74 A HISTORY OF LONGRIDGE. [Chap. 2. 



" to have been used in the old Catholic Chapel, at Longridge, which 

 stood tij)on the site of the present Episcopalian Church prior to the 

 EefoiTnation." 



The following interesting account of this cross, from the pen of the 

 Eev. Charles Boardman, D.D., appeared in the " Salford Almanack," 

 1880:— 



" The old brass processional cross now belonging to the Longridge 

 Mission was found about fifty years ago by a boy named Seth Eccles. 

 About 400 yards from the site of the present Protestant Church an old 

 house was being pidled down, and this boy, with some others, was 

 playing about the half-demolished building. On a ledge in the 

 chimney flue he found the cross, together with some other religious 

 objects — he believes a chalice was among them. These other objects 

 have become dispersed and lost sight of. There can be little doubt 

 that this cross was the processional cross of Longridge Church before 

 the Eeformation, and that it and the other religious objects were 

 hidden by some good Catholic to save them from desecration. The 

 above particulars were gathered by me from the mouth of the person 

 named, Seth Eccles, now an old man." 



Dr. Boardman informs me that this cross was handed over to the 

 Longridge Catholic Mission, 19 years ago, on its establishment in 1869. 

 It is now, as has been remarked, in the vestry of the Church, and is 

 certainly a very interesting relic. It is highly valued by the Eector, by 

 whose kind permission I have been enabled to give a photograph of it. 



In 1886, a very handsome new stone Church was opened by the 

 Bishop of Salford, having been erected close to the old Church, at a 

 cost of £3,000, chiefly by voluntary subscrij)tions amongst the people, 

 and other donations obtained by Dr. Boardman's exertions. The 

 Church is very handsomely furnished inside, although not quite 

 finished. The seats are comfortable and roomy, the aisles of sufficient 

 width, while the roof is very lofty, and the windows admit plenty of 

 light. The Church will accommodate 500 people, the average attend- 

 ance being close upon 400 at each of the three services — an attendance, 

 we may parenthetically remark, which exceeds that at either the Episcoi)al 

 or Indopendout Churches at Longridge. There is a beautifully-stained 



