The Marland Family

History in print

From Henry Fishwick; The History of the Parish of Rochdale in the county of Lancaster (1889):

Chapter III p. 75 Township History - Spotland

The ancient divisions of this township were:- Spotland proper or as it was called in the Manor survey of 1626, "Spotland towne," Chadwick, Falinge, Wolstenholme and Whitworth. It is now further subdivided. As in Castleton, a very large Portion of Spotland at a very early date passed into the possession of the abbots of Stanlawe. The following grants of lands in Spotland were all made to the monks of Stanlawe and where the date is not specified they were executed in the early part of the thirteenth century. Adam de Spotland, near the end of the twelfth century, endowed the Rochdale church with lands in Spotland [see Chap. VI], which in the charter are called " Watlondewod." Andrew, the son of Alan de Merland, gave all the lands in the "vill" of Spotland which he had inherited from his brother Adam, and directed that his body should be buried at Stanlawe [Coucher Book of Whalley, p. 790].

Chapter III p. 76 Township History - Spotland

About the same time [1238] Henry, the son of Martin de Spotland, and Margaret his wife conveyed all their waste land in Spotland lying between Blakeclogh and Dreuetclogh, near Naueden [Naden], which he had from Alan de Merland, and which was part of a bovate exchanged for lands called Broderod [Brotherod] ; this was also witnessed by William the vicar [of Rochdale].

Chapter III p. 85 Township History - Facit

In the Duchy Court in 1566 James Marland set up a claim to a house, two barns and ten acres of land, and to thirty acres in Spotland "commonly called by the name of ffaceside or facide; two-thirds of the thirty acres he claimed as "tenant in copercener" with Richard Milne, and the other part as tenant in common with Francis Holt. These lands his father William Marland had died seised of and they had descended to him as next heir, but he asserts "of late by casual means certain evidences of right belonging to him" had got into the hands of Francis Holt, Esq., who had entered into the premises and expulsed him therefrom. To this Francis Holt replies that he held the manor of Spotland by descent from his father, Sir Thomas Holt, and the premises called "Facyde" were from time immemorial parcel of such manor and denies that William Marland was ever seised of the estate in fee tail [Duchy Pleadings, 8 Eliz, Vol. 8, M. 8 and M. 8a.]. From this transaction it appears that the now populous district of Facit was at this time represented by a house, two barns and some forty acres of land.

Chapter III p. 90 Township History - Falinge

Edmund Holland held "colde walle shutte" by grant dated 9th February, 10 James I [1613], whereby James Marland of Marland conveyed the same to Ralph Holland (father of Edmund). This is now known as Coldwall Brow.
 

Chapter VI p. 132-133 Ecclesiastical History - The Parish Church

It is, however, certain that in 1487 was founded the Trinity Chapel at the east end of the south aisle. The following is a copy of the foundation deed:
This Indentor maid the xxiiii day of Septembre in the yeare of our lorde a thousand cccc l xxx vii., and the yeare of the Reigne of Kyng Henry the VII after the Conquest of England, the iii^rd. Berys, wittnes that y^r y^s a Brotherhode maide and ord'nyd in the worshipp of Glorious Trinite in the church of Rachedale by Doctor Adam Marland, Syr Randull Bott'worth, Syr James Myddelton, Confondators of the said Brotherhod and fraternitie, to laist perpetuallie in the said Churche of Rachedale. ...

...In 1665 this chapel became the property of Alexander Butterworth of Belfield, as on the 12th October in that year James Marland of Marland, and conveyed to him the moiety which he had inherited; it passed with the rest of the Belfield estate to Richard Greaves Townley of Belfield who on 8th August, 1823, sold it for £650 to James Dearden of the Orchard, whose grandson now owns it.

Chapter VI p. 147 Ecclesiastical History - The Parish Church: Trinity Chapel

When this ancient chantry, in 1823 [see p. 132], passed to the Dearden family, it contained much which was of the greatest interest to the historian and antiquary, almost every vestige of which has long since disappeared. ... On the roof, in Lombardic characters, were the initials H. M. (Henry Marland) and H.S. [?]

Chapter VI p. 195 Ecclesiastical History - Curates and Vicars of Littleborough
 

Adam de Marland, chaplain appears in a deed as feoffee of Ralph de Belfeld, 6th April, 11 Henry VI. [1433], and on 6th October, 3 Edward IV. [1464] he is described as "clericus," and an Adam de Marland, D.D., vicar of Buckland, Berkshire, is named in a release of land from Laurence the son of William Newall, and others in 1479 [Town House Deeds]. These probably refer to the same man; he was a relative of Henry Merland, vicar of Rochdale. Although both Adam Buckley and Adam Marland were chaplains and connected with the district there is no evidence to justify their being included in the list of curates; indeed the fact that the chapel was newly erected in 1471, and then first licensed appears to furnish positive evidence to the contrary.

