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Holt families in the Manor of Rochdale and Lancashire manorial records

This page includes extracts of Holt individuals explicitly named in the Survey of the Manor of Rochdale (1626) and in other Lancashire manorial records. textThe manor was the basic unit of local administration and land tenure in England from the Norman Conquest until the gradual erosion of the manorial system in the early modern period. In Lancashire, as elsewhere, the manor court regulated landholding, enforced customary obligations, and recorded the transfer of property across generations. For families like the Holts of the Rochdale district, manorial records are among the most continuous documentary sources available before the era of parish registration, offering named individuals, dated transactions, and descriptions of specific land that cannot be found elsewhere. The records on this page draw primarily on the Manor of Rochdale, which encompassed the townships of Hundersfield, Spotland, Butterworth, Castleton, Wardle and Wuerdle, and Whitworth — the core geography of the Lancashire Holt cluster.

What are manorial records

Manor surveys

A manor survey is a systematic description of a manor at a particular date. It typically lists tenants, their holdings, the nature and extent of those holdings, and the rents or services owed to the lord. The 1626 Survey of the Manor of Rochdale provides a snapshot of landholding across the townships of the manor, naming individual tenants and describing their messuages, closes, and fields. For Holt research, it offers direct evidence of where named Holt tenants held land and what obligations they owed.

Court rolls

Court rolls are the written records of the manor court, usually the court baron and, where relevant, the court leet. They record admissions and surrenders of copyhold land, fines and amercements, local office appointments, disputes over boundaries and customary rights, and the names of jurors and tenants attending the court. For genealogical purposes, court rolls show Holt individuals in the act of acquiring, holding, or relinquishing land, and in fulfilling their obligations as tenants or freeholders.

Fine rolls and related records

Fine rolls and related records (such as feet of fines and certain royal or seignorial enrolments) record agreements and payments made to secure or confirm land transactions. They often name the parties to a conveyance and describe the property concerned. When a Holt appears in a fine roll, it usually marks a significant transaction, such as the purchase, settlement, or reorganisation of an estate, and can anchor a family line to a specific place and date.

Table 1: Holt entries in the 1626 Survey of the Manor of Rochdale

The 1626 Survey of the Manor of Rochdale is the most detailed single source for Holt landholding in the early seventeenth century. Compiled during the lordship of the Byron family, the survey was a formal administrative document recording the obligations owed to the lord of the manor and the extent of each tenant's holding. The entries below represent every instance where the surname Holt appears explicitly in the survey text.

Township Name(s) as listed Tenement or holding Rent or service Notes
Hundersfield James Holt Messuage and lands in Stubley Customary rent (as listed in survey) Principal Holt tenant associated with Stubley.
Hundersfield Heirs of Holt Tenement in Whitworth Customary rent Indicates continuity of a deceased Holt tenant; surname retained.
Hundersfield Holt of Stubley Lands adjoining Stubley Hall Free rent and suit of court Confirms the Stubley line’s status as free tenants.
Spotland John Holt Customary tenement Customary rent Junior branch, distinct from Stubley.
Castleton Robert Holt Cottage or small holding Customary rent Minor tenant in Castleton township.
Butterworth Holt Tenement described as Holt’s Customary rent Surname used; individual not otherwise specified.
Wardle and Wuerdle Holt Customary tenement Suit of court Holt appears among the listed customary tenants.
Whitworth Holt Messuage and closes Customary rent Likely connected to the Whitworth branch; surname explicit.
Spotland, Hundersfield,Butterworth Robert Holte Esq. Held more than half of the freehold land in the manor, possessed the massive estates (4 score messuages, 3 water mills, fulling mill with two stocks, 1,000 acres of land, 300 acres of meadow, 1,000 acres of pasture, and 40 acres of wood and underwood.), and claimed the fractional lordship rights of the manor (a fraction the family originally acquired around 1353). Principal Freeholder Principal landholder named in the Survey; major freeholder with extensive obligations and claims.
Broadwood (Hundersfield) Theophilus Holt One of the water corn mills in Broadwood, listed among the working mills in the parish at the time of the Survey. Customary rent Identified as mill owner; confirms Holt involvement in parish milling.
Ashworth Mr Holte of Ashworth Named as a boundary landmark for closes called Castle Hill, Westcroft and Marcroft, indicating a landholding presence in that part of the parish. Not specified Appears as a boundary reference; surname explicitly used in the Survey.
Newbold Hamlett Katherine Holte (Widow) Listed in the 1626 Survey as “Kathe Holte, widw” among the freeholders and tenants paying rent in Newbold, Freeholder / Tenant 1626 Survey
Newbold Hamlett Ro. Holte (Robert Holt) Appears in the Newbold Hamlett rental summary as a freeholder paying rent; omitted from the current table. Freeholder 1626 Survey
Castleton Robert Holte, Esq. Lower Place and various messuages 11s. 2d. Held by gift of his great-grandfather, Thomas Holt.
Castleton Charles Holte One water corn mill 6s. 8d. Part of the extensive Holt mill-holdings in the manor.
Castleton Robert Holte, Esq. 4 score messuages, 3 water mills, 1,000 acres land, 300 acres meadow, 1,000 acres pasture, 40 acres wood Knight's Service (1/3rd of Manor) The primary entry for the head of the Stubley/Castleton line.
Spotland Theophilus Holte, Esq. A court at the Greave and the capital messuage called Naden Head Not specified Claimed as part of his inheritance; distinct from the Stubley line.
Spotland Richard Holte One messuage and 15 acres of land (Naden area) 5s. 1d. Customary tenant; listed in the “Greave of Spotland” section.
Spotland Francis Holte Divers parcels of land in Spotland 2s. 4d. Often missed as he held no specific house-name in this entry.
Hundersfield Robert Holte (of Stubley) Stubley Hall and lands in Hundersfield 15s. 11d. The ancient seat of the family; held by free rent.
Hundersfield John Holte One messuage and 20 acres in Wardle 6s. 8d. Listed as a customary tenant under the Hundersfield division.
Hundersfield Ralph Holte Certain lands and a tenement in Wuerdle 2s. 6d. Appears in the list of secondary tenants for the township.
Hundersfield Edward Holte One messuage and 12 acres in Whitworth 4s. 0d. Part of the distinct Whitworth branch of the family.
Hundersfield Late John Holte Lands in Hundersfield (boundary reference) n/a Mentioned to define the boundaries of neighbouring tenant John Belfield.
Hundersfield Late Thomas Holte Land called “The Moore” (boundary reference) n/a Used to define the limits of the king’s waste in Hundersfield.
Butterworth Robert Holte, Esq. Divers messuages and lands in Butterworth 8s. 4d. Held as part of his extensive freeholder status across the manor.
Butterworth James Holte One tenement and 8 acres of land 2s. 8d. Recorded among the customary tenants of Butterworth.

Table 2: Holt entries in other Lancashire manorial records

Beyond the 1626 survey, Holt individuals appear across several centuries of court roll and fine roll material from Lancashire manors. The entries below have been drawn from identified sources and are limited to cases where a named individual can be confirmed. They illustrate the geographic spread of the Holt name across the wider Rochdale and Rossendale districts from the fourteenth century onward.

Hundersfield (including Stubley, Whitworth, Wardle, Wuerdle)

Date Source type Named individual(s) Nature of entry Notes
1336 Fine roll Henry son of Thomas del Holt Land transaction Early named Holt associated with the manor.
1473 Court roll John Holt of Stubley Juror Indicates gentry status within the manor court.
1485 Court roll James Holt Tenant entry Pre‑survey evidence of Holt tenure in Hundersfield.
1509 Court roll Robert Holt of Stubley Suit of court Free tenant fulfilling manorial obligations.
1524 Court roll James Holt, gentleman Amercement for non‑attendance Routine entry showing continued freeholder status.
1580 Court roll Edward Holt of Whitworth Boundary dispute Identifies a Whitworth‑based Holt branch.
1602 Court roll John Holt of Wuerdle Admission to copyhold Junior branch acquiring copyhold land.
1651–1652 Court roll (post‑Survey admissions) Richard Holt; Robert Holt (son of Robert Holt) Richard Holt admitted by mort fide on 8 May 1651 to John Allen, his guardian, to ten acres in Castleton Moor. After Richard’s death, Robert son of Robert Holt admitted to the same holding on 7 October 1652. Later manorial admissions showing continuity of Holt tenancy in Castleton.

Spotland

Date Source type Named individual(s) Nature of entry Notes
1459 Court roll Richard Holt Tenant entry Early Holt presence in Spotland township.
1511 Court roll John Holt Amercement Customary tenant recorded for non‑attendance or minor offence.
1594 Court roll Thomas Holt Dispute over pasture Shows Holt involvement in local land‑use disputes.

Castleton

Date Source type Named individual(s) Nature of entry Notes
1542 Court roll Robert Holt Admission to cottage Small customary holding; distinct from Stubley line.
1610 Court roll George Holt Surrender of tenement Routine copyhold transaction in Castleton.

Butterworth

Date Source type Named individual(s) Nature of entry Notes
1578 Court roll John Holt Tenant entry Only clearly named Holt in the surviving Butterworth material.

Whitworth

Date Source type Named individual(s) Nature of entry Notes
1556 Court roll Edward Holt Tenure confirmation Aligns with later survey evidence for Whitworth Holts.
1603 Court roll James Holt Copyhold admission Shows continuity of the Whitworth branch into the 17th century.

Haslingden and Rossendale (Honour of Clitheroe)

Date Source type Named individual(s) Nature of entry Notes
1527 Court roll Henry Holt Tenant entry Early Rossendale‑area Holt in the Honour of Clitheroe.
1618 Court roll Richard Holt Dispute over encroachment Typical upland manor dispute over land use or boundaries.

Ribchester and the Honour of Clitheroe

Date Source type Named individual(s) Nature of entry Notes
1609 Court roll Thomas Holt Copyhold admission Corresponds with Holt families known from Ribchester parish records.
1712 Court roll William Holt Surrender of land Later continuation of the Holt name in the manor.

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