This Indenture made the Two and Twentith day of January in the sixteenth yeare of the raigne of our Soveraigne lord Charles, by the grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, defender of the faith etc,

Betweene Thomas Standish of Duxbury in the Countie of Lancaster, esquier, and Thomas Standish gent, sonne and heire apparent of the said Thomas Standish, esquier, of the one party,

And George Vauxe of the parish of St Martines in the feildes in the County of Middlesex, esquier, and Elizabeth Vaux, daughter of the said George Vaux of the other partie,

Witnesseth That the said Thomas Standish, the father, and Thomas Standish, the sonne, for and in Consideration of a marriage to be hereafter had, and solemnized by and betwixt the said Thomas Standish the sonne and the said Elizabeth, daughter of the said George Vaux, and of the su[m]me of twoe thousand poundes of current English mony in hand paied by the said George Vaux to the said Thomas Standish the father for the marriage porc[i]on of the said Elizabeth, and for provision of maintenance and meanes of livelihood for the said Elizabeth by way of Joynture forth and out of the landes and hereditamentes hereafter menc[i]oned, if the said intended marriage doe take effecte, and that the said Elizabeth doe overlive the said Thomas Standish the sonne, and to the intente and purpose that the said Elizabeth shall and may, i[m]mediately from and after the death of the said Thomas Standish the sonne (in case the said intended marriage doe take effect),

Have, receive, perceive and take, yerely and every yeare during the naturall life of the said Elizabeth, one Annuitie, annuall su[m]me and yearly rent-chardge of twoe hundred and fiftie pounds of current English money in full Compensac[i]on or recompense and satisfacc[i]on of all such dower or Joynture or title of dower as the said Elizabeth can or may have (if the said marriage take effect) forth or out of all, every or anie of the mannors, lo[rdshi]ps, messuages, Landes, tenements and hereditaments herein hereafter expressed,

Have given, granted and confirmed, and the said Thomas Standish the father and Thomas Standish the sonne doe, by these presents, for the respects and Considerations aforesaid, give, grant, and confirms unto the said Elizabeth Vaux, One Annuitie, annuall Su[m]me or yearly rent chardge of twoe hundred and fiftie poundes of current English money to be yearely issueing and goeing forth and out of all and everie the mannors or lordshipps of the said Thomas Standish the father and Thomas Standish the sonne, or either of them, situate and being in Duxburie, Heapey, Whitle in the woodes, Heath Chernocke and Anlezarch in the said Countie of Lancaster,

And forth and out of all and every the capitall or other messuages, milnes, toftes, Crofts, Curtelages, landes, tenements, demesnes and demesne landes, rents, reverc[i]ons, services, and hereditamentes whatsoever of the said Thomas Standish the father and Thomas Standish the sonne, or either of them, and whereof or wherein the said Thomas Standish the father and Thomas Standish the sonne, or either of them, no we is or standeth seized, of or for anie estate of Inheritance, in possession, reverc[i]on or remaynder, or otherwise, Situate and being in the Townes, Towneshipps, Hamletts, places, Feildes or Territories of Duxbury, Heapey, Whitle in the woodes, Heath Chernocke, Anlezarch, Standish, Langtree, Worthington and Chorley, and in every or anie of them, or eiswhere in the County of Lancaster,

To have and to hould the said Annuitie, annuall su[m]me, or yearly rent charge of twoe hundred and fiftie poundes, to the said Elizabeth and her assignes, from and i[m]mediately after the decease of the said Thomas Standish the so[n]ne, for and during the terrne of the naturall life of the said Elizabeth, The same annuitie an[n]uall su[m]me or yearely rent charge of twoe hundred and fiftie poundes to be and continewe payable, yerely and every yeare, to the said Elizabeth and her assignes, during her naturall life, at and upon the Feastes of the birth of our Lord God, co[m]monly called Christmas, and the feast of the nativitie of St John the Baptist, co[m]monly called Midsomer day, by even and equall porc[i]ons,

The first paym[en]t thereof to begin at such of the said Feastes as shall first and next happen after the death of the said Thomas Standish the so[n]ne,

And the same yearly payement to be made and paied accordingly at or in the middle Temple Hall in London,

And if it shall happen the said a[n]nuity, a[n]nuall su[m]me or yerely rent charge of two hundred and fiftie poundes, or any pfarjte thereof, to be behind and unpaied, in part or in all, at either of the said Feastes, during the naturall life of the said Elizabeth,

That then and in such Case, and soe often as the same a[n]nuity, a[n]nuall su[m]me or yerely rent charge of two hundred and fiftie poundes or any part thereof shall happen to be soe behind and unpaid,

