WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



Anthony Molyneux, his curate, and four others 

 appearing. In 1562 Master Robert Ballard, the 

 rector, an opponent of the Elizabethan changes, 

 appeared by proxy, his curate coming in person ; 

 three others, nominally attached to the parish, were 

 absent. Next year the rector was described as de- 

 crepit, but his curate appeared ; the names of the 

 other three, entered from an old list by the registrar's 

 clerk, have been crossed out. In 1565, no one was 

 recorded but the rector, John Finch, whose name is 

 written over that of Robert Ballard. 1 John Finch 

 died or resigned shortly afterwards, and in 1568 

 John Nutter, afterwards dean of Chester, succeeded. 

 Though ' a preacher,' he seems to have been but a 

 money-seeking pluralist, who went with the times 

 and joined, perhaps rather to procure favour than 

 out of zeal, in the persecution of his recusant 

 parishioners. 2 He had in 1590 an assistant, who 

 was 'no preacher." About 1610 the conditions 

 remained unaltered ; the incumbent, Mr. Turner, 

 was a preacher, but the curate of Great Crosby was 

 not.* 



The Parliamentary Commissioners in 1650 were 

 satisfied with the two ministers they found in the 

 parish, but recommended that two more churches 

 should be erected, one at Ince Blundell and the 

 other at Litherland, ' both places being well situated 

 for conveniency of many inhabitants and distant from 

 any church or chapel two miles and upwards, the want 

 of such churches being the cause of loitering and 

 much ignorance and popery.' 4 No steps, however, 

 seem to have been taken to build them. Bishop 

 Gastrell found that there were 310 families in the 

 parish in 1718, and 156 'Papists,' with two 

 chapels ; there was only one dissenting family.' The 

 return of 1767 allows 603 'Papists' to Sefton and 

 154 to Crosby. 7 The growth of the seaside towns 

 during the last century has totally altered the con- 

 ditions ; the Nonconformists, for instance, formerly 



SEFTON 



unknown, have now many churches and meeting- 

 places. 



There were only two endowed chantries in Sefton 

 church at the time of the confiscation in 1548, and 

 those were of recent establishment. By her will of 

 1528 Margaret Bulkeley, widow, gave various lands 

 to Sir William Leyland and other feoffees, to find 

 ' an able and honest priest to say and celebrate mass 

 and other divine service ... at the altar of our 

 Blessed Lady of Pity,' for her soul and the souls of 

 John Button and William Bulkeley, formerly her 

 husbands, and for others. 8 This chantry was in the 

 south chapel. Robert Parkinson, one of the feoffees, 

 was the only cantarist of the foundation ; he died in 

 or before 1554. The endowments, which included 

 the mill at Thornton, were valued at 4 14*. a year.* 

 The second chantry, in the north chapel, was founded 

 in 1535 by Edward Molyneux, rector. 10 The only 

 priest was Thomas Kirkby, probably he whose pre- 

 sentation to Aughton caused much dispute." The 

 amount of the endowment was $ i8/. 3</." 



In 1718 Bishop Gastrell found 

 CHARITIES about 400 had been given by 

 various persons to charities in the 

 parish, apart from Great Crosby School ; ' all these 

 sums,' he says, ' are in good hands and the interest 

 duly paid." 3 The charity commissioners of 1828 

 found various poor's stocks ' in existence, the origin 

 of which was unknown." There was then only one 

 charity for the whole parish, and in 1898 it was 

 found to have been ' discontinued before living 

 memory.' 15 



For Sefton quarter the poor's stock was 84 in 

 1828, but it had been lost before iSgS. 16 On the 

 other hand, a benefaction by Anne Molyneux in 

 1728 had been increased by several donations, and 

 the net income of 6 \s. was in 1898 distributed by 

 the rector to six widows. 17 The Netherton poor's 

 stock of 120 in 1828 is supposed to have included 



