BLACKBURN HUNDRED 



MITTON (PART OF) 



A chapel of St. John the Baptist was 

 CHURCH built in Bailey by Robert de Clitheroe, 

 and he obtained the royal licence to 

 grant it with the endowment he provided to Cocker- 

 sand Abbey ; the canons were to provide two 

 chaplains. 530 This intention does not seem to have 

 been carried into effect, for in 1338 Henry de 

 Clitheroe obtained a fresh licence from the king 

 authorizing him to alienate two messuages, 40 acres 

 of land, &c., in Ribchester and Dutton for the 

 endowment of a chaplain who should celebrate daily 

 fir the souls of Robert de Clitheroe and others. 331 

 In 1548 it was found that the incumbent 'celebrated 

 there accordingly and did minister the Blessed 

 Sacrament to the inhabitants adjoining at such times 

 as the curates of the parish church cannot repair to 

 them for the floods.' MJ Most of the chaplains' names 

 are known, as follows M3 : 



1334 William de Preston 



1338 Thomas 334 



1403-21 Richard Bradley 



1421-62 William Bradley 



1468 John Bradley 



1498 William Barker 

 oc. 150017 Lawrence Towneley 336 " r 



1517 Robert Taylor m 



oc 



oc 



oc 



In 1535 the income was returned as 3 101. 

 The endowment was confiscated on the general sup- 

 pression of chantries, the lands being sold in 1 549 to 

 William Eggleston and others, 340 and no attempt was 

 made, so far as appears, to maintain service in the 

 chapel. The building gradually fell into ruin, and 

 the last remains of it were destroyed in I83O. 341 The 

 east window had been removed to Stonyhurst and 

 placed in its present position there, in a room then 

 used as a chapel. 343 The Priest's House, or Merrick's 

 Hall, now standing in Bailey, is thought to have been 

 the chantry priest's residence. It contains some 

 wood carving : ' Robertus Taylor cantorista hanc 

 fabricam fieri fecit A. Dfti M.D.xxiii.' 343 



In Chaigley there was a chantry of St. Chad, but 

 nothing definite is known of its history. It is stated 

 to have been by the roadside opposite a farm now 

 called Chapel House. 344 The Chapel-stead in 

 Chaigley is named in a deed of I378-9. 34 ' Richard 

 Shireburne of Stonyhurst in 1 600 wa seised of ' the 

 late dissolved chantry of St. Chad in Chaigley and 

 the chantry lands lying in the manors of Aighton, 

 Bailey and Chaigley,' and complained that Roger 



Nowell and Richard Holden had obtained certain 

 deeds respecting the same, which he oueht to 

 have. 148 



For the Church of England St. John the Evan- 

 gelist's was built in 1838, near Hurst Green, but 

 within Bailey ; a burial-ground is attached. A 

 district was assigned to it in iSjo. 341 It is in the 

 diocese of Ripon. The vicars are presented by the 

 vicars of Mitton. 



The Congregationalists have a small endowed 

 school-chapel at Walker Fold in Chaigley, founded in 

 1792. Over the doorway is the inscription : 'Chaidg- 

 ley Charity School, Established by Miss Ellin 

 Haighton And endowed by Miss Ann Haighton, only 

 daughter of Mr. Richd. Haighton, all of London. 

 The ground bought of Mr. Richd. Haighton of 

 Chaidgley, I792.' 34 * 



From the account of the Shireburne family it may 

 be gathered that the practice of the rites of the Roman 

 Catholic religion was maintained in the district with 

 more or less regularity during the whole period of the 

 penal laws. 341 Henry Long, a secular priest educated 

 at Rome, 350 the chaplain at the hall from 1666 to 

 1679, was drawn into a controversy with the vicar of 

 Mitton, who had a dispute concerning his revenues 

 with Richard Shireburne, ' the sacrilegious popish 

 patron ' of Mitton, as the vicar styled him. 351 The 

 secular clergy were succeeded by Jesuits about 1 7OO, 3M 

 but from 1741 to 1752 the Duchess of Norfolk had 

 a Carmelite for chaplain. 353 On the establishment 

 of the college in 1 794 a larger chapel in the house 

 became necessary. In 1797 part of the old stabling was 

 fitted up for public use, and this was replaced in 

 1835 by the present church of St. Peter adjoining 

 the college. It is a pleasing example of the early 

 Gothic revival, the architect being J. J. Scolcs. 314 

 It has in course of time become richly decorated, a 

 tasteful high altar having been given in 1893. The 

 sacristy contains a number of valuable relics, in- 

 cluding the cap and seal of B. Thomas More, mon- 

 strances and other church furniture ; also rich vest- 

 ments, including a chasuble and cope, part of a gift 

 by Henry VII to Westminster Abbey, and a more 

 ancient chasuble of English make called the Lucca 

 vestment. 355 Mass is also said once a week at St. 

 Joseph's Schools, Hurst Green. 



The principal endowment 3M is 



CHARITIES that of 9o a year for the Shireburne 



almshouses. 3 " In addition about 10 



a year is distributed to the poor from the gift of 



tto Col. ttt. 1330-4, p. 9. It ii 

 powiblc chat there hid been an earlier 

 chapel there. 



**' Ibid. 1338-40, f. 30; the chapel 

 ii described at 'lately built by Robert de 

 Clitheroe.' 



m Rainet, Ckantritt (Chet. Soc,), 

 211-13. 



" a The lilt ii derived from Whitaker'i 

 Cravrn (ed. Morant, 29), hii rcicrcnce 

 being to ' the regiitert of York ' and from 

 the Shireburne Abttract Bk. 



** Towncley MS. OO, no. 1 + 50. 



w William Bradley, chaplain of the 

 chantry of Bailey, in 1430-1 made an 

 eichange of landi with the patron, 

 Nicholai Clitheroe ; ibid. no. 1221, 1223. 



Ilr hail a ton John n.imed in tome of 



the dredi in the Shireburne Abitract. Bk. 



ICCUM in 1 500 ; OO, no. 1457. 



He retignrd in 1 5 1 7 and TJ> lor lucceeded. 



m Taylor wai itill chaplain in 1 548, 

 being lixty-nine year* old ; Rainei, loc. cit. 



" falor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 144. 



Pat 3 Edw. VI, pt. iii. 



141 Ntriria Ceitr, (Chet. Soc.), ii, 474. 



M Whitaker, loc. cit. 



*** Gerard, op. cit. 99. 



144 A 'chapel home ' eiiited in 1725 , 

 ffa/Uen'i Diary, \ i (quoted by Nightin- 

 gale). See alto Stonyftunt Mag. NOT. 

 1887 and the account of Crawihaw. 



*" Shireburne Abttract Bk. 



M Duchy of Lane. Plead. Elir. CICT, 

 Sn. 



147 Land. Gam. 25 Feb. 1870. 



** Nightingale, Lantt. Nonconf. ii, 217- 

 12. An account of the foundation and 

 endowment! it given in End. Char. 

 1X99. 



3H The hiding-placet in the hall ij 

 are detcribed in Gerard, op. cit. 78. 



*9 



Foley, Rrc. S. J. vi, 398. 

 " Gillow, Bitl. Diet, if Engl. Cttk. 

 ir, 326. 



" Foley, Rrc. S. J. T, 400. There 

 wai alto a chapel at Bailey Hall. 



*" Zimmerman, Carmetin England, 371. 

 144 Gerard, op. cit. 100. 

 '" Ibid. 245-58 i viewt of tome ire 

 given. 



* An official inquiry wai made in 

 1898; the report, itiued in 1899, in- 

 cludet a reprint of that of 1826. The 

 detail! here given are derived from it. 



IW Richard 'Scireburne* had in 1686 

 intended to found an 'alnuhouie or 

 maiwn at Din ' for twenty aged pertont, 

 [on Sir Nicholai in 1706 carried 

 Jnto eiecution. Each of the 

 have 4 a year and 

 >ropriated to the 

 and Chaigley. 



