SALFORD HUNDRED 



MANCHESTER 



of a saint in a green robe holding in his hands what 

 has been taken to be a gridiron (St. Laurence). 

 Underneath is a portion of a dedicatory inscription, 

 ' Armigi' et Katherine . . . fenestra fieri feceru . . .' 

 The glass in the window under the gallery is still 

 more fragmentary and confused, showing portions of 

 inscriptions, figures, and shields. 



The fragments of inscriptions have been probably 

 brought from other windows and mixed up in an 

 entirely unintelligible manner. In the three lights 

 of the window they appear to be as follows, but are 

 difficult to decipher in places owing to the presence of 

 the leading : — • 



(1) 'Edward cui Knolis et . . . 

 uxis . . . [iijeri . . . feceru[nt]. 



(2) . . . et Christian W . . . dsi m'ccccc'x 



(3) Jahane uxors sue . . . [Ri]cardi supprt et Rod 

 Catherine uxors sue .... an hac dau 

 Johane uxors sue .... 



Booker gives three inscriptions on glass in different 

 parts of the building, portions of which bear some 

 resemblance to the fragmentary inscriptions given 

 above, but most of those noted by him appear to have 

 been lost or destroyed. Two of these bore respec- 

 tively the dates 1531 and 1532, and the names of 

 Hyde and Nicholas and Robert Smith occurred. 

 Judging from the fragments remaining and the records 

 of those that have now disappeared, the 16th-century 

 chapel at Denton seems to have been rich in coloured 

 glass. 



The fragments of old glass in the transept windows 

 are very small and include ' I.H.C in a circle, the 

 arms of Hyde, part of a figure in red, a head, a shield 

 of arms (Argent a lion rampant gules crowned or), the 

 head of a martyr saint, and a shield with the letter R. 



On the west wall of the north transept are two 



17 th— century monuments, one with a long Latin 

 inscription,'*" to the memory of Edward Holland 

 (died 1655) and his wife Ann (Warren). The in- 

 scription is on a brass plate beneath an entablature 

 supported by columns, and above is a shield with 

 the arms of Holland with a label for difference im- 

 paling Warren, Cheeky or and azure on a canton 

 gules a lion rampant argent : and two crests for Hol- 

 land (Out of a coronet or a demi-lion rampant 

 holding in the dexter paw a fleur de lis argent) , and 

 Warren (On a cap of estate gules turned up ermine 

 a wyvern with knotted tail argent, wings expanded 

 cheeky or and azure.) 



The second monument is a small marble tablet 



1 8 in. square to Eleanor Arden wife of Ralph Arden 

 (or Arderne) and daughter of Sir John Done, from 

 which the inscription is almost effaced, the letters 

 having only been painted. Above on a separate 



shaped piece are the arms of Arderne, Gules three 

 crosslets fitchy and a chief or impaling Done, i and 6 

 Azure two bars argent over all on a bend gules three 

 broad arrows of the second. 2, Vert a cross engrailed 

 ermine, over all on an escutcheon argent a bugle sable. 

 3, Gules a lion rampant argent. 4, illegible. 5, 

 Azure two bars argent ; with the crests of Arderne, 

 Out of a coronet or a plume of five feathers argent, 

 and Done, A hart's head couped at the shoulders 

 proper. 



On the corresponding side of the south transept is a 

 good 18th-century monument to Dame Mary Asshe- 

 ton (died 1721), daughter of Robert Hyde of 

 Denton, with the arms and crest of Assheton, and over 

 all a shield of pretence with the arms of Hyde. 



During the restorations in the first half of the last 

 century, on the whitewash falling from the walls, 

 several words in an old English lettering were re- 

 vealed, and eventually the whole history of Dives and 

 Lazarus was laid bare. This was covered up when 

 the walls were newly plastered, but is still in existence. 



There is a single bell in the turret, originally cast 

 by Abraham Rudhall in 1715, but recast in 1896. 



The plate is modern with the exception of two 

 17th-century chalices, one inscribed 'The coppe for 

 the Lord's table,' and the other ' A communion cup 

 given to Denton chappel by M"^ Mary Done.' 



The registers of burial begin in 1696 (fragments in 

 1695) and baptisms in 1700. There are marriage 

 registers from 171 1 to 1723, after which there is a 

 gap of fifty-five years. 



The churchyard surrounds the building, with roads 

 on the east, south, and west, and entrances at the 

 east and south-west. The latter entrance has an 

 ancient timber lych-gate with stone slated roof, pro- 

 bably of the same date as the church. There was 

 formerly a yew tree on the south side, but it was in a 

 very decayed state in 1796,*' and was cut down four 

 years later. Another tree now marks its position. 



The chapel of St. James was 

 ADVOWSON built on the waste in 1531-2,^ 

 and in 1534 an agreement was 

 made by the tenants as to the levy for the 

 payment of the chaplain.*' Beyond this there was 

 no endowment,'" but Richard Holland in 1618 

 left X'^o towards the purchase of an annuity 

 of £^20 for ' a godly minister to preach the word of 

 God and read divine service,' to be nominated by the 

 Hollands and Hydes or their successors.'' In 1 71 9 

 the certified income was £12, to which voluntary 

 contributions of about ^^lo were addpd." The 

 right of patronage was disputed in 1677, the warden 

 and fellows of the Collegiate Church claiming to 

 present to this as to the other curacies ; the Hollands, 

 however, succeeded in acquiring or retaining the 



86a Given in Glynne, notes of 1892. 



'' Gtnt. Mag. zz Nov. 1796. 



^' Booker, op. cit. 41. A description of 

 the building, which was chiefly of timber, 

 is given ; there was neither chancel nor 

 communion table till about 1800. A 

 small pew was built outside the north 

 wall in 1676 by Robert Hyde, who was 

 deaf ; it had an opening into the church 

 near the pulpit. A double re-christen- 

 ing took place in 1772 ; ibid. 120. 

 There is a view of the building in 1793 

 in Nightingale's Land. Nonconf. v, 286. 



s'Harl. MS. 21 12, fol. 16+/200 ; it 

 was intended to raise j^20 by an assess- 



ment of 2^^. an acre ; Booker, op. cit. 



5'- 



^^ The chapel was confiscated by 

 Edward VI, the inhabitants acquiring it 

 for 20J. It had a chalice, also confiscated ; 

 Raines, Chant. (Chet. Soc), 278, 270. 

 At the end of Elizabeth's reign it was 

 served by a 'reader' ; there was neither 

 Bible nor surplice ; Lanes, and Chei. 

 Antiq. Soc. xiii, 60. There was still ' no 

 surplice ' in 1 604 ; Visit. Presentments 

 at Chester. About 1610 there was a 

 curate paid by the inhabitants ; Hut. MSS. 

 Com. Rep, xiv, App. iv, 11. 



'1 Booker, Denton, 52. A house on the 



321 



chapel yard was afterwards built 5 after it 

 ceased to be used by the minister, it was 

 for a time a public house, but was taken 

 down in 1853 ; ibid. 59. In 1650 this 

 house and garden were valued at i6s. a 

 year ; there was also a chapel stock of 

 j^5 ; Common'w* Ck. Suw^ (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), I2. An allowance of 

 j^5o out of the sequestered tithes of Kirk- 

 ham was made in 1648 ; Plund. Mins. 

 Accts. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 64 j 

 afterwards ^^40 was allowed out of the 

 tithes of Manchester ; ibid, li, 55, 



92 Gastrell, Notitia (Chet. Soc), ii, 84. 



41 



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