| Richard
Lomax (born 1688)
was the heir of James Lomax of Pilsworth, South East Lancashire
and in 1715 he married Rebecca Heywood who was the granddaughter
of John and Jennet Grimshaw of Sparth and from them she inherited
the Clayton Hall estate in 1728.
James, the eldest son of Richard and Rebecca, was born in 1717
and his parents, who had never actually lived there, gave him
the Clayton estate in 1753. James did well. He had coal mines
in Clayton and on land he leased in Great Harwood and when the
Nowells of Read Hall were forced to sell the Lower Town between
1770 - 1773 he was the chief buyer. Around 1769 James converted
to the Roman Catholic Church, quite an unusual act at the time.
Local tradition says that he became friendly with the Petre's
Chaplain at Dunkenhalgh who gave him some superior brandy. This
led him to inquire into the religion of the country of its origin
and this led to his conversion. |
James'
eldest son Richard Grimshaw Lomax succeeded him and married Catherine
Greaves, daughter and co-heiress of Thomas Greaves of Preston.
Richard extended his coal mining interests by leasing more land
in Great Harwood from Sir Thomas Hesketh and when any property
in the town came on the market Richard bought it. In 1819 the
Upper Town was put up for sale and Richard bought it all and became
Lord of the Manor and owner of almost the entire town. Catherine
gave birth to ten sons and two daughters. The sons who survived
were educated at nearby, Jesuit, Stonyhurst College and three
of them became priests. Richard died in 1837 and was buried at
Altham. |
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John,
who inherited the estate, was born in 1801 the fourth son of Richard
and Catherine. He married Helen, daughter of John Aspinall of
Standen Hall and though they had no children he improved and enlarged
the family home at Clayton Hall. He died in 1849 was also buried
at Altham and was succeeded by his brother James.
James Lomax (below, 1803 - 1886) married Frances Cecilia Verda, eldest daughter of Charles Walmesley of Wigan and had been given land in Great Harwood by his father where he built his home, Allsprings, in 1838.
This formed the basis of the Allsprings Estate.
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James Lomax was a keen otter hunter, at one time owning a pack of twenty four hounds, and kept a diary recording his pursuit which was published in 1892 and reprinted 1910. |
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When James inherited the Clayton Hall Estate from his brother he became owner of 2,865 acres in the town with other land in Clayton and Hurst Green making a total of 3,400 acres.
There were still, however, some farms which had been bought in the 1770 sale which he didn't own but whenever any of this land came up for sale James Lomax was the buyer so eventually he owned all but a few acres of the town. It was during his lifetime that the village grew from 1,695 souls making their living from |
Allsprings now sadly derelict. |
farming and handloomweaving into a small cotton manufacturing town of 9,000. Although the growth brought him great wealth he was no absentee landlord the management of the town and farms was firmly in his own hands.
As the town grew different religious organisations were leasing land to build their churches. Roman Catholics began meeting in various premises in the town until James put forward the funds to build Our Lady and St. Hubert's Church and School. The church was officially opened 5th November 1859 and the land and deeds were handed over to the Church free of debt.
James died in 1886 and was buried in "his" church but with no children to inherit his wife, Frances, retained Allsprings but the Clayton Hall Estate passed jointly to Mary and Helen daughters of James' youngest brother, Thomas, the only member of Richard's and Catherine's large family to have children.
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Helen Lomax had married her cousin Thomas Byrnand Trappes of Stanley House, Clitheroe but her elder sister Mary Segar had already died so her share passed to Helen Mary Maxima Segar (later Howell) her only daughter.
Frances Lomax died in 1891 and Helen Trappes took possession of the Allsprings Estate under the conditions of James Lomax's will along with farms at Hurst Green the latter on condition she took the name Trappes-Lomax for herself and her heirs.
These two ladies were more willing to sell land than their predecessors. Amongst the disposals was a large area of the Dean Valley which had originally been secured on a perpetual lease for the building of Dean Reservoirs, land near Martholme for the sewage works, the sites of the cemetery, St Hubert's, St Wulstan's and St John's churches, and the rights to the market and Fair. They also donated some land for use as a recreation ground.
Richard Trappes Lomax succeeded his mother, Helen, when she died in 1924, he was married to Alice, daughter of Basil T. Fitzherbert of Swynnerton, Stafford. He was a Captain in the Royal Lancashire Regiment and served with them in South Africa (1900 - 1901), then with the Lancashire Hussars during 1914 -18 first as Captain then Major. Richard and Alice had eight sons, the eldest also serving during 1914 - 18 as a Captain in the Scots Guards.
Though opposed to the sale Richard Trappes-Lomax was unable to prevent the 1925 auction of the Clayton Hall Estate, including much of Great Harwood. Many of the lots were sold but some property did not reach its reserve, particularly the residential ground rents, and this was divided between Mrs. Howell and Richard . The land sold was bought by many different people and companies, there was no single buyer such as James or Richard Grimshaw Lomax, so bringing an effective end to the Lords of the Manor of Great Harwood after nearly 900 years. |
The Allsprings Estate was retained by the Trappes-Lomax family but further sales over the years to cover death duties have reduced it to only ground rents in Great Harwood.
Lomax Genealogy |
