LEYLAND HUNDRED 



RUFFORD 



heraldic carving of 1 6th-century date, possibly from 

 the tomb of Sir Thomas Hesketh in the chancel (1588). 



In the north aisle is a marble tablet to Sir Thomiis 

 Hesiceth (d. 1778) with a verse by the poet Cowper, 

 his wife's cousin, and at the east end of the south 

 aisle a monument by Flaxman to Sophia Hesketh 

 (d. 181 7). In the vestry is preserved the board with 

 the royal arms, 1763, and a brass chandelier in the 

 nave is of the same date. The font now in use is a 

 handsoms modern one of red granite, a Masonic gift 

 in memory of Sir Thomas Hesketh (d. 1872), but the 

 1 8th-century hexagonal font is still preserved, with a 

 wooden canopy, round the bottom of which is the 

 inscription : ' m^on anomhma mh monan o^in.' 



In the chancel is the old 1 8th-century oak 

 communion table with twisted legs. 



There are two bells, the oldest by Luke Ashton 

 of Wigan, 1746, and the other by Ta}lor of 

 Loughborough. 



The plate consists of a tulip chalice, paten and 

 flagon of 1842, given by Mr. L. G. N. Starkie. 



The registers begin in 1670. 



The churchyard contains a number of 1 7th-century 

 gravestones with good lettering, the oldest being 

 1632. On the south side is the base of an old cross. 

 The origin of the chapel of St. 

 JDFOfrSON Mary at RufFord is unknown. As 

 the manor was granted to a monas- 

 tery it is possible that an oratory of some kind 



existed from early times, tides and floods over the 

 low-lying land cutting the villagers off from the 

 rest of the world. 1 In 1346 Sir William de Hesketh 

 obtained the king's licence to alienate in mortmain 

 200 acres of land, &c., in Riifford, Croston and 

 Mawdesley for the endowment of the chantry in 

 the chapel.^ The founder, according to the report 

 of 1547, ordained that there should be three priests 

 there, each having his special lands, to sing, celebrate, 

 and minister sacraments as need might require.'' 

 Sir William and his descendants were the patrons.* 

 An indulgence was granted to benefactors in 1352 

 by Hugh, Archbishop of Damascus, then visiting 

 Ruftbrd,'' and there are some later notices." In 

 1547 the commissioners reported that the three 

 priests resided and celebrated according to their 

 foundation, and the chapel seems to have been 

 decently furnished.' In addition Bartholomew 

 Hesketh had given lands of the value of ^^10 for the 

 endowment of a stipendiary priest to say mass and 

 te.ich the scholars of the town of RutFord.* The 

 place w.as thus well supplied before the confiscation of 

 the endowments by the Crown. The Heskeths were 

 buried in the chapel, and one of the tombs is in the 

 present church.' 



The chapel may have continued in use after the 

 Reformation. About 16 10 it had a minister, Mr. 

 Bradshaw, who was 'a preacher ' ^^ ; but in 1650 

 there was no provision for a minister ' s.ave the 



5. Fitton. 6. Twenge. 7. Bannaster. 

 8. MinshuU. 9. Lawrence. 10. Del- 

 mere. II. Fleming, iz. MItshall. 



^ Thus in 154.8 it was remarked that 

 an arm of the sea intervened between the 

 chapel of Rufford and the parish church 

 of Croston, * so that often and many 

 times the tide will be so high that no man 

 can pass betwixt the space of four days, 

 by occasion whereof the said priest [of 

 Rufford] with other his fellows be en- 

 forced to minister sacraments and sacra- 

 mentals to the inhabitants adjoining ' ; 

 Raines, Chantries (Chet. Soc), 162. 



^ Cal. Pat. 1345-8, p. 476. In 1347 

 Robert de Nevill of Hornby granted 

 messuages and lands in Croston and 

 Mawdesley to Sir William de Hesketh 

 for chaplains celebrating daily in the 

 chapel of B. Mary within the manor of 

 RufFord ; Towneley MS. GG (Add. MS. 

 32107), no. 1361. The licence of Henry 

 Earl of Lancaster was obtained in 1349 ; 

 ibid. no. 1414. 



Alice widow of Sir John de Hesketh 

 and Sir William de Hesketh in 1348 

 granted Bartholomew de Wood Newton, 

 chaplain, various lands in RufFord (in 

 Churchcarr), &c., for life, that he might 

 celebrate mass in the chapel of RufFord 

 for the souls of their ancestors and others ; 

 Towneley MS. HE, Edw. Ill, no. 13. 



