said church and lords of the borough, or the aforesaid burgesses, or their antecessors or predecessors, hitherto have not used the liberties and quittances contained in the said charter, or any of them, or the same borough and the liberties aforesaid, or any of them, may have been, as it were, forfeited, or, because of abuse or non-claim or in any other manner, have been taken into our hands or the hands of any of our progenitors by the justices last itinerant in the county of Lancaster, or any other justices whomsoever of us or our progenitors in whatsoever time past; nevertheless the same John and his successors, parsons of the said church and lords of the borough aforesaid, may have that borough with all the liberties to a free borough belonging; and also all and singular liberties and quittances in the said charter contained and specified, for themselves and their burgesses of that borough for ever, and for the future may fully enjoy and use them; and also for ever may have all other liberties and free customs which the same John or his predecessors aforesaid for themselves and their burgesses aforesaid have reasonably used and enjoyed in times past in the borough and elsewhere, without let or hindrance of us or our heirs, our justices, executors, sheriffs, bailiffs, or officials, or others whomsoever. We have also granted, for us and our heirs, and by this our charter have confirmed, to the aforesaid John that he and his successors, parsons of that church and lords of the borough aforesaid, for ever, may have a view of Frankpledge[8] of all their men and tenants in the said borough, and the liberty ​thereof, and of others resident therein, with all things belonging or appertaining to a view of this kind: and that the same men, tenants and residents, may be acquitted for ever from the sheriff's tourns, and that they may not be bound to come to the same tourns for the future nor be in any wise compelled thereto; and that the said John and his successors aforesaid may for ever have cognizance of all pleas by their bailiffs there, as well concerning lands, tenements, and rents, existing within the said borough and the liberty thereof, as concerning transgressions, covenants, contracts, and complaints, within the said borough arising or made; and also of pleas of assizes concerning tenures within the said borough and the liberty thereof, which shall happen to be arraigned before us and our heirs, and before the justices of us and our heirs assigned to hold the assizes in the county of Lancaster; and also of pleas de vetito namio and other pleas whatsoever there arising; and that our justices and others whomsoever, before whom pleas of this sort shall be brought, or assizes of this sort shall happen to be arraigned, when the cognizance of those pleas and assizes shall be required on behalf of the aforesaid John, or his successors aforesaid, shall transfer them to them without difficulty, and shall cause the original writs and processes, if any therein shall have been had, to be delivered to them or their bailiffs aforesaid; and that no burgess of the said borough, or other resident in the same, shall be called upon to plead, or be impleaded, before us or our heirs, or any justices, sheriffs, or officials, of us or our heirs, out of the borough aforesaid, concerning land and tenements which are in that borough, nor concerning trangressions, covenants, contracts, or complaints, arising in the same borough, or concerning any matters arising therein, but all pleas and complaints of this sort which shall happen to be summoned or attached out of, or within, the said borough to be pleaded before us, or our heirs, or our justices of the Bench, or other our justices or officials (ministris) whatsoever, whether in the county or elsewhere, shall be pleaded and summoned within the said borough before the bailiffs of the Parson of the said ​Church, for the time being, and no others; and that the same bailiffs shall be able, within the borough aforesaid and the liberty thereof, to levy the fines and amercements, made and adjudged there before them, to the aforesaid John, and his successors aforesaid; and also to make execution of all things recovered or recognized before them, and of the damages before them adjudged, within the said borough and liberty (de omnibus coram eis recuperatis sive recognitis et de dampnis coram eis adjudicatis executiones facere possint infra prædictum burgum et libertatem) without the let or hindrance of anyone whomsoever. And the burgesses of that borough shall not be convicted by persons outside the borough (forifisecos), but only by their fellow burgesses, concerning pleas arising within the aforesaid borough, or concerning any things there done or perpetrated, unless those pleas shall affect us or our heirs, or the parson of the said church, or the community of the borough aforesaid. Moreover, for the better and more speedy restraint of the malice of any evil doers that may commit offences within the said borough or the liberty thereof, we have granted, for us and our heirs, and by this our charter have confirmed, to the aforesaid John, and his successors aforesaid, that they, by their stewards or bailiffs, and others by them to this to be deputed, may have powers of inquiring, as often as need shall be, concerning all excesses, oppressions, extortions, conspiracies, confederacies, and other transgressions and grievances whatsoever within the same borough and liberty perpetrated and arising, by virtue of their office, and to hear and determine the same, as well at the suit of the party as otherwise, and therein to make executions according to the law and customs of our kingdom; and when it shall happen that any persons outside the borough, in cases of this sort, are impeached or indicted by presentments, indictments, or inquisitions, before the sheriffs, justices, or other officials whomsoever, of us or our heirs, concerning malefactions of this sort perpetrated within the said borough or liberty, that they may, without any sort of difficulty immediately after such malefactors of this sort shall have been taken out of the said borough ​by the officials of us or our heirs, deliver the presentments, indictments, and inquisitions of this sort, together with the malefactors so taken, to the officials of the said John and his successors, whensoever the officials of us and our heirs shall be thereunto required by the bailiffs of the same John and his successors, to be heard and determined in the court of the said John and his successors aforesaid within the borough aforesaid, so that the sheriffs, justices, or other officials of us or our heirs may not interfere with anything arising within the said borough or liberty thereof, except in the case of felonies; but that the said John and his successors, parsons of the church aforesaid, may have the cognizance of all and singular the above said as fully as we ourselves ought to have, together with the issues, forfeitures, amercements, fines, and redemptions in cases of this sort arising for ever. Moreover, we do will and grant for us and our heirs that the same John and his successors, parsons of the church aforesaid, by their officials aforesaid, may have the power of inquiring as often as need shall be concerning whatsoever felonies are perpetrated within the borough and liberty aforesaid; and of taking, and arresting, and confining there in the prison of the parson aforesaid, felons of this sort, to remain in the same prison until the first delivery of the gaol of us and our heirs at Lancaster, so that the indictment so made upon the felons aforesaid, together with the bodies of the same felons, may then be sent before the Justices of us and our heirs assigned to deliver the gaol aforesaid, and that before them justice may be done therein according to the law and custom of our kingdom. And, nevertheless, that the aforesaid burgesses may be able more freely and quietly to proceed in their merchandizes, we have granted for us and our heirs that the same burgesses, and their heirs and successors resident within the said borough and liberty, may for ever have this liberty, namely, that they or any of them may not be put on any assizes, juries, recognitions, or inquisitions whatsoever, to be taken out of the said borough, whether the juries and inquisitions of this sort shall be taken at the suit of ​us or our heirs, or others, or otherwise ex officio. And, moreover, whereas there has been a frequent concourse at the said borough, as well of merchants and others, for the sake of trading and otherwise, we have granted for us and our heirs to the said John, that he and his successors, parsons of the church aforesaid, and lords of the borough aforesaid, may for ever within the said borough have a certain seal, by us to be ordained, of two pieces, as is of custom to be used, for recognizances of debts there, according to the form of the statutes published for merchants, and that the greater part of the seal aforesaid may remain in the custody of the Mayor or Keeper of the borough aforesaid for the time being, or other private person of the greater and more discreet men of the said borough to be chosen for this purpose with the assent of the aforesaid John and his successors aforesaid if there shall not be a Mayor or Keeper there, and that the lesser piece of the said seal may remain in the custody of a certain clerk to be deputed by us there for this purpose, according to the form of the statutes aforesaid, and that the said Mayor, or Keeper, or other person who shall have the custody of the greater piece of the seal aforesaid, and the clerk, may for the future receive recognizances of debts there, according to the form of the same statutes; and that to execution, circumstances so requiring as heretofore in the like cases respecting recognizances have been usually done by other Mayors, or the like Keepers, and Clerks, elsewhere within our kingdom of England; to which are witnesses the venerable Fathers, J. Wygorn, bishop, our chancellor, W. Wynton, bishop, our treasurer, Edward, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, and Earl of [Chester], our most dear son, Henry, Earl of Lancaster, Richard, Earl of Arundel, and William, Earl of Huntingdon, John de Gu . . . . Steward of our household, and others; given by our hand at Westminster the 4th day of August, in the 24th year of our reign over England, and in the 11th year of our reign over France."[9]

