A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



another at a later date against the blocked south 

 doorway. The present south doorway is of the 

 fifteenth century, with continuous mouldings, and is 

 covered by a porch of perpent ashlar of the same date, 

 whose outer arch and wall have been rebuilt. The 

 windows in the south wall are of the poorest 

 description, having lost all tracery and everything but 

 their outer order ; they are now filled with plain 

 glazing. From the shape of their arched heads they 

 should not be later than the fifteenth century, but 

 they have lost all characteristic features. High in the 

 wall are two small three-light square-headed windows 

 which have formerly lighted a gallery. 



The west wall of the nave is considerably thicker 

 than those adjoining it, and though now faced with 

 fifteenth-century masonry and buttresses is probably 

 in part of earlier date. The west window is modern, 

 of three-lights in fifteenth-century style. The gable 

 shows signs of rebuilding in the upper portion. The 

 face of the wall has bulged considerably, and this has 

 been corrected by the simple expedient of chipping 

 back the stone face to something nearer a vertical 

 line. The north arcade of the nave is of four bays 

 with octagonal columns and coarsely-moulded capitals 

 and bases, with pointed arches of two chamfered 

 orders, poor work of fifteenth-century date, probably 

 coeval with the facing of the west wall. The nave 

 roof appears to be of the end of the sixteenth 

 century, with arched braces plastered on the under- 

 side and shaped pendants hanging from the apex. 

 The north aisle seems to have been built in the 

 time of Brian Moorcroft, rector 1528-48, and the 

 north arcade may be of the same dale. 1 Its four 

 north windows are of three lights under a semi- 

 circular head with tracery of intersecting mullions 

 without cusps, all of the simplest detail, with plain 

 chamfers and no mouldings. A blocked four-centred 

 doorway occurs between the first and second windows 

 from the west. The west window is of four lights 

 with a four-centred head and the same plain detail ; 

 outside the tracery is modern. In the gable is an 

 ancient stone carved with two sunk quatrefoils. 



A little original coloured glass remains in the 

 western window of the four on the north side, 

 consisting of a canopy of very late style and two sets 

 of initials. At the east end of the aisle, across the 

 western arch of the tower, is a beam painted with the 

 names of some eighteenth-century churchwardens, 

 which is locally said to be the rood-beam ; but if so, 

 it has been considerably altered. The remains of a 

 west buttress of the tower, projecting into the aisle, 



give the probable line of the wall of a fourteenth- 

 century north aisle, the weathering of whose roof is 

 to be seen above the west arch of the tower. The 

 font, which stands under the tower, is of the fifteenth 

 century, octagonal, with a moulded and embattled 

 cornice to the bowl, which is 1 8 in. deep, the faces 

 being each io in. wide.* 



There are brass plates commemorating Edward son 

 of Hugh Dicconson, of Wrightington, who died in 

 1 66 1 ; and the Mossocks (1686) ; this being a 

 replica of the plate at Ormskirk. 



The new church (Christ Church) on the hill at 

 the highest point of the road to Ormskirk, begun in 

 1867 but not consecrated until 1877, is a chapel of 

 ease. In 1888 the Cottage Lane Mission Room was 

 opened. 



The parish registers begin in 1541, but up to 

 1601 are copies. The entries from 1653 to 1657 

 are in a separate book ; and there is a defect in the 

 baptisms from 1608 to 1626, and in the burials 

 between 1747 and 1753. 



The churchwardens' accounts date from 1737. 



The curious fact that the right of 

 ADFOWSON presentation to the church was sup- 

 posed to reside in the lordship of 

 Uplitherland is probably due to some decision of the 

 lords of this place, who also held a third of Aughton ; 

 Litherland being their dwelling place, they attached to 

 it the advowson, derived from their ownership of a 

 portion of the other manor. 3 The right has regularly 

 descended with Litherland to the present time, 

 Sir Tristram Tempest-Tempest, baronet, now being 

 patron. 



In 1291 the church was omitted from the Taxatio 

 of Nicholas IV as too poor to pay anything ; in 

 1341 the value of the ninth of the sheaves and 

 fleeces was returned as looj. 4 The inquiry of 

 1534-5 found the annual value to be 15 gj. S^. 5 



The Commonwealth surveyors of 1650 describe the 

 parish as having a parsonage-house with barns and 

 outbuildings, and about 3 acres of glebe in the 

 incumbent's hands, worth 50^. a year ; other portions 

 of the glebe, with cottages upon it, were let out at 

 small rents, but worth 36.*. in all. The tithes were 

 then worth 95 a year. 6 



About 1717, according to Bishop Gastrell, the 

 income reached 120. There were two church- 

 wardens. 7 The gross value is now given as j8o, 

 including 40 as that of the new church. 



1 In the inventories of church goods, 

 1552 (Chet. Soc. cxiii, no), is a note of 

 the pledging of two chalices and a cope to 

 Sir Brian Moorcroft, the money being 

 bestowed on the building of ' the He in the 

 body of the same church.' 



The editors are indebted for this refer- 

 ence to the Rev. W. A. Wickham, of 

 St. Andrew's, Wigan. 



Roger Gernet and Quenilda his wife, 

 Thomas de Beetham, and Avice de 

 Millum allowed the right of Richard 

 le Waleys, Bleddyn dc Aughton, and 

 Madoc de Aughton to present to the 

 benefice, which was then vacant ; Final 

 Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 

 63-5. These three were the lords of 

 Aughton, and as Bleddyn and Madoc had 



pew 



Sir Richard Molyneux for a seat or 

 (5 ft. by 4 ft.) on the north side o 

 church, formerly belonging to the Beccon- 

 salls, and the ground between this pew 

 and the chancel (6 ft. by 6 ft.) ; Crox- 

 teth D. 



3 This appears to be brought out quite 

 clearly in the earliest mention of the 

 matter, in 1235. The superior lords 



any title they might have was derived 

 from their lordship in Aughton ; whence 

 it seems clear that Richard le Waleys' 

 right had the same origin. Nevertheless, 

 the presentation was afterwards the sole 

 right of the lord of Uplitherland, possibly 

 by purchase from his partners in Augh- 



4 Inj. Nm 



n (Rec. Com.), 40 

 288 



* falorEcfl. (Rec. Com.), v, 223. The 

 glebe land brought in only 51. a year ; the 



an average of 1 1, while Easter pay- 

 ments came to 4 V . Id. 



6 Commonwealth Cb. Sur-v. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), 94. 



-i Notitia Ccstr. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 161. 

 The custom of tithing at that time, ac- 



take the eleventh shook or rider of corn, 

 or in default the eleventh sheaf; from 

 kd. to 21. t>d. the acre for hay ; 8:. the 

 acre for potatoes, or (id. the bushel sett- 

 ing ; i\d. cow and calf, and (when not 

 taken in kind) 21. for every tithe lamb, 

 pig, &c., and 6J. for every tithe pig. For 

 the Easter roll there was given 5</. a 

 house yard and offering. 



