Edward Halsall ( c. 1517 - 1594)
Founder of Halsall Free Grammar School in 1593.
The website, British History Online refers to ‘A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3’, originally published in 1903 which details various townships including the village of Halsall. From this document we learn that Edward Halsall was the heir of his nephew Henry Halsall G84B-MYH; Henry’s son, Richard P728-QQ1 had predeceased him and so the estate was left to Edward. After coming into possession of the Halsall Estate, Edward occasionally resided there. He was a member of commissions of array in 1577 and 1580 and held various public offices.
According to F. A. Bailey (1941) in his ‘The Churchwardens’ Accounts of Prescot – 1523-1607, Edward Halsall owned land in Sutton and Eccleston and is described as ‘a man of ability, a barrister of Gray’s Inn’. He became a member of Lord Derby’s council, Vice-chairman of Chester and Recorder of Liverpool from 1573 until his death in 1594. He was also the mayor of Liverpool in 1579 and again in 1586.
An official return of the religious attitude of the justices, knights, esquires and ‘gentlemen of the better sort’ of the West Derby hundred was drawn up in 1590; Edward Halsall’s religious leanings were described as ‘conformable, but otherwise of no good note’ (Gibson, Lydiate Hall, 244). Although, in his will Edward states ‘I wish to die a member of God’s Catholic Church’.
The author, Howard Channon, wrote a piece in the Liverpool Echo in 1972 proclaiming the virtues of Edward Halsall and his role as the third Recorder of Liverpool. Recorder of Liverpool – Wikipedia
In 1593 Edward founded the Halsall Free Grammar School at St. Cuthbert’s church; he endowed it with sufficient sums to teach 15 boys of Halsall and Downholland for free.
In 1861, the scholars from the Grammar School based at St. Cuthbert’s Church were transferred to a new school – the building that came to be known as the ‘Old Schools’ and then later as St. Cuthbert’s Hall.
Edward Halsall died in 1594 and in his will we learn that he requested to be buried in the church or chancel of St. Cuthbert’s, Halsall. He also stated that he would like the remains of his first wife, Ursula and his son, Richard to be removed from Prescot parish church and buried with him at Halsall. In addition, he desired that when the time came, the body of his second wife, Ann, be buried in the same grave.
Having no direct heir, the estate passed from Edward to Cuthbert Halsall MHCL-D89 who was the grandson of Edward’s nephew, Henry Halsall. Edward had been the guardian of Cuthbert Halsall after the death of Cuthbert’s father, Richard and his grandparents, Henry and Ann Molyneux. Henry had made provision in his will for Cuthbert to inherit the estate after Edward – a decision which proved disastrous for the Halsall family…