On 28th June, 1351, John de Winwik, clerk, was one of the ​commissioners ordered to meet at Newcastle-on-Tyne to treat for peace with Scotland.[10] In July, 1352, the Dean and Chapter of York sent him to the King to announce the death of Archbishop Zouche, and to obtain his license to elect the Archbishop's successor.[11] In the next year we find him successfully claiming his privilege of holding assizes of his tenants in his own courts. An assize came together at Preston, before the Superior Court of the Duke of Lancaster, to try whether Hugh Aleghan of Hyndelegh, and John, his brother, had unjustly disseised Robert, son of Richard de Ines, of his free tenement in Wigan, namely, of two messuages and six acres of land, with the appurtenances, and the said Hugh and John appeared to defend themselves, but the bailiffs of the liberty of the Parson of Wigan appeared and demanded to hear and determine the suit in the Parson's own Court, and the claim was accordingly allowed.[12] On 2nd April, 1357, and again on 30th January, 1358, being then Treasurer of York, John de Winwick was sent to parliament as one of the representatives of the Chapter.[13] In the same year we find him lodging a complaint in the Duchy Court against certain malefactors for resisting his bailiffs in the performance of their duties within his manor of Wigan; and the Duke issued his mandate to the Sheriff to investigate the charges,[14] It would seem that John de Winwick resigned the Rectory of Wigan in July of the following year, for his successor was presented on the 10th July, 1359. Before his resignation he had procured from the Crown and Duchy the restoration of the patronage of Wigan church to the Langtons. By letters of the Privy Seal, issued on behalf of Sir Robert de Langton, knight, and John de Winwick, parson of the church of Wigan, bearing date on 18th May of that year, it appears that the King having granted to Sir Robert de Langton, knight, and his heirs, the advowson of the church of Wigan, ​the Duke of Lancaster, at the request of John de Winwick, clerk, ratifies the King's grant, and releases all right and claim to the advowson of the same church.[15]

