A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



The plate consists of two patens of 1735, inscribed 

 'The gift of Emmanuel Smith, late of Taunton, 

 gentleman, to the Parish Church of Ashton, July 25th 

 1735;' two embossed chalices of 1753, inscribed 

 with the names of the churchwardens and the date 

 6 October 1753, and bearing the marks of William 

 Shaw and William Priest; a large paten of 175S, 

 ' The gift of Edmund Harrop, yeoman, late of this 

 Town Deceas'd to the Church of Ashton under Line 

 '755>' with the same makers' marks; two large 

 flagons of 1764, one inscribed 'Mrs. Tabitha Smith 

 daughter of Emanuel Smith, gent, formerly of 

 Taunton, in the Parish of Ashton underline, gave 

 j^20 towards this Flaggon ad. 1764' ; and a modern 

 chalice, paten and flagon presented by Emma Hulme, 

 June 1893. 



The registers of baptisms and marriages begin in 

 1594 and those of burials in 1596, with blanks as 

 follows: baptisms from 1641 to 7 December 1655 

 inclusive ; marriages from 1641 to November 1653, 

 and from April 166 1 to 1668 ; burials from 1641 to 

 3 October 1653. 



The accounts of the churchwardens begin with 

 those for 1639 (^^^ ^'^^^ leaves are torn out), and con- 

 tinue uninterruptedly till the end of 1657, when a 



break of twenty-six years occurs, the next accounts 

 being those presented I April 1 684."* 



The church of St. Michael is 

 ADFOWSON in Domesday Book recorded to 

 have shared with the parish church 

 of Manchester an ancient endowment of one plough- 

 land.'^ On the formation of the manor of Ashton 

 the advowson of the church was reserved, and was 

 granted with that of Manchester to the Grelleys."* 

 As late as 1 304, however, the rector of Manchester 

 claimed to present on the ground that Ashton was 

 merely a chapelry belonging to his church."' A 

 century later the reversion of the patronage was 

 transferred by Thomas La Warre to Sir John Ashton 

 and his heirs, "° and the advowson has since that 

 time descended with the manor of Ashton.'" The 

 trustees of the late Earl of Stamford are now the 

 patrons. The value of the benefice was reckoned as 

 20 marks or £20 in 1282,"' but the Taxation of 

 1 29 1 did not allow it to exceed ^10,'" and fifty 

 years later the ninth of sheaves, wool, &c., was only 

 £^ 15/. 61^.''° In 1535 the value was recorded as 

 ^£26 13/. 4</.,'" and by 1650 it had risen to 

 £11 'i 6s. Sd.™ At present the rector's income is 

 recorded as £730.'" 



The following is a list of rectors :— 



Cause of VacanGy 



d. Adam de Ardern 

 exch. S. de Cranesley 



122 Brief Hist. Sketch of Ashton^nder- 

 Lyne Parish Ch, (1&88), loc. cit. 



128 V.C.H. Lanes, i, 287. It does not 

 appear that the rector of Ashton has ever 

 had any share of the revenue derived from 

 Newton. 



1^ In 1277 Robert Grelley, as grandson 

 and heir of Thomas Grelley, lord of Man- 

 chester, claimed the advowson against 

 Peter Grelley, his uncle, who claimed 

 by a grant from Thomas. It was proved 

 that although Peter had actually presented 

 to the church, he did so in the lifetime and 

 in the name of Thomas Grelley, who 

 died in 1262, and his claim was therefore 

 rejected ; De Banco R. 20, m. 25 d,; 23, 

 m. 2d. 



At the same time the manor of Ashton 

 was in dispute between John de Kirkby 

 and Thomas de Ashton, but the advowson 

 of the church was expressly excluded. 



125 Thomas eon of Robert Grelley was 

 the plaintiff and Otho de Grandison de- 

 fendant in the suit ; De Banco R. 149, 

 ™- 50 ; i5i» ™' 71- The advowson of 

 Ashton was included in settlements made 

 by the Warrcs of Manchester ; sec Final 

 Cone, ii, 4, 157. 



