Richard Grimshaw built Ashlar or Hewn Atchelor House, originally known as The Fence, in 1594. The house was called The Fence after the fenced enclosure in which the deer of Pendle Forest were kept for breeding. The name occurs earlier: "Le Fens de Penhill" is mentioned as early as 1402. Fence Gate, or as it used to be called Fence Yate, was the home of the Grimshaws at the end of the seventeenth century. It has been told to me by the owner of one of the Two houses that during the witch hunts the Lancashire witch hunter brought a local witch to one of these house and interrogated her before taking her to Lancaster (this needs further investigation). There is another house down the road called Fence Gate, but the hose on the right has a carving.1594 Richard Greymshe John Box /Fear God Know Thy Self If Honour Thy Price. If you visit the area try not to disturb the farmer who owns the property as he is rather fed up with people asking him questions.
I didn't realise but there have been Grimshaws living around Fence right up to the present day. I realised this when I saw among the many Grimshaws buried at Fence, there was a James Norman Grimshaw who died in 1992.
Nicholas Grimshaw
and Isabel Whitaker had a son John who lived in Fence.
John Grimshaw,
{died 1745} married Eleanor, {daughter of Edmund Stephenson, of Old
Laund and she died 17 Dec 1749} they had seven children: -
1. Nicholas
Grimshaw, {born 12 May 1691, died 22 May 1725}
2. John Grimshaw,
{born 15 Nov 1693, died 25 Feb 1696}
3. Edmund
Grimshaw, {born 16 Oct 1696, died circa 1765}
4. John Grimshaw,
{born 13 Feb 1699, buried 2 Apr 1742} (cont.)
5. Christopher
Grimshaw, {born 2 Feb 1702, died 24 Feb 1747} (cont.)
6. Thomas
Grimshaw, {born 8 Jan, died July 1787} (cont.)
7. Margaret
Grimshaw, {wife of William Hudson, of Skipton}
John
Grimshaw Married
Alice Oxley and had one child: -
1. Mary Grimshaw
Christopher
Grimshaw married
Catherine, {daughter of Richard Townley of Carr Hall, Barnside} and
had five children:
1. Christopher
Grimshaw, {born 20 Oct 1731, died 21 Jan 1732}
2. Thomas
Grimshaw, {born 17 Nov 1737, died 14 May 1797} (cont.)
3. Ellen Grimshaw,
{wife of Thomas Ryce, of Hampstead}
4. Margaret
Grimshaw, {wife of Thomas Owen, of Manchester and then Dublin, architect}
5. Anne Grimshaw,
{died unmarried}
6. Catherine
Grimshaw, {died unmarried}
Thomas
Grimshaw married
Mary, {daughter of John Nocks, of Preston, died Apr 1762} settled
in Preston. (Go to Preston)
Thomas
Grimshaw married
Jane Holt {of Burnley, died 17 June 1794} and had four children: -
1. Christopher
Grimshaw, {born 1764, died 1821, Burnley solicitor}
2. John Grimshaw,
{died young}
3. Thomas
Grimshaw, {born 1768, died 1820, Burnley surgeon}
4. Nicholas
Grimshaw, {born 1773, died 1830} (cont.)
Nicholas Grimshaw
married Anne Slater and had four children: -
1. Thomas
Grimshawe
2. Jane Grimshawe,
{died 1863}
3. Elizabeth
Grimshawe
4. Anne Grimshawe,
{wife of Richard Eastwood, of Thorneyholme, Nr Clitheroe}
Thomas Grimshawe
married Helena Brettargh and settled in Sherbrooke Lodge, Ontario,
Canada in 1852. (Go to Canada)
Ashlar House
Gravestone
