Historic Liverpool Dwellings - Crosse Hall

 

A Crosse family, thought to have originated in Wales, appeared at Aught near Wigan in the early 1200’s. Richard del Crosse came to Liverpool in the early 1400’s and with him begins the connetion with Liverpool of the Crosse family, who were to play an exceedingly prominent part in the affairs of the borough during the following century. His son John Crosse was Mayor of Liverpool in 1459 and 1476 and the family then held Crosse Hall in Liverpool and Chorley together with the Ledsham manor in Cheshire. William de Liverpool had left two sons, by different wives, both named John, one of whom founded the chantry of St. John in the Liverpool Chapel, perhaps in memory of his father; but his lands and his mill presently passed into the hands of Richard de Crosse, a son of his wife by another marriage. It is written, 'Richard de Crosse was born in1367 in Crosse Hall, Liverpoole, to John Crosse who was born in Liverpoole in 1337. It appears that on the 12th of September 1522, John Crosse, a clerk granted, by charter, to Nicholas Banastre and Henry Banastre jun., gents., Crosse Hall in Lyverpole, etc., to Joan daughter of Henry Banastre for life, etc., then to William Crosse brother and heir [apparent] of said John'. Perhaps their mansion of Crosse Hall, with its croft sloping down to the Pool near the town's end on the south side of Dale Street, may represent the original home of William, the son of Adam. William Del Crosse was born in 1290, in Wigan, to Adam Del Crosse who was also born in Wigan, in1243. Many of the family were buried in 'the chapel of St. Nicholas of Lyverpol'.

Liverpool c.1680 showing the Town Hall to the left of the Castle

Way back the original Town Hall and 'Gilde' was a small thatched house on the High Street, with which the burgesses had been content with, bequeathed to the town by John Crosse in 1515. Although we're not sure exactly what it looked like, we do know that it had a variety of uses; it was a custom house, warehouse, prison and meeting place for the Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses. Important documents, like the town charters, were stored in the enormous town chest as well as fines and tolls collected by the Bailiffs. It had a chapel where mass was said at 6am daily, and every evening at 8pm the curfew bell was rung to signal that all respectable people should be at home. In 1673 Sir John Crosse then lived in a fine mansion in Dale Street. Liverpool and the current Town Hall, opened in 1754. Public improvements on a large scale had begun to be carried out or talked of when a new town hall was built, 'placed on pillars and arches of hewn stone, and underneath the public exchange for the merchants.' This building replaced the old thatched common hall with which the burgesses had been content since it was bequeathed to them by John Crosse and it stood immediately in front of the modern town hall. The Town Hall we use today is actually the third one, built in 1754 and extensively re-modelled at the beginning of the 19th century.

The Second [Liverpool] Town Hall (1673). W. Herdman. Drawing. Source: Muir's Bygone Liverpool

 

In 1515 John Crosse made a bequest to the priest of the Chapel of Saint Mary del Key, the church which dates back to at least the 13th century. According to Picton, a local historian, it was known as 'The House of the Virgin Mary'; a place where church and state met. It was the place where Liverpool’s merchants and business men would do deals and plan the future development of the town. Liverpool wasn’t a particularly large or wealthy town at the time, but trade with Ireland was beginning to grow and custom fees were lower here making it an attractive port for textile merchants. The Mayor in 1515 was a Welshman named Dafydd ap Gruffyd (Griffith), a business man whose family could afford to lease the Lordship of Liverpool and sub-let property around the town, including mills and the ferry. He had been elected from a group of two Bailiffs, twelve Aldermen and Burgesses - people who owned businesses or property and had citizenship rights. It was his job to ensure that bye-laws and court orders were carried out. It also appears that he had to pay for any repairs to the Town Hall out of his own pocket. So, this small thatched house was once one of the town’s most important buildings. Whilst it reflected Liverpool’s status 500 years ago, the money invested in its rebuilding shows growing confidence in a place that was experiencing a massive increase in population and trade. By 1740 Liverpool needed a new 'front door' for fashionable assemblies, civic occasions and its extensive council business. Only a building "not to be paralleled in Europe" would do, with a new Exchange 'the largest in England, if not in Europe' sitting in the 'backyard'. Crosshall Street is named after the family residence whose home once stood on the site of the Municipal Building.In 1522 a Grammar School was founded by John Crosse on the South side of Dale Street. Early directories say it was free for all children, however in 1911, it was said that the school was free for poor boys of the name of Crosse, and that is was founded in 1515. The endowment has disappeared.

see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2023/03/historic-liverpool-dwellings-court-hey.html