A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



Glynnc visited the church in 1859 he found the 

 stalls ' not placed quite at the extreme west of the 

 chancel ' and returned at that end." In the restora- 

 tion, however, this arrangement, which was probably 

 of the 17th rather than the i6th century," was 

 altered to that at present existing, with twelve stalls 

 on the north side and ten on the south, the difference 

 being occasioned by the interruption of the passage- 

 way to the south door. In the restoration a very 

 lavish renewal of the old work was made, greatly to 

 the prejudice of the value of the stalls as historical 

 works of art. They remain, however, a very interest- 

 ing and beautiful piece of work with elegant canopies 

 carried on slender shafts and a series of misericorde 

 carvings of more than ordinary interest. From the 

 initials W.W. on the ' abbot's stall ' it may be assumed 

 that the work dates from the time of William Whalley, 

 who was abbot from 141 8 to 1434. The subjects of 

 the misericorde carvings, reading from east to west, 

 are as follows on the north side : (i, 2 and 3) 

 flowers, modern ; (4) man and two dogs pursuing 

 animal with bird in mouth ; (5) St. George and the 

 Dragon ; (6) two eagles tearing intestines of lamb ; 

 (7) prior's stall : satyr and woman, with inscription 

 ' Penses molt et p(ar)les pou ' ; (8 and 9) foliage ; 

 (10) the Holy Trinity (three faces to one head); (l l) 

 oak, with sprays of flowers, and mouse ; (12) wirrior, 

 with sword and buckler thrown down, kneeling before 

 his wife, who is beating him with a frying-pan. On 

 the south side : (i) angel, modern ; (2) flying dragon 

 cirrying in its claws a swaddled infant ; (3) shoeing 

 the goose, with the inscription ' Wo so melles hy of 

 y' al me dos let hy cu heir & shoe )'= ghos ' ; (4) 

 abbot's stall, vine and grapes with initials W.W. at 

 either side and inscription ' Semp. gaudentes sint ista 

 sede sedentes'; (5) face with plant growing out of 

 mouth ; (6) angel ; (7) king's head, with scroll held 

 by griffins ; (8) pelican feeding young with its blood ; 



(9) pomegranates between t\s-o sharp-beaked birds ; 



(10) lion and winged dragon. The seats and book 

 desks in front of the stalls are modern, as is the reredos, 

 which extends the length of the east wall, but the 

 altar piece, a picture of Christ in the garden, painted 

 by James Northcote, was placed here in 1 8 16. It 

 was formerly in a gilt frame. Suspended from the 

 chancel roof is a good brass 18th-century chandelier. 

 The bishop's throne was erected in 1 909. 



The chancel arch is of two rounded orders, the 

 inner one with fillet on the face springing from 

 moulded imposts. The arch is set back from the face 

 of the responds beneath, the wall diminishing in 

 thickness above the imposts ; the responds consist of a 

 half-round attached shaft with fillet on the face. 



The nave is 72 ft. long by 24 ft. wide and consists 

 of four bays with north and south arcades of pointed 

 arches of two chamfered orders and hood moulds 

 over. The north arcade has circular columns 2 ft. z in. 

 in diameter and half-round responds with fillet on the 

 face, all with moulded caps and bases, 9 ft. 6 in. high 

 to the springing of the arches. The south arcade has 

 similar responds, but the piers are octagonal with 

 moulded caps and bases. The walls above the arcade 

 are plastered and the clearstory has four square-headed 

 windows of two cinquefoiled lights on each side. 



The north aisle, which is 9 ft. 6 in. wide, has 

 three square-headed windows, the easternmost of 



11 Glynne, Churches of Land, 77, 

 '■ Micklethwaite, Report. 



^ Tavlor-Taswcll, op. cit. 61, 

 '< Ibid. 



which is modern, with a three-light pointed window 

 at the east and one of two lights at the west end, and 

 two dormer windows have been inserted in the roof 

 in modern times. The east end of the aisle is 

 occupied by the former chantry chapel of St. Nicholas 

 inclosed by a 1 5 th-century screen and retaining on 

 its south side what appear to be the remains of a 

 piscina, a shallow recess in the wall 8 in. wide and 

 only 4 in. deep under a pointed head, but without 

 bowl or drain. In the wall above are traces of the 

 door giving access to the rood loft." On the east 

 wall placed in an upright position is the ancient altar 

 stone, the five crosses on which are perfect, which 

 was discovered buried beneath the floor when 

 the chantry was repaired." The chapel is now 

 furnished with chairs, but was previously filled with 

 square pews. The north doorw.iy, to which a 

 wooden porch was added in 1909, is small and plain 

 with continuous moulded jambs and pointed head, 

 the principal entrance to the church being by the 

 south doorway, which, as already stated, is a late 

 12th-century fragment from the former building. 

 It has a pointed arch of three orders, the two outer 

 ones chamfered and the middle one moulded, 

 springing from imposts and late Norman caps. The 

 shafts and bases, however, are gone, though it is 

 possible the latter may be covered up. The porch 

 was added about 1 844," and is of stone with pointed 

 arch and gable. The south aisle is 8 ft. 6 in. wide 

 and lit by three square-headed three-light windows, 

 a modern three-light pointed window at the east end, 

 and a window of two lights with four-centred head 

 at the west, the mullions and tracery of which are 

 new. The east end of the aisle is occupied by the 

 former chantry of St. Mary inclosed by a 15th- 

 centur)' screen and now filled with square pews, 

 but preserving its piscina, which has an ogee-shaped 

 head, in the south wall. Externally the nave is 

 architecturally uninteresting. The roof and those of 

 the aisles have overhanging eaves and are covered 

 with stone slates, and the walling as in the rest of the 

 building is of rough rubble with angle quoins. 



The tower, which is I 2 ft. square inside and 70 ft. 

 high, is very plain in detail, the stages being 

 externally unmarked. On the north and south sides 

 the walls are blank to the height of the belfry 

 windows except for a small square-headed opening to 

 the bell-ringing stage. There is a projecting vice in 

 the south-east corner and square buttresses of eight 

 stages finishing at a little more than half the total 

 height. The belfry windows are of two trefoiled 

 lights with tracery and hood moulds, splayed jambs 

 and stone louvres. On the east side facing the town 

 is a clock, the dial of which is partly in front of the 

 belfry window. The tower terminates in an em- 

 battled parapet above a string course, and there 

 is a good weathervane over the vice. The west 

 door has a pointed arch and jambs of two hollow- 

 chamfered orders, with hood mould and a three-light 

 pointed traceried window above with trefoiled heads 

 to the lights, chamfered jambs and head and hood 

 mould over. The tower arch is 10 ft. wide and of 

 two chamfered orders, but is almost entirely hidden 

 towards the nave by the organ. On the east wall of 

 the tower, as already mentioned, is the line of a former 

 roof of slightly higher pitch above the present one. 



" Ibid. 93, Glynne in 1859 docribei 

 the porch as then having * a wood roof,' 



.1:)' 



