AMOUNDERNESS HUNDRED 



the floor of the present nave being 2 ft. 4 in. above 

 that of the tower, from which there is an ascent of 

 five steps. 



The font, which stands in the north-west corner 

 of the nave, is a massive circular Norman bowl 

 2 ft. 8 in. in diameter and 18 in. high, hewn out 

 of a sandstone boulder, with a half-round moulding 

 at the bottom. The font was turned out of the 

 church in 1826 to make way for one of alabaster, but 

 was discovered at a cottage in Barton in 1889 and 

 restored to the church. The bowl is supported by 

 a modern shaft. 



There are preserved in the church an old stoup, 60 an 

 octagonal stone mortar, a piece of oak 6 ft. long 

 carved with the vine pattern belonging to one of the 

 screens in the old church, a mediaeval chest and a 

 Jacobean oak communion table, while in the vestry 

 is a smaller chest dated 1666 with various initials 

 and fleurs de lis hinges. The organ has a good 1 8th- 

 century case, and there is a brass chandelier dated 

 1817. Against the west wall of the nave north of 

 the tower is a fragment of a memorial stone to Roger 

 Langton of Broughton Tower, who died at Chester 

 in 1714, and was buried in the now demolished 

 church of St. Bridget in that city. 61 



There is a ring of six bells, cast in 1 884 by Mears & 

 Stainbank. 62 



The silver plate consists of two chalices inscribed 

 ' Capellae de Broughton Sacrum 1782 ', and on the 

 foot ' The gift of the Reverend Samuel Peploe Arch 

 Deacon of Richmond & Vic. of Preston ', but with- 

 out other marks than R| thrice repeated ; a set of 

 two chalices, two patens and a flagon of 1851, pur- 

 chased by subscription in that year, and a bread-box 

 of 1906. There are also two pewter flagons given 

 by Archdeacon Peploe in 1732. 



The registers begin in 1653-4. 



On the south side of the churchyard are the steps 

 of the churchyard cross, now surmounted by a modern 

 sundial, the plate of which is dated 1 8 1 6 and bears 

 the names of the vicar and churchwardens. The 

 steps, which are three in number and square on plan, 

 are of coarse gritstone and are carried on a solid 



PRESTON 



rubble foundation going down a considerable depth. 

 The stocks, which stand outside the churchyard wall 

 near the west entrance, were restored in 1902, one 

 of the old stone posts being replaced. They are not, 

 however, in their original position. 



Though the building, as stated, 

 4DVOWSON existed from an early time, there 

 are few records of it. 63 ' 4 In the 

 1 6th century it was often called a church, its status 

 being th^t of parochial chapel. Its ornaments and 

 bells were sold at the Reformation, 65 but the building 

 seems to have been retained in use for service. 66 The 

 patronage descended like that of the vicarage of 

 Preston until 1867, when Sir Henry de Hoghton 

 sold it to John Bretherton of Leyland ; the purchaser 

 gave it to his brother William, who became vicar in 

 1872, and whose representatives are now the patrons. 67 

 In 1650 the stipend was 40, paid out of sequestra- 

 tions, 68 and therefore ceasing at the Restoration. The 

 Langtons endowed it with 20, and in 1717 the 

 income was ^34- 69 In 1774 an augmentation was 

 obtained from Queen Anne's Bounty. 70 The present 

 value is given as z$o. n A parish was assigned to 

 it in i878. 72 The chapelry was formerly reputed 

 to include the three townships of Broughton, Barton 

 and Haighton. The following have been curates 

 and vicars 73 : 

 oc. 1368-96 William de Erlesgate 74 



1441 Henry Broughton 



1515 Evan Wall 75 



1530 Henry Helme 76 



i 548-65 Roger Charnock 77 

 oc. 1597 John Marton 78 



oc. 1 6 1 o Witton 79 



oc. 1622 Lomax 80 



1626 Peter Addison, B.A. 81 



1628 Roger Farrand 82 



1650 James Knott 83 



1 66 1 John Winckley 



oc. 1674-1714 William Wood 84 



1721 William Charnley, B.A. 85 (St. John's 



Coll., Camb.) 



