MASCY of RIXTON St George's Visitation of Lancashire
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MASCY of RIXTON St George’s Visitation of Lancashire in 1613 records that Edmond Lathom (father of George Lathom of Huyton and son of Thomas Latham) married Petronill Massey, daughter and heiress of George Massey (otherwise Mascy) of Rixton, Warrington, by his wife Katherine, daughter and heiress of Oliver Barton. 1 Edmund Latham was probably born to Thomas Latham by c. 1441 and his marriage to Petronill (confirmed by a reference in the Widnes court roll of 1510–11) probably took place by 1462.2 The clearest accounts of the complex descents of the Mascy/Massy families of Dunham and Tatton and the line of Mascy of Rixton are those of the Cheshire historian Ormerod and of Mrs Tempest. 3 Baines also provides a useful pedigree.4 The family name was anciently ‘De Mascy’ or ‘Le Mascy’ although Massy, Massey or Massie became more usual in the sixteenth century. ORIGINS According to Mrs Tempest, George Mascy was one of the five sons (and four daughters) of Hamon Mascy (who succeeded to the Rixton estates in 1407, as son and heir of Richard le Mascy de Rixton) and his wife Ellen Horton.5 The first de Mascy lord of Rixton was Hamon, son of Robert de Mascy of Tatton (Rosthern, Cheshire), who in turn was descended from Hamon Massy, first baron of Dunham Massy (Bowdon, Cheshire). Hamon Massy, 1st Baron of Dunham-Massy Hamon Massy seems to have been granted Dunham, Bowdon, Hale, Ashley and half of Owlarton (Bucklow hundred, Cheshire) by Hugh Lupus, earl of Chester in temp. William the Conqueror: they had been held at the time of the Domesday survey by Elward. Hamon had issue Hamon and Robert. Hamon Massy, 2nd Baron Hamon had issue Hamon and Robert. Hamon Massy, 3rd Baron and Agatha (?de Theray) Hamon and Agatha had issue Hamon, Robert, Agnes, John, Cicely, Agatha and another daughter. Hamon founded Birkenhead priory. He died c. temp. John/beginning Henry III and Agatha survived him. Hamon Massy, 4th Baron Hamon had issue Hamon ( 5th baron), William and Margery. His grandson Hamon was to be the 6th and last baron of Dunham Massy. William Massy William Massy (brother of Hamon, the 5th baron) had a son William, later Sir William Massey of Tatton. [Hamon, 5th baron, married Alice, daughter and heir of Sir Eustace Whitney: they had issue Hamon, 6th baron]. Sir William Massy and Margery, lady of Rostherne William (cousin of Hamon, the 6th baron, styled ‘Sir’ in 1270) married Margery, daughter of Robert de Manwaring and sister and heir of Hugh Manwaring, lord of Rosthern. Sir William was granted lands in Tatton by Alan, son of Alan of Tatton. They had issue Richard, Robert, Thomas and Hawise. Sir William died c. beginning Edward I. [Mrs Tempest concludes from Leycester that Robert Massy of Tatton was a son not of Sir William Massy, but of his cousin Sir Hamon, the 6th baron].6 [Hamon, 6th and last baron and cousin of Sir William, married Isabel and then Alice, daughters of Homfrey de Beauchamp: they had issue Hamon, Cicely, Isabel, another daughter who married 1 Thomas de Lathom, and Alice–––and perhaps Robert Massy of Tatton. Hamon died c. 1341] Robert Massy of Tatton Sir William was succeeded by his eldest son Sir Richard, who married Isabel, was sheriff of Cheshire in 1278 and purchased most of the remainder of Tatton in 1286. Sir Richard died without issue in 1305, survived by Isabel and was succeeded by his brother Robert. Robert had issue: Sir William Massy of Tatton, Sir Hamon Massy of Rixton, Adam and Robert. Robert senior died c. 1328. Sir Hamon de Mascy (died c. 1360) and Katharine ‘Hamon le Mascy de Tatton’ first occurs in 1330 in a grant of land at Mere. 7 On c. 18 January 1332/3 Hamon le Mascy of Tatton (escheator of Cheshire and second son of Robert Mascy of Tatton) married Katherine, eldest daughter and co-heiress of Alan de Rixton and became the first of the Mascys of Rixton. In 1341, together with others of his family, he ‘entered into a recognizance touching the farm of the manor of Frodsham’.8 He was styled ‘Sir Hamon’ from 1347 and his heir Richard was born c. 1348. Sir Hamon died c. 1360 and his widow Katharine survived him.9 Richard le Mascy (c. 1348–1406–7) and Maud Richard le Mascy of Rixton, son of Sir Hamon and his wife Katherine, was born c. 1348. He fought under Edward III in France and was involved in the defence of Beaumaris castle, Anglesey in 1374. He is named in land transactions in 1384, 1386 and 1395 and (aged 38) gave evidence