A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



1093 granted the church of St. Mary at Walton to the 

 monks of Shrewsbury, on the day of its dedication ; l 

 this was confirmed by Henry I some thirty years 

 later.' The right remained with the monastery 

 until 1470, being then purchased by Thomas 

 Molyneux of Sefton, 3 and descended with this manor 

 until 1747, when Sir William Heathcote purchased 

 it.' It was again sold in 1810 to John Leigh, of 

 Sandhills in Kirkdale, whose descendant, Mr. J. C. 

 Gerard Leigh, a minor, is the patron. 5 



The vicarage was ordained in 1326, when Edward 

 II confirmed the grant of the church to the abbey. 6 

 The rectory was not appropriated, and both rector and 

 vicar continued to be appointed down to 1890, when 

 the vicarage was suppressed, its revenues supplementing 

 those of the newly founded bishopric of Liverpool. 7 



Count Roger of Poitou gave the demesne tithes 

 of Walton to the abbey of St. Martin of Seez ; 8 a 

 composition was afterwards made between Stephen 

 de Walton and the prior of Lancaster. 9 In 1291 the 

 revenue of the church was estimated at .44.' Fifty 



The following is a list of the rectors : 



oc. 1192 Stephen" 



c. 1 206 Robert de Walton ' 8 . . . . 

 William, son of Robert l9 . . . 



years later the ninth of sheaves, wool, &c., was valued 

 at 54 marks, being 8 less ; but the borough of 

 Liverpool was separately taxed." In 1535 the gross 

 income was estimated at 77 $s. 6ii. ; various pay- 

 ments, including a pension of 201. to the abbot of 

 Shrewsbury, reduced this to 69 i6s. loJ. ; the 

 vicarage was valued at 6 1 3/. \d. " 



The Commonwealth surveyors of 1650 recom- 

 mended the subdivision of the parish, leaving the 

 townships of Walton, Bootle, and Kirkdale to the old 

 church. There was a parsonage house worth 

 4 2t. 4</. a year ; the tithes of the township they 

 valued at 6$ \^s. \d. The vicarage house, with its 

 yard, orchard and garden, was worth 3O/. 13 



Bishop Gastrell about 1720 found the rectory 

 worth 400 a year, and the vicarage l oo ; Liverpool 

 had then been cut off from the parish. 14 The gross 

 value of the rectory is now stated as 1,400 ; " a large 

 part of the glebe has been covered with dwelling houses. 



The rectory was divided by an Act of Parliament 

 passed in i843- 16 



Cause of Vacancy 



King John 



