Draft:Bailiwick of Stalmine

The Bailiwick of Stalmine is an unusual historical title located in the township of Stalmine within the extensive parish of Lancaster, Lancashire, England. Although called a bailiwick, it functioned effectively as a lordship of the manor and was inherited as such.

History
The bailiwick was under the control of a bailiff appointed by the Lords of Furness, the monks of Furness Abbey. Stalmine lies in the area known as Fylde, deriving its name from the Old English and Norse meaning "a pool or stream at the mouth of the river".

The monks of Furness Abbey held land in Stalmine since the 12th century. Founded in 1127, the abbey was granted lands including Stalmine by large landowners. In around 1200, Robert de Stalmine granted monks land called Corocola from his estate, forming the basis of the subsequent bailiwick. Over the next 200 years, through grants like those of William and Henry de Stalmine in 1240, the abbey expanded its lands in the township.

By the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536, the Abbey of Furness had obtained the whole manor of Stalmine. This fell to the Crown, making subsequent English monarchs the Lords of the Bailiwick until 1666. As a reward for helping restore the monarchy, King Charles II granted the former abbey lands including Stalmine to George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle.

The bailiwick descended through the Dukes of Albemarle until the death of the 1st duke's childless son in 1687. It then passed through marriage to the Dukes of Buccleuch until 1827. In 1835, the 5th Duke of Buccleuch sold much of the Lancashire estate, including the Bailiwick of Stalmine, to Peregrine Towneley. The bailiwick remains in private ownership today.

Tenants
Rents from the bailiwick's tenants, which amounted to £10 10s 1d per year, were collected for Towneley in 1846 and later Lords O'Hagan. Tenants in the bailiwick included the De Stalmines and De Oxleys in the 13th century. An agreement in 1318 regulated Nicholas de Oxley's improvement of waste land and the abbey's rights of way.