Domesday Book When the
Domesday Book was compiled, this hundred was composed of three separate hundreds of West Derby, Warrington and
Newton-in-
Makerfield. The hundreds possibly united in the reign of
Henry I. The hundred is surrounded on the west by the
Irish Sea and in the south west and south by the
River Mersey and Glazebrook, to the east is
Salford Hundred and to the north east the
River Douglas and
Leyland Hundred. Apart from the manor which contained West Derby Castle, said to have been built by
Roger of Poitou, there were several other manors which were owned by the Lord of the manor for his own use. At the time of the
Conquest these manors incorporated six
berewicks encompassing the villages of Thingwall,
Liverpool,
Great Crosby,
Aintree,
Everton,
Garston and
Hale. The main landowner at the time is listed as Uhtred (sometimes spelt Uchtred or Uhtræd)
Expansion of the boundaries By the end of the 12th century the three separate hundreds had united and West Derby Castle was an important administrative centre rivalling
Lancaster in the north of the county. Its position was strengthened by its proximity to the
Port of Liverpool, which was founded by
King John, trade with Cheshire and the passage of ferries from Liverpool to
Birkenhead. By 1327 West Derby Castle was reported to be in ruins.
Court and laws on the hundred A
Wapentake court was held every three weeks with the steward of the hundred officiating. There had been a courthouse in West Derby for over 1000 years since the time of the
Vikings. The present courthouse situated in
West Derby is from a building which was constructed during the reign of
Queen Elizabeth I. The court was used for the presentation of minor offences, or breaches of any laws within the hundred. The King, or lord of the manor had his own bailiff, who was the officer to the sheriff, who had the duty to ensure peace within the hundred and collect any taxes or levys from the people. From the reign of
Stephen of England to that of
Henry IV this office was a hereditary title held by members of the Walton family of Walton-on-the-Hill. By the fifteenth century the master of the forest was held by members of the
Molyneux family, who also held the title of steward of the hundred.
Land changes hands On 18 October 1229,
Henry III granted all land from the Ribble to the Mersey, including West Derby, Liverpool, the village of Salford, and the wapentake of Leyland to
Ranulf Earl of Chester and Lincoln. When he died in 1232 without any heir the land was inherited by
William de Ferrers, through his wife Agnes, sister of the late earl. The land was then passed on to his son
William, and then to his son
Robert. In 1263, Robert held court against several people who had committed offences against the deer of his forest. In 1266 he rebelled against the rule of the King Henry III and was beaten at the Battle of Chesterfield, following this he was stripped of his title and land, which returned to the hands of the Crown, which was then given to
Edmund, the King's second son, who was later created Earl of Lancaster. The title and land followed the line of descent of honour of Lancaster from Edmund until it was merged into the Crown in 1413, and is vested in the reigning monarch.
19th Century In 1835 and 1895, Liverpool expanded to include West Derby. In 1889, all remaining administrative functions of historic counties were replaced by
Administrative counties of England. ==Places encompassed by the hundred of West Derby==