Lord Keeper

Sir John Puckering.jpg

Portrait of Sir John Puckering (died 1596), holding the Lord Keeper's Purse embroidered with the royal arms of Queen Elizabeth I. His arms above left display quarterly of six:

• 1&6: Sable, five fusils in bend cotised argent or Sable, a bend lozengy cotised argent (Puckering);
• 2: Argent, a mullet sable pierced of the field (Assheton, for his mother Helen Assheton);
• 3: Ermine, on a fess gules three annulets or (Barton, per Burke, Sir Bernard, The General Armory, London, 1884, pp.54-5) (Barton of Middleton, Lancashire, in the hundred of Salford (see Church of St Leonard), an Assheton heiress (see Richard Assheton (1483–1549) of Middleton, son and heir of Sir Ralph Assheton by his wife Margaret Barton, daughter of John Barton of Middleton and heiress of her uncle Richard Barton. Source: Burke, John (1838). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies of England. Scott, Webster & Geary. pp. 19–22[1]) See further: 'Townships: Middleton', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 5, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1911), pp. 161-169. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol5/pp161-169 ; Stated in the Heraldic Visitation of Lancashire, 1533, p.61, to be "de Barton of Fryton in Rydale" (see below).
• 4: Blank, but should be Paly of six argent and vert (Hopwood?) (maybe Argent, three pallets vert) (see same quarterings in Westminster Abbey on monument to Sir John Puckering[2]). See discussion p.57 in Langton, William, ed. (1876), re Hopwood/de Middleton families. The Visitation of Lancashire and a part of Cheshire, made in the twenty-fourth year of the reign of King Henry the Eighth, A.D. 1533, by special commission of Thomas Benalt, Clarencieux: Part I. Chetham Society. Vol. 98. Manchester: Chetham Society [3]. Stated in the Heraldic Visitation of Lancashire, 1533, p.61, to be "Middleton of Middleton",[4] Paly of six sable and argent, for whom these arms are not given by Burke. Paly of six argent and vert given for Langley/Hopwood/Lawson per Papworth, John Woody, Alphabetical Dictionary of Coats of Arms Belonging to Families in Great Britain and Ireland, Vol.II, London, 1874, p.1018). Paly of six argent and vert (de Hopwood of Hopwood, Middleton, Lancashire?); (Langley/Hopwood/(Lawson) per Papworth, John Woody, Alphabetical Dictionary of Coats of Arms Belonging to Families in Great Britain and Ireland, Vol.II, London, 1874, p.1018). Per Burke, 1884: "Langley of Langley, County Durham" (p.583); "Hopwood of Hopwood, Lancashire" (p.507); Lawson given as paly gules and vert by Burke, 1884, p.590; Per VCH Lancashire ('Townships: Middleton', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 5, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1911), pp. 161-169. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol5/pp161-169): The parish (of Middleton), originally a single manor, comprises 1 2,101 acres, and in addition to the central portion— Middleton proper, with Pilsworth, Hopwood, and Thornham—has a number of outlying portions, some distant several miles from the parish church" Much interaction occurred between the Assheton and Hopwood families within this parish: " To a Hopwood charter of 1302 among the witnesses were John, rector of Middleton, Roger de Middleton, and Robert de Middleton the younger"; Re Church of ST. LEONARD, Middleton: " The east end of the wider part is occupied by the Hopwood Chapel or pew, which has a two-light window in the east wall, and is inclosed by a Jacobean oak screen with twisted balusters along the top" ('The parish of Middleton', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 5, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1911), pp. 151-161. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol5/pp151-161). The arms of de Middleton of Middleton, Lancashire, in the hundred of Salford, an important heiress of Barton might be expected to feature, but the arms of "Middleton of Middleton Hall, Lancashire" are given in Burke, 1884 as Quarterly gules and or in the dexter quarter a cross flory argent (Burke, Sir Bernard, The General Armory, London, 1884 , p.684). See descent of the manor of Middleton in VCH Lancashire ('Townships: Middleton', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 5, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1911), pp. 161-169. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol5/pp161-169):

In 1313 Roger de Middleton and Agnes his wife made a settlement of the manor, the remainders after the death of Agnes being, in default of male issue, to their daughters in succession—Maud, Ellen, Alice, Margaret, Margery, and Joan. (fn. 21) Four years later a similar arrangement was made with respect to the third part of the manor and the advowson of the church. (fn. 22) Roger died in August 1322; (fn. 23) his widow Agnes was living in 1353, but probably died shortly afterwards. (fn. 24) The manor and advowson then went to the representative of the second daughter, Maud, who was first in the remainder. She married Thomas de Barton of Fryton in Rydale, by whom she had several sons; (fn. 25) and secondly John de Amsworth, (fn. 26) who continued after her death to hold the manor by the courtesy of England, but was outlawed. (fn. 27) Maud's right passed to her son John de Barton, (fn. 28) after whom Thomas de Barton, perhaps as trustee, was in possession, (fn. 29) followed by William, the son of John. William de Barton occurs between 1363 and 1384. (fn. 30) He married Isabel, daughter of William de Radcliffe, and had a son Ralph, who died in 1398 seised of the manor of Middleton with its hamlets of Ashworth, Birtle, Ainsworth, Meadowcroft, and Lynalx. The heir was his son Richard, born at Middleton in 1386. The wardship was granted to James de Radcliffe. (fn. 31) Richard de Barton had sons John (fn. 32) and Richard, and was living in 1457. (fn. 33) The elder son died before his father, leaving a daughter and heir Margery, who was in 1439 contracted to marry Ralph Ashton, a younger son of Sir John Ashton of Ashton-under-Lyne. (fn. 34) The descent of the manor is somewhat uncertain. (fn. 35) By a number of agreements made in 1457 a great part of the estate was settled upon heirs of 'Richard Barton, of Middleton, the elder, esquire,' (fn. 36) the grandfather of Margery. Richard's widow Alice had lands granted to her as dower early in 1466. (fn. 37) By 1480 the greater part of the Middleton estate was held by Sir Ralph Ashton and Margery his wife; but Alice Barton widow of Richard, Margery Barton widow of John, and Richard and Ralph Barton, held various messuages and lands 'of the inheritance of Margery.' (fn. 38) Three years later it was recorded that Sir Ralph Ashton held the manor of Middleton in right of his wife, by one knight's fee, rendering yearly 13s. 4d. and for ward of Lancaster Castle 10s. (fn. 39) Sir Ralph Ashton, brought up at court and made a knight before 1464 and a banneret by Richard Duke of Gloucester at Hutton field in Scotland, 1482, (fn. 40) held various public offices (fn. 41) and was by Richard III appointed ViceConstable of England. (fn. 42) In his native place he acquired an evil reputation, the custom of 'riding the Black Lad' at Ashton commemorating (according to the general opinion) the popular detestation of his conduct. (fn. 43) Early in 1484 he made a lease to Richard his son for twenty years of the manor of Middleton, (fn. 44) and probably died shortly afterwards. (fn. 45) In 1487 Richard Ashton, his son and heir, obtained a general pardon from Henry VII. (fn. 46) He was made a knight in 1497, (fn. 47) and held the manor of Middleton by the service of a knight's fee, until his death, 28 April 1507

• 5: Argent, two bendlets sable the under one engrailed (Lever of w:Little Lever, Arlington, Lancashire, per Burke, 1884, p.604); Sir Ralph Assheton (younger brother of Richard Assheton (1483–1549) of Middleton) married Margaret Lever, daughter and heiress of Adam Lever of Great Lever, Lancashire (Burke, John (1838). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies of England)