A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



restored, apparently belonged to the same period.' 

 The south aisle of the chancel appears to represent 

 the chantry of the Blessed \'irgin, and the south 

 aisle of the nave may have been built at the same 

 time. There is evidence also of the nave and aisles 

 having been erected at different times in the plinth, 

 which round the nave and chancel has a chamfer 9 in. 

 deep, whereas that to the aisles, the south walb of which 

 are continuous, is only 3 in., the projection, however, 

 being the same. The buttresses at the east end of 

 the chancel appear to have been rebuilt when the 

 aisle was added, and have the later plinth. On the 

 north side the old plinth is almost entirely covered 

 up by the raising of the level of the soil, and the 

 plinth round the tower is about 12 in. below the 

 present ground level on the north side and something 

 less on the south. It is probable, therefore, that 

 the present plan without the south aisles is that of 

 the 14th-century church, and that it obtained all 

 through the i 5th centur)' down to the time of 

 the foundation of the chantry. A rough plan of the 

 church and churchward as they existed in 1716' shoivs 

 the building at that time the same as now, except that 

 the vcitry and hearse-house did not then exist ' and 

 the buttress on the south side of the chancel aisle 

 was not then built. The i8th century, however, 

 saw great changes in the structure of the building if 

 not in its plan, and left it externally pretty much as 

 it remains at present. In May 172 1 the 'taking 

 down and rebuilding of the parish church' was 

 resolved upon, and it was agreed that ^^300 be raised 

 that year ' towards providing materials and other 

 common uses relating to the church.' The deter- 

 mination to pull down and rebuild, however, must 

 have been subsequently modified, as during the next 

 sixteen years there are almost continuous p.iyments 

 recorded in the churchwardens' accounts for work 

 done to the structure, and various sums are agreed 

 upon from time to time to be levied on the parish 

 for this purpose.' The payments extend from 1721 

 i'> 1737, and in 1743 there are further disburse- 

 ments for pointing the steeple and for a new 

 clock face. The work then done seems to have 

 consisted principally in the raising of the nave walls 

 all round and the erection of the present ri»if, which 

 on the south side consists of one span over nave and 

 aisle, as \wcll as the reconstruction of the lower roofs 

 to the chancel and chancel aisle, i'. liich were 

 similarly treated on the south side, proJuung the 

 present ugly effect of a wide lop-sided gable at the 

 e.ist end. The top of the tower was also rebuilt and 

 the exterior of the church embellished with classical 

 urn ornaments. The effect is rather incongruous, 

 but interesting and not a little picturesque. 



The building underwent another ' thorough repair' ' 

 in i>2S, and in 1S6S-9 was restored and reseated,' 

 at which Litter date the old I 7th-century pews, which 

 were 'of every shape and ^ ze,' ' were removed, a 

 galler}- which formerly stood at the west end \vas 

 pulled down, the north windows of the nave, which 



were described byGlynne in 1S59 as ' square-headed 

 and late,' were replaced by the present ugly pointed 

 ones, and the old west door of the tower was done 

 away with and a window inserted in its pi.ice. The 

 north window of the chancel and the east window 

 of the chancel aisle would also appear to belong to 

 this date, but the old east window of the chancel 

 was retained till 1907, when it was replaced by the 

 present one. The vestr}', which is of brick, was 

 built in 1775, a stone hearse-house being afterwards 

 added on the east side. 



The church is built of red sandstone with grey 

 slated roofs, and the south side is partly covered with 

 ivy. The 18th-century work, however, including 

 the top of the tower, was carried out in grey grit- 

 stone from Harrock Hill, which now produces, after 

 a century and a-half's weathering, a not unpleasing 

 contrast. The south aisle wall is embattled its full 

 length, but on the north side the roof overhangs, 

 and the gables to both nave and chancel finish with 

 plain copings. 



The chancel has a five-light east window with 

 trefoiled heads under a four-centred arch with 

 external hood mould, all the work outside being 

 new, but internally preserving the original moulded 

 jambs.* Over the window on the outside is an 

 old sculptured head, probably a fragment of the 

 earlier building, and the apex of the gable has now 

 a modern cros^, replacing the old 18th-century urn. 

 The 18th-century ornaments, however, were retained 

 at the north and south angles of the east end. The 

 line of the old chancel gable on the south side is still 

 plainly seen, the wall necessitated by the later wide 

 roof being simpK built against it, the cast ends of 

 the aisle and chancel being flush. On the north 

 side the chancel had originally two pointed windows 

 of two lights, the easternmost of which has been 

 replaced by a modern copy, the old internal seg- 

 mental arched head alone remaining. The head of 

 the other windovs' is still visible from the inside, but 

 the opening has been used as a doorway to the 

 vestry, the wall being cut out below. The north 

 wall is plastered, but on the south side the chancel 

 )5 open to the aisle, except for 4 ft. of straight wall 

 at the east end, by an arcade of two pointed arches 

 12 ft. wide, of two plain chamfered orders springing 

 from brackets at each end, and a central octagonal 

 shaft 20 in. in diameter with moulded cap and 

 base. In the short length of wall to the east of the 

 arcade is a piscina with semicircular moulded head, 

 the opening i ft. 9 in. wide and I 1 in. high. The 

 front of the bowl formerly projected, but has been 

 cut away. The floor of the chancel, which, like 

 the rest of the church, is flagged, is level with that 

 of the nave, and there is only one step to the altar 

 pace, 10 ft. from the east wall, the chancel, there- 

 fore, losing much of its effect when seen from the 

 west end of the building. The roof is modern and 

 boarded. The chancel arch is 12 ft. 6 in. wide, 

 of two plain chamfered orders of sharply pointed 



* Glynne {C/::.rc?;es of Lanes. 6~) 

 mentions a 'decorated window' on the 

 north s::e of the chancel in 1859. The 

 present modem window := probablv a 

 reproduction ot this. Over the fir=t arch 

 troni the west of the nave arcai- is a 

 iculpturcd stone with a man's head which 

 mav hijve t>clonged to the l2th-ccnt.iry 

 church. 



- Drawn by Henry Sephton to indi- 

 cate the position of the graves. 



^ The plan, however, shows a bone 

 house on the north side of the 

 tower. 



* In November 1723 it was agreed 

 -pon to raise £io for further repairs, 

 ;^;o in 1724-;, £^'j in 1726, ^100 in 

 1727 when the hcll;u,ere ordered to be 



recast, £30 in n28, and the same 

 amount in 1730 and 1733. 



* Bainc', Land. (ed. 1836), iii, 473. 



'' A brass plate in the chancel records 

 this. 



' Bainc^, Lanct, (ed. Croston), iv, 192. 



^ The old east window bad 'unfoiled 

 monials limply interlacing' ; Glynne, 

 Churchei '■J Lafics. 67, 



156 



