A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



west tower. Both chapels projected beyond the line 

 of the aisle walls north and south, and were separated 

 from the chancel by oak screens. 61 The chancel 

 was of the same width as the nave, there being 

 apparently no structural division. No illustration of 

 the building remains, though it is said to have been 

 of a plain late type of Gothic, with low overhanging 

 eaves and dormer windows. 52 From remains still exist- 

 ing in the east wall of the tower the old nave seems to 

 have been 15 ft. 6 in. wide, 53 with aisles 8 ft. wide, 

 the total length of the nave and chancel being 79 ft. 54 

 During the I yth and 1 8th centuries little or nothing 

 seems to have been done to keep the structure in 

 adequate repair, and shortly before its demolition 

 Dr. Whitaker wrote that he had seldom seen ' greater 

 appearances of squalid neglect and approaching decay.' 65 

 The rebuilding consisted of the present wide aisleless 

 nave, 69 ft. by 45 ft., in the Gothic style of the 

 period, and was finished in 1826. To this a chancel, 

 36 ft. by 22 ft., with north vestries and south organ- 

 chamber occupying to some extent the position of 



Gothic work, 58 contrasting sharply with the nave, , 

 the windows of which are tall, narrow single lights. 

 The nave roof is of one span, covered with slate, and 

 has a flat plaster-panelled ceiling. 



The tower, which is I 3 ft. 3 in. square inside and 

 built of gritstone, has diagonal buttresses of seven 

 stages, a projecting vice in the south-east corner and 

 an embattled parapet with the stumps of angle 

 pinnacles. On the string course below the parapet on 

 the south side are a four-leafed flower and the date 1533, 

 which probably gives the year of the building of the 

 tower, and on the vice the string bears the initials 

 E.G. The stages are unmarked externally by string 

 courses, and on the north and south sides the walls 

 are quite plain except for the belfry windows, which 

 are of three lights under a pointed head without 

 tracery, but with external hood mould. The west 

 doorway, which has moulded jambs and head, was 

 opened out in 19056, and the window above, which 

 is of three lights with traceried head and hood mould, 

 was likewise restored, the lower part, which had before 



o SOUTH AISIX 



PLAN OF BROUGHTON CHURCH BEFORE 1823 



the two original chapels, was added in 1905-6, at 

 which time also the whole of the building was 

 restored, the tower arch opened out, and benches 

 substituted for the old square pews. 



The chancel and nave being modern are without 

 antiquarian interest, except that six sculptured stones 

 from the old church are built into the external wall 

 of the organ-chamber on the south side. 56 These 

 consist of (i) a boar's head with the initials T.B. ; 

 (2) arms of Redmayne and initials G.R. ; (3) I.H.C. ; 

 (4) arms of Singleton and the initials R.S. ; (5) arms 

 of Barton and initials T.B. ; and (6) clawed foot and 

 ivy leaf. 57 The chancel is a good example of modern 



been built up, being opened out. There is a clock on 

 the west side, and on the north buttress facing east 

 are the initials T.B. on either side of a shield, 59 and 

 in a similar position on the south buttress a shield 

 with the Singleton arms. The tower arch is of two 

 chamfered orders dying into the wall at the springing, 

 and above it the lower part of the weathering of the 

 old pointed roof is visible under the modern ceiling. 

 Until 19056 the tower was separated from the nave 

 by a wall 5 ft. thick, the removal of which revealed 

 on the south side the half- octagonal respond of the 

 old nave arcade. In the rebuilding of 1826 the floor 

 of the church seems to have been considerably raised, 



61 The inscriptions and arms in these 

 screens are given in Fishwick, Preston, 



134-5- 



51 Information from old inhabitants to 

 present vicar. It is described as having 

 been similar to Goosnargh Church, only 

 lower at the eaves. 



53 On the plan it scales less, but the 

 plan does not appear to be quite accurate, 

 the dimensions of the tower not strictly 

 agreeing with those of the actual building. 



54 These measurement* are taken from 

 the plan. 



55 Whitaker, Richmondshirc, ii, 433-4. 

 He says ' a few remnants of a, more 

 ancient fabric appear in the walls of the 

 present fabric, which is evidently a work 

 of the time of Henry VIII, since when 

 very little attention seems to have 

 been paid it, excepting to secure the 

 handsome tower from falling by strong 

 iron bars.' This was in 1822. On the. 



122 



oak roof of the chancel was the date 



1537- 



56 In the 1826 rebuilding they were 

 placed in the east gable. 



57 Four of these are illustrated in Fish- 

 wick, Preston, 136. 



58 The architects were Austin & 

 Paley of Lancaster. 



69 The shield is difficult to decipher, 

 but probably bore the Barton arms. 