Chapter XII p. 223 The Vicars of Rochdale

The following long list of vicars is very nearly complete from the end of the twelfth century, and probably entirely so from the induction of Richard de Perebald in 1302 to the present time. ...

1403		Richard de Twysfeld
1426		Henry Merland
1455/56		Richard Salley, alias Smith

Chapter XII p. 228 The Vicars of Rochdale

Henry Merland, 1426-1455/56
This vicar was instituted as perpetual vicar 31st July, 1426 was one of a very old Rochdale family [see Chap. XVI], and his name often appears in deeds referring to land, &c, in the parish; in one of these he styles himself "Henricus de Merlond, vicarius ecclesiae de Rachdale" and by it conveys to Robert Chadwyck, son of Nicholas Chadwyck, lands in Spotland and Huneresfeld which he held there under a grant from the said Nicholas and Robert [Corry's Lancs, ii, 6]. He died in 1455/56

Chapter XIV p. 273 The Grammar School and Public Charities

Robert Marland resigned [as Headmaster of the Grammar School] in 1610 [Raines' Memorials of Rochdale Grammar School (no authority given)]. He was the son of James Marland of Marland, gentleman. A child of his was buried 24th February, 1610/11.

Chapter XVI p. 311-312 Old Houses and Old Families - Castleton: Marland of Marland

Early in the thirteenth century, as already stated [see p. 69], Alan de Merland sold all his estate in Merland to Roger de Lascy, but the family continued to live in Marland for several generations. Alan de Merland had three sons - Adam, Alan and Andrew. Adam, the son of Alan de Merland, about the year 1238, gave a rental of 11s. 8d. arising out of certain lands in Spotland to Stanlawe, and a little later Andrew conveyed land in the same place to his brother Alan, saving thereout a portion which he had already granted to his daughter Margaret [Coucher Book of Whalley, 590, 601 and 769.].

Two hundred years after this a family of the same name lived in Marland. Of this family was Henry de Marland, who was vicar of Rochdale 1426 to 1455 [see p. 228]; and in 1487 Dr Adam de Marland, Dean of Kendal, was one of the founders of the Trinity Chantry in the Parish Church [see p. 132].
 

William Marland, who lived in the time of Henry VIII., held lands in Whitworth which his son James claimed by descent in 1565 this was probably the "James Marland of Rochdale gentleman," whose daughter Anne married Henry Asheton of Shipley [Flower's Vis of Lanc. - Chet. Soc., lxxxi]; his will, dated 28th May, 1584, was proved at Chester, and in it he expressed a wish to be buried in the "Trinity Chapel" in Rochdale Church [Buried 7th June, 1584. - Rochdale Reg]. His wife, Margaret. survived him; she was the daughter of John Chadwick of Healey Hall, and was buried at Rochdale 14th January, 1603/34. They had issue:— James, of whom hereafter ; Robert, who became master of the Grammar School [see p. 273]; and a daughter, Anne, who was buried at Rochdale in 1591.

James Marland (the son of James) married at Rochdale 29th May, 1602, Isabel, the daughter of John Halliwell of Pike House, gentleman [Will of John Halliwell of Ealees, 1608 - Chet. Soc., liv., 187.]. He died in 1639-40, and was buried in Trinity Chapel 23rd February; he had issue three daughters and a son, viz.:— Margaret, baptized at Rochdale 4th May, 1604, and married by license dated 15th February, 1627, to Michael Butterworth of Rochdale; Ann, baptized at Rochdale 28th December, 1606, died in infancy; Ann, baptized at Rochdale 14th August, 1608 (she married Thomas Hardman of Marland, the marriage license being dated 18th April, 1633); and James Marland, baptized at Rochdale 21st July, 1611. By deed dated 17th June, 1665, he, along with Thomas Hardman his brother-in-law and Thomas Buckley of Little Haworth, gent, conveyed to John Entwistle of Ormskirk certain lands in Spotland [Raines' MSS, vi, 101.], and on 12th October, 1665, he sold his moiety of Trinity Chapel [see p. 133], covenanting for "a seat to sit in during his life, and a burial place at his decease." He died in 1675 and was buried in the chapel on the 3rd September, where his wife had been interred on 25th December, 1656. It is not known that he had any issue; a James Marland was buried at Rochdale in 1683, but it would not be safe to presume that it was his son, as at the end of the preceding century, there were two James Marlands baptized, both of whom were illegitimate.

A branch of the Marland family was settled at Hurst in Ashton-under-Lyne about 1625 [Myles Marland of Hurst, yeoman, by his will dated 13th February, 1632, left property to Ann and Sarah, daughters of his son, Myles Marland. - Chester Wills.].

