Chap. 2.J 



ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. 



63 



REV. MR. HARLEY— 1G4 (?)-1647 (?). 



There seems to be little doubt that Mr. Harlej' wa.s Curate of 

 Loiigridge at this time, as the followiug extract from the Cromwellian 

 Survey in 1650 shows : — 



There is belonging to the parish [Ril)chester] ffive Townshippes, viz. — 

 Ribcliester, Dilworth, Hovvston [Alston], Veuesee [Hothersall], and Dutton ; the 



tytlie of the said parish The iUshopp always allowed twenty 



marke."! per annum towards a minister out of the rent ; they are at present without 

 any Minister, only hire so often as they can. And pay the minister soe farre as the 

 twenty markes viiW goe, and make up the rent of theire owne purses. There wasone 

 Mr. Harley Curate there, but was put out by the Committee of Divines in Lan- 

 cashire for his insufficiency and being scandalous in liis life and conversation. 



Clmstopher Hiudle was the Vicar of Ribchcster from 1617 to 1651, 

 when he was deposed by " one Ingham; " so that Mr. Harley would, 

 without doubt, be the Curate of Longridgo. I can find no further 

 reference to Mr. Harley, a fact, under the circumstances, perhaps not 

 to be regretted. 



TIMOTHY SMITH — 165 -1662. 



Timothy Smith was appointed on the petition of the inhabitants, 

 who in 1650 were without any Priest, as they well might be, seeing 

 there was no endowment. He was a very conscientious man, and in 

 1662 was ejected, because lie would not give his full adliesion to the 

 Prayer Book, in conformity with the Act of Uniformity.^ But curiously 



'The Commission appointed in 1650 to obtain the consent of the Vicars of the 

 Churches and Chapels in Lancashire, to the " Harmonious Consent," reported that 

 there were at that time 63 Parish Churches, and 118 Chapels, of which no less than 38 

 were without Ministers, chiefly for want of maintenance. The following table shows 

 who signed the "Consent" in this neighbourhood :— 



Eighty-four of the Lancashire Clergy signed " The Harmonious Consent," or the 

 "Agreement of the People," while 78 did not. But in the neighbourhood of Longridge 

 only two signed one or the other, viz., the Curates of Garstang and Goosnargh. 



