WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



aisle is a second font, found under the west tower in 

 1873. It belongs to the first half of the twelfth 

 century, and has a round bowl ornamented with 

 eleven arched panels, in each of which is a human 

 head, and above a row of five-pointed stars. 1 It is set 

 on a modern pedestal. In the east part of the church- 

 yard is what may be a third font, quite plain, with a 

 hole in one side, which is probably the ground for a 

 tradition that it was formerly used for grinding corn. 



Before 1871 the font now in use stood in the 

 chancel near the priest's door, and the middle of the 

 east end of the nave was taken up with a large ' three- 

 decker ' of pulpit, reading desk, and clerk's desk. 



At the east end of the south aisle is a slab with a 

 tonsured effigy wearing a monastic habit, much 

 damaged but of very good style, c. 1 300, and in the 

 chancel are several late brass plates, one to Jonathan 

 Fletcher, archdeacon of Sodor and Man, 1668,' 

 another to John Stockley, 1695, another to John 

 Lowe, vicar, 1 706, and another to Elizabeth Farren, 

 countess of Derby, 1829. 



The church plate consists of a silver cup and cover 

 paten of 1695, the cup inscribed 'The gift of Capt. 

 John Case of Redhassles, Anno Domini 1695 ' ; two 

 plates inscribed ' The gift of Dorothy Case,' with the 

 mark of Benjamin Branker, a Liverpool silversmith ; 

 a breadholder of 1714 ; a flagon of 1719 with the 

 arms of Case ; two modern chalices of Sheffield make, 

 1873; a silver-topped glass cruet ; and a strainer of 

 1799. 



There are six bells, the treble, second, and fourth 

 by C. and G. Mears of Whitechapel, 1846, the third 

 and fifth by the same firm as Mears and Stainbank, 

 1872, while the tenor is inscribed : 



IACOBUS WILLIAM EARLE OF DARBIS ED. TORBUK ESQ. 



IAC. HARINCTON ESQ. HEN. STANLEY ESQ. 1606 TOM. 



STANLEY ESQ. TO. WOOLFALL GEN. ED. STOCKEY. 



IOHN ORME. W.M. W.D. I.H. 



A small bell formerly here was given to the new 

 church of St. Gabriel in 1894. 



' On Sunday one bell is rung at 7 a.m., and two 

 bells at 8 a.m., in addition to the ordinary ringing for 

 divine service. The passing bell is tolled as follows 

 two for a child under twelve, three for a woman, and 

 four for a man ; after a short interval the bell is again 



HUYTON 



tolled for a number of strokes equal to the age of 

 the deceased. The curfew bell is rung from the first 

 Thursday after the 1 2 October this date being what 

 is known as Huyton Wakes and continues ringing 

 each evening to the 25 March.' 3 



North-east of the church stands the late seventeenth- 

 century mausoleum of the Case family, now used as a 

 quire vestry. On its east wall is a tablet to Elizabeth 

 wife of John Case, 1681. 



The registers begin in 1578. In a terrier of 1778 

 they are described as in three old books 1578-1667, 

 1672-1726, and 1727-1759; and two new books 

 beginning in 1759 an( i J 754 respectively. 



One volume of churchwardens' accounts exists for 

 1783-1834. 



The church of Huyton was 



JDrOWSON granted by Robert son of Henry 

 de Lathom to the priory he 

 founded at Burscough about 1189.* 



In 1277 Roger de Meulan, bishop of Lichfield, 

 ordained a vicarage. Its possessions were to be the 

 competent residence (manse) which the chaplains had 

 been accustomed to have, next to the cemetery, and 

 three selions of land extending as far as the wood, the 

 prior and canons having right of way across them to 

 their grange. Its revenues were to be various offer- 

 ings, as those at marriages and burials, in Lent, candles 

 at the Purification, &c., also small tithes. The vicar 

 was, however, to pay half the ordinary charges upon 

 the church, such as synodals and the like, and to be 

 responsible for extraordinary ones, on the assumption 

 that his income was 10 marks. The dean and 

 chapter of Lichfield saw and confirmed this ordinance, 

 as did the prior and convent of Coventry. 5 The 

 vicars were sometimes canons of Burscough Priory and 

 sometimes secular priests. The prior and convent 

 were patrons down to the suppression; after which 

 the crown presented to the vicarage until it sold the 

 rectory. 



In 1291 the church was said to be worth 10* 

 In Henry VIII's time 21 is. zd. was the value of the 

 rectory, and 6 9^. that of the vicarage. 7 From a 

 rental of this time it appears that 6 i p. ^d. 

 (10 marks) was paid to the vicar by the prior and 

 canons, who also paid a fee of 26^. %d. to their bailiff 

 at Huyton. 8 



