Introduction
From
post-conquest times through to the 19th century, Withington
was a manor under the governance of a lord of the manor. The
manor had a considerable extent including Didsbury,
Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Burnage, Levenshulme, Rusholme, and Moss
Side and some other parts of what is now Greater Manchester.
During part of this period, the manor of Withington formed a
sub-manor of the manor of Manchester.
The
descent and ownership of the lordships of the manors of
Withington and Manchester are quite tortuous, depending on
their inheritance within families and sometimes on complicated
contracts of purchase when passing between families. We
describe the main features of Withington's manorial history
below. More detail can be found in the references, especially
[2] and [3].
Early
manorial history
Early
records of a lord of the manor of Withington refer to a
William de Withington, son of Wulfrith de Withington, in the
early 13th century. The lordship then passed to the Hathersage
family, who were descendants of William de Withington and held
their main estates in Derbyshire. Later it passed into the
hands of the Longford family who were descendants of the
Hathersage (or Haversage) family and were also a Debyshire
family (of Longford in Derbyshire).
After
several transactions involving the lordship of Manchester
between 1579 and 1596, the lordship was acquired by Sir
Nicholas Mosley (the family name is also spelled "Moseley") in
1596 [1]. There is some confusion over whether the lordship of
Withington at this time belonged to Sir Nicholas or his son,
Rowland Mosley [2]. Sir Nicholas was a textile merchant of
London, who became Sheriff of London and eventually Lord Mayor
of London in 1599. He was High Sheriff of Lancashire from 1609
to 1610. He died in 1612 and was buried in the church of St
James, Didsbury, where a monument shows him kneeling,
"dressed in the robes of the Lord Mayor of London" [6]. See
below for more details of the memorial monuments. Rowland
Mosley succeeded in 1612 but died in 1616/7. He himself also
served as the High Sheriff of Lancashire [1].
for sale: June 2014.
Hough
End House/Hall served as home of the Lord of the Manor from, at
least, the 16th century. [2] records that:
"The purchaser of the manor in 1597 was Rowland Mosley. He was the son of Nicholas Mosley, 'cotton man' of Manchester, to whom, in 1568, Hough End House had been leased by Nicholas Longford, the freehold being purchased by Rowland and Francis Mosley in 1588. Rowland was about fifty-three years of age at his father's death; he served as high sheriff in 1615–16, and died in 1617, leaving a son and heir, Edward, born a few months before the father's death."
The
Hall was rebuilt by Sir Nicolas Mosley and his family on the
site of an older house which is known to have existed in the
middle of the 15th century. There is a detailed description
of the history and architecture of Hough End Hall in [2].
Another large house, a moated house (demolished 1750) near to Old
Moat, may also have served as a manor house in medieval
times.
The lordships of Manchester and Withington then descended in the Mosley family. However, in the 18th century, the Mosley male line failed and the estates passed to the Bland family: Sir John Bland, who "married Ann the daughter and sole heir of Edward Mosley of Hulme" (see the words on the Bland monument below) and then to his son (also Sir John).
The lordships of Manchester and Withington then descended in the Mosley family. However, in the 18th century, the Mosley male line failed and the estates passed to the Bland family: Sir John Bland, who "married Ann the daughter and sole heir of Edward Mosley of Hulme" (see the words on the Bland monument below) and then to his son (also Sir John).
Recent history
The lordships
were eventually sold, with Withington being bought by the
Egertons of Tatton (for details of the Egerton family of Tatton,
see [8]). The rights of the lord of the manor of Withington were
lost during the 19th century, but the Egertons continued to own
large areas in and around Withington in the late 19th century
[7] and into the 20th century.
The Manor of Manchester was still the property of the Mosley family at the time Manchester was incorporated as a borough in 1838. By an agreement dated 24th June 1845, Sir Oswald Mosley (of Rolleston Hall) sold the manorial and market rights to the corporation for the £200,000. The transfer of rights took place in 1846, 250 years after their purchase by Sir Nicolas Mosley for £3,500. [1]
The Manor of Manchester was still the property of the Mosley family at the time Manchester was incorporated as a borough in 1838. By an agreement dated 24th June 1845, Sir Oswald Mosley (of Rolleston Hall) sold the manorial and market rights to the corporation for the £200,000. The transfer of rights took place in 1846, 250 years after their purchase by Sir Nicolas Mosley for £3,500. [1]
For
additional information about manorial history and land ownership
in the area in medieval times, see the references below,
especially [2] and [3].
The
Mosley and Bland memorials
Sir
Nicolas Mosley and his family are believed to be buried under
the present church of St.
James, Didsbury, near the wall-mounted monument to him and
his family. At the time of the burial, this area was part of the
graveyard of the then chapel.
Pictures (2014) of the Mosley and Bland family memorial monuments (click on the pictures to enlarge them, a further click magnifies further):
 St
James' Church, Didsbury.
|
 The
interior of the church. The Mosley
memorial monuments are in a chapel
on
the right.
|
 The
memorial monument to Sir Nicolas
Mosley and family.
|
 Sir
Nicolas, kneeling and "in the robes
of
the Lord Mayor of London" [8].
|
 LHS
inscription from the monument.
|
 Middle
inscription from the monument.
|
 RHS
inscription from the monument.
|
 Memorial
monument to Sir John Bland
(died
Oct 25th, 1715) in St James'
Church,
Didsbury.
|
[1] The
Mosley Family of Manchester, A
Scrapbook of Cheshire. Craig Thornber.
[2] Victoria
County History: 'Townships: Withington', A
History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 4 (1911),
pp. 288-293 (William Farrer & J. Brownbill
(editors)).
[3] History
of the County Palatine and Duchy of Lancaster by
Edward Baines, Esq., M.P. Vol. II, first published by Fisher
and Sons, London, 1836. New edition edited by John
Harland published by George Routledge of London and
Manchester, 1870, Vol 1.
[4]
Extract from an
historical archive of
a wider area (1282) [Remains,
historical & literary, connected with the palatine
counties of Lancaster and Chester (1844-86)].
[5] A
history of Withington, Kenneth
Whittaker. 1957, EJ Morten Publishers; Rev Ed
edition, October 1969.[6] Lancashire:
Manchester and the South East (The Buildings of
England), Clare
Hartwell, Matthew Hyde, Nikolaus Pevsner. New Haven, CT; London:
Yale University Press, 2004, ISBN 0-300-10583-5.
[7]
The Egerton
Family Archive, Manchester
Libraries, Information and Archives (Greater Manchester County
Record Office, Manchester Archives). Withington
O.S. map, 1862, annotated with plots for sale.
[8] The
Egerton Family of Tatton, A
Scrapbook of Cheshire. Craig Thornber.