WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



A public library ' and technical school, built and 

 presented to the town by Sir David Gamble, bart., 

 in 1896, are carried on by the corporation; the 

 baths also belong to it. The St. Helens Hospital, 

 established in 1873, and the Providence Hospital, 

 opened in 1884 by Cardinal Manning, have been 

 enlarged ; there are also isolation hospitals at Peasley 

 Cross and Haydock for infectious diseases. There are 

 several parks, the principal being Victoria on the 

 north, opened in 1887, and Taylor on the south- 

 west, opened in 1893.' The cemetery is at Windle- 

 shaw. 



The aspect of the town is uninviting. The 

 factories rear a forest of tall chimneys, shafts, kilns, 

 and other weird erections on every hand, and the 

 fumes of acids and the smoke of furnaces render the 

 atmosphere almost unbearable to a stranger. The 

 soil is mostly clay, which in the north-westerly part 

 of the district produces crops of wheat, oats, and 

 clover. 



The nature and progress of the trade and manufac- 

 tures have been noticed briefly in the accounts of the 

 component townships. The collieries led the way ; 

 the glass-making, for long the principal trade, began 

 in 1773, and copper-smelting about the same time. 

 The Pilkington works are the largest glass manufactory 

 in the world. 3 The great chemical works began in 

 1829. An iron foundry was established as early as 

 1 798. The breweries can be traced back still further, 

 a malt-kiln at Denton's Green in Windle having 

 existed early in the eighteenth century. There are 

 several potteries. The pill factory is of recent origin. 



There are two weekly newspapers. 



The enclosure award with map is preserved at the 

 county council offices, Preston. 



The earliest mention of St. Helen's 

 CHURCH chapel by this name occurs in the inven- 

 tory of church goods made in 1552.* 

 It appears after the Reformation to have remained in 



PRESCOT 



use for service, with a 'reading minister.' 5 In 1613 

 Katherine Domville, ' patroness of the chapel of St. 

 Helen,' with James her son and heir, delivered the 

 building to certain trustees with power to nominate 

 the minister, appoint seats and forms, &c. 6 The 

 improvement effected was shown in 1622, when 

 John Burtonwood was ' lecturer ' there. 7 The Par- 

 liamentary Commissioners in 1650 recommended 

 that it should have a separate parish attached to it. 

 Mr. Richard Mawdesley was ' minister and teacher ' 

 there. 8 



After the Restoration no attempt, as far as is known, 

 was made by the vicar of Prescot to recover the chapel, 

 which accordingly remained in the hands of the 

 Presbyterians for another thirty years. 9 The first 

 move was made in 1687, when Bishop Cartwright 

 records that ' Mr. Venables and his brother brought 

 Mr. Byrom of Prescot to me, who desired to have a 

 curate in St. Helen's Chapel, into which the 

 Presbyterians are now intruded, which I promised 

 him Mr. Dalton.' 10 Nothing seems to have been 

 accomplished ; perhaps the political disturbances of 

 the time interfered, but John Byrom persevered, and 

 in April, 1692, its registration as a Presbyterian 

 meeting place was prevented." James Naylor, the 

 existing incumbent, retained his position till his death 

 in 1710. 



Benefactions were from time to time made for the 

 benefit of the curate, 11 and in 17153 grant was made 

 from Queen Anne's Bounty. 



The chapel was re-built in 1816 as St. Mary's. 

 The incumbent is nominated by trustees. 13 A school 

 at Denton's Green is used for services. 



The following have been curates and vicars : 



1710 Theophilus Kelsall, B.A. 14 (Pembroke Col- 

 lege, Cambridge) 



1722 Edward Kilmer 



1758 Peter Berry 



1786 William Finch 



