Forest of Rossendale. 189 



labour were those of an Apostle." {a) Mr. Porter, who was nearly 

 80 years of age at his death, was 42 years Incumbent of St. John's. 

 The Church, during his ministry, was crowded to excess with 

 attentive hearers. The esteem in which he was held by his 

 townsmen of all denominations was sincere and universal. 



After Mr. Porter's death, the living was sold to the Hulmeian 

 Trustees, (jb) in whose hands the gift of the benefice rests. 



The Rev. E. B. Allen was the 3rd Incumbent ; he came in June 

 1839, and left in March or April 1849. His successor, the Rev. 

 Benjamin Tweddle, came in 1850 and died April ist, 1858, at 

 Lytham, whither he had gone for his health, being succeeded by 

 the Rev. J. F. Brindle, M.A., who left in 1877. The Rev. Arthur 

 Phillips, M. A., the present Vicar, was appointed in the latter year. 



After Mr. Porter's death, and down to that of Mr. Tweddle, the 

 church was assisted by eleven curates in succession, whose salaries 

 were paid by the Church Pastoral Aid Society. 



(n) Sermon on the occasion of the death of the Rev. William Porter, of 

 Bacup, preached by the Rev. James Knight, A.M., of Sheffield. 



(i) The following account of the origin of the Hulme's foundation, is from 

 the " History and Directory of Mid-Lancashire." 



" William Hulme, Esq., of Kearsley, in Lancashire, by his will, dated the 

 24th of October, 1691, devised his lands and tenements in Heaton-Norris, 

 Denton, Ashton-under-Lyne, Reddish, Manchester, and Harwood, in this 

 county, to certain trustees and their heirs for ever, in order that the yearly 

 rents might be distributed in equal proportion? to four of the poorest 

 Bachelors of Arts in Brazenose College, Oxford, who should resolve to 

 reside there for the four succeeding years after such degree had been taken, 

 the nomination to be approved of by the Warden of the Collegiate Church, 

 Manchester, the Rectors of the parish churches of Prestwich and Bury for the 

 time being, and for ever. In the loth year of the reign of George lU., an 

 Act of Parliament was passed enabling the trustees to grant building leases 

 of the estates, and to increase the number of exhibitioners ; and in the 35th 

 year of the same reign, an Amended Act was passed, empowering the said 

 trustees to make such allowance to each exhibitioner, as they should think 

 reasonable, provided it did not exceed ;^ioo. 



" In the 54th year of the same king's reign, another Act was passed, by 

 which the trustees were enabled to provide exhibitions, and found a divinity 

 'ecture, and to pay to the lecturer the sum of ^150 a-year; and such was 