126 In 1403 Thomas La Warre, then 

 rector as well as lord of Manchester, in 

 conjunction with his trustees settled a 

 rood of land in the Smith's Field in Man- 

 chester, abutting on the Irk, together with 

 the advowson of the church of Ashton, 

 on the said Thomas for life, with reversion 

 to Sir John Ashton and his heirs; Manch. 

 Corporation D. See also Lanes. Jnq. p.m. 

 (Chet. Soc), ii, 18. 



127 From the account of the manor it 



will be found that after the death of Sir 

 Thomas Ashton in 15 14 the three co- 

 heirs agreed to present in turn — Booth, 

 Ashton, and Hoghton. The feoffees appear 

 to have presented Molyneux and Thom- 

 son ; then Sir Richard Hoghton sold the 

 next presentation to Sir Thomas Stanley; 

 William Booth being a minor the Crown 

 presented on the next vacancy, and then 

 Elizabeth Ashton having died, Thomas 

 Hoghton presented in 1564. George 

 Booth in 1590 sold his coming turn to 

 George Parker,who8e widow and executors 

 in 1605 complained that their right was 

 questioned ; they appear, however, to have 

 established it. See the full statement in 

 Pal. of Lane. Plea R. 296, m. 6, 7, 



^28 Lanes. Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 249, 250. 



129 Pope Nicb. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 249. 

 In the Manchester Survey of 1320-2 

 the value is recorded as 30 or 40 marks ; 

 Mamecestre (Chet. Soc), ii, 274, 376. 



18** Inq. Nonarum (Rec. Com.), 39, 



181 Valor Eecl. (Rec. Com.), v, 227. 



182 Commonwealth Cb. Sur. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), 21. The ^13 61. 8^. 

 came from the parsonage house, with some 

 other tenements, and about 20 acres of 

 land ; the ;^ioo from rents, profits, and 

 tithes. The tithes included a prescriptive 

 payment of ^^13 ys. gd. from part of the 

 parish, on which the surveyors report 

 thus : ' The tithe corn of such lands which 

 pay the said prescriptive money, if they 

 were paid in kind are worth nought, but 

 they pay ^^15 per annum as we conceive.* 



A terrier dated 1 722 is printed in James 

 Butterworth*8 -<^3A/on, 167-70. 



188 Maneh. Dioeesan Cal. It was for- 

 merly worth very much more. 



18* De Banco R. 20, m. 25 d. Clement's 

 death was the occasion of the dispute as to 

 the presentation in 1277, 



185 He was plaintiff in a suit aga'ust 

 John de Byron ; De Banco R, 45, 

 m. 6. 



136 William rector of Ashton in 1292 

 claimed a tenement in Ashton against John 

 de Byron; Assize R. 408, m. 72, 58. 

 Mr. Croston identified him with William 

 de Marchia, afterwards Bishop of Bath and 

 Wells, citing the plea above quoted respect- 

 ing the advowson (De Banco R. 151, m, 

 71) ; but that merely states that William 

 de Marchia while rector of Manchester 

 'usurped* the church of Ashton during 

 the minority of Thomas Grelley (i.e. 

 some time before 1300), and that hia suc- 

 cessor Walter de Langton also had it as a 

 chapel to Manchester. It is possible that 

 William de Gringley continued in charge 

 all the time, though these rectors re- 

 garded him as their chaplain or curate and 

 took the tithes. 



"7 Lich, Epis. Reg. i, foL loh ; the 

 new rector was a clerk. It is clear from 

 the patron's name that he had succeeded 

 in establishing his right as against the 

 rector of Manchester. 



^ Ibid, i, fol. zU i a priest. The 

 surname is also given as Arden. 



189 Ibid, ii, foU 98 ; an acolyte. This 

 rector is named in the surrey of 1322 ; 

 Mamecestre, ii, 376. 



i« Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, fol. 107 ; the 

 new rector exchanged his benefice of 

 Great Oxenden for Aahton« 



348 



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