Ightenhill Park Manor

Description

The manor-house of Ightenhill Park near Whalley belonged to the earls and dukes of Lancaster as part of their honor of Clitheroe. Edward II spent several days here in 1323 after the forteiture of Earl Thomas of Lancaster, and the king's chamber and other buildings were repaired in preparation for a royal visit. The accounts of the receivers of Clitheroe show that the house was regularly repaired during the C15, but by 1522 the great hall, chapel and other buildings were falling into ruins. "The site of the manor-house was on the crown of a hill about a quarter of a mile east of Gawthorpe." (HKW).

The first occurrence of the name IGHTENHILL appears to be in a charter by John de Lacy to Monk Bretton Priory, dated at this place in 1238.
...
During the rebellion of Earl Thomas a great part of the stock at Ightenhill and in the forests of Blackburnshire was driven away to Skipton. ... 46 acres of meadow were mown for hay, and repairs had been executed in the king's chamber and other buildings at the manorhouse in preparation for the royal visit of October 1323. Richard the Skinner, park keeper, received 4d. a day wages as well as 10s. for a robe. (Lancs. Inq. and Extents, ii, 190, 197)
... The kitchen, granary and other buildings of the manor-house were in 1426 thoroughly repaired at a cost of £13 3s. 6d. under the superintendence of James Banastre. (Duchy of Lanc. Receivers' Accts. bdle. 89, no. 1633; Whitaker, op. cit. i, 312) Thomas Lord Stanley held the park at farm in 1459 at the rent of £20 6s. 8d., John Pilkington in 1464, and Hugh Gartside in 1474. In 1495 Sir Thomas Walton was tenant. (fn. 22) The manor courts appear to have been held at Ightenhill till the time of Henry VIII, when Higham was adopted.
... At Sir John's instance a view of the state of the manor-house was on 16 July 1522 made by twelve copyholders, their report being enrolled on the halmote roll as follows (Court R. at Clitheroe Castle, 14 Hen. VIII.) :—
At the day of taking this inquest the great hall and the timber of the manor-house of Ightenhill are in ruins and fallen to the ground, a great part carried away and not to be found there. The great chamber at the western end of the hall is in like state; the kitchen, butler's house, and pantry are destroyed and no part to be found, nor are any timbers or slate-stones now left. The oven-house and great barn are in like state. The long chamber at the western end of the hall has fallen down and no part of it remains. Only the park-keeper's house remains standing, with timber and slate-stones; but the doors and windows have been taken away, and it is like to fall for lack of repair. The chapel there and the stable also remain in like state. John Towneley has not been found guilty of the removal or destruction of any timber or stone of the said houses. (VCH)

Comments

See VCH and Whitaker for details of the Equitium (horse breeding establishment) here. Although used on one occasion as a royal stop over the clear important of this site was as an Equitium although the recorded buildings within the manor (Great hall, great chamber and chapel as well as a separate park keepers house) seem in excess of those needed purely for that function.