This section deals with the Croft Family who lived in the township of Claughton, alongside their cousins who lived in Claughton Hall.
Claughton Township
While the main line of the Crofts of Claughton are associated with living at Claughton Hall, it must be remembered that for every generation who lived there (around a dozen generations over about 400 years), while the eldest son would have inherited the manor and the Hall, younger sons would have left to make their own way in the world, either in business or farming or some other trade. So it is hardly surprising that we see the name Croft cropping up all over North and West Lancashire from the 14th century onward.
Regarding Claughton itself, the small village (of primarily modern buildings) which currently exists, clustered at the foot of what remains of the original Hall, cannot be assumed to be the size of the village in past centuries; remains of buildings have been found in surrounding fields, suggesting that Claughton village was considerably larger in times gone by. While there is nothing but farmland now between the old Hall and the area called West End, it is quite possible that several centuries ago the village of Claughton stretched continuously between the two, with “West End” literally forming the western end of the village. While there are no maps from the 17th or 18th century to prove this, there are plenty of documents naming people who either lived in Claughton or were described as “of West End”, so the area seems to have been well populated.
Of the various branches of the Croft family which branched off from the main tree at Claughton Hall, while some dispersed across Lancashire (and further), some remained close by. An example of this is my own line which began in the late 1500s with Gabriel Croft taking up residence over the hill in Littledale. Some, of course would have remained in Claughton itself, living in properties near the Hall. It is extremely difficult to draw an accurate picture of the relationships between these family members, with the lack of any church registers prior to 1701, or to know the precise locations of the properties they lived in; some of these Crofts did leave wills however, and from these at least some picture can be assembled.
Regarding Claughton itself, the small village (of primarily modern buildings) which currently exists, clustered at the foot of what remains of the original Hall, cannot be assumed to be the size of the village in past centuries; remains of buildings have been found in surrounding fields, suggesting that Claughton village was considerably larger in times gone by. While there is nothing but farmland now between the old Hall and the area called West End, it is quite possible that several centuries ago the village of Claughton stretched continuously between the two, with “West End” literally forming the western end of the village. While there are no maps from the 17th or 18th century to prove this, there are plenty of documents naming people who either lived in Claughton or were described as “of West End”, so the area seems to have been well populated.
Of the various branches of the Croft family which branched off from the main tree at Claughton Hall, while some dispersed across Lancashire (and further), some remained close by. An example of this is my own line which began in the late 1500s with Gabriel Croft taking up residence over the hill in Littledale. Some, of course would have remained in Claughton itself, living in properties near the Hall. It is extremely difficult to draw an accurate picture of the relationships between these family members, with the lack of any church registers prior to 1701, or to know the precise locations of the properties they lived in; some of these Crofts did leave wills however, and from these at least some picture can be assembled.
The earliest record I can find is the will of Nicholas Croft who died in 1589. The inventory of his goods comes to a total value of £82, and he makes particular mention of his silverware which he leaves to specific sons and daughters, painting a picture of a relatively well off man for the time. His ancestry is not recorded, but we can assume he is a junior member of the Croft family of Claughton Hall, perhaps one or two generations removed from the main line. His will names eight children, three sons and five daughters. He names Henry first in his will, and therefore it is likely that this Henry was his eldest son. Henry himself died in 1640, and from him the family can be traced for several generations in Claughton.
Summary of Claughton Family (Branch One)
Gen 1. Nicholas Croft (died 1589)
Children – Henry, Anthony, Thomas, Maude, Dorothy, Mabel, +2 more daughters
Gen 2. Henry Croft (died 1640) Married to Jane
Children – Henry, Nicholas, Alice
The inventory with Henry’s will is, like his father, typical of a fairly well off yeoman farmer, listing animals and farming gear, and the total value is around £81.
