WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



was given in 1824 in favour of the bishop of 

 Chester. 1 The vicar of Leigh now presents. 



The chapel was erected at the cost of Adam Mort, 

 whose successors maintained the fabric. 1 After the 

 Restoration, owing to the dispute as to the patronage, 

 it remained for twenty years in the hands of Thomas 

 Crompton, ejected for his nonconformity. In 1760 

 the old chapel was replaced by a larger edifice of brick 

 erected by the landowners, consisting of a nave with 

 four side and two end lights, measuring 54ft. 6 in. in 

 length and 36ft. in width, with about 170 sittings 

 and a small chancel. This building has since been 

 enlarged in the years 1834, 1842, and 1847, and 

 now consists of chancel, nave, aisles, western porch, 

 and an embattled western tower containing one bell. 

 The registers date from 1760. On 10 January, 

 1843, the township was formed into a district 

 chapelry,* and on 1 8 June, 1867, the benefice was 

 declared a vicarage. 4 



The following have been incumbents : 



1632 Thomas Crompton, B.A. 5 



1683 John Battersby 6 



1702 Roger Seddon, 7 died 1716 



1716 James Marsh, died 1728 



1732 Thomas Mawdesley, 8 died 1769 



1769 Robert Barker 9 



1822 Thomas Birkett 



LEIGH 



1838 John Wilkinson Edwards, B.A., 10 died 1840 



1840 Alfred Hewlett, D.D.," died 1885 



1885 James Alexander Maxwell Johnstone, 



M.A., 18 surrogate 



A Wesleyan chapel was erected at Astley Green in 

 1805, the second to be erected within the Leigh 

 circuit. It has recently been pulled down (1904) and 

 a new one erected. 



There is a Unitarian Christian chapel at Black- 

 moor, built in 1865. The Unitarians first held 

 services in 1820 in a cottage, but subsequently they 

 were discontinued for many years. 



Adam Mort founded and endowed a school here 

 in 1630, by bequests contained in his will." 



In addition to the endowment of 

 CHARITIES the school, Adam Mort in 1630, and 

 Thomas Mort in 1732, created trusts 

 for the benefit of the incumbent and clerk of 

 Astley parochial chapel, of the yearly gross value of 

 402 in 1900." Ann Parr, by will in 1707, gave 

 the income of 100 to be applied for the benefit 

 of the poor of Astley in binding apprentices, and 

 of a further sum of 100 for the benefit of the 

 poor. Several small bequests made for various pur- 

 poses before 1721 were in that year vested in 

 trustees. These in 1900 produced a gross yearly 

 income of 24." 



449 



57 



