A THE ORIGIN OF THE IRELANDS OF HALE. By Wm. Fergusson Irvine. Read 15th February, 1900. GREAT deal has been written on this subject, and numerous pedigrees are in existence; but, so far, the first few generations of the Ireland family are involved in considerable obscurity. It was in the hope of elucidating this that the following notes were collected. To go back to the earliest point for which we have any documentary evidence,' we find about the year 1157, William, Count of Boulogne and Mortain, granting the bailliwick of the wapentake of West Derby to a certain Walthewe of Walton.2 1 Testa de Nevill, f. 403. 2 A task for future iocal antiquaries will be to find out who these Waltons were and whence they came. While these notes were in the press. Mr. Farrer has very kindly sent me the advance sheets of a volume of Lancashire Pipe Rolis which he' is editing. On pages 110-111, some very interesting notes appear on this family of De Walton. From evidence there detailed it appears that Walthewe de Walton was originally a Staffordshire man, with estates at Chesterton and elsewhere. About the year 1155 or 1157, King Henry II, in passing through Staffordshire, haited at Chesterton, and took up his lodgings in the house of Walthewe. The house was burnt, probably owing to the carelessness or inebriety of some of the King's attendants. The King recompensed his host munificently. He gave him, by charter, thirty solidates of land in Chesterton or its adjuncts. At the same time Walthewe also received a grant of the Bailliwick of the Wapentake of West Derby, as stated in the text. |