AMOUNDERNESS HUNDRED 



ST. MICHAEL- 

 ON-WYRE 



built in the north-east corner, and is still in position 

 though bricked up. There are two segmental- 

 headed windows on the north side, each of three 

 cinquefoiled lights and trefoiled tracery, and at the 

 east end a taller three-light window of similar type 

 with perpendicular tracery. 12 On the exterior, which 

 is almost entirely covered with ivy and has a modern 

 straight parapet and two square buttresses and a 

 diagonal one at the north-east corner, is a shield with 

 the arms of Butler. The chapel contains no monu- 

 ments, but on a framed board at its west end is an 

 escutcheon with the arms of Roe of Rawcliffe, with 

 helm, crest, mantling and motto. 



The tower is faced with large wrought sandstone 

 blocks and is very irregular in shape, the west and 

 south walls being at an obtuse angle. It has a pro- 

 jecting vice in the south-east corner and diagonal 

 buttresses of five stages finishing below the belfry 

 stage, which is slightly set back with a plain splay. 

 The belfry windows are of two flat trefoiled lights 

 without hood mould, and have slate louvres, and the 

 tower finishes with an embattled moulded parapet, 

 angle pinnacles and leaded roof, the height to the 

 top of the parapet being 46 ft. 6 in. The west 

 door has a four-centred head of two hollow-chamfered 

 orders and hood mould, and above is a three-light 

 segmental-headed transomed window of poor detail, 

 with plain chamfered jambs and mullions and rounded 

 heads to the lights. There is a clock on the east and 

 west sides, but the north and south sides are plain 

 except for the belfry windows and a square opening 

 immediately below. The date 1 6 1 1 on the parapet 

 is probably that of the whole of the external walling, 

 if not of the entire rebuilding of the tower. The 

 tower arch is of two chamfered orders placed high up 

 above the roof principals, obtuse and awkward in 

 shape. 



All the fittings, including the font and pulpit, are 

 modern, but there are fragments of ancient glass in 

 the north chancel window and westernmost window 

 of the chapel, the former heraldic and the latter a 

 circular piece with a picture of sheep-shearing, 

 one of a former series representing the months or 

 seasons. 13 



There is a ring 14 of three bells, the first dated 



1652, with a long inscription in Gothic letters 

 difficult to decipher. The second bell is dated 1663 

 and inscribed ' God save the King,' and with various 

 initials, and the third is by Abel Rudhall of Gloucester, 

 1742. 



The plate consists of two silver chalices of 1792, 

 with the arms of Wilson impaling France, two silver- 

 plated patens and a plated flagon. 15 



The register of baptisms begins in 1659 and those 

 of marriages and burials in 1662. From 1659 to 

 1707 the registers have been printed. 16 



The churchwardens' accounts begin in 1667. 



In the churchyard is a sundial, the plate dated 

 1796 and bearing the names of the Rev. Hugh 

 Hornby, vicar, and of five churchwardens. The 

 oldest dated gravestone is 1667. 



At the Conquest the church was 

 JDfOWSON no doubt in the gift of Earl Tostig 

 as lord of Amounderness. No change 

 seems to have been made afterwards, so that Theobald 

 Walter, when lord of the wapentake, 1 190 to 1200, 

 had this advowson also, for he gave the church of 

 St. Michael with all its appurtenances to the Abbot 

 and monks of Wyresdale in alms ; they were to 

 appoint a vicar with a portion sufficient for his 

 maintenance. 17 The monks accordingly appointed 

 one H. to the charge, allowing him the land to the 

 east of the church with the fishery there and half a 

 mark yearly. They also undertook to provide a 

 clerk to assist him. 18 



The monastery was transferred to Ireland, and the 

 gift of the church appears to have lapsed, for when 

 in 1 2034 it was alleged that Garstang was a chapel 

 pertaining to St. Michael's the patron was the king. 19 

 From that time the advowson remained with the 

 honour of Lancaster 20 until 1409, when Henry IV 

 gave it to the newly-founded college of St. Mary 

 Magdalen at Battlefield near Shrewsbury. 21 A vicar 

 was appointed in 1411, on the death of the last 

 rector. 22 When the college was suppressed with 

 other chantries in I 546-8, the rectory and advowson 

 were taken by the Crown, and after minor grants 23 

 the rectory was in 1 6 1 1 sold to Francis Morrice and 

 Francis Phillips of London, but the advowson was 

 reserved. 24 This, however, with the rectory soon 



u The lower part of all these windows 

 to a height of 18 in. has been filled 

 in with brick, so as to form a window 

 seat inside. 



