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Sir John Southworth (1526-1595)

Taken from the book A History of Samlesbury in Hundred of Blackburn County of Lancaster by Robert Eaton (a member of the Blackburn Society of Antiquaries and the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society). Published by J. Dickinson & Sons (of Blackburn) Ltd. in 1936.

"John Southworth, who succeeded his father [Sir Thomas] in 1546, was knighted in Scotland the following year, when he was about twenty-one years of age. He had married Mary, daughter of Richard Assheton of Middleton, Knt., a little before this time. In 1557 he did good service with a hundred men in the north, so that an additional hundred was added to his command. Sir John was as turbulent and headstrong as his father before him. In October, 1561, he sent his servants over the Ribble to Lower Brockholes Hall, near the present Ribble bridge, when they entered the premises and broke the head of a servant, then carried off twenty head of cattle, ten of which were impounded at Rigby Fold, Samlesbury, and ten at Clitheroe Castle.

Richard Percival, a priest who probably served the domestic chapel at Samlesbury Hall about this time (1561), came with twelve wains and some labourers, and took away from Brockholes barn about sixty to eighty loads of corn and barley and oats, and carried them over the Ribble to Samlesbury where they were "throssen" (threshed).

Even Lady Southworth was not altogether idle, as she caused the doors of divers chambers at Brockholes to be forcibly opened and certain goods to be carried off from thence. Sir John afterwards married his daughter Ann to the heir of Brockholes. She died and was buried at Samlesbury 12th December, 1619. Sir John had a suit with John Osbaldeston of Osbaleston 1555-56 as to the ownership of lands on Darwen Moors. As was usual in his family, Sir John acted first and explained afterwards. It appears that on the 20th May, 1555, he entered certain waste ground of six thousand acres 'ate off the gresse' with their beasts, dug turves to the extent of one thousand 'lodes' and carried them away.

Sir John served as sheriff of the county in the year 1562, the fourth of Queen Elizabeth, but he soon came to the notice of the Privy Council as a stout adherent of the Roman Church. He refused to subscribe to the established religion and now fell on evil times. Reported for recusancy in 1576 he again refused to conform, and in 1581 was arrested and sent to New Fleet prison, Manchester, where he remained with a certain amount of liberty until 1584. In the latter year he was ordered to live in London, as being less dangerous there than in the north of England.

In 1587 Sir John gave a bond for payment of 400 pounds, being part of a fine of 1,000 pounds due to Lord Burghley the Chancellor, for his recusancy, the balance being pardoned by the Queen upon his coming to church. He died on 3rd November, 1595."

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