The churchyard, which is almost entirely inclosed 

 by surrounding buildings, 31 is intersected by flagged 

 paths and has an entrance at each of its four corners, 

 that at the south-west leading from the market-place. 

 It was at one time a ' filthy place almost surrounded 

 by a ditch.' M On the south side is an octagonal 

 stone sundial shaft without plate on two older circular 

 steps. 



The church of Poulton, with one 

 ADVQWSON plough-land and all appurtenances, 

 was given by Roger of Poitou to 

 the Abbey of Sees in rog^. 23 In spite of a confirma- 

 tion, 74 Theobald Walter was able, a century later, to 

 lay claim to the advowson, but in 1196 released his 

 right to Poulton and Bispham on being allowed the 

 advowson of Preston.* 5 The Prior of Lancaster, as 

 representing Se"es, appears to have retained a moiety 

 of the rectory 86 and given the other moiety to a 

 clerk who would be responsible for the maintenance 

 of divine worship. In 1 247, however, it was agreed 

 that on the next avoidance of the latter moiety the 

 whole should be appropriated to Lancaster Priory, 17 a 

 vicarage being ordained. The vicar was to receive 

 20 marks a year, being responsible fer all ordinary 

 dues, and was to be duly instituted by the archdeacon 

 to the cure of souls. 28 Afterwards the vicar was paid 

 out of the small tithes and oblations, but had a house 

 provided for him. 89 In 1291, when the rectory was 

 valued at 70 marks a year, the vicarage was estimated 



at 10 marks. 30 The destruction wrought by the 

 Scots in 1322 seems to have been unusually great in 

 this parish, for the value of the rectory was reduced 

 by 70 per cent, in consequence of it, while that of 

 the vicarage fell to 4O/. 31 As in other cases, the 

 rectory was, as part of Lancaster Priory endowment, 

 in 1432 transferred to Syon Abbey, 38 and was in 

 1535 valued at 62** the vicarage being then worth 

 7 l6/. id. clear. 34 



During the wars with France the advowson 

 had several times been in the king's hands, 30 

 owing to seizures of the temporalities of foreign 

 houses, and on the suppression of Syon it was 

 again taken by the Crown. It was in 1554 pur- 

 chased by Thomas Fleetwood of Rossall, 36 and has 

 descended to Mr. C. H. Fleetwood-Hcsketh of North 

 Meols. 



The rectory became divided among several impro- 

 priators. 37 In 1650 the vicar had a house with 

 2 acres of land, the small tithes and tithe salt through- 

 out the parish, which then included Bispham, but in 

 some parts these dues were limited by prescription ; 

 the whole was worth about 5 5 a year. 38 About 1717 

 Poulton, without Bispham, was certified as worth 

 only ^ 2 8 l8/. a year, but some additional endow- 

 ments were given. 39 A terrier of 1755 has been 

 preserved ; it shows a total revenue of ^67 2/. 6</. 40 

 At present the vicar's income is reported to be 

 260" 



11 Some of these have been condemned 

 to demolition (1909). 



M Thornber, Blackpool, 285. This 

 probably refers to the i8th century. It 

 was surrounded by a ditch in 1751, on 

 the borders of which were several fine 

 sycamore trees, subsequently cut down. 

 The houses probably date from the end 

 of the 1 8th or beginning of the igth 

 century. 



23 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 290, 294. In 

 a pleading in 1293 it was stated that the 

 church was built by Roger of Poitou, who 

 endowed it with a third part of the land, 

 which was all that he held directly in the 

 place ; Ltnc. Ch. (Chet. Soc.), ii, 485. 



34 Farrer, op. cit. 298 ; by John, when 

 Count of Mortain, 118993. 



25 Find Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), i, 6. 



36 Honorius, Archdeacon of Richmond 

 (i 198 1 200), specially confirmed to them 

 the moiety of the church of Poulton and 

 the moiety of the church of Bispham, 

 which (among others) they had to their 

 own uses according to a confirmation by 

 Pope Celestine (111,1191-8); Lane. Ch. 

 (Chet. Soc.), i, 117. 



27 Ibid. 122. The Archdeacon of 

 Richmond agreed on condition that the 

 monks released their claim to the advow- 

 ion of Bolton-le-Sands and a pension of 

 3 marks from that church. 



The right of Lancaster Priory was the 

 subject of inquiry in 1351, and found to 

 be established ; Fishwick, op. cit. 205. 



28 Lane. Ch. i, 141. Bispham is called 

 a chapel only. 



