A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



Institution Rector 



6 April 1732 . Richard Goodwin, D.D. 65 . . . 



28 Oct. 1752. . John Griffith, D.D. 66 . . . . 

 9060.1763 . Levett Harris, M. A. 67 . . . . 



22 Mar. 1783 . James Lyon, M.A. 68 . . . . 



I Feb. 1837 . Thomas Blackburne, M.A. 69 . . 



1 847 . . John Rushton, D.D. 70 .... 



1852 . . . Henry Mildred Birch, M.A. 71 . 



1884 . . . William Thomas Jones, M.A. 78 . 



29 Jan. 1900 . . Frederic Wilson Cooper, M.A." 



As in the case of most ' family livings,' the incum- 

 bents of Prestwich call for little notice. Before the 

 Reformation the most distinguished seems to have 

 been the Ralph Langley who was also Warden of 

 Manchester ; and of the later ones, Dr. Lake, one of 

 the Seven Bishops of 1688. Others, no doubt, like 

 Isaac Allen and James Lyon, were useful in their time 

 and place. 



The Clergy List of 154.1-2 shows that, in addition 

 to the rector and one or two chantry priests, there 

 were five other priests in the parish of Prestwich with 

 Oldham, two paid by the rector and the others by 

 private persons. 74 The Visitation List of 1548 shows 

 the rector, his curate, and four other priests at Prest- 

 wich, one of them a chantry priest dying about 

 that time ; and the curate and three priests at Old- 

 ham. There was, therefore, a full staff of ten. In 

 1554 the same nine priests were in the list, but all 

 do not seem to have attended the visitation. In 1563 

 the rector and his curate appeared at Prestwich, and 

 two other priests lived there, but were ' decrepit,' and 

 are not named again ; and there was a curate at 

 Oldham. The same three names recur in I565- 75 

 Prestwich at that time is of interest because its rector, 



Patron 



Lord Malton 

 John Simpson . 

 Abraham Balme 

 James Lyon 

 Earl Grosvenor 

 Earl of Wilton . 



Sir F. Johnstone 



Cause of Vacancy 



d. W. Ashton 

 d. R. Goodwin 

 d. J. Griffith 

 d. L. Harris 

 d. J. Lyon 

 d. T. Blackburne 

 res. J. Rushton 

 res. H. M. Birch 

 res. W. T. Jones 



appointed in 1552, continued under the restora- 

 tion of the old religion in the following reign, and 

 then again conformed to the changes made by 

 Elizabeth. 76 However, he did so ' against his con- 

 science very sore,' and ' grievously repenting ' was 

 summoned before the Bishop of Chester's commis- 

 sioners in 1569, and refusing to tamper further 

 with his convictions, was deprived. 77 His successor 

 was a zealous Protestant. In 1591 he was con- 

 victed of uttering * unadvised, untrue, and undutiful 

 speeches ' regarding the queen's ecclesiastical authority, 

 but protested that he had not intended to suggest 

 that * the sincere professors of religion ' were per- 

 secuted by her. 78 In the following year he was 

 under censure for not catechizing and for neglecting 

 the perambulations. 79 He was, however, held in high 

 respect by the Puritans. 80 



During the Commonwealth period the parish was 

 prominent in its opposition to the newly-established 

 Presbyterian system. The rector was forbidden to 

 minister and his benefice was sequestrated, but the 

 ministers who were placed in charge were changed 

 rapidly ; and the schoolmaster was said to baptize 

 children according to the old form. 81 Rector Allen 



clergy* of 1689 (Hist. AfSS. Com. Rep. 

 xiv, App. iv, 230), nor in the Chester 

 Visitation List of 1691, the curate, 

 Archippus Kippax, answering for the 

 parish. Probably therefore he did not 

 reside. Ultimately he became the heir of 

 his family, and, as already stated, he sold 

 the advowson of Prestwich in 1710. For 

 his benefactions see Booker, Prestwich, 

 115. He died 25 Feb. 1731-2, and was 

 buried three days later in the family 

 chapel. 



55 Son of Samuel Goodwin, farmer, of 

 Shirland, Derbyshire ; entered St. John's 

 College, Cambridge, in 1696 ; became 

 fellow; M.A. 1703; D.D. 1727; Ad- 

 missions, St. John's C. ii, 140. He gave 

 zoo to Shaw Chapel in 1732 ; Booker, 

 op. cit. 1 1 6. He was a prebendary of 

 York from 1720 until his death ; Le Neve, 

 Fasti, iii, 175. 