It appears from the Chancery Rolls of the Duchy of Lancaster of 1359 that whereas the King had granted to John de Winwick, parson of the church of Wigan, the wardship of the lands and the marriage of William, son of William, son of Richard de Molineux of Sefton, but the right to the wardship was in dispute between the King and Richard, son of William de Molineux of Sefton, an agreement was enrolled in that year between John de Winwick and the said Richard, son of William, to the effect that if the decision should be in favour of Richard de Molineux he should grant to John de Winwick, parson of the church of Wigan, the said wardship and marriage for 100 marks, the said Richard pledging himself by a bond of a rent charge of £100 upon his manors of Sefton, Thorneton, and Dounlytherland, not to alienate any of his possessions so that the whole inheritance of which he was then seized should freely descend to the said William, son of William, as his heir apparent. And it was agreed on the part of John de Winwick, as to the payment of the 100 marks, that £20 thereof should be paid when the deeds were completed and acknowledged before Sir Henry de Haydok, the Duke's Chancellor, and 10 marks in the following August, and also that £40 should be paid to John de Mascy, parson of the church of Sefton, and William de Stanley, to the use of Joane, daughter of the said Richard de Molineux, in aid of her marriage; dated at Walton, near Derby, 33 Edw. III.[16]

This was followed by an enrolment of the bond of Richard de Molineux for John de Winwick, parson of Wigan, and his brother Master Richard de Winwick, parson of the church of Walton.[17]

In the month of October, 1359, John de Winwick being then keeper of the King's privy seal, had the great seal committed to ​his custody,[18] but he died within a few months of this time, for on 11th January, 1360, his executors were summoned before the Chapter of York to make reparation for the loss of the great bell belonging to the Minster, which had fallen down and was broken through the neglect of de Winwick and his officers.[19]

He founded a chantry, dedicated to the blessed Virgin Mary, in the church of Huyton, in the county of Lancaster,[20] of which the patronage, after his death, was exercised by his nephew, Richard de Winwick.


