SALFORD HUNDRED 



MIDDLETON 



In the Assheton Chapel are preserved a crested 

 helmet, sword, banner, and three spurs, popularly 

 associated with Sir Richard Assheton, the soldier of 

 Flodden. The crest (boar's head) and banner were 

 probably carried at the funeral of Sir Ralph Assheton 

 in 1765, and afterwards deposited here. The banner 

 was cleaned in 1895, and the arms of Assheton im- 

 paling Copley, together with the Ulster red hand, 

 were disclosed, proving it to be not earlier than 1739. 

 It is now inclosed between two sheets of glass." 



There is a ring of eight bells. Six were cast by 

 Abraham Rudhall of Gloucester in 1714, and two 

 were added in 1891, by Mears & Stainbank." 



The plate is all modern, and consists of two 

 chalices, a paten, and an almsdish of 1843, and a 

 paten of 1842. There is also a silver-plated flagon. 

 The ancient plate (seven pieces) was stolen from the 

 vestry in 1784. 



The registers begin in I54I,* 3 and the church- 

 wardens' accounts in 1647." 



At the east end of the south aisle wall is a wooden 

 sundial with the date 1788 and motto 'Lose no time.' 



The churchyard is principally on the north and 

 south sides of the building, with gates at the north- 

 west and south-west. It is paved with gravestones 

 laid flat. The modern graveyard or cemetery lies to 

 the south of the church, separated from it by a road. 



The following is a list of the rectors : 



Instituted. 

 C. 1 1 80 . . 

 OC. I2O2 . 



c. 1230 . . 



1297 . . 



21 July 1328 

 23 Dec. 1339 



8 Oct. 1340 

 15 Oct. 1343 



3 Dec. 1348 

 19 Feb. 1350-1 



Name 



PAdam 83 



? Thomas 84 . 



Peter 35 



John de Middleton 36 . 

 Thomas de Newbold sr 

 Richard de Downton K 

 Robert de Radcliffe 39 . 

 Richard de Beckingham 

 Richard de Blythe 4I . 

 Richard de Cudworth " 



The patronage has always been an 

 4DVOWSON appurtenance of the manor of Mid- 

 dleton. The church is mentioned 

 early in the I3th century. 25 In 1291 the value of the 

 rectory was given as 13 6t. 8^., 26 but fifty years 

 later the ninth of sheaves, wool, &c., was worth only 

 4 8/. I od., for which Middleton answered." About 

 1534 the income was estimated at 37 cxr. 8</., to 

 which the tithes of grain contributed 20 The 

 parsonage house and glebe were estimated as worth 

 ^40 a year in 1650, when the tithes and prescrip- 

 tion rents amounted to 188 I2/. 4^.; besides this 

 Ralph Assheton, the squire and patron, had 300 acres 

 of demesne lands on which he had never paid tithes. 19 

 Bishop Gastrell records that it was certified as worth 

 about 250 a year, early in the i8th century. 30 The 

 value is now j95o. 31 



The former rectory was in 1840 described as * a 

 large and ancient structure, supported in part by 

 buttresses ; at a comparatively recent period it was 

 surrounded by a moat with a drawbridge and a 

 wooden bridge-house ; part of the moat is per- 

 ceptible, and in some walls loopholes for the dis- 

 charge of arrows are visible. There was formerly 

 much stained glass in the room called the Hall, and 

 there is a very curious specimen of a carved oak 

 screen.' M 



Patron 



Cause of Vacancy 



Roger de Middleton 

 Agnes de Barton . 

 Agnes de Middleton 



Bishop of Lichfield 



d. J. de Middleton 

 d. T. de Newbold 

 d. R. de Downton 

 res. R. de. Radcliffe 

 exc. R. de Beckingham 



81 There was formerly a pair of spurs, 

 but after the repairs of 1868-9 on ty one 

 was left. The churchwardens thereupon 

 acquired a new pair in place of the one 

 lost, which accounts for the three at pre- 

 sent shown ; Hist. Middleton, 141. 



