BLACKBURN HUNDRED 



BLACKBURN 



The chancel is small and low, with a pointed window 

 of three trefoiled lights and tracery over at the east 

 end. The walls are built of gritstone in large blocks 

 and have a moulded plinth, but there are no angle 

 buttresses, and the work is of a very plain character. 

 There is a segmental-headed window of three lights, 

 the centre one cinquefoiled and the others trefoiled, 

 north and south, and on the south side a priest's door 

 with pointed head, now built up. The chancel was 

 restored in 1864, when a new roof was erected, the 

 floor tiled and new stalls inserted. It belongs jointly to 

 the Assheton and De Hoghton families, the north side 

 to the former and the south side to the latter. The 

 chancel arch is modern. 



The nave, being modern, has no antiquarian 

 interest. The walls externally are of local Hoghton 

 stone and internally are faced with Runcorn stone, 

 and the roof, which is of one wide span with hammer- 

 beam principals, is covered with green slates. The 

 style is that of the 15th century with embattled 

 parapets to the walls, the transepts having twin gables 

 facing north and south. There is a gallery at the 

 west end approached by a stone staircase from the 

 north porch, and containing the organ and quire. 



The tower, like the chancel, is built of gritstone, 

 and has a moulded plinth and square buttresses 

 of eight stages at its west angles, with a projecting vice 

 in the south-east corner. The west door is pointed, 

 with continuous mouldings to jambs and head, and 

 above is a three-light four-centred pointed window 

 with tracery and label. The belfry windows are of 

 three plain lights with trefoiled tracery above under 

 a four-centred arch and external label and the walls 

 finish with an embattled parapet. The north and 

 south sides are plain below the belfry windows, but 

 there is a large dock-dial on the south and west. The 

 tower arch is pointed, of two chamfered orders con- 

 tinuous to the ground. 



On the north wall of the chancel is a plaster panel 

 dated 1634 emblazoned with the arms of Assheton 

 of Cuerdale (a shield of six quarters), witli helm, crest, 

 mantling and motto and the initials of Ralph Asshe- 

 ton. There is also a brass to Sarah wife of Ralph 

 Assheton, who died in 1700. On the south side is 

 a somewhat similar but smaller and undated panel with 

 the arms of Hoghton, with helm, crest, mantling and 

 motto. Below is the inscription : ' The south part 

 of this chancel belongs to Sir Gilb'. Hoghton K°' & 

 Barn*. Builder.' There is also a brass plate inscribed : 

 ' By the appointment of 8' Charles Hoghton B"^ De- 

 ceased this Plate of Brass is here affixed to intimate to 

 all Persons whatsoever that it was his desire nobody 

 for time to come should be buryed under this Seat or 

 Pew belonging to the Hoghtons where his remains 

 are interred. Except the Lady Hoghton his Relict 

 if she so desire. Anno Dom. 17 10.' 



There is a separate monument to the said Sir 



Charles and his wife Mary, daughter of Viscount 

 Massarene, who died in 1732, but the most interesting 

 of the Hoghton memorials is a brass to Cordelia 

 Hoghton, who died in May 1685, 'a pure virgin 

 espoused to the man C Jesus,' with a long rhyming 

 inscription."' There are also memorials to Sir Henry 

 Hoghton, bart. (d. 1795), Majoi-General Daniel 

 Hoghton, who died in battle at Albuera in 181 1, 

 Sir Henry Philip Hoghton (d. 1835), Sir Henry 

 Bold Hoghton (d. 1862), buried at Anglesea near 

 Gosport, Hants, and Sir Henry de Hoghton (d. 1876), 

 buried in the Bold Chapel, Farnworth. 



The old font is circular and apparently of 1 7th- 

 century date, with two bands of 'egg' ornament on 

 the bowl, and a fluted stem. It has some interesting 

 masons' marks. All the other fittings are modern. 



The ancient peal of four bells was replaced in the 

 1 8th century by a ring of six bells, one dated 1760 

 and four 1761, all by Lester & Pack of London. 

 The sixth is by Pack & Chapman, 1780, and is 

 inscribed with the name of the minister and wardens 

 of the year."* 



The plate consists of two chalices, a paten and 

 flagon of 1790, the paten inscribed 'The gift of 

 William Assheton, esq., of Cuerdale, to the church in 

 Walton, Anno Dom. 1790' ; and a paten presented 

 by the parishioners in 1889 to commemorate the 

 incumbency of the Rev. J. C. Kershaw. 



The registers begin in 1653. 



The graveyard is principally to the east and south 

 of the church, and extends down the south slope of 

 the hill. The oldest dated gravestone is 1628. On 

 the south side of the church is a pedestal sundial 

 dated 1788. 



About the year 1166 Henry de 

 ADVOWSON Lacy, when granting to Henry the 

 clerk of Blackburn the church of 

 that place, included in the grant the chapel of 

 Walton, which belonged to that church. Afterwards, 

 when John de Lacy, constable of Chester in 1228, 

 was about to confer upon the monks of Stanlaw the 

 half of Blackburn Church which belonged to Adam 

 son of Henry de Blackburn, the latter at the request 

 of his superior lord resigned to the monks the chapel 

 of Walton with the glebe, tithes and obventions 

 pertaining to it, and secured for Richard son of the 

 Dean of Whalley, who then possessed the chapel, a 

 promise of preferment in lieu thereof."' 



At least as early as the time of Richard I the right 

 of sepulture belonged to it, with oblations on notable 

 feast days, and both great and small tithes, as to a 

 parish church. In 1236 the monks successfully 

 petitioned for pontifical authority to take away 

 these liberties and annex them to the mother 

 church.!"*) 



In 1267 it is described as Low Chapel — 'Capella 

 de la Lowe ' ^^^ — so named by reason of its striking 



*' It is given in full in Canon Atkin- 

 son's Notes to Glynne's Churches of 

 Land, 22. 



^ The inscriptions are : (i) ' Lester 

 and Pack of London, fecit 1760.' (2) 

 {3) (4) ' Lester and Pack of London, 

 fecit 1761.' (5) 'Mr. Nicholas Walmes- 

 ley and Mr. John Cooper, Ch. Wardens, 

 1761. Lester and Pack, fecit.' (6) ' Pack 

 and Chapman of London, fecerunt Lon- 

 don, 1780. Revd. L Atkinson, minister. 

 R, Heydock and Wm. Serjeant, Ch. 

 Wardens.' 



^ Whalley Couch. 72-83. For this 

 release John de Lacy was to give Richard 

 son of Geoffrey, Dean of Whalley, an 

 annuity of 20 marks until provided with 

 a better benefice ; Adam was to receive 

 yearly on the day of the patron saint 

 (St. Leonard) a besant, and to be relieved 

 from all burdens charged upon his moiety 

 of Blackburn Church. If Richard died 

 before Adam, the chapel of Walton was 

 to revert to Adam. 



l™ Ibid. 83-4, 90. The chapel was 

 confirmed to Stanlaw in proprios usus. 



297 



i"! Ibid. 105, 114. On 26 April 1283, 

 the day following the birth of Prince 

 Edward at Carnarvon, the monks of 

 Stanlaw obtained the king's licence to 

 receive from Robert Banastre 10 acres of 

 land adjoining Low Chapel and the right 

 to have common of pasture throughout 

 the township, to run thirty swine in 

 Walton woods at mast-fall time without 

 pannage, and to take timber and wood 

 for building and burning, and for making 

 houses, heys, and hedges, and repairing 

 the same. At this time the monks had 



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