A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



the building on the south and east. It is a plain 

 brli-k structure uith a stone slated roof, consisting of 

 a small chancel 8 ft. in depth by 1 5 ft. wide, nave 

 36 ft. 6 in. by 24 ft. and west porch. There 



is a small vestry south of the chancel and the west 

 gable has a wooden bell-cote containing one bell. 

 The east window of the chancel is of three lights, 

 the centre one with a semicircular head and key- 

 stone, and the nave has two semicircular-headed 

 windows on each side. The windows, hoivever, 

 except at the west end, are modern and inserted 

 in I 875, at which date the celling w.i; taken down 

 and the roof lined \\ith pitch pine. There is a 

 gallery at the west end, with fairly good iSth- 

 century detail in the front, supported on square fluted 

 wood posts with moulded caps. The gallery contains 

 an organ given in 1 907. The font is the original 

 18th-century plaster one of scallop pattern. 



The churchyard is rather picturesquely situated 

 close to the river, and is panly bounded by a number 

 of fine lime trees. On the south side is a pedestal 

 sundial dated I 776. 



There ii a sihcr chalice inscribed ' Croston, 1627,* 

 uhich probably belonged originally to the mother 

 church. The llagon and paten are modern electro- 

 plate. 



The rcg!:icr; Icj-n in 174;. 



J'he orij;in and dedication of the 

 j4Df^0lf'S0\ prc-Reformation chapel of Bccconsall 

 are unknown. A chantr}' v.as 

 founded there by George Bcconsaw in the early yeari 

 of the 1 6th centur)-, and the incumbent here, as at 

 'l'.irlcton, was 'cnfurLeJ to minister the blessed 

 sa^r.iment' to the people oftentimes, because the 

 tides prevented them going to the parish church for 

 d.iys together.' The endowment was only 621. jJ. 

 a year, and on its confiscation by the Crown the 

 chapel appears to have fallen into disuse and at last 



became a ruin.^ The patronage continued to be 

 claimed by Banastre of Bank down to 1640,' but 

 seems to have lapsed to the rector of Croston on the 

 rebuilding of the chapel about 1700.* It was 

 rebuilt again in 1764.' On the separation of the 

 township from Croston parish in 1821 it became 

 the church of the new parish, but the rector of 

 Croston continued to hold it till his death, and was 

 also patron. He afterwards sold the advowson "^ to 

 Sir T. D. Hesketh, from whom it has descended 

 to Sir T. G. Fermor Hesketh. In 1717 there was 

 no income beyond £2 ~s. I !</., being a grant from 

 the duchy revenues, and the chapel was ' supplied 

 six times a year ' onlv.' The value is now given as 

 ^280.^ 



The following were curates' : — 



Robert Hesketh 



1734 Matthew 



VVorthington 



1735 Thomas Ellison 



1754 James Folds 

 1757 Robert Barker 

 Benjamin Cooper 

 William Ion 

 Streynsham 



Master 

 Thomas 



Whitehead 



1773 

 17S8 

 1790 



1799 



1736 Streynsham 



Master 

 1740 Stanhope Ellison 

 1742 Roger Lea 



The recton have been : — 

 1S21 Strevnsham Master, M.A.'" (Balliol Coll., 



Oxf). 

 1864 Richard O'Brien, M.A.'l (T.C.D.). 



There is a Primitive Methodist chapel dating from 

 1827.'-' Formerly there was also a Congregationalist 

 meeting-place.'^ 



There are no special charities for 

 CHJRITIES this parish,''' but It receives a share 

 of Dr. Layfield's Croston charity, 

 which is distributed in cotton-cloth to the poor," 

 and every tenth jear the Crooke and Master bene- 

 faction for religious books is received and distributed." 



y 



Hcnr)* Banister, usually known as 

 Ruttcr, «at bom at Hciketh Bank in 

 1755 and eJucatcd at Douay. He scr\-cd 

 as a priest on the English mission till his 

 death in 18; S, and was the author of a 

 number of thclogical « . rks. See Cillow, 

 i>'.'.'. I):.:. ,f Eagl. Cdlh. ;, +;8 i in the 

 lime work (i, 12;) it a notice of his 

 uncle Robert Bannu-r, also a D 

 priest. 



' Raines, CV.j-i/r.ti (Chet. Soc), i;o. 

 The chaplain in i;; q (/Wor £../. v, 

 252) and 1^4- was Robert Smith. The 

 en ; wmcnt «as derived from lands in 

 Preston and elsewhere. The place was 

 poorly furnished with a chalice, two vest- 

 ments and mass book. 



* Edmund HuJg-Ln, 'decrepit,' ap- 

 peared as curate of Becconsall at the 

 visitation of I 56;, but this seems to hi\e 

 been terarir.Try only, a3 he disappenrcd 

 bclorc 1563. 1 Lc cii-.pcl i> not men- 



tioned at all in the report compiled about 

 1610 ; Ihil. .U >. Csw. /?f;>. xlv, App. iv, 

 1 1. It is named in that of 1650, but no 

 minister or endowment is recorded ; the 

 commissinneri advised that J separate 

 pjriih fhould be made ; Conirry.rrw. C/i. 

 ^i>rz'. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Clics.), i 10. 

 In 1658 it Was advised that Hesketh 

 should be joined v, ith Tarleton to form 

 a'l independent parish, but this was not 

 c.rried out; I'lj.rJ. Mins. Acclt. (Rec. 

 Soc. Lanes, and Chcs.), ii, 260. 



^ Sec the incj lisitjons above cited. 



• r.a.lrell, .\ii:!:a Ctslr. (Chet. Soc), 

 .1, 362. 



' Ibid, in ti.e note. 



' Ibid. ' Ibid. 



« .\[jmh. Dioc. Dir. 



' From the church papers in Chester 

 Dioc. Rcgistri.'. 



'" .-Mio rector of Croston ; he was p re- 

 se.'-.tcc! a seco.nd ti.-ne in 1824. I.i 1821 



it was reported to the Bishop of Chester 

 that there was service every Sunday, 

 morning and afternoon, a sermon being 

 preached in the morning. The sacrament 

 was administered four times a year. 



" Presented by H. Kirkman, trustee 

 for Philip O'Brien. 



" Hewitson, Our Country Cliurchti, 265. 

 The first chapel was an old cart-house ; a 

 better building was erected in 1843, re- 

 placed by a larger one in 1871. 



'■■ Nightingalc,iana.A'iWfOM/.ii, 36,41. 



" An official report was made in 1898, 

 with a reprint of that of 1826. 



'^ The share of Hesketh in 1897 was 

 £1 61. lid.; the rector and church- 

 wardens distribute it. 



'" See the account of Croston charities. 

 The amount received in 1894 was 

 ;,^ll 19J. 3</. ; it was expended on 

 Bibles, hymn-books, &c., distributed by 

 the rector. 



114 