13 It bears the figure of the crab and is 

 lettered 'Junius.' 



14 In 1692 it was ordered that during 

 the winter the sexton should ring the 

 great bell at 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. ; Fishwick, 

 op. cit. 65. In 1742 the churchwardens 

 reported their two bells out of order, 'the 

 great bell being lately burst ' ; Visit. Ret. 



15 On 21 Apr. 1671 Thomas Knowles 

 and Ann his wife bestowed on the church 

 a piece of silver plate inscribed ' Ex dono 

 Thomae Knowles et Annae ejus uxoris 

 de Sowerby,' to remain for ever as a 

 proper right of the parish to be employed 

 about the holy sacrament of the body 

 and blood of Christ. This appears to 

 have been lost. 



16 Lanes. Parish Reg. Soc. Publ. xxvii 

 (1906). Transcribed by Henry Brierley. 



17 Farrer, Lanes. Pipe R. 336; from 

 the confirmatory grant by William de 

 Chimelli, Archdeacon of Richmond, be- 

 tween 1194 and 1198. 



18 Ibid. 337-8. If H. did not him- 

 self act as chaplain he was to provide a 

 sufficient deputy. The monks reserved 

 the right to construct a mill on the land 

 to the east of the church. 



9 See the account of Garstang 

 Church. 



20 Thomas Earl of Lancaster had the 

 advowson in 1316, and received the 

 king's licence to alienate it 5 Cal. Pat. 

 1313-17, p. 512. 



21 Duchy of Lane. Misc. Bks. xvi, 

 139 (pt. iii) ; Cal. Pat. 140813, p. 59. 

 The papal confirmation was obtained ; 

 Cal. Papal Letters, vi, 226. 



M Dugdale, Man. viii, 1427. The 

 college was to keep the chancel in repair. 

 An imperfect translation of the ordina- 

 tion of the vicarage in 1411 may be seen 

 in Porter's Fylde t 458-9. 



88 Some of the lands, particularly in 

 Tarnacre, were granted to John Pickerell 

 and John Bernard in 1 549 ; Pat. 3 

 Edw. VI, pt. xi. The rectory was leased 

 to Robert Worsley for eighty years in 

 1575; ibid. 18 Eliz., pt, vi. Other 

 church lands in Tarnacre were granted 



26.3 



in 1589 ; ibid. 31 Eliz., pt. vii. Further 

 details from the Duchy Pleadings are 

 printed in Fishwick, op. cit. 4653. 



An agreement as to the rectory between 

 William Doddington and Henry Kirkby 

 was enrolled in 1564 in the Common 

 Pleas ; Mich. 6 & 7 Eliz. 



M This is stated in an abstract of title 

 of William Johnson's trustees in the 

 possession of W. Farrer ; the date is 

 28 July 1611. In the following October 

 the grantees sold to Thomas Gatacre and 

 Richard Taylor, who in 1613 sold to 

 John Cook of Hartwell Park, Northants. 

 The purchaser had already secured the 

 interest of Worsley and others to whom 

 grants had been made. In 1620 Cook 

 sold to William Johnson. For this see 

 also Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 326, m. 3 d. 



The Patent Rolls show grants apparently 

 at variance, viz. in 1610 to John Eldred 

 and others in fee (Pat. 8 Jas. I, pt. xxi), and 

 in 1612 to Robert Earl of Salisbury for 

 forty years ; ibid. 9 Jas. I, pt. x. 



Various references are given in Exch. 

 Dep. (Rcc. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 10, 

 12, &c. 