Chapter XVI p. 317-318 Old Houses and Old Families - Castleton: Balderstone Hall
 

Subsequently at the sessions held at Lancaster in the second week in Lent, 2 Henry VI. [1424], James Brown, chaplain, by the King's writ of Ingressum in le post recovered against James Chetham and Alienor his wife and took possession of the Premises, and a charter was granted at the same time to James del Holt to hold to him and his heirs for ever with remainder (in default of issue) to Elizabeth, wife of Elie Buckley, and her heirs male. James del Holt died without issue, but before his death he had conveyed to Henry Merland, vicar of Rochdale, nine messuages, upwards of five hundred acres of land, meadow and pasture, and two hundred acres of moor and turbary in Castleton (except certain lands called le Slakes), and he (the vicar) had, by deed dated 6th September, 6 Henry VI. [1427]. re-conveyed the same back to James del Holt and Alienor his wife with remainder, in default of male heirs, to Henry Holt bastard, who succeeded to the property.

Chapter XVIII p. 433 Old Houses and Old Families - Hundersfield: Shore Family of Shore

Another Roger Shore had lands, in 1463, conveyed to him by Adam Merland, who had received the same from Michael Schore [Inq. Post Mort.].

Chapter XIX pp 481, 483 Old Houses and Old Families - Spotland: Healey Hall
 

In 1273 Henry de Merlond granted land to John de Heleya, on the marriage of Amicia his daughter to Andrew the son of John de Heleya [Coucher Book of Whalley, p.611].
 

...will of Elizabeth Chadwick of Healey "spynster" ... dated 20th June, 1590, in which she leaves legacies to ... Ann Marland of Marland ... [Proved at Chester 25th October 1590. She was bur. 2nd August].
 

Chapter XIX pp 481, 483 Old Houses and Old Families - Spotland: Oakenrod Hall

One of the earliest places in Spotland which was cleared for cultivation was Oakenrod, which, in a deed without date but executed in the time of William the vicar of Rochdale [about A.D. 1238], is described as an "assart" called Akenrode; it then belonged to Andrew de Castleton. [See p. 66.] About twenty years afterwards it appears to have been divided, one moiety being conveyed by Alan de Merland to Andrew his son, and the other half to the abbots of Stanlawe by Alexander de Ailwarderod [see Ellenrod], and in both these deeds it is called Hokerode, and in the latter charter it is described as lying between Hokesiche and Stenrisiche [Coucher Book of Whalley].

Chapter XIX pp 497 Old Houses and Old Families - Spotland: Brotherod

About the middle of the thirteenth century Alan de Merland gave by charter (without date) to Andrew his son certain portions of his lands in Spotland, amongst which was "le Broderod;" and not long afterwards Henry the son of Henry de le Weteleye [Whiteleys is still the name of a small farm adjoining Brotherod] gave a quit-claim to the monastery of Stanlawe of all his rights in a portion of land called "Broderode [Coucher Book of Whalley, pp 678, 762. The date of the latter deed is fixed approximately, as one of the witnesses was John, vicar of Rochdale].
 

Chapter XIX pp 497 Old Houses and Old Families - Spotland: Coptrod

In the thirteenth century Alexander de Coterel conveyed to Hugo de Coppidhurst lands near the Redebrok in Spotland, and a little later. (but in the same century) Michael, the son of Robert the bailiff of Spotland, gave to Stanlawe a rental of threepence a year, arising out of lands lying between the lands of Hugo de Coppedrod and those of Adam son of Adam de Merland, upon " le Bonk."
This Adam, about the year 1238, conveyed to Stanlawe a rental of eightpence arising out of his lands called Copperode in Spotland, and Hugo Huntoher relinquished to the monastery all his rights to the same property [Coucher Book of Whalley, pp 600, 734, 743, 765. The grant of Adam de Merland is witnessed by William, vicar of Rochdale]. Coptrod passed, with the rest of the abbey lands in Spotland, the Holts of Grizzlehurst, and sometime in the seventeenth century a house was standing at Coptrod in which lived Randall Healey, and afterwards his son and grandson.

Appendix pp. 541-552 The Protestation of 1642 in Rochdale

The Protestation expressed the resolve of those who signed it to maintain the religion established against Popish innovations, to protect the King, the Parliament, and the rights and liberties of the subjects.

All in the parish of Rochdale took the Protestation, and the following is therefore a complete list of all the male inhabitants of eighteen years old and over.

Decimo nono die Februarii Ano : Dom. 1641 [19 Feb 1641/42].
 

[Includes:]

Castleton: James Marland
Spotland: James Marland