A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



The east window is a modern traceried one of five 

 lights in the style of the I5th century and belongs 

 with the clearstory and roof to the 1862-3 rebuild- 

 ing. The fittings are all modern and are of no 

 particular interest. The chancel arch is a modern 

 insertion of two chamfered orders springing high up 

 from shafts corbelled out from the large octagonal 

 piers which separate the nave from the chancel. 

 The pier on the south side is 4 ft. 6 in. in diameter 

 with a respond on its east and west faces and is built 

 solid. That on the north side is bigger and contains 

 a staircase leading to the roof, entered from the 

 north aisle. On the outside these piers are carried 

 up above the roof and are finished with pyramidal 

 stone roofs and finials. The north aisle of the 

 chancel, which is 17 ft. 6 in. wide, retains no 

 ancient features, but has a copy of the five-light 

 1 4th-century window with reticulated tracery already 

 mentioned at its east end. It has two three-light 

 windows on the north side and a door to the strong 

 room, with an outer door in the north-west corner to 

 the west of the old vestry. The south aisle of the 

 chancel, which is 1 6 ft. wide, has a three-light window 

 at the east end and two three-light windows on the south 

 side. The old organ chamber (present vestry) is built 

 out to the south at its west end and is separated from 

 it by a screen. The aisle contains a monument to 

 Richard Brereton and his wife, described below. 



The nave measures 60 ft. in length and 23 ft. 3 in. 

 in width and is of four bays with north and south 

 arcades having octagonal shafts 2 ft. 6 in. in diameter, 

 their longer sides measuring 1 8 in. and the shorter 

 5 in., set diagonally. The longer sides have a hollow 

 moulding stopping under the capitals, which are of a 

 plain block character with upper and two lower fillets, 

 and are carved with plain shields, three on each 

 face. The capitals of the easternmost pier of the north 

 arcade and of the east respond are slightly different, 

 having only the upper and lower round fillet and two 

 shields on each face. The arches are pointed and of 

 two plain chamfered orders. On each side there are 

 four pointed five-light clearstory windows of very 

 poor detail. The jambs and heads are chamfered and 

 there is no external hood-mould, while the tracery is 

 straight and without cuspings. The sills of the 

 windows on the inside are more than 2 ft. above the 

 crown of the nave arcade, but they were formerly 

 much lower, as may be seen by a straight joint at each 

 side. In the recent restoration it was found that the 

 jambs of the windows were continued below the 

 present sills, these having been probably inserted at 

 the time that the galleries were built, when the roofs 

 of the aisles were raised in order to get head room. 

 Two courses of masonry between the crowns of the 

 nave arches and the sills of the windows above mark 

 the former level of the clearstory. 



On the east wall of the tower the line of the 

 14th-century steep-pitched roof may still be seen, 

 together with the places where the purlins were 

 housed into the wall. The roof of the nave is of flat 

 pitch and probably retains a good deal of the original 

 1 6th-century timber, but it was repaired in 1 846 and 

 the decayed pieces replaced. The north-east diagonal 

 buttress of the tower, the lower part of which has been 

 cut away, is now an internal feature, together with 



the string-course marking the upper or belfry stage, 

 with the lower part of a small window above. The 

 tower arch is of two chamfered orders, the outer one 

 of which is stopped at the springing, and is filled in 

 behind the west gallery with a modern wood seven- 

 light traceried window. Under the gallery a modern 

 doorway has been inserted. The west walls of the 

 north and south aisles are not bonded in with the 

 tower, 1 ** and it is possible that an extension of the 

 nave westward or a rebuilding of the tower was con- 

 templated by the 16th-century builders. 



The two east piers of the north arcade and the east 

 pier and east respond of the south arcade have canopied 

 niches in the sides facing south-west (towards the 

 entrance). The niches are empty, but show con- 

 clusively that the piers are of pre-Reformation date.'* 

 They are 3 ft. 6 in. high, and the shelf, which has a 

 plain shield under, is 5 ft. 3 in. from the ground. The 

 niche on the east respond of the south aisle, opposite 

 St. Katherine's Chapel, has carved on either side a 

 hammer and pincers together with a small cogged 

 wheel, possibly with reference to St. Katherine. 15 * The 

 west pier of the north aisle has a stone bracket about 

 6 ft. 6 in. from the ground. 



The west and south galleries are in line with the 

 centre of the piers, but the north gallery is set back 

 about 6 ft. behind the arcade and rests on small iron 

 pillars. The north and south galleries retain their 

 18th-century pews, and are approached from the west 

 end of each aisle by staircases. 



The 1 4th-century responds of the arch to the south 

 transept have been already mentioned. The capitals 

 are modern, but are probably copies of the originals, 

 and the arch over is a four-centred one of two rounded 

 orders. The chapel is modern and has a four-light 

 window on the south and one of two lights on the 

 west. The south aisle has two three-light windows 

 with moulded jambs and hood-moulds, as before men- 

 tioned. The mullions and tracery, however, are of 

 late date like those of the other windows of the church. 

 In the upper lights portions of the tracery have been 

 cut away as in other parts of the building. Each 

 aisle has a five-light window at its west end, and 

 the north aisle is lighted by four five-light windows 

 along its north side, all of which have been renewed. 

 The south porch appears originally to have been 

 erected in the I5th century with the south aisle, but 

 the front part was rebuilt in 1 790, which date is carved 

 upon it. The inner door is old, of thick oak and 

 nail-studded. The outer iron gates were set up in 

 1809. 



The tower is rather squat and of two stages, being 

 divided about midway by a string-course. It has 

 diagonal buttresses of four stages, moulded plinth, 

 and embattled parapet with angle and intermediate 

 pinnacles. There is a vice in the south-west corner, 

 entered from the outside. Externally the tower is 

 20 ft. square, but the walls not being of equal thickness, 

 its internal dimensions are 1 1 ft. by 12 ft. 6 in. The 

 west doorway, which has a pointed arch, has been 

 rebuilt, and above, separated from it by a string-course 

 between the buttresses, is a three-light pointed 

 window with hood-mould, which is said to have origin- 

 ally shown signs of well-designed cusping. This had 

 been hacked off outside, but remained on the inside to 



la Information from Mr. Frank P. 

 Oakley, the architect of the restoration. 



18 The canopy and ornament to the 

 niche of the east pier of the north aisle 

 have been hacked away. 



356 



18a St. Katherine with her wheel is the 

 crest of Booth of Barton. 