29 Ibid, ii, 380. It was in 1275 ordained 

 that the vicar, besides a suitable house, 

 should have the whole altarage of the 

 church of Poulton and chapel of Bispham, 

 except living mortuaries and the tithes of 

 wool, &c., in Great Layton and Thornton, 

 which belonged to the Prior and monks 

 of Lancaster. 



30 Pope Nich. Tax. 307, 327. The 

 Prior of Norton had a ' portion ' 2, 

 reduced to los. The Abbot of Stanlaw 

 also had a portion 13 6s. 8</., reduced 

 to 6 131. 4</., besides paying 10 marks 

 to the Prior of Lancaster. This last was 

 in respect of Staining. Compositions 

 between the priory of Lancaster and the 

 abbeys of Cockersand and Whalley as to 

 tithes are printed in Lane. Ch. i, 50, 70, 

 527 ; see also Whalley Coucher (Chet. 

 Soc.), ii, 395. 



31 Inq. Nonarum (Rec. Com.), 37. The 

 various townships were able to pay thus : 

 Hardhorn and Layton, 2 6s. 8t/. each ; 

 Marton and Bispham, 2 31. q.d. each ; 

 Thornton, i 135.4^. ; Carleton, 1 101.5 

 and Poulton, i 3$. ^.d. ^13 6s. %d. 

 in all. The glebe was estimated at 

 i 6s. 8</., and the loss through lands 

 waste by the destruction of the Scots at 



1*- 



82 Simpson, Hist, and Antiq. of Lane. 

 241. 



3 V*lr Eccl. (Rec. Com.), i, 425. In 

 the minister's accounts, after the Dissolu- 

 tion, only 30 6s. $d. is recorded as 

 coming from Amoundernets ; Dugdale, 

 Man. vi, 544. 



34 Valtr Eccl. v, 262. The house and 

 garden were worth only u. So 1 . ; the 

 tithes of calves, js. ; of salt, 245. ; flax 

 and hemp, 2Os. ; small tithes, offerings, 

 &c., as in the Easter roll, ^5 181. ; in all 

 ^8 3$. %d. For synodals 21. 8</. was paid, 

 and for procurations 4.1. $d. 



35 See the list of vicars. 



36 Pat. 2 Mary ; lands in Layton, &c., 

 were purchased at the same time. On 

 12 July 1557 Thomas Fleetwood of 

 Heskin granted the next presentation to 

 John Fleetwood of Penwortham, John 

 Wrightington of Stan^ish, Richard 

 Wrightington his son and heir-apparent, 

 and Alexander Wrightington of Enfield ; 

 Church Papers in Chester Dioc. Reg. 



222 



The advowson was bequeathed to a 

 younger son William, who in 1596 sold 

 it, together with the manor of Layton, 

 &c., to his brother, Edmund Fleetwood 

 of Rossall, who died in 1622 holding 

 the advowson ; Lanes. Inq. p.m. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), iii, 316. 



37 The rectorial tithes, &c., were leased 

 to Thomas Bradley and others in 1577 ; 

 Pat. 19 Elir. pt. xii. In 1605 the rectory 

 was sold to Lawrence Baskerville ; Pat. 

 3 Jas. I, pt. xii. See also Pat. 6 jas. I, 

 pt. iii, xv. 



In 1650 Baron Rigby had the tithes 

 of Poulton, Marton and part of Bispham 

 with Norbreck ; Sir Thomas Tyldesley 

 those of Hardhorn-with- Newton, Carleton, 

 Thornton and the remainder of Bispham 

 with Norbreck ; Alexander Rigby those 

 of Layton ; Cemmonw. Ch. Surv. (Rec. 

 Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 150. 



38 Ibid. 151. 



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

 ii, 456 ; the glebe land and churchyard 

 produced 2 91. ; prescriptive payments 

 for tithe hay, hemp and flax, 5 15*. 5^.; 

 tithe hay in kind, 3 i8j. ; Easter dues, 

 as let, ,9 ; tithe geese, hemp and flax, in 

 kind, as let, l 151. ; tithe pigs, 1 is. ; 

 surplice fees, 5. He states that Richard 

 Fleetwood of Rossall had in 1687 given 

 10 a year to the church and Mr. Baines 

 in 1717 land worth ^4 10*. 



There were five churchwardens chosen 

 thus : ' Every Easter the old church- 

 wardens write down every one three persons 

 living in the township for which he serves, 

 out of which the minister chooses one. 

 The clerk is chosen by the heir of Stain- 

 ing Hall, now John Mayfield, gent., a 

 Papist : 1722' ; ibid. 458. 



Grants were later secured from Queen 

 Anne's Bounty. 



* Visit. Ret. 



41 Mar.ch. Dioc. Dir. There are a 

 vicarage-house and 36 acres of glebe. 



