William de Notton, Lord Of Breightmet & Bolton-Le-Moors

Same as William de Notton, Lord Of Breightmet & Bolton-Le-Moors

William Farrer, Lancashire Inquests, part 1, Record Society 48, 1904, page 61. https://archive.org/details/lancashireinque01farrgoog/page/n92/

Same as William de Notton, Lord Of Breightmet & Bolton-Le-Moors

William de Notton was a younger son, and his wife Cicely had a brother, John. So when they married in about 1200, neither of them was in direct line for an inheritance, though they had possibilities if their siblings died without issue.

John duly obliged. Cicely inherited Breightmet from her father, her husband took possession, and could hold for life, by the "courtesy of England", even if his wife died the next day.

He would have had the more lucrative Barton estate for life as well, if his wife had outlived her mother, Edith (who since becoming his mother-in-law had become his stepmother as well).

But sadly, Cicely died while the old lady lingered. So when Edith died in 1220, William didn't get a look-in. Her estate went straight to her next heir - William's under-age son, Gilbert.

Gilbert took possession in 1222, got knighted.and adopted the surname Barton.