SAMLESBURY was held in the latter half of the 12th century by Gospatric son of Swain in thegnage by the yearly service of 12s. It is by no means improbable that he was a younger son of Swain son of Leofwin, lord of part of Hindley about the middle of the 12th century. In addition to his manor of Samlesbury he held half the manor of Alston in Amounderness, and in Salford Hundred half the manors of Harwood and Sharples, estates which his son Roger held in 1212 after Gospatric's death. Roger, having married Margaret daughter and heir of Walter son of Osbert without the consent of the chief lord, Theobald Walter, was summoned in 1194 to answer for this default. In 1224 his neighbour Edward de Brockholes demanded half the vill of Samlesbury from him, but after Roger's death accepted 10 marks from Roger's successor in 1227 to resign his claim.

This successor was William de Samlesbury, Roger's eldest son, who increased his estates by marrying Avina daughter and heir of William de Notton, lord of Breightmet in the parish of Bolton-le-Moors, by whom he had issue Margery, Cecily and Elizabeth. He died about 1256, his widow obtaining the manor of Breightmet in satisfaction of her dower. His eldest daughter Margery married first in or before 1257 Richard son and heir-apparent of William de Clifton, who died shortly after his marriage, and secondly Robert de Hampton of Allonby, co. Cumb., and died without issue before July 1267 ; Cecily the second daughter married before 13 April 1259 John Deuyas; and Elizabeth married after that date Robert de Holand son and heir of Thurstan de Holand. Robert de Hampton died in 1277, but not until 1292 or 1296 was a partition of his third part of the manor made between Deuyas and Holand. In 1311, at the death of the Earl of Lincoln, Dame Cecily Deuyas and Dame Elizabeth de Holand held a plough-land here in thegnage by the yearly service of 12s.

The Holand moiety of the manor passed like the other estates of the family to the Lovels, and was forfeited by Francis Viscount Lovel upon his attainder in 1485. On 25 February 1489 it was granted with many other forfeited estates in the county to Thomas Earl of Derby. In July 1600 William Earl of Derby passed half the manor by fine to trustees, by whom it was conveyed to Thomas Walmsley, kt., Justice of the Common Pleas, and from him descended with the other estates of that family, as described in the account of Dunkenhalgh, until in 1852 it was left to the father of the present owner, Mr. Oswald Henry Petre.

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53123