  1. ↑ Lichfield Dioc. Reg.
  2. ↑ Ibid.
  3. ↑ Lichfield Diocesan Register. Venerabilis vir Magister Henricus de Chaddesden legum doctor, who thus held the Rectory of Wigan for a few months, was, like his friend, John de Winwick, a great pluralist. He was Archdeacon of Stow from 1339 to 1346, when he became Archdeacon of Leicester, to which office he was admitted 14th March, 1346-7. He also held prebends in Lincoln, St. Paul's (London), and Lichfield Cathedrals, to which last he was collated l0th August, 1350 (Le Neve's Fasti), Canon Raines, in his Lancashire Chantries (Chetham Tract lix, p. 94,) speaks of him as having been Archdeacon of Lincoln and Leicester, but in this he is incorrect. Mr. Henry de Chaddesden died 8th May, 1354, and was buried in St. Paul's Cathedral, London (Le Neve's Fasti). He founded a chantry in the chapel of Chaddesden, in the diocese of Lichfield, on iii. Id. Sept., 1347, in honour of the blessed Virgin Mary, the chaplain to pray for the souls of the said Master Henry de Chaddesden, of Richard and Agnes, his father and mother; and for the souls of all his ancestors; for the souls of Nicholas de Chaddesden, Archdeacon of Lincoln, and Prebendary of Lichfield and Lincoln, his uncle; of Cecilia his sister; of Geoffrey de Chaddesden, his brother; of William de Horsham, late Abbot of Dale; of Sir Henry de Lande, Chaplain; and for the souls of his relatives, parishoners, friends, and benefactors, living or dead (Raines' Lancashire Chantries, Chetham Tract lix, p. 94, note).
  4. ↑ Lichfield Diocesan Register.
  5. ↑ Le Neve's Fasti, Le Neve, or his editor (Fasti, vol. ii p. 116) says that he also held stalls at Lichfield, Salisbury, Wells and Chichester, but no authority is cited, and John de Winwick's name does not occur in the list of prebendaries at any one of these Cathedrals.
  6. ↑ Rymer's Fœdera, vol. ii. p. 1,215.
  7. ↑ Ibid., vol. iii. p. 48.
  8. ↑ The view of Frankpledge was the office which a sheriff or the bailiff of a Hundred exercised in their respective courts; hence the cognizance of such pleas as ordinarily came before the greater or lesser Hundred Courts, e.g., wayf, bloodshed, hue and cry, and assize of bread and beer.
  9. ↑ Wigan Borough Charters.
  10. ↑ Rymer's Fœd. , vol. iii. p. 225.
  11. ↑ Lancashire Chantries, by Rev. F. R. Raines, vol. i. p. 94 (Chetham Tract lix).
  12. ↑ Assize Rolls, Lanc., 27 Edw. III., M. 3, 4,} 5.
  13. ↑ Lancashire Chantries, by Rev. F. R. Raines, vol. i. p. 94.
  14. ↑ Baines' Hist. Lanc., vol. I p. 347.
  15. ↑ Chancery Rolls of the Duchy of Lancaster; appendix to 32nd Report of Deputy Keeper of Public Records, p. 332.
  16. ↑ Chancery Rolls of the Duchy of Lancaster; appendix to 32nd Report, p. 346.
  17. ↑ Ibid.
  18. ↑ Rym, Fœd., vol. iii. p. 452.
  19. ↑ Lancashire Chantries, p.93.
  20. ↑ Ibid. p. 95.

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