WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



WIGAN 



said to be those of Sir William de Bradshagh and his 

 wife Mabel, the effigy of the lady alone being old. 

 Sir William's effigy was much damaged, and a new 

 figure has taken its place, the remains of the old effigy 

 being put inside the altar-tomb. Against the south 

 wall of the chapel is the monument of Sir Roger 

 Bradshagh, 1684, and there are several 19th-century 

 Balcarres monuments.' 



There are eight bells ; the first seven of 1 73 2, by 

 Abraham Rudhall of Gloucester, and the tenor of 

 1876, by Taylor of Loughborough. There is also a 

 priest's bell of 1732, by Rudhall. 



The church plate was for the most part given by 

 Richard Wells in 1706, but was remade about 1850, 

 the former inscriptions recording the gift being pre- 

 served. One large paten is, however, old, having an 

 embossed centre with the Adoration of the Magi. 

 There are three sets of large silver-gilt communion 

 plate, and a smaller set, also silver-gilt. Of plain 

 silver are three flagons and three cruets, and two alms- 

 dishes, the last dating from 1724. There are also 

 seven brass almsdishes of various dates, two pewter 

 dishes of 1825, and twelve of 1840. 



The registers begin in 1580, and are contained 

 in over seventy volumes,' and the churchwardens' 

 account books are complete from 1 6 5 1 . The sex- 

 ton's day book has much detailed information about 

 the burials in the church. 



In 1066 'the church of the 

 JDFOfVSON manor ' of Newton had one plough- 

 land exempt from all dues.' It may 

 be assumed that the lord of Newton, who at that 

 time was the King, was patron. When the Makerfield 

 barony was formed the patronage of this church 



naturally went with it, although owing to frequent 

 minorities the kings very often presented.' This led 

 to disputes. On a vacancy in 1281 the patronage 

 was claimed by Edward I, but judgement was recorded 

 for Robert Banastre.' At the following vacancy, 

 1303, William son of Jordan de Standish claimed the 

 right to present, but failed to justify it.'" The value 

 of the benefice in 129 1 had been estimated at 50 

 marks a year." The value of the ninth of sheaves, 

 wool, &c., was only ^24 2/. in 1341, but Wigan 

 borough was not included." 



In 1349 ^^^ crown revived its claim to the 

 patronage and this time obtained a verdict." It was 

 certainly an erroneous decision, and the Bishop of 

 Lichfield seems to have been unwilling to accept the 

 royal nominee," John de Winwick. It is to the 

 credit of this rector that some time before resigning in 

 1359 he persuaded the king to restore the advowson 

 to the Langtons." The Standish family afterwards 

 revived their claim to the patronage, and the matter 

 appears to have been closed only in 1446 by a verdict 

 for James de Langton, then rector.'* 



In the 1 6th century the Langtons began to sell the 

 next presentations," and in 1598 Sir Thomas Langton 

 appears to have mortgaged or sold ' the parsonage of 

 Wigan ' to the trustees of John Lacy, citizen of 

 London ; the latter in 1 605 sold it to a Mr. Pears- 

 hall, probably a trustee for Richard Fleetwood, of 

 Calwich, the heir of the Langtons." Bishop Bridge- 

 man, then rector, agreed about 1638 to purchase the 

 advowson for j^ 1, 000 from Sir Richard Fleetwood, 

 but Sir Richard Murray, D.D., warden of Manchester, 

 offering ^^lo more, secured it, and then tried to sell 

 it to the crown for ^^4,000." Charles I not being 



^ The monuments are fully described 

 in Canon Bridgeman's Wigan Ch. (Chet. 

 Soc), 689-715. 



^ The first volume, 1580-1625, has 

 been printed by the Lancashire Parish 

 Register Society. The volume for 1676-83 

 is among Lord Kenyon's family deeds ; 

 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 102. 



7 See F.C.H. Lanes, i, 286a. 



^ This, it will be found, v/as the case in 

 the earliest recorded presentation, 1205. 

 About ten years later Thurstan Banastre 

 granted the patronage to the canons of 

 Cockersand, but this gift does not appear 

 to have had effect ; Cockersand Chart. 

 (Chet. Soc), ii, 676. The Wigan charter 

 of 1246 was witnessed by Robert Banas- 

 tre, lord of Makerfield, as * true patron ' 

 of the church. 



' Abbre'v. Plac. (Rec. Com.). 201 ; 

 Dep. Keeper's Rep. \, App. 262. A few 

 years earlier there had been a dispute as 

 to the patronage, but the particulars are 

 not recorded ; De Banco R. 7, m. 39. 