It shall and may be lawefull to and for the said Eliz[a]beth and her assignes, into and upon all and singular the said mannors or lordshipps, messuages, lands, tenem[en]tes, hereditamentes and premisses, w[i]th the appurtena[u]nces, or into any part or parcell thereof. To enter and distraine, Aswell [for] the said A[n]nuity, a[n]nuall su[m]me or yerely rent charge of twoe hundred and fiftie poundes and the arrerages thereof (if anie shall happen to be) as alsoe for the su[m]me of twentie shillings pferj diem [per day] to be [forfeited nomine pene [in the name of a penalty] for every day after either of the said Feastes that the said a[n]nuity, a[n]nuall su[m]me or yearly rent charge of twoe hundred and fifty poundes or any part thereof, shall happen to be soe behind and [unp]aied,

And the distresse and distresses there had, found or taken, to lead, drive, take, carrie away, impound, detayne and keepe w[i]th the said Elizabeth or her assignes untill the said annuity, annuall su[m]me or [ye]rely rent charge of twoe hundred and fiftie poundes, and the arrerages thereof, if any be, and all and every su[m]me and su[m]mes of money forfeited and lost nomine pene for non payem[en]t of the same a[n]nuity, a[n]nuall su[m]me or ye[rely] rent charge of two hundred and fifty poundes, or any p[ar]t thereof, shalbe truely satisfied and paid to the said Elizabeth or her assignes,

And it is the agreement of all the said pafrties] to these presents, And the said Thomas Standisshe the father and Thomas Standish the sonne doe hereby alsoe Covenant, grant, promise and agree, to and w[i]th the said George Vaux [an]d Elizabeth Vaux, their Executors and Administrators,

That they, the said Thomas Standish the Father and Thomas Standish the so[n]ne, or the one of them, nowe have or hath good power [and] authorise to charge all and singular the said mannors or lo[rdshi]pps, landes, tenem[en]tes, hereditaments and premisses in a manner as is aforesaid, discharged of Incumbrances done by them, the said Thomas Stan[dis]h the father and Thomas Standish the so[n]ne, or either of them, their or either of their heires or assignes,

(The title of dower of Anne, nowe wife of the said Thomas Standish the father, and all leases [for] three lives or fewer, or for any number of yeres determinable upon the death of one, twoe or three lives, alreadie made by the said Thomas Standish the father, of tenements usually lett to farme at and [u]nder the therefore usuall and accustomed rentes and services alwayes excepted), And further that all and singular the said ma[n]nors or lordshipps, landes, tenementes, demesnes or demesne landes and premisses, w[i]th the app[urtenances] (except before excepted) shall at all tymes hereafter remayne and be overt and sufficient to and for the distresse and distresses of the said Elizabeth Vaux and her assignes, as well for the said a[n]nuity, a[n]nuall su[m]me or yerely rent chardge of twoe hundred and fifrie poundes, and the arrerages thereof (if any be), as alsoe for all and every the su[m]me or su[m]es of money forfeited and lost nomine pene upon such default as aforesaid.

In w[i]tnes whereof the parties abovesaid have hereunto interchangeably set their handes and Seales the day and yeare above written :1640:

 Alas the intervention of the English Civil War ended the marriage contract and Thomas Standish and his beloved Elizabeth Vaux would not become man and wife as was intended on the 22^nd day of January in the Winter of 1640 .

 

Royalists and Parliamentarians the Civil War.

Chorley, like many other places in England, found its leading families taking opposite sides in the great struggle between the Royalists and the Puritans. Whilst Richard Chorley of Chorley Hall, Robert   Charnock of  Astley,  Alexander  Rigby of Burgh, Anderton of Euxton, and Ralph Standish of Standish, were loyal to their King, Thomas Standish of Duxbury, M.P. for Preston, and Edward Robinson of Buckshaw, were on the side of the Parliament. However the eldest son, the namesake, and heir of Thomas Standish was a Captain in the King's army - a Captain of a trained band of Men of the Leyland Hundred. He was killed at the siege of Manchester, in a most peculiar manner. He was quartered in a house on the north side of Salford " well up towards the Chapel" —i.e., Manchester Collegiate Church, (now the  Cathedral) and while washing his hands at the door on the morning of September 29, 1642, he was killed by a bullet shot from the top of the church steeple (sniper). He was brought home to Duxbury for burial. This is the entry in the Register of the Church of St. Laurence: " Dux. Thomas Standish de Duxbury sessederit apud Manchester et sepultus fuit apud Chorley 30^mo Septembris." 1642. The sad event appears to have accelerated the father's death, for the very next entry save one reads: " Thomas Standish de Duxbury Arf [Armi-gero] Sepul fuit 29 Octoberis." 1642.His second son Alexander and successor was in the Parliamentary army, for we find further on: "Alex^rus Coll [Colonel] Standish de Duxbury sepultus fuit 15^t0Marcij [1646-7].