86 Probably of Christ's College, Cam- 

 bridge ; D.D. 1741 : was also rector of 

 Eckington in Derbyshire. 



87 Of Trinity College, Cambridge ; M.A. 

 1753. Being in difficulties, and the bene- 

 fice deeply mortgaged (Baines), he sold the 

 advowson in 1781. He died at Bradford, 

 Yorkshire, 17 Dec. 1782. 



68 Son of Matthew Lyon, who had 

 purchased the advowson ; educated at 

 Warrington and Brasenose College, Oxford; 

 M.A. 1783. In 1833, to mark the com- 

 pletion of the fiftieth year of his ministry, 

 his parishioners held a series of festivities 

 and made him a presentation of plate ; 

 his former curates also made a presenta- 

 tion, and a marble tablet was pkced in the 

 church, recording ' the affectionate regard 

 and attachment' he had aroused by 'a 



character distinguished alike for simplicity 

 of manners and integrity of principle,' 

 and by the conscientious discharge of his 

 duties. 



In 1792 an Act was passed enabling the 

 rector to grant leases of the glebe for 

 building purposes. 



69 Of Brasenose College, Oxford ; M.A. 

 1815 ; son of John Blackburne, M.P., of 

 Hale and Orford. He was vicar of Eccles 

 from 1818 to 1836. 



70 He had been incumbent of New- 

 church in Pendle from 1825 ; he was 

 made Archdeacon of Manchester in 1843 

 and honorary canon in 1849. He resigned 

 the archdeaconry in 1854 on becoming 

 vicar of Blackburn. 



71 Of King's College, Cambridge; fellow; 

 M.A. 1847. He was also made a resi- 

 dentiary canon of Ripon in 1868. He had 

 been a tutor to the Prince of Wales, and 

 was chaplain in ordinary to Queen 

 Victoria. He died soon after resigning 

 the benefice. 



78 Of Pembroke College, Oxford ; M.A. 

 1858 ; vicar of Tilford, Surrey, 1865-79; 

 rector of St. Nicholas, Guildford, 1879-84; 

 hon. canon of Manchester, 1891. He 

 enlarged the church in 1888-9. He died 

 in June 1903. 



73 Of Keble College, Oxford; M.A. 

 1888 ; vicar of Longbridge Deverell, 

 1890 ; vicar of St. Paul's, King Cross, 

 Halifax, 1897. 



74 Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches. 12. 



75 From the Visitation Lists at Chester. 

 Even as late as 1552 the church seems 



to have been well provided with bells, 

 vestments, and other church furniture ; 

 Church Goods (Chet. Soc.), 41. 



74 



76 He, however, refused to appear at 

 the Visitation in 1559 ; Gee, Elizabethan 

 Clergy. He subscribed to the queen's 

 supremacy in 1563 ; Ches. SAeaf(^rd Ser.), 



', 34- 



77 See Canon Raines in Chet. Misc. 

 above quoted. William Langley averred 

 ' that he would neither minister nor re- 

 ceive the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, 

 because it is administered and given against 

 the order of the Catholic Church.' 



78 Ibid. 21, 22. Thomas Cartwright 

 and other Puritan ministers were im- 

 prisoned in 1590. 



79 Lanes, and Ches. Antiq. Soc. xiii, 69. 



80 Chet. Misc. v, 23 ; 'old Mr. Langley, 

 that holy man of God and faithful servant 

 of Christ in the House of God.' He was 

 presented at the Visitations of 1601 and 

 later for not wearing the surplice. 



81 See the account of Isaac Allen above. 

 The following ministers were placed in 

 charge during his enforced absence : 



1646. Toby Furness, 'a godly and 

 orthodox divine ' ; Plund. Mins. Accts. 

 (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 36. The 

 popular opposition was manifested by a 

 number of charges as to his character and 

 conduct ; these were, at his request, in- 

 vestigated by the Classis and he was 

 acquitted ; Booker, Prestwicb, 94-101. 

 Nevertheless he soon afterwards removed 

 to Bury. 



1649. John Lake, afterwards (1668) 

 rector ; he was an opponent of the Presby- 

 terian system, and therefore in constant 

 trouble with the Classis. About 1651 he 

 took charge of Oldham, but complaints were 

 soon made against him for 'malignancy,' 

 and he left about 1654 ; Mane A. Classis, 



