WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



registered estates here. 1 Lord Sefton, Edward Stan- 

 dish, and Thomas Tatlock were the principal land- 

 owners in 1785.* 



The church of St. Chad succeeds an 



CHURCH ancient parochial chapel of unknown 

 origin. The name of the township * 

 and the invocation of the chapel indicate the existence 

 of a church here anterior to the 

 Conquest. The ancient build- 

 ing was replaced in 1766 by a 

 plain red brick structure ; 4 the 

 present church was begun in 

 1869, and consecrated 4 Octo- 

 ber, 1 87 1. 4 This is in the 

 Transition style, and consists of 

 chancel, nave with side aisles, 

 and north and south porches ; 

 it has a central tower, with 

 saddle-back roof, containing two 

 bells. The only relic of anti- 

 quity belonging to it is the 

 circular red sandstone font, 6 which dates from the 

 twelfth century, and has on the bowl an arcade of ten 

 round ' arches ' enclosing standing figures. The only 

 certain subject is the Temptation of Adam and Eve. 

 Below the bowl is a cable moulding formed of three en- 

 twined serpents, and the base has a similar but larger 

 moulding. The shaft is modern. In the churchyard 

 is a cross erected in 1875. The registers date from 

 1678. The later earls of Sefton have been buried here. 



Practically nothing is known of this chapel previous 

 to the Reformation. 7 Subsequently the services were 

 probably not kept up regularly, and in 1566 the 

 people seem to have refused to pay the vicar of 

 Walton his dues ; in consequence a decree was made, 

 ordering the vicar to have certain services once on 

 every Sunday at least. 8 In 1590 and 1612 there 

 were only ' reading ministers ' serving the place. 9 In 



WALTON 



1650 the Parliamentary commissioners found that 

 there were belonging to the chapel, a chapelyard, a little 

 house and orchard, and a croft of 

 3 roods; they recommended that 

 it should be made a parish church, 

 with Kirkby and Simonswood as 

 its district. 10 This recommenda- 

 tion was repeated in 1657, and 

 though confirmed ceased to be 

 effective at the Restoration." 



In 1719 the value of the 

 curacy was 24," but within 

 fifteen years after this had been 

 augmented to 90." In '850 

 the then earl of Sefton endowed 

 it with 1 60 a year. The bene- 

 fice is now a vicarage, in the gift of the earl of Sefton. 

 The following have been curates and incumbents : 

 1607 James Hartley" 

 1 609 Robert Hole 15 

 1650 Pickering 16 

 1656 William Williamson " 

 1662 Ambrose 18 

 1678 John Barton 19 

 oc. 1686 William Atherton" 

 oc. 1689 Ralfe Reeve" 

 1696 Peter Becket" 

 1723 William Mount, B.A.' 3 (St. Edmund 



Hall, Oxf.) 



1764 Thomas Wilkinson ** 

 1786 John Rigby Gill, B.A." (Brasenose Coll. 



Oxf.) 



1793 Robert Cort K 

 1850 Robert Henry Gray, M.A." (Christ 



Church, Oxf.) 

 1877 James Butler Kelly, D.D.' 8 (Clare Coll. 



Camb.) 

 1 88 1 John Leach, M.A.' 9 (Caius Coll. Camb.) 