22 The first bell has the inscription 

 ' Peace and good neighbourhood, A.R. 

 1714' ; the eighth ' There shall be upon 

 the bells Holiness to the Lord, 1891.' 



23 Two volumes, including the entries 

 from 1541 to 1729, have been printed by 

 the Lancashire Parish Register Society. 

 Many years are missing. 



24 The churchwardens' accounts have 

 been transcribed by Mr. Giles Shaw. 



25 See the deeds quoted above. In 1246 

 it was reported that Peter Carite, having 

 killed Robert de Heap, fled to the church of 

 Middleton, and the sheriff's bailiffs took 

 205. from him 'that he might attain to 

 the king's peace ' ; Assize R. 404, m. 17 d. 



26 Pope Nich. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 249. 

 V Inq. Non. (Rec. Com.), 39. 



28 Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 226. 

 The glebe land brought in 5 14*. 8d. ; 

 tithes of lambs, &c., 5 ; and Easter 

 offerings, 6 6s. To the Archdeacon of 

 Chester i6s. %d. was paid for synodals and 

 procurations. 



29 Commoniv. Ch. Surv. 23 ; other rents 

 amounted to ^4 51., of which 91. came 

 from Oldham parish. 



A terrier of 1663 describes the rectory 

 house as having ten little bays, with barns, 

 &c., and 60 acres of land ; in the hall, as 

 heirlooms, were two tables, a livery cup- 

 board, two forms, and a ceiled bench. 

 The glebe land let to tenants amounted to 

 133^ acres, customary measure ; the boon 

 labours consisted of leading turves, shear- 

 ing in harvest, a hen, and a heriot at the 

 death of a tenant or tenant's widow ; 

 Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1868), i, 471 n. 



80 Notitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 96. 

 There were five churchwardens, chosen by 

 the rector and patron and serving for 

 Middleton, Hopwood, Thornham, Pils- 

 worth, and Birtle. The other hamlets or 

 townships had chapels. 



81 Manch. Dioc. Dir. Particulars of the 

 revenue from an advertisement of 1861 

 are given in Baines, Lanes, (ed. 1868), i, 

 481. 



82 E. Butterworth, Middleton, 29. The 

 stained glass was removed to the church. 



83 Adam the clerk of Middleton attested 

 the charter concerning Ashworth printed 

 in Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), iii, 449. It is possible that he 

 was the rector. 



84 'Thomas the Parson,' possibly of 

 Middleton, occurs in a fine of 1202 : 

 Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.) 

 i, 20. He may have been of I'restwich. 



85 He attested grants by Roger de 



Middleton and Alan his son to the monks 

 of Stanlaw ; also the above-cited release 

 by Robert son of Roger ; see Whalley 

 Coucber (Chet. Soc.), ii, 620-21. 



86 Lich. Epis. Reg. i, fol. 8 ; the new 

 rector, a clerk, was son of the patron. He 

 died 2 June 1328. 



In 1 302 John, rector of Middleton, at- 

 tested a Hopwood charter. 



In 1306 he was charged with killing 

 Henry son of Alexander Collop, and 

 pleaded that as a clerk he could not plead 

 without his ordinary. The jury found that 

 he was 'in no wise guilty,' and he was 

 freed ; Assize R. 422, m. 3. 



8 ? Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, foL 104 ; he was 

 a chaplain. The patron is called widow of 

 Sir John de Barton. 



88 Ibid, ii, fol. 113^ ; a clerk. 



89 Ibid, ii, fol. 114*5 he was son 

 of Robert de Radcliffe, and a clerk. He 

 is named in Cal. Close, 1346-9, p. 50. 

 The patron is described as widow of Roger 

 de Middleton. 



40 Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, fol. n6A. 



41 Ibid, ii, 1226; the new rector had 

 been vicar of Blyth in the diocese of 

 York. The priory of Blyth, which had 

 the patronage of the vicarage, was then in 

 the king's hands by reason of the war with 

 France. 



42 Ibid, ii, fol. 128; the Bishop col- 

 lated, by lapse. 