^ Raines, op. cit. 160-2. Canon 

 Raines thought that there were several 

 founders, and as each priest had separate 

 lands he seems to be justified. On a 

 tomb in the chapel was a request for 

 prayers for the soul of Richard Hesketh, 

 who died in 15 11, having founded a per- 

 petual chantry therein ; Dods. MSS. 

 cxlix, fol. 81. In 1535 it was reported 

 that the three chantries were founded by 

 Sir William Hesketh, Alice Hesketh 

 and someone unknown ; Valor Ecd. (Rec. 

 Com.), V, 231. 



•■ This right is evident from inquisi- 

 tions, &c., cited above. 



The following chantry priests occur : — 

 V,. 1390 John Celhod, pres. by Thomas 

 son of Sir William de Hes- 

 keth ; Towneley MS. GG, 

 no, II 60. 

 1425 Richard Todd (vacant by d. 

 of John Layton) ; Lich. 

 Epis. Reg. ix, fol. 1 1 5. 

 1435 Thomas Dylle ; ibid, ix, fol. 



123. 

 1476 Mr. Robert Booth, pres. by 

 Robert Hesketh, patron, 

 oc. 148 1 Richard Yate ; Towneley MS. 



GG, no. 2167. 

 oc. 1489 John Todd ; ibid. RR (Add. 

 MS. 32108), no. 873. 

 1506 Hugh Hesketh, pres. by T. 

 Hesketh, true patron ; va- 

 cant by d. of John Todd; 

 Lich. Epis. Reg. xiii-xiv, 

 fol, 544. 

 1530 George Parker, pres. by Robert 

 Hesketh on the death of 

 Richard Todd ; ibid. fol. 66i. 

 It does not seem from any of these 

 notices that there was more than one 

 chaplain at a time. 



In 1507 Thomas Hesketh, who was 

 patron ashclrmale of SirWiUiam the foun- 

 der, consented to the Bishop of Lichfield 

 reforming the foundation ; ibid. fol. 75^. 

 The chantry priests in 1527 were 

 Richard Todd, nominated by Thomas 

 Hesketh, deceased about four years pre- 

 viously, and John Smith ; the third 

 chantry was vacant, by reason of the death 

 of Edmund Tomlinson, lately incumbent j 

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

 John Smith seems to have been pro- 

 moted to the Croston chantry soon after- 

 wards. The priests in 1 535 were George 

 Parker, Thomas Banastre and Robert 

 Feilden ; Valor Eccl. loc. cit. These three 

 remained in charge till the suppression in 

 1 548, when their ages were sixty-two, 

 fifty-three and forty-seven respectively ; 

 Raines, op. cit, 



127 



^ TowneleyMS.RR, no. 934 ; itwas an 

 Indulgence of forty days to such as should 

 assist in the building or enlargement of 

 the chapel, or say the Our Father and Hail 

 Mary for the founders and benefactors. 



^ In the last will of Thomas Hesketh, 

 1523, he left money for a new aisle, 20 ft. 

 by 40 ft., to be built on the south side of 

 RufFord chapel, the east end to have a 

 window like that in the east end of Up- 

 hoUand Priory ; or a new chapel might 

 be built to the east of the existing build- 

 ing. A steeple of stone, like that at 

 Brindle Church, was to be built at the 

 west end, and four bells were to be bought 

 and placed there. The chapel yard was 

 to be surrounded with a stone wall. See 

 Add. MS. 32104, no. 1393. There is 

 nothing to show that these provisions 

 were carried out. 



' Raines, op, cit. The first chantry, 

 probably the original foundation, had 

 lands In Croston and Rufl^ord producing 

 ,^5 \os. %d. a year. The second chantry 

 liad lands In Bispham, Newburgh and 

 Amounderness, producing only 46^. %d. 

 The third had lands at Hindley, bringing 

 in ^4181. 



The lands were granted out by Queen 

 Elizabeth at various times ; Pat. 32 Ellz. 

 pt. vi \ 30 Eliz, pt. XV ; 25 Ellz. pt. i. 



^ The nominal founder vi'as one of the 

 trustees of Thomas Hesketh, who died In 

 1523, leaving rents for a priest to say 

 mas3 for his soul, &c., for ever, and to 

 teach a free school for thirteen children, 

 who were to have a dinner or one meal's 

 meat each weekday when the school was 

 open ; Towneley MS. HE, 1 8 Hen, VIII, 

 no. 9. He also left money for five 

 almsmen like those at Lathom. 



^ A re;ord of the tombs and inscrip- 

 tions was made by Dodsworth in 1620 ; 

 MSS. cxlix, fol. 81. 



There are modern monuments by 

 Flaxman and Noble. 



^^ Hist, MSS, Com, Rep. xiv, App. Iv, n. 



