LEYLAND HUNDRED 



Name Patron 



Zachariah Taylor, M.A.' . . . The King . . . 



Robert Pickering, D.D. . . , 



William Pilkington, LL.D.' . . Chas. Layfield . . 



Streynsham Master, D.D.' . . . Legh Master . . 



Robert Master, D.D.* .... Anne Master, &c. 



Streynsham Master, M.A." . . . Eliz. Master . . 



Robert Mosley Master, M.A.° . . 



Oswald Master, M.A.' .... Rev. G. S. Master 

 Atherton Gwillym Rawstorne, M.A.' „ 



CROSTON 



Cause of Vacancy 



depr. R. Pickering 



The more distinguished of the early rectors and 

 vicars were probably non-resident, but the rise of 

 chapels at Chorley, Rufford, Tarleton, Becconsall and 

 perhaps Hoole also, shows that the parish was before 

 the Reformation suitably provided with clergy. In 

 '535> i" addition to the vicar, who if non-resident 

 would be represented by a curate, there were eight 

 priests serving the chantries in the then undivided 

 parish, of which three were in the parish church 

 itself.' The Clergy List of i S41-2 '° shows that the 

 vicar paid two priests and Richard Cliff paid another. 

 There would thus be five or six resident clergy in the 

 central portion of Croston, and quite as many more 

 in Chorley and outlying parts. The Visitation List 

 of 1 548 records twelve names, and in addition there 

 were four priests at Chorley. The effect of the 

 change of religion is shown by the sudden drop to 

 five n.imes in 1554 and to two only, one being the 

 decrepit curate, in 1562 ; there was also one at 

 Chorley. In the following year the vicar and two 

 curates are recorded, while in 1565 the vicar was 

 supposed to have one curate, whose name, however, 

 was unknown." It was inevitable, therefore, that 

 several of the chapels fell out of use for the time, the 

 only ones named in the list of 1610-12 being those 



at Chorley and Rufford." The vicar in 1622 was 

 assisted by a lecturer," and in the survey of 1650 the 

 chapels of Chorley, Ruflbrd and Becconsall are named, 

 as also a new church at Tarleton and a proposed one 

 at Mawdesley ; Hoole had then become independent.'* 

 After the Restoration the staff probably declined 

 again, and in 1691— a time of change, however — the 

 only clergy at the visitation were the rector and the 

 curates of Chorley and Rufford." These chapelries 

 became independent rectories in 1793, and in 

 more recent times many new churches have been 

 built. 



Schools were founded in the latter half of the 17th 

 century at Croston, Bispham, Bretherton and 

 Mawdesley.'^ 



There were, as stated, three regularly endowed 

 chantries in the parish church." That at the altar 

 of St. John the Baptist was founded about 1500 by 

 John Todd, the chaplain of Rufford. The priest was 

 to celebrate for the souls of the founder and his pre- 

 decessors, and he also assisted the curate in the 

 administration of the sacraments. The income at 

 the suppression of these endowments in 1 547-8 was 

 £^ zs. id., derived from lands in Mawdesley, 

 Bispham and elsewhere." The chantry at the altar 



and held the rectory till his death, being 

 buried at Croston 4 Dec. 1703. 



^ The king presented on account of 

 simony by Pickering. Zachary Taylor 

 was son of the ejected curate of Rochdale 

 of the same name (1662) ; he was edu- 

 cated at Jesus Coll., Camb. (M.A. 1678), 

 and incorporated at Oxford. He had been 

 vicar of Ormskirk 1 679 to I 692, and was 

 a king's preacher. He acted as curate-in- 

 charge of Wigan. He was known as the 

 ' Lancashire Levite,' and wrote tracts on 

 the ' Surey Demoniac' There is a notice 

 of him in Diet. Nat. Siog. 



^ He was son of a preceding rector 

 (James P.) ; educated at St. John's Coll., 

 Oxf, ; rector of Greatham, Hants, 1699 ; 

 Foster's Alumni. He was also of Em- 

 manuel Coll., Camb. ; LL.D. 1728. He 

 purchased or repurchased the advowson, 

 and it passed with his daughter and heir 

 Margaret, wife of the succeeding rector, 

 to the Master family. 