Gen 2. Thomas Croft (died 1606)
Children – Margaret, Francis Henry, Thomas
Gen 3. Henry Croft (died 1671) Married to Anne
Children – Dorothy, Thomas, Nicholas, Anne
Henry’s will again describes him as “Yeoman”, and his property includes husbandry gear, sheep and horses. His inventory comes to a total of £158, so it would seem that Henry had become a rather wealthy yeoman farmer by the time of his death. A bond which was made at the time of the will names both Henry’s son Nicholas and Henry’s brother Nicholas, both described as “Yeoman” in the document.
Gen 4. Thomas Croft (born 1636, died 1686) Married to Ann
Children – Agnes, Henry
Thomas’s will again describes him as “Yeoman” like his father. He instructs that all his goods should be sold to pay off his debts, and if that should not be enough to pay the debts, then his lands should be let to raise the money to cover the remainder. So it would seem that Thomas may have been in some financial trouble at the time of his death. He goes on to bequeath his daughter Agnes the sum of £30 paid out of his lands, depending on whether the child which his wife, Ann, is currently pregnant with is a boy or a girl. This second child, born after his father died, turned out to be a boy, Henry. The inventory of Thomas’s will contains the usual animals and farming gear, and is totalled at around £83. The names listed as those who appraised Thomas’s goods were Nicholas Croft (his brother) and Gabriell Croft. I shall come to Gabriell Croft later.
Gen 5. Henry Croft (born 1686, died 1710) Married to Martha (Wilson)
Children – Agnes, Mary
Being born after the death of his father, Henry was made godson of a relative in Claughton, another Henry, who I shall mention further in the next section.
Henry married Martha Wilson in Tatham, a few miles from Claughton, in 1707.
Henry died in 1710 at the age of 24, leaving his widow Martha and two daughters, the youngest of which was only about a month old. While there is no inventory of goods in existence, he does mention his “Estate” in Claughton, which implies a certain degree of wealth.
I have been unable trace this particular family any further in Claughton.
Gen 1. Nicholas Croft (died 1589)
Children – Henry, Anthony, Thomas, Maude, Dorothy, Mabel, +2 more daughters
Gen 2. Henry Croft (died 1640) Married to Jane
Children – Henry, Nicholas, Alice
The inventory with Henry’s will is, like his father, typical of a fairly well off yeoman farmer, listing animals and farming gear, and the total value is around £81.
Gen 2. Thomas Croft (died 1606)
Children – Margaret, Francis Henry, Thomas
Gen 3. Henry Croft (died 1671) Married to Anne
Children – Dorothy, Thomas, Nicholas, Anne
Henry’s will again describes him as “Yeoman”, and his property includes husbandry gear, sheep and horses. His inventory comes to a total of £158, so it would seem that Henry had become a rather wealthy yeoman farmer by the time of his death. A bond which was made at the time of the will names both Henry’s son Nicholas and Henry’s brother Nicholas, both described as “Yeoman” in the document.
Gen 4. Thomas Croft (born 1636, died 1686) Married to Ann
Children – Agnes, Henry
Thomas’s will again describes him as “Yeoman” like his father. He instructs that all his goods should be sold to pay off his debts, and if that should not be enough to pay the debts, then his lands should be let to raise the money to cover the remainder. So it would seem that Thomas may have been in some financial trouble at the time of his death. He goes on to bequeath his daughter Agnes the sum of £30 paid out of his lands, depending on whether the child which his wife, Ann, is currently pregnant with is a boy or a girl. This second child, born after his father died, turned out to be a boy, Henry. The inventory of Thomas’s will contains the usual animals and farming gear, and is totalled at around £83. The names listed as those who appraised Thomas’s goods were Nicholas Croft (his brother) and Gabriell Croft. I shall come to Gabriell Croft later.
Gen 5. Henry Croft (born 1686, died 1710) Married to Martha (Wilson)
Children – Agnes, Mary
Being born after the death of his father, Henry was made godson of a relative in Claughton, another Henry, who I shall mention further in the next section.
Henry married Martha Wilson in Tatham, a few miles from Claughton, in 1707.