1727 John Starkie 



60 Found in 1893 in a ditch near the 

 church. 



61 The stone was cast aside when 

 St. Bridget's was pulled down, but was 

 recovered in 1888 and placed in Broughton 

 Church by the late Mr. William Langton 

 of Manchester. 



13 Two of the former bells, which were 

 used in the casting of the present ring, 

 bore the dates 1632, and another 1681. 

 The treble was inscribed ' See. Petre 

 O P N '. The other bells had Jesus be 

 our spede, 1632 '; ' G.W. w.w. i.e. 1681 ' ; 

 'Gloria in excelsis Deo, 1632 '; Fishwick, 

 op. cit. 135, but his description is not 

 very clear. 



6S ' 4 Geoffrey, chaplain of the hermitage 

 of Broughton, is named in a deed of 1 377, 

 but he may then have been dead ; 

 Kuerden fol. MS. fol. 256. 



In 1441 the priest at Broughton was 

 witness to a local charter ; Fishwick, 

 Preston, 129. In 1460 a sentence of 

 divorce was read in the church ; ibid. 

 The chapel of Broughton is named in the 

 1520 lease of Preston tithes quoted in 

 the account of the church. 



65 Raines, Chantries (Chet. Soc.), 277, 

 280. 



66 The same curate was there from 



1 548 to 1565 at least. Nothing i* known 

 of the next thirty years. 



67 Fishwick, op. cit. 140. 



68 Commonw. Ch. Sur-v. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), 146. In 1651, how- 

 ever, the minister's ' maintenance ' did 

 not exceed zos. a year, and ^50 was 

 allowed from the tithes of Leyland, 

 sequestered from James Anderton, ' papist 

 and delinquent ' ; Plund. Mini. Accts. 

 (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 103, in. 



89 Gastrell, Notitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc.), 

 ii, 467. Richard Cross had given 100, 

 and the vicar of Preston had usually paid 

 ,4 a year, but this had been refused by 

 Vicar Birch. It is now paid by the vicar 

 of Preston. 



70 Fishwick, op. cit. 143. 



71 Manch. Dioc. Dir. 



73 Loud. Gass. 5 Apr. 1878. 



78 This list is taken mainly from Fish- 

 wick, op. cit. 1404, where many details 

 of the incumbents will be found. 



74 Towneley MS. DD, no. 1776, 1786. 



75 In depositions of 1515-16 he is called 

 'parish priest' of Broughton; ibid. 253. 



76 Named in a Subsidy Roll, c. 1530 ; 

 T. C. Smith, Preston Ch. 20. 



77 Occurs in the Chester visitation lists 

 of 1548 and 1562, and in 1565 is named 



123 



in the will of Anne Singleton ; Willt 

 (Chet. Soc. new ser.), iii, 133. 



78 The will of a John Marton, ' curate 

 of Broughton,' was proved in 1597 ; 

 Fishwick, Preston, 141. 



79 He was ' stipendiary minister,' but 

 ' no preacher ' ; Hist. M.SS. Com. Rep. 

 xiv, App. iv, 9. 



80 Visitation lists at Chester. 



81 Act Bk. at Chester. 



82 ' Commonly called Sir Roger ' ; 

 Fishwick, op. cit. 141. This is a late use 

 of the clerical ' sir.' His name heads the 

 list of ' Protesters ' at Broughton in 1641. 



88 Named in the Ch. Sur-v., Sec., in 

 1650-1. 



84 His initials are on the bells of 1681. 

 His name is in the Bishop of Chester's 

 visitation list in 1691, as curate and 

 schoolmaster, showing letters of orders 

 *ut in 1674.' He is also named in the 

 will of Roger Langton, 1714; Piccope 

 MSS. xiv, 74. According to Fishwick 

 (op. cit. 142) he was deprived of his 

 curacy in 1678 but reinstated. 



85 He and his two successors were 

 nominated by the vicar of Preston. 

 Charnley had spent some time at Trinity 

 College, Dublin, before he entered St. 

 John's, Cambridge, in 1718, being then 