' He was the son of Sir Streynsham 

 Master (see Diet. Nat. Biog.). 



* Nephew of the preceding rector. 

 Educated at Balliol Coll., Oxf., and fellow 

 of All Souls' ; M.A. 1753. D.D. 1763. 



In his time Chorley and Rufford were 

 made independent parishes. 



' Eldest son of the preceding rector. 

 Educated at Balliol Coll., Oxf. ; M.A. 

 1791. He fell into financial difficulties 

 about 1820, and had to leave the country 

 for a time ; see End. Ciariiies Rep. 



Hesketh and Tarleton were separated 

 from Croston in 1821, becoming inde- 

 pendent parishes, held, however, by the 



6 



then rector of Croston till his death in 

 1864. 



* Eldest son of the preceding rector. 

 Educated at Balliol Coll., Oxf. ; M.A. 

 1 8 1 8. Perpetual curate of Burnley 1 826- 

 55, where his principal work was done^ 

 Hon. Canon of Manchester 1 850, arch- 

 deacon 1854. 



^ Educated at Brasenose Coll., Oxf. ; 

 M.A. 1852. 



* Educated at Corpus Christi Coll., 

 Oxf.; M.A. 1882. Formerly incumbent 

 of Oulton, Yorks. In 1909 he was 

 appointed assistant to the Bishop of Man- 

 chester, with the title of suffragan Bishop 

 of Whalley, the rectory of Croston being 

 retained. 



^ f^alor Ecd. (Rcc. Com.), v, 231. 



"* Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 

 ili, 17. 



^' These details are from Visitation 

 Lists in Chester Dice, Reg. For the 

 * ornaments ' of the church in 1552, 

 including a Bible, see Ch. Goods (Chet. 

 Soc), 126. 



'2 Wit, MSS, Com. Rep. xiv, App. Iv, 

 II. 



1^ Mhc. (Rec, Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 

 1,67. 



^^ Commonv. Ch. Sut'v. 108-15. 



1^ Visitation List at Chester. 



*^ Gastrell, Notitia, ii, 358-60. 



John Duke of Lancaster in 1372 

 granted one John de Bradley leave to 

 open a grammar school at Croston ; 

 Duchy of Lane. Misc. Bks. xiii, fol. 53^. 



The trustees of Croston School are 

 named in a fine of 1644-5 among ths 



89 



parish church deeds ; note by Rev. W. G, 

 Procter. The school is named in another 

 deed, of 1668 ; ibid. 



^'^ Depositions respecting chantries at 

 Croston in 1569 show that there were 

 four chapels in the church, known by the 

 names of the proprietors — Beconsaw, 

 Hesketh, Ashton and Banastre. The 

 two former were repaired by the owners, 

 the two latter by the parish. The chan- 

 try priest of St. John Baptist used to say 

 service sometimes in Hesketh chapel 

 (which was on the south side of the 

 church) and sometimes at Rufford ; 

 Duchy of Lane. Special Com. 183. It 

 was stated that Sir Thomas Hesketh had 

 taken away glass from the windows, 

 showing that John Todd, clerk, was 

 founder, and had put his own arms there. 



1^ Raines, Chantries (Chet. Soc), 

 166. In the notes it is stated that John 

 Clifton was appointed to this chantry 

 in 1 509. This was perhaps done in 

 error, for Henry Todd was 'chaplain of 

 the chantry of SS. John Baptist and 

 Thomas of Canterbury in the parish 

 church of Croston * in 1505 (Towneley 

 MS. DD, no. 349), and Henry Todd (no 

 doubt the same) was chaplain In 1527, 

 when this was the only chantry at 

 Croston returned as regularly founded j 

 Duchy of Lane. Rentals, bdle. 5, no. 15. 

 In the Valor EccL (v, 231) of 1535 Jokn 

 Smith is named as chaplain, but the 

 foundation ie ascribed to Thomas Hesketh, 

 who died in 1523, and whose will (1521) 

 mentions the chapel lately built by him 

 on the south side of the chancel of 



12 