Henry died in 1710 at the age of 24, leaving his widow Martha and two daughters, the youngest of which was only about a month old. While there is no inventory of goods in existence, he does mention his “Estate” in Claughton, which implies a certain degree of wealth.
I have been unable trace this particular family any further in Claughton.
Claughton Family (Branch Two)
Another Croft family living in Claughton has left documentary evidence in the form of wills. This branch of the family begins with William Croft and his wife Ann. I have no evidence for the ancestry of this William, but he predeceased his wife Ann, who died in 1663.
Evidence of William’s connection to the Crofts in Branch One can be seen in the fact that he was a witness on the will and inventory of Henry Croft (previously mentioned, eldest son of Nicholas) who died in 1640.
In the will of William’s wife, Ann (1663), the inventory comes to a total value of £82, and includes several pieces of land. The inventory was taken by, among other people, Henry Croft and Nicholas Croft (previously mentioned in family Branch One). Ann’s son William is names as the executor of mother’s will, and his bondsman is, again, Henry Croft of Claughton. It is quite clear that these two families were closely linked.
William and Ann had three children - John, Henry and William.
Eldest son John was married to Margaret, and they had two daughters, Barbary and Ann. He died in 1666.
Middle son Henry was married to Joan (his second wife) and he had three daughters, Jane, Margaret and Mary. Henry was also godfather to Henry Croft (son of Thomas Croft of Claughton Branch One, who died in 1686), again confirming the close links between the two families. One of Henry’s daughters, Margaret, married Thomas Croft of Littledale (her distant cousin), and one of Henry’s granddaughters, Jane Wildman, married John Croft of West End, Claughton (another distant cousin). Henry died in 1696.
Youngest son William’s wife is unnamed in any document, and there is no surviving will for him, but his children Henry, John, Edward, Mary, Martha and Hannah are named in the will of his brother Henry. I have up to now been unable to trace any of these individuals in the records however. They were all born before 1696 (the date of Henry Croft’s will in which they are all named), so of course there is no baptism record surviving for them, but neither have been able to find any marriages...
Another Croft family living in Claughton has left documentary evidence in the form of wills. This branch of the family begins with William Croft and his wife Ann. I have no evidence for the ancestry of this William, but he predeceased his wife Ann, who died in 1663.
Evidence of William’s connection to the Crofts in Branch One can be seen in the fact that he was a witness on the will and inventory of Henry Croft (previously mentioned, eldest son of Nicholas) who died in 1640.
In the will of William’s wife, Ann (1663), the inventory comes to a total value of £82, and includes several pieces of land. The inventory was taken by, among other people, Henry Croft and Nicholas Croft (previously mentioned in family Branch One). Ann’s son William is names as the executor of mother’s will, and his bondsman is, again, Henry Croft of Claughton. It is quite clear that these two families were closely linked.
William and Ann had three children - John, Henry and William.
Eldest son John was married to Margaret, and they had two daughters, Barbary and Ann. He died in 1666.
Middle son Henry was married to Joan (his second wife) and he had three daughters, Jane, Margaret and Mary. Henry was also godfather to Henry Croft (son of Thomas Croft of Claughton Branch One, who died in 1686), again confirming the close links between the two families. One of Henry’s daughters, Margaret, married Thomas Croft of Littledale (her distant cousin), and one of Henry’s granddaughters, Jane Wildman, married John Croft of West End, Claughton (another distant cousin). Henry died in 1696.
Youngest son William’s wife is unnamed in any document, and there is no surviving will for him, but his children Henry, John, Edward, Mary, Martha and Hannah are named in the will of his brother Henry. I have up to now been unable to trace any of these individuals in the records however. They were all born before 1696 (the date of Henry Croft’s will in which they are all named), so of course there is no baptism record surviving for them, but neither have been able to find any marriages...
These two family branches appear from the records to be the only two Croft families living in Claughton during this period. There are no other mentions of Crofts either in wills or other documents in the 1600s, and the Claughton church records beginning in 1701 also show no evidence of Crofts in Claughton other than those at West End, which I shall come to next.