ORMSHAW of and AUGHTON

The most recent Ormshaw with whom we are concerned is Betty Ormshaw (1745/6–1837), the wife of Peter Guy of the south-west parish of Aughton (1744–1816).1

The earliest Ormshaw traced in the direct line is Betty’s great-grandfather Henry Ormshaw (fl. 1684, died 1690).

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Origins

The name is a local locative one, meaning ‘the coppice of Orme’ and occurred in parish (adjacent to Aughton, perhaps in Scarisbrick township) from an early period.

The family first appear in the Ormskirk parish registers on 3 May 1557/8 when Thomas Ormishawe was baptised: John, Anes, Thomas and Richard Ormishaw were baptised on 17 June 1558, 30 November 1561, 31 January 1563/4 and 14 May 1566. Jamis, son of Gilbart Ormishaw was baptised on 9 May 1568. Peter and William, sons of Gilbert were baptised on 30 June 1571, James son of Gilbert on 14 May 1581 and Gilbert, son of Thomas on 19 March 1611/12. Thomas and Gilbert Ormishaw were both buried in the church on 16 July and 8 August 1590, Gilbert, an infant, was buried on 13 February 1613 and Gilbert on 3 December 1621.2

Henry Ormishaw, son of John was baptised on 1 February 1599/1600. Henry Ormishaw was buried in church on 17 January 1608 and Henry, an infant on 7 July 1624.

Evidence of early wills suggests that the family were settled at Scarisbrick by the seventeenth century, perhaps at Ormshaw’s farm, south of Scarisbrick. There are extant wills of Gilbert Ormeshaw (1600), William (1590) and John (buried in church on 30 January 1639), all of Scarisbrick and of Gilbert (1621), of (another of Ormskirk’s townships). One John Ormshaw of Scarisbrick paid £5 13s 4d in goods towards a subsidy in 1624.3

Thomas Ormishawe, yeoman of Skelmersdale (Ormskirk) was cited to appear at quarter sessions at Epiphany 1629/30.4

There was a lease of three acres of Ascough Wood to one Gilbert Ormshaw, yeoman at Scarisbrick on 15 January 1657/8.5 The hearth tax returns for Scarisbrick in 1663 and 1666 show Gilbert Ormshaw with one hearth and John Ormshaw with two. Two Thomases and Gabriel had two each at township (Ormskirk)6 Gilbert Ormshaw and Jennett Aspinwall were married at Ormskirk on 8 June 1635 and and Gilbert and Marie Sutch on 2 November. Maria, wife of Gilbert of Scarisbrick was buried on 20 December 1677. The wills of John Ormishaw of Scarisbrick (buried in church on 4 September 1671) and Gilbert Ormshaw of Scarisbrick (buried on 23 December 1680) were proved in 1671 and 1681.

John Ormishawe was paying a ‘fifteenth’ or ‘old ley’ at Aughton in 1696.7

Gabriel Ormshaw

Gabriell Ormshaw’s son John was baptised at Ormskirk on 15 July 1636 and John and Gabriell, sons of Henry on 2 September 1632. Gabriell Ormishaw was constable of Scarisbrick in 1653/4.8 Gabriell Ormishawe and Margrett Cadicke were married on 6 August 1656 and Gabriell and Alice Berry in December 1657.9 Gabriell Ormshawe of Scarisbricke was buried in church on 13 April 1659 and another Gabriell was churchwarden in 1677. Tenants at Lathom after 1672 included Gabriel Ormshaw10 and the 1696 oath roll shows Gabriel Ormashew at Lathom:11 the will of Gabriel of Westhead (Lathom) was proved in 1710.

Thomas Ormshaw

Thomas Ormeshawe, son of Henry, was baptised on 19 April 1630. Thomas Ormshaw of Westhead had children baptised at Ormskirk from 1654: Elizabeth (17 October 1654); Henry (22 March 1656/7); 1 Peter (23 October 1664). Thomas Ormshaw of Lathom was also having children at this time. On 24 April 1684 there was a Scarisbrick lease from Abraham Crookoe to Thomas Ormshawe, yeoman. 12 The will of Thomas Ormishaw of Scarisbrick, yeoman was proved in1689 (to Peter and Ann Ormishaw).13

Henry Ormshaw

Henry Ormshaw may have been a son of Thomas of Westhead, baptised at Ormskirk on 22 March 1656/7, or of Gabriel of Lathom, baptised on 12 September 1658.

Henry Ormshaw’s son Gilbert Ormshaw was baptised at Ormskirk on 18 May 1684. Sons John (3 January 1680/1) and Robert (11 June 1682 and 24 June 1686) were also baptised there, but the first Robert and John died in infancy (buried 16 September 1686 and 26 July 1687).

Henry Ormishaw of Ormskirk was buried there on 9 April 1690.

Gilbert Ormshaw and Elizabeth

Gilbert Ormshaw, baptised at Ormskirk in 1684, married Elizabeth. The Anderton papers have reference to Gilbert Ormshaw in 1716.14

Mary, daughter of Gilbert Ormshaw of was baptised at Ormskirk in 1711. [Elizabeth, daughter of Gilbert Ormsmishire of was baptised at on 18 January 1713/14.] Gilbert and Elizabeth’s son Thomas Ormshaw was baptised at Ormskirk on 25 January 1719. Further children of Gilbert Ormshaw baptised at Ormskirk were Alice (14 January 1721/2); James (20 December 1724); and Ellin (11 July 1727).

Elizabeth, wife of Gilbert Ormshaw was buried at Ormskirk on 16 July 1727. Gilbert Ormshaw was buried there on 30 November 1728.

Thomas Ormshaw and Ann Latham

Thomas Ormishaw, baptised at Ormskirk on 25 January 1719, married Anne Latham of Aughton by banns at Aughton on 4 October 1743.15

Thomas and Anne’s daughter Betty was baptised at Aughton on 5 January 1745/6. Other children Henry and Ann were baptised at Aughton on 5 August 1744 and 26 August 1750.

In 1764 Kilshaw’s messuage and 13 acres in Aughton had as tenant James Ormshaw.16 A letter to James on 9 February 1767 pointed out that his estate had fallen to John Holland on the death of Mrs Holland on 14 November 1766..17

A note at Aughton in 1766 records that ‘the present tenant, Ormshaw is going off’.18

Betty Ormshaw married Peter Guy, an Aughton husbandman at Aughton on 10 August 1769 by licence granted on 8 August. The witnesses were Richard Mason and John McCausland:19 Mason, a husbandman, was also the bondsman. The licence allegation gave the ages of bride and bridegroom as ‘21’ [recte 23] and ‘23’ [recte 24], yet curiously the marriage register notes ‘consent of parents’.

Thomas Ormshaw ‘a lunatic, hanged himself at Aughton’ in 178120 and was buried there on 4 April: the constables’ accounts record expenditure of 4s for the inquest.21 ‘Ann Ormisher of Aughton, widow’ was buried there on 6 March 1788.

On 19 May 1781 a licence was granted for the marriage of Henry Ormsher of Aughton, husbandman with Mary Aspinwall, spinster of Lydiate: Henry marked his signature on the allegation and the bondsman was Peter Guy of Scarisbrick, husbandman. The wedding took place at Halsall.

Many Ormshaws appear in Sefton from 1783: Thomas, aged 46, was a freeholder there in 1792. A freeholder in Ormskirk in 1795 was Robert Ormshaw (44), an innkeeper.

2 Ann Ormesher was married at Aughton on 8 April 1801 by licence to William Mawdesley, an Aughton husbandman: both signed and the witnesses were Thomas Foster and William Rimmer. Elizabeth Ormesher was married there in 1819 to Edward Croston.

©T.M. Steel (revised 11 July 2010)

Copy Documents in author’s collection Photo of Ormeshaw Farm, Scarisbrick*

3 1 See also T.M. Steel, ‛Guy of Aughton’; ‛Latham of Aughton’: http://tsgf.pbworks.com (2010, online) 2 For christenings, marriages & burials [hereafter cmbs] Ormskirk to 1626: J. Arrowsmith (ed.), ‘The Registers of the Parish Church of Ormskirk, 1557–1626’, Lancs Parish Register Soc. [hereafter L.P.R.S.], 13 (1902) 3 For S. Lancs wills, invs & admons (Chester consistory) to 1858: L.R.O., WCW/[name]/[place]/[year]; R.D. Radcliffe (ed.), ‘Subsidy, 1624’, in ‘Selections from the ancient papers of the Moore family’, Transactions of the Historic Soc. of Lancs & Cheshire, n.s., 3 (1889), p. 164 4 Lancs Record Office [hereafter L.R.O.], QSB/1/66/21 5 L.R.O., DDSc/27/11 (Scarisbrick leases, this by his life & those of Thos & Eliz., his s. & dau.) 6 The National Archives [hereafter T.N.A., E 179/250/8, 19 7 Record Office, 920 PLU/Pt 42 8 L.R.O., QSP/91/30 9 No date in register: banns called 16 Nov.–3 Dec. 10 L.R.O., DDK/133/8 (ND) 11 W. Gandy (ed.), Lancs Association Oath Rolls (, 1985), p. 23 12 L.R.O., DDSc/27/51; 3 wks later Ormeshawe joined with Thos Titterington in leasing a property: /27/52 13 L.R.O., WC/10 14 Wigan Record Office, D/D An/[?B]59/65 (Anderton papers) 15 See T.M. Steel, ‛Latham of Aughton’, 2010 16 L.R.O., DDIn/6/60–62 17 L.R.O., DDIn/6/60a 18 Merseyside Record Office, 920 WBL/4/5 19 The clerk (d. 1786) 20 L.R.O., QSP 2129/22 21 L.R.O., PR 58 (Aughton parish records)