A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



said tl,.Tt the minister had nothing but what the in- 

 habitant; bestowed on him of their own accord." A 

 further attempt to gain possession of the lands was 

 compromised in 1665, though the minister's title was 

 established; but in i 71 7-26 judgements wereobtained 

 for the whole profits and arrears,*' and thus the chapel 

 became the best endowed in the district." The net 

 value is now stated to be ^650 a year.^' There were 

 eight wardens in I 7 1 7." The vicar of W'halley has 

 retained the ri^ht of nominating the incumbent;," 

 who are no^".' styled rectors." The following is a 



list : — 



DC. I5I5 

 OC. I 52 1 



oc. 1532 



1548 



oc 1563 



1592 



1622 

 OC. 1646 

 oc 1660 



1662 

 1695 



I 726 



1763 



I So 3 

 1825 



I S 3 3 



I89I 

 1 S96 



1905 



I James Roberts " 

 I Edward Tattersall -' 

 Stephen Smith ' 

 George Gret'or}- "' 

 Lawrence Ashworth '' 

 Richard Kitchen <" 

 James Kershaw " 

 William Horrox 

 Robert Dew hurst" 

 Jon.is Brown " 

 Thomas Saunders, B.A." 

 Thomas Leigh, B.A." 

 John ^\'elsh 

 John ShurroLk, ^L.A.''' (Brasenose Coll., 



Oxf.) 

 Nicholas Rigbye B.i!duin, MA." (I'eter- 



house, Camb.) 

 Philip Abbott " 

 Edward Burrow, 11. A. 

 John Barthulomew Phillips, M.A. (All 



Souls', Oxf) 

 Herbert Bury, ^L A." (Lincoln Coll., Oxf.) 

 John William Bennett, M.A. (Emmanuel 



Coll., Camb.) 

 James Salmon Addison, ALA." (Dur.) 



More recent churches .irc St. Michael's, Lumb, 



1848," of which the patron.iee is vested in the 

 Crown and the Bishop of Manchester alternately '; 

 St. James's, W.iterkKjt, 1865, three trustees"; St. 

 Anne's, Edgeside, 1885, five trustees; and St. John's, 

 Cloughfold, I S90, Bishop of Manchester. 



Methodism appeared in Rossendale as early as i 744, 

 when William Darney, at the invitation of John M.iden 

 of Todmorden, visited it and pre.iched at Heap Barn, 

 near Bacup, and Miller's Barn, U'aterfoot. Wesley 

 preached in Rossendale in 1747. At Watcr:i>ot a 

 society was formed, but the first chapel was in liacup. 

 By 1766 a meeting-place had been secured at Xc«- 

 church, for Wesley preached there in that } c.ir." 

 The Wesleyan Methodists now have churches at New- 

 church (1804), Whitewell Bottom, Cloughfold and 

 Lumb (1861) ; the Primitive Methodists at New- 

 church, Waterfoot (1873) and Cloughfold ; and the 

 United Free Methodists at Newchurch (1836), Lumb, 

 Water and Hollin. 



The Baptists are very largely represented in this 

 district and of old standing. Their church at Clough- 

 fold is traditionally said to have been formed in 1675." 

 One of its first pastors was William Mitchel (d. 1705), 

 whose career as a preacher began in 1685, about 

 which time he was arrested at Goodshaw Chapel. The 

 congregation had become distinctively Baptist by 1700. 

 A house was purchased for conversion into a chapel in 

 1705, and on its site the present Sion Chapel was 

 built in 1838-9. To this congregation have been 

 traced directly or indirectly the numerous Baptist 

 congregations in the adjoining parts of Lancashire 

 and 'i'orkshire." Within this part of the township 

 of Newchurch there are now five other Baptist 

 churches — at Edgeside (1853), Lumb (1828)," 

 Water (1881), Waterbarn (1847) and Waterfoot 

 (I S 50-69). 



The Society of Friends had the first Nonconformist 

 meeting-place, their 'conventicle,' with its burial- 

 ground (at Chapel Hill), being reported to the Bishop 



*^ Common'u;. Ch. Sun: (Rec. Soc. 

 L.incs. and Chcs.), 168. 



" £nj. Char. Rep.; Gablrell, loc. cit. 

 gives the decision and states the income at 

 £2-^ 101., of