CHAPTER 11. 



" The church of the village 

 Gleaming stood in the morning's sheen ; 

 Loud rang the bells, the crowd was assembled, 

 Far from valleys and hills, to list to the holy preaching." 



— Longfellow. 



" I always enter this sacred place 

 With a thoughtful, solemn, and reverent pace." 



— Ibid. 



" These were the pranks she played among th' abodes 

 Of mortal men." — Shelley. 



rr^HE Original Church (or Chapel of ease, as it was called) at 

 ■*- Newchurch, was erected in the year 1511, being the 3d year 

 of the reign of Henry VHI., and it is this circumstance that gave rise 

 to the name of tRe village. It was not made parochial, however, 

 till the 4th of Edward VI., 1550, down to which year the Castle 

 and Church of Clitheroe was the Parish Church of the people of 

 Rossendale. At that time it was in the diocese of Chester, and 

 the following note respecting it is contained in Bishop Gastrell's 

 N^otitia Cestriensis. (a) 



" Newchurch in Rossendale. The Forest of Rossendale was in ye times of 

 H.[enryl 7 and H.[enry] 8 Disforrested, and ye Land was improved, soe yt 

 in 40 years time from 20 persons ye people were encreased to 1,000, who built 

 a Chap, elj for themselves and maintained a Minister. V.[idel] Deed [/«] 

 New RegJjster.'^ 



" This Chap.[el,] wch is sd to belong to ye Parish of Clitheroe, from wch it was 

 12 m.[ilesj (i) distant, was made Parochial by K.[ingj Edw [ard] 6, and called 



(a) Chetham Society's Publications, vol. IIL, p. 340, et. seq. 



(b) Actually 14 statute miles distant, as the crow flies. 



