A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



original design. The jambs and pointed heads of 

 the windows, however, are original. 



The chancel is lit at the east end by a modern 

 five-light window and by a window of three lights 

 immediately north and south with a similar opening 

 above ranging with the windows of the clear- 

 story. The upper windows previous to the restora- 

 tion had been mutilated on their west sides apparently 

 by the building up against them of the later wall 

 which stands in front of the older chancel wall 

 about 2 ft. The new windows, however, have been 

 rebuilt similar to the ones below, with a pointed 

 head, but narrower and of different shape from those 

 of the clearstory. In the east wall south of the altar 

 there was originally a doorway opening probably 

 into a low vestry as at Sefton, the masonry on the 

 outside still showing clearly where the opening has 

 been built up.^ Below the south window 2 ft. 

 from the floor are the piscina and aumbry side by 

 side, the piscina having an ogee-shaped head but no 



and of two orders, moulded on the east side and on 

 the west with rounded chamfers, and springing from 

 semicircular shafts with moulded caps and square 

 abaci, similar in detail to the nave arcade- The 

 division between the chancel and nave is marked by 

 large octagonal piers, 6 ft. in diameter, each contain- 

 ing a staircase le.iding to the roof and with a half- 

 round shaft forming a respond on three sides.' 

 Over the arch pier on the north side of the chancel 

 is a panel in the wall with the date 1584 in raised 

 letters in the left-hand bottom corner, the rest of the 

 surface being plain,^ and on one of the shields at the 

 termination of the hood mould on the opposite side 

 are the initials R. M. The chancel screen is modern 

 and of oak, but pro^'ision seems to have been made 

 in the church as built in 1582-4 for a rood loft, as 

 in the north staircase pier there is a door high up in 

 the wall apparently constructed for access to the loft. 

 The provision for a rood loft at such a late date, as 

 well as other marks of mediaeval ritual in the build- 



Scale of Teet 



Plan of Standish Church 



bowl ; the aumbry a plain square-headed recess in 

 the w.ill I ft. II in. wide by 1 5 in. high. The 

 altar rails, which are modern, are at the junction of 

 the older and later work, at the widening of the 

 chancel, which west of this point has an arcade of 

 two pointed arches on each side springing from 

 circular columns and responds. The arches are 

 9 ft. wide, narrower and lower than those in the 

 nave, but of the same general character. They are 

 of two moulded orders with labels terminating in 

 shields, and above are two four-light clearstory win- 

 dows on each side. The chancel arch is pointed 



ing, is rather remarkable, unless the builders incorpo- 

 rated some features of the earlier structure in the new 

 edifice. The roof is of oak similar to that in the 

 nave, of very flat pitch, with richly moulded beams. 

 On the beam over the east window is carved 

 'Rich'' Moodye p'son of Standyshe 1585,' and on 

 the other three beams are inscribed ' A. S.,' ' E. S, 

 1585,' and ' R. Brideoake 74.' 



The east end of the north aisle of the chancel * is 

 used as a vestry and is separated from the chancel by 

 a modem screen, while the second bay is occupied 

 by the organ. The Standish chapel in the south 



* It is not, however, certain that the 

 vesLry was ever actually built. 



■ * Under the dome of the north cam- 

 panile there are four sockets in the 

 masonry, probably to carry crosstrees for 

 » bell ' ; Trans. Hist. Soc. xijc— XJC (new 

 •cr.), 258. 



' Glynne says that ' in the chancel on 

 one of the northern arches is an inscrip- 



ANNO DM , „, 



"°°' 1584. ... MOODV; ^'"•"- C/i«rM„, 

 III. There is no date to Glynne's visit. 

 The panel, however, is now blank except 

 for the date. 



184 



* The north aisle is sometimes known 

 as the Duxbury chapel. 'It has been 

 orally transmitted that the chapel on the 

 north side of the chancel was originally 

 founded by the Duxbury house, which 

 still claims some uncertain and undefined 

 right to it"; Raines' notes to Lanci. 

 Chanlriet (Chet. Soc), Ix, i8l (1862). 



