SALFORD HUNDRED 



MIDDLETON 



The Lower Coal Measures or Gannister Beds 

 underlie the greater part of the parish, but a broad 

 belt of the Coal Measures occurs from Heywood to 

 Middleton, overlying the greater part of the town- 

 ships of Middleton and Hopwood, whilst other areas 

 are found at Bamford and over the eastern half of the 

 township of Thornham. 



The church of ST. LEONARD 6 stands 

 CHURCH in a commanding position on the north 

 side of the town, on high ground over- 

 looking the valley of the Irk. It consists of chancel, 

 with north and south chapels and south vestry, nave 

 with north and south aisles, south porch and west 

 tower. There is no structural division between the 

 nave and chancel, the nave taking up the first five 

 bays from the west, and the quire seats occupying the 

 sixth. The sixth bay is inclosed by screens on the 

 north and south, and a line of screens runs across the 

 church on its west side. The east part of the chancel 

 projects 1 6 ft. 6 in. in front of the line of the chapels 

 and is lighted by a modern 

 window of five lights, and by 

 north and south windows of 

 three and two lights respec- 

 tively. 



The greater part of the 

 church was rebuilt in the 1 6th 

 century, but there are remains 

 of much older work, and the 

 tower dates from the beginning 

 of the 1 5th century. The 

 earliest part is the tower arch, 

 which is built up of 12th- 

 century masonry belonging to 

 a former building. Other 

 fragments of 1 2th - century 

 masonry have also been used 

 up in the later rebuilding. Of 

 the extent of the 1 2th-century 

 church no evidence remains, 

 but its nave was most likely 

 about 40 ft. long by 18 ft. 

 wide, covering approximately 

 the space occupied by the 

 three western bays of the nave 

 before its extension northward. 

 This church appears to have stood till the beginning 

 of the 1 5th century, when Thomas Langley, Bishop 

 of Durham, pulled it down and built an entirely new 

 structure * of well hewn stone, with a roof of won- 

 drous beauty.' 7 



The new building was consecrated 22 August 

 1412, but the only part of it which can with any 

 certainty be said to remain is the tower. The extent 

 of Langley's church can only be surmised, but he 

 seems to have retained the width of the 12th-century 

 nave, lengthening it eastward and adding, or perhaps 

 only rebuilding, the north and south aisles. Its plan 

 is, however, only a matter of conjecture ; it may be 



suggested that the nave was of about the length of the 

 four existing western bays, and that the chancel was 

 continued some 30 ft. eastward. The door now 

 called Langley's door at the south-east end of the 

 south aisle appears to be of older date than the rest 

 of that part of the building, but it is very doubtful 

 whether it is in its original position. 



Langley's work seems to have stood little more than 

 a hundred years, for the greater part of the present 

 building dates from 1524, when Richard Assheton 

 reconstructed it, setting up the present nave arcades 

 and clearstories, and the north and south aisles. The 

 line of Langley's south arcade was retained, and the 

 south aisle widened to its present extent ; but the north 

 arcade was pushed 5 ft. to the north, giving a nave 

 24 ft. 6 in. in width, and throwing the tower out of 

 the centre. 8 The chancel now assumed its present 

 shape, though its north wall was probably solid, being 

 pierced with an arch at a later date, when the so- 

 called rector's chapel (now the organ chamber) was 



MIDDLETON CHURCH 



built. The Assheton Chapel on the south side was- 

 founded at this time, though the fact that its east wall 

 does not bond with that of the chancel suggests its 

 having been an addition, or that this wall was rebuilt 

 at a later time. The north chapel, by the evidence of 

 its windows, as well as of the straight joint in the pier 

 north of the chapel, which was evidently originally 3 

 respond, appears to be of later date than the north 

 aisle, probably of the first half of the 1 7th century. 

 To a later date than 1524, too, must be assigned the 

 south-east vestry, which is below the level of the floor 

 of the church, probably to avoid blocking the windows 

 of the chancel and south chapel. The vestry walls, 



6 About 1240 Robert son of Roger de 

 Middleton released to his aunt Helewise 

 a 'land' called Henginde Chader (Hang- 

 ing Chadder in Thornham) given her by 

 her brother, his father, in free marriage, 

 to hold in free alms of the parsons serv- 

 ing God in the church of St. Leonard of 

 Middleton, rendering 4 /. yearly on the 

 altar of St. Leonard. The bounds in- 

 cluded Blacklache (between Thornham 



and Hanging Chadder), Lostebooth 

 Clough, Creswall Syke, Fahhanesgreave, 

 Lamilache, the great highway by Bolster- 

 Stan (Balderston) towards Ciompton, the 

 head of Great Hathershaw and Hather- 

 shaw Brook, Saltergate (between Berdes- 

 hul and Bolsterstancroft), and Little 

 Hathershaw Brook. The land had been 

 bounded to God and the church of B. 

 Leonard,' free and quit of Robert and his 



'53 



heirs, for his own welfare and that of his 

 wife and children, in free alms, nothing 

 being required except prayers and psalms; 

 Hopwood D. 



7 ' Quae tam in opere lapideo, quam in. 

 tectura arte mirifica et perpolite vestris 

 sumptibus de novo totaliter constructa est ' ;, 

 Licence of bishop for Langley's church. 



8 Compare for this process Eccles- 

 Church, Manchester Cathedral, &c. 



20 