^^ William de Standish alleged that his 

 ancestor Ralph, living in the time of 

 King Richard, had presented his own 

 clerk, Ulf by name, to the chapel of 

 Wigan ; and that Ulf was instituted and 

 received the tithes, oblations, and dues, 



* amounting to half a mark and more.' 

 Nothing otherwise is known of this Ulf. 

 Although it is unlikely that such a claim 

 would have been put forward by the 

 Standishes against great personages like 

 the lords of Makerfield unless there was 

 justification for it, the description as a 



* chapel ' and the very small amount of 

 dues received raises a doubt. The dis- 

 tinction of ' church ' and ' chapel ' was at 

 once seized upon by the defence ; ' We can- 



not yield up what plaintiff demands, for 

 we hold the advowson of a churchy and at 

 present we do not know if he demands 

 the advowson of a chapel in that church, 

 as we have seen m other cases, or if he 

 means to say that there is another chapel.' 

 See the late Canon Bridgeman's Hist, of 

 the Ch. of Wigan (Chet. Soc), quoting 

 Tear Bk. of Ed-w. I (Rolls Ser.), 358. The 

 information in the present notes is largely 

 drawn from his work, in which documents 

 quoted are usually printed in full. Many 

 of them are from the family records. The 

 Standish claim was still pending In 1312 ; 

 Bridgeman, op. cit. 797, The following 

 references to the suit may be added : De 

 Banco R. 153, m. 98 d — an extent of the 

 chapel of Wigan; R. 161, m. 1 1 — the 

 chapel extended at ,^9 a year, but the 

 case adjourned because Robert de Langton 

 was setting out for Scotland on the king's 

 service. Thomas de Langtree released 

 his claim to the advowson of the church 

 or chapel of Wigan in favour of Standish j 

 Coram Reg. R. 297, m. 20. 



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

 In the claim made by the rector against 

 John del Crosse in 1329 it was alleged 

 that the gross value was about ,^200 a 

 year. 



"/«?. Non. (Rec. Com.), 41. The 

 values were : Haigh 47J. %\d.\, AspuU 

 471. 'i\d. ; HIndley 64J. '^\d. ; Abram 

 3 2 J. ^\d. ; Ince 32^. z\4. ; Pemberton 

 641. 5j</. ; BlUInge 641. c,\d. ; Orrell 

 321. l.\d. ; Holland 641. 5j</. ; Dalton 

 321. z\d. The value of the ninth of the 

 movable goods of the men living in the 

 borough of Wigan was 1095. \d. 



" De Banco R. 358, m. 50. The king 

 alleged in support of his claim that Ralph 



59 



de Leicester and John Maunsel had been 

 presented by Henry III. Sir Robert de 

 Langton replied that he had himself pre- 

 sented Master John de Craven, who was 

 admitted, John de Craven, and Ivo de 

 Langton ; vs^hile his father John had pre- 

 sented Master Robert de Clitheroe, and 

 before that Robert Banastre had pre- 

 sented Master Richard de Marian in the 

 time of Henry III ; he had thus the 

 prescription of a century in his favour. 

 See also Coram Reg. R. 357, m. 21. No 

 allusion was made to the presentation of 

 Adam de Walton, which renders it almost 

 certain that he was the clerk presented in 

 1 28 1, when the king had before claimed 

 the patronage. 



1-* See De Banco R. 361, m, 42 d ; the 

 king Ty. the Bishop of Lichfield, who had 

 refused to admit John de Winwick to the 

 vacant rectory. Adam de Hulton was 

 also nominated ; Cal. Pat, 1348-50, pp. 

 473*496, 514, 5H. 



15 Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxil, App. 336. 



1^ Bridgeman, op. cit. 61-7, quoting 

 Standish papers in Local Glean. Lanes, and 

 Ches. ii, 60, 61. A fine concerning it, 

 dated 1432, may be seen in Pal, of Lane. 

 Feet of F, bdle. 6, no. 59. 



17 Bridgeman, op. cit. 102, 107, 121, 

 131. 



13 Ibid. 477~8o, where abstracts of 

 fifteen deeds relating to the transfers are 

 printed. 



1^ Dr. Bridgeman appears to have 

 thought of purchasing the advowson soon 

 after he became rector; ibid. 197. For 

 his later attempt to purchase, see 

 416-18. Laud's letter in reply shows 

 the demands made by Dean Murray ; 

 418, 419. 



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