in the Scrope v Grosvenor trial in 1386.10 In 1 Henry IV (1399—1400, Richard is called ‛Richard Massie’ and his wife ‛Matilda, heiress of William de Horton’: their children were named as Hamon, Peter, Elena and Margaret.11 By 1400 he had married Matilda, daughter of John de Oulton, who survived him when he died in 1406–7 and was fl. 1414.12 Richard left two sons Hamon and Peter.13 Hamon Mascy (died 1436) and Ellen Hamon married by 1400 Ellen, daughter and co-heir of William de Horton of Hartford, Cheshire. [As a result of this marriage the Mascy arms became quartered with the squirrel sejant of the Hortons]. Hamon and Ellen had five sons and four daughters. He added to his Rixton possessions by purchasing the lands of Richard le Smith.14 Hamon made grants of land to his sons in 1436. He died on 20 June 1436 (writ diem clausit extremum 9 July) and was survived by his widow. 15 Hamon’s heir was William (1405–c. 1447/8), who married in 1415 Petronilla, daughter of Richard Warburton of ‛Burges’ in Cogshall township (Great Budworth, Cheshire) and succeeded his father in 1436. In 1435/6 William confirmed grants made by his father to [his brothers] Richard and George. There were four other sons: Richard; Thomas (rector of Warrington from 1448 to 1464); John; and George; and four daughters: Elizabeth (married John Leycester in 1422); Margaret (married Thomas, second son of Sir Thomas Hesketh c. 1431); Matilda (the first wife of John Hyde of Norbury); and Douce (married Harre, son and heir of Nicholas of Athirton in 1430). GEORGE MASCY George Mascy was born to Hamon and Ellen Mascy of Rixton, probably by c. 1407, for he first occurs in the duchy patent roll of 1428 when there was a commission to William Mascy of Rixton, Richard le Mascy and George le Mascy to arrest ‘Elena, late the wife of John le Statham’.16 ‘In August 1435 we find this George Mascy taking part with his brother William in the family feud with the Carringtons, and in a recognizance of that date he is described as “yeoman”.’ On 11 August 1435 Hamo, George, Edward and William le Mascy of Rixton were ‘bound in a recognizance … to abide an award in a dispute pending between them and Sir John de Caryngton’.17 The palatinate patent roll of 1428 records a commission of 23 June to William Mascy of Rixton, Richard le Mascy, George le Mascy and six others ‘to arrest and bind over to keep the peace towards John de Hawardyn, Elena, late wife of John de Statham’, Thomas, Ralph and Richard de Statham and five others. 2 George Mascy’s wife was Katharine, daughter of Oliver Barton of Cheshire. This was probably Oliver de Barton (born c. 1385), who succeeded his nephew in the Barton estates in 1435–6.18 On 9 January 1435/6 George Mascy was granted by his father Hamon a mediety of his lands in Cheshire for life and on 19 January George’s elder brother William confirmed the grant.19. Hamon Mascy died by 9 July 143620 According to St George, On 6 March 1448 George Mascy was a deforciant (with Oliver Barton, his alleged father-in-law) in the sale of 6 messuages and 316 acres in Barton, Irlam, Rivington and West Leigh.21 In August 1453 the prior of Birkenhead granted a lease of all his convent’s lands and tithes in Bowdon, Dunham, Partington, Carrington (amongst other places) to Thomas Massy, rector of Warrington and Hamon, Richard and George Massy of Rixton.22 In 1453–4 (and 1477-8) George acted as trustee for his nephew Hamon Mascy.23 We have seen that George’s son-in-law Edmund Latham was probably born by c. 1441 and that the marriage of Edmund and Petronilla Mascy probably took place by c. 1462. On 9 April 1462 Hamon Mascy made his will, of which the executors were to be the rector of Northenden, Hamon’s son William (who was under 13) and George Mascy. Hamon was to be buried at Warrington and masses said in the chapel at Rixton. Probate was granted on 26 April 1462.24 On 1 November 1462 George witnessed the deed assigning lands to Hamon’s widow Johanna, as dower.25 George Mascy further witnessed a settlement on 27 February 1463/4 before the marriage of Hamon and Johanna’s son Hamon with Alice, daughter of Sir John Botiler of Bewsey.26 Oliver Barton was married to Eleanor, who acted against Edmund Latham and George Mascy in 1473 to regain her third part of 200 acres in Barton.27 On St James Day 1473 the Lancaster Plea Roll records the claim of ‘Ellen’ to a third of 5 messuages, 200 acres of land, 6 acres of meadow, 40 acres of wood, 100 acres of moss, and 1000 acres of pasture, which had been her dower.