BARTON of BARTON St George’s Visitation of Lancashire recorded in 1613 that Edmond Lathom (father of George Lathom of Huyton and son of Thomas Latham) had been married to ‘Petronill, daughter of George Massy [recte Mascy] of Rixton’.1 Edmund Latham was probably born to Thomas Latham by c. 1441 and married Petronill Massey by 1462.2 According to a ‘Descent of the Mascys of Rixton’,3 George Mascy was a son of Hamon Mascy, third Mascy lord of Rixton. St George showed George Mascy’s wife as ‘Katherine, daughter and heire of Oliver Barton’. This was perhaps Oliver de Barton (born c. 1385), who succeeded his nephew in his estates at Barton (Farndon parish), Cheshire in 1435–6.4 Confusion seems likely, however, since the Mascy and Latham families also had interests in lands at Barton in the Lancashire parish of Eccles. On 6 March 1448 George Mascy was a deforciant (with one Oliver Barton, surely his alleged father–in–law) in the sale for 100 marks of six messuages and 316 acres in Barton, Irlam, Rivington and West Leigh, all in Lancashire.5 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.6 On St James Day 1473 the Lancaster plea roll records the claim of ‘Ellen Barton’ to a third of five 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. Latham and Mascy claimed that Oliver had never been seized of such an estate.7 On 6 August 1474 there was a writ to the sheriff to take into the king’s hands the lands in question.8 In Lent 1474/5 Ellen continued the claim, but this time against Giles and George Lathum.9 ORIGINS The name Barton means simply 'of the barley croft/enclosure, although Reaney saw it simply as locative , from any one of the many places of that name.10 Despite the well-attested Lancashire connections described, the Cheshire historian Ormerod was clear that Oliver Barton’s main association was with Barton in Cheshire, which was ‘vested at an early period in local lords who assumed the name’. ‘The first of these was [Sir] Patrick de Barton, who married (in temp. Henry III) [1216–1272] Sibilla, daughter of David de Golborne’, lord of neighbouring Golborne David (Handley parish). Ormerod describes a ‘very antient monument existing in Farndon parish church in the mid-seventeenth century, a knight in mail armour, recumbent, his head resting on a lozenge formed cushion, and his feet on a dog, his helmet conical, and his shield emblazoned, a bend cotised, and circumscribed with the words: “Hic jacet Patriceius be Bartun.O’p’eo”’.11 Ormerod cites the family arms as ‘Argent a bend cotised (or double cotised) Sable’. He constructs a pedigree through seven generations from Sir Patrick to Oliver de Barton’s nephew Thomas, who died in 1433–4 and was succeeded by his uncle Oliver. Unfortunately three of these generations are merely Ormerod's supposition.12 Sir Patrick de Barton (temp. Henry III: 1216–1272) and Sibilla de Golborne David de Berton (fl. 1315–18) and Margaret (fl. 1315) David de Barton (fl. 1334–6) In 1334–6 David, son of David de Barton entered into a 100s recognizance with Jerdan, parson of St Peter, Chester.13 ? Patrick de Barton (c. 1337–?c. 1402) In 1384–5 Patrick de Barton, whom Ormerod thought the son of David, entered into several recognizances (with John Wodehouse, dean of St John’s and others) concerning matters which included Barton and Clutton tithes.14 ?David de Barton (c. 1366–after 1433) David de Barton, whom Ormerod took to be the son of Patrick, fl. temp. Henry V and Henry VI (1412– 1 1470).15 ?Oliver de Barton (born c. 1395--6) Ormerod thought that David de Barton was the father of Randle de Barton (who married Alice, heiress of Mathew de Weverham) and of Oliver. Randle died ‘in or before’ 1419/20 and was succeeded by his son and heir Thomas (born c. 1409--1410). Thomas died c. 1435--6 and was succeeded by his uncle Oliver.16 OLIVER AND ELEANOR BARTON Oliver Barton was 40 at the time of his nephew Thomas’ inquisition post mortem in 1435 and was thus born in c. 1395-6. He was certainly a younger brother of Randle de Barton and Ormerod’s pedigree suggests that both were probably sons of David de Barton (c. 1366–after 1433). Oliver Barton was married c. 1406 onwards to Eleanor. Their daughter Katharine was born after c. 1407 . Katharine married George Mascy, perhaps c. 1428, when he first occurs in the records.17 We have seen that Oliver Barton died by 1473, when his widow Eleanor began legal action concerning land which had been her dowry. Eleanor died after 1475. © T.M. Steel (last revised 17/05/10) 2 OTHER DOCUMENTS G. Ormerod, History of the County Palatine & City of Chester (London, 1892), II, pp. 740 & 749* 3 1 R. St George, ‘Visitation of Lancashire, 1613’, Chetham Society, Remains Historical & Literary connected with the Palatine Counties of Lancaster & Chester [hereafter C.S.], 82, series 1 (1871), p. 4 2 Attested by the Widnes court roll 1510–11: The National Archives [hereafter T.N.A.], DL 30/6/86 3 A.C. Tempest, ‘Descent of the Mascys of Rixton’, Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire & Cheshire (new series), 3 (1887), pp. 59–158* 4 G. Ormerod, History of the County Palatine & City of Chester (London, 1892), II, p. 749*; Barton is a township in Farndon parish & formed part of Malpas barony; Barton is just E. of Farndon, between Wrexham & Malpas & 9 miles from Chester: it is in Broxton hundred 5 W. Farrer (ed.), ‘Final Concords’, III, Record Society of Lancashire & Cheshire (1905), p. 114* (73, m. 19) 6 T.N.A., PL [palatinate of Lancaster] 15 [court of common pleas, plea rolls]/29 [6 Edwd IV Lent (1466--1467)], copied in Manchester Record Office [hereafter M.R.O.], L1 [papers of Dr Wm Farrer]/50 [abstracts & transcripts of public records]/30 [Lancs refs, palatinate of Lancaster]/5 [plea rolls 27 Henry VI-23 Henry VIII, 29 ] & T.N.A., PL 15/39, m. 15 [12 E4, St Jas (1473)], copied in M.R.O., L1/50/30/5 [f.45, p. 26, no. 29] 7 T.N.A., PL 15/39, m.15, copied in M.R.O., L1/50/37 /1 8 T.N.A., PL 20/5/2 [6 Aug. 13 Edwd IV], copied in M.R.O., L1/50/31 [Lancs refs, palatinate]/1 9 T.N.A, PL 15/41 [14 Edwd IV, Lent], m. 5d, copied in M.R.O., L1/50/37 [pleadings]/1 [plea roll] 10 C.W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English & Welsh Surnames (London, 1901); P.H. Reaney, A Dictionary of British Surnames (London, 1976), p. 25 11 Ormerod, Cheshire, pp. 744 & 748 & illus. p. 142/264 12 Ormerod, Cheshire, p. 749 13 Ormerod, Cheshire, p. 749* 14 Patrick was ‘54’ in 1391--2 & thus b. c. 1337--8; Ormerod thought an inquisition post mortem [hereafter i.p.m.] of 1402--3 to be his: Cheshire, p. 749* 15 David was ‘50’ in 1414/5—1415/6 & ‘65’ in 1429/30 or 1431/2 & thus b. c. 1364—7: he was still fl. 1433--4 16 I.p.m., 14 Henry VI, cited by Ormerod, Cheshire, pp. 100, 115, 749* 17 T.N.A., DKR, 40 (1879) [calendar of duchy patent rolls]; see also T.M. Steel, ‛Mascy of Rixton’.