A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



known as the poor folks' bell, was subscribed for by the 

 villagers. Three of them bore the motto ' Jesus be our 

 speed,' and the fourth ' Leonard Asshawe, Peter Eger- 

 ton, Esq. 1624.' 9 These were recast in 1 806 by John 

 Rudhall of Gloucester, and four new ones added by 

 public subscription, the first peal being rung on 

 25 January 1808. On arrival at Flixton the tenor 

 bell was placed mouth upwards in a field and ten 

 guineas' worth of double strong ale put in for the popu- 

 lace to regale themselves with. 10 Some of the bells 

 were recast by Taylor of Loughborough in 1887. 



The curfew is rung between 29 September and 

 25 March, and a bell, locally called the 'Pudding 

 bell,' is rung every Sunday at one o'clock and again 

 at two, the origin of which is said to have been to let 

 the people of Carrington know that there would be 

 service at Flixton in the afternoon. 



The plate consists of a flagon, 1776 (the gift of 

 William Allan, esq., Davyhulme), a chalice and two 

 patens, and a large almsdish, 1875. 



The registers begin in 1570. There is a loose 

 leaf of the churchwardens' accounts for the year 

 1690-91, but the account books do not begin till 

 1707." 



Additions to the churchyard were made in 1868 

 and 1887. The oldest gravestone is dated 1669, and 

 there is a pedestal sundial on the south side of the 

 church with the names of the churchwardens and 

 maker (James Sandiford, a Manchester clock-maker), 

 and the date 1772. 



The advowson of the church be- 



4DVOWSON longed to the Grelley moiety of 



Flixton, and was granted with it to 



Henry son of Siward. On the foundation of Bur- 



scough the church was granted to the priory, 1 * and 

 appears to have remained in its possession till far on 

 into the I3th century." Then, by some unknown 

 means, the rectory was acquired by Bishop Roger 

 Meuland about 1290 and transferred to the cathedral 

 of Lichfield, becoming the portion of one of the pre- 

 bendaries, who took his title from it. 14 William 

 Burnell died possessed of the prebend of Flixton in 

 I3O3, 15 but nothing is stated as to any appropriation 

 in the Taxation of Pope Nicholas in 1291, when the 

 annual value was returned as 4 13*. 4^. 18 The 

 prebendaries, who leased out the tithes, &c., 17 ap- 

 pointed a resident curate, this system continuing until 

 the patronage was about 1860 transferred to the 

 Bishop of Manchester, as representing the Bishop of 

 Lichfield, who had collated to the rectory-prebend. 18 

 The incumbents are styled rectors, and have the tithe 

 rent-charge and glebe. 19 The value of the ninth of 

 the wool, &c., in 1341 was 4.* In 1534 the 

 prebend was valued at j or jio." The Common- 

 wealth surveyors in 1650 found that the farmer of 

 the tithes, Peter Egerton of Shaw, had assigned a 

 house to the curate, worth 20 a year, and also, by 

 order of the Committee of Plundered Ministers, paid 

 him the 16 rent due to the prebendary. 82 Bishop 

 Gastrell, about 1717, recorded that the lessee paid 

 the curate 30 a year, and surplice fees and other 

 dues amounted to ^4 more. 23 The present income 

 is .300 with a house." 



The following have been curates * 5 and rectors : 

 oc. 1541 Nicholas Smith K 



oc. 1547 

 oc. 1552-4 



Ralph Birch" 

 Edward Smith l8 



9 In 1558 Leonard Asshawe left money 

 in his will for the purchase of bells for 

 the church. His intention seems to have 

 been carried out and the bells recast in 

 1624 at the expense of Peter Egerton of 

 Shaw. 



10 Manch. Guard. Local N. and Q. no. 

 1095, 1108. 



11 Lawson, Flixton, 24, 43 ; the accounts 

 for 1708 and 1724 are printed in full. 

 Copious extracts will be found also in 

 Langton, Flixton, 53-71. For briefs, p. 

 24; and for the constables' accounts, see 

 Lawson, op. cit. 64. The register for 

 1688-9 is printed in Pal. Note Bk. iii, 28. 



12 Documents relating to it are printed 

 in the Dep. Keeper" t Rep. xxxv, App. 35 ; 

 and ibid, xxxvi, App. 200 ; also in Farrer, 

 Lanes. Pipe R. 350-5. From these it 

 appears that Robert son of Henry de 

 Lathom granted the church of Flixton 

 and its appurtenances to the priory about 

 1189. A little later Roger son of Henry 

 and Henry son of Bernard granted the 

 church in pure alms to Henry the Clerk, 

 *on of Richard, for his life. This presen- 

 tation appears to have been opposed by 

 the canons, but by a local inquiry it was 

 found that Henry son of Siward had last 

 presented in the time of peace, and that 

 Roger and Henry were his heirs. Henry 

 the Clerk, of the Tarbock family, about 

 1230 resigned all his claim to the prior 

 and canons, receiving a pension of 2 marks, 

 payable by Master Andrew the physician, 

 the rector. 



13 Flixton Church was included in 

 charters of confirmation received from 

 William, Bishop of Lichfield, in 1216 ; 

 and from his successor Alexander in 1232, 

 the Dean and Chapter of Lichfield and 



the Prior and Convent of Coventry as- 

 senting ; Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxv, loc. cit. 



Robert de Hulton released his claim to 

 the patronage, but in 1269 the Prior of 

 Burscough asserted his right to the patron- 

 age against Jordan de Hulton ; Dep. 

 Keeper's Rep. xxxvi, loc. cit. ; Curia Regis 

 R. 194, m. 36 ; 196, m. 10 ; 215, m. 5. 



Few names of the earlier rectors are 

 known. Master Andrew is named in the 

 last note. In 1246 William, rector of 

 Flixton, claimed Gilbert de Nutchil and 

 Adam the Earl as his ' natives," but did not 

 appear in court ; Assize R. 404, m. 7. 

 Adam the Earl (comes] attested several 

 Barton Charters. 



14 Le Neve, Fasti (ed. Hardy), i, 602. 

 The most notable name in the list of pre- 

 bendaries which is given is that of William 

 de Wykeham, afterwards Bishop of Win- 

 chester, who exchanged this stall for other 

 preferment in 1361. 



In 1387 the king claimed the right of 

 presentation to the church of Flixton, 

 then vacant. This probably refers to the 

 prebend; William Boule was the defendant 

 while William de Borel is given as preben- 

 dary by Le Neve ; Coram Rege R. Hil. 

 10 Ric. II, pt. ii, m. z d. 



15 Le Neve, Fasti. 



16 Pope Nick. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 249. 

 V See Ducatus Lane. (Rec. Com.), iii, 



312, 513. Sometimes the right to nomi- 

 nate a curate was included in the lease. 



18 'In 1756 the nomination of the in- 

 cumbent was claimed by the Warden and 

 Fellows of Manchester, but without suffi- 

 cient title ' ; Raines, in Notitia Cestr. 

 (Chet. Soc.), ii, 56. 



19 In 1863 the benefice was endowed 

 with the tithe rent-charge formerly pertain- 



44 



ing to the prebend of Offley with Flixton in 

 Lichfield Cathedral ; and three years later 

 it was declared a rectory ; Land. Gae. 

 20 Nov. 1863 ; 3 April 1866. 



20 Inq. Non. (Rec. Com.), 39. Flixton 

 answered for 53*. 4</. and Urmston for 

 z6s. %J. 



21 Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), iii, 132 ; v, 

 226. 



32 Commonwealth Ch. Surv. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), 16. The commis- 

 sioners approved of the situation of the 

 church ' about the middle of the parish, 

 very convenient for the parishioners to 

 resort unto.' The tithes were worth about 

 42 a year ; and those of Urmston about 

 27. Peter Egerton had secured a lease for 

 three lives from the late Stockett Lutwich, 

 prebendary. See also Plund. Mins. Accts. 

 (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 37, 63, 87. 



23 Notitia Cestr. ii, 5 5 ; the total value 

 of the prebend seems to have been 65 a 

 year. In 1673 the church had three 

 wardens and three assistants. 



24 Manch. Dioc. Dir. In 1833 the en- 

 dowment was stated to be 600 private 

 benefaction, ,200 royal bounty, and 

 1,400 Parliamentary grant. 



25 John del Wood of Flixton, chaplain, 

 occurs in 1367 ; P.R.O. Anct. D. C. 1 196. 



26 Clergy List (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), 13 ; he was paid by Mr. 

 Nicholas Darington, the prebendary. 



2 ? Visit. List of 1 548 in the Chester 

 Dioc. Registry. Birch's name is erased, 

 and 'Edward Smith, curate,' inserted. 

 This may have been done in preparation 

 for the next visitation. 



28 Ibid. 1554; also Ch. Gds. 1552 

 (Chet. Soc.), 10, and Piccope, Will* 

 (Chet. Soc.), iii, 57. 



