WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



NORTH MEOLS 



keystone and imposts, and wooden luffer-boards. 

 There are drafted angle quoins on all three stages of 

 the tower. The second stage is divided from that 

 above by a moulded string, and has on its south face 

 a tablet with an arched head. At the top of the 

 ground stage is a plain square string. 1 



There are two bells in the tower : a small one 

 without inscription of about 18 in. in diameter at the 

 rim, and a larger one, presented in 1750 by John and 

 Henry Hesketh, wine merchants in Preston." 



The church plate consists of two chalices, a paten, 

 and a large flagon. 3 



The first register begins in 1594 ; the second in 

 1600. 



There are some Fleetwood and Hesketh monu- 

 ments. In the churchyard is a brass plate commemo- 

 rating Thomas Rimmer, mariner, who had been 

 ' captive in Barbary for sixteen years and six months.' 

 He died in 1713. 



The known history of the church 

 ADVOWSQN goes back to the time of King 

 Stephen, when Warin Bussel granted 

 it to Evesham, the abbey to provide a chaplain. 

 Warin's son Richard confirmed his father's gifts, 

 including ' 2/. from the chapel of Meols.' * Down 

 to the suppression of the monasteries the abbots of 

 Evesham continued to be patrons, presenting the 

 rectors and receiving the pension of 2/. a year, later 

 increased to half a mark. 5 The church was not 

 taxed in the valuation made by order of Nicholas IV, 



about 1291, 'on account of its insignificance.' In 

 1341 the value of the ninth of sheaves, fleeces, and 

 lambs was stated to be 40^., for which Mcols with 

 Crossens answered. 6 In 1534 the income from 

 lands, tithe, and all sources was estimated at 8 19;., 

 out of which a pension of 61. 8^. was paid to the 

 prior of Penwortham, and 8j. 8^. for synodals and 

 procurations.' 



In i 543 the patronage was granted by Henry VIII 

 to John Fleetwood of Penwortham, 8 in whose family 

 it descended until, on the death of Henry Fleetwood 

 in 1746, without issue, it passed under a settlement 

 of 1725 to his grand-nephew Walter Chetwynd ot 

 Grendon, Warwickshire. In 1 748 a private Act of 

 Parliament was procured by the trustees, enabling 

 them to sell parts of the estates, and in the same year 

 they presented John Baldwin to the rectory ; this 

 was no doubt by arrangement with his father, Thomas 

 Baldwin, rector of Liverpool, who next year bought 

 the advowson. The latter died in 1752, and the 

 right descended to his son Thomas, vicar of Leyland, 

 who in 1793 sold the next presentation to John Ford 

 of Bristol, who immediately nominated his son. Two 

 years later the advowson was sold to Thomas Wood- 

 cock for /93 3, and not long afterwards was again 

 sold, this time to Robert Hesketh of North Meols ; 

 it has since descended with his moiety of the 

 manor, Mr. C. H. Bibby-Hesketh being the present 

 patron. 



The gross annual value is now given as ^800. 



i It is intended to rebuild and enlarge 

 the church, only the tower and spire and 

 the south wall of the present one being 



Evesham Abbey 



He had in 1539 secured a 99-years' lease 

 of the lordship of Penwortham, &c., from 

 the abbot of Evesham ; Piccope MSS. 

 (Chet. Lib.), xvi, 158. 



. . . res. N. de Hercy 

 . . . res. R. de Preston 

 . . . res. J. le White 



'. '. '. res. W. Abel 



ampton had been presented in the 

 evious December. 



14 Ibid. fol. 8i. N. de Hercy resigned 

 Oct. 1314. 15 I bid. fol. 6 1 b. 



yakrEcd. (Rec. Com.), v, 223. 

 Nenarum Inq. (Rec. Com.), 40. 

 1 Valar Eccl. loc. cit. 

 Pat. 34 Hen. VIII, pt. viii, m. 3 (25). 



; these were extended in the folio 

 ing April ; Cal. Pat. R. 10 Edw. I, 4, 15. 

 He was plaintiff in 1290 ; De Bane. R. 

 86, m. 144. 



Lich. Epis. Reg. i, fol. 4*. Henry de 



227 



504. He died about 5 Oct. 1369. Emma, 

 his daughter by Maud de Croston, married 

 successively Richard Banastreand William 

 de Thornton ; Towneley MS. OO, <w. 

 ,566, ,588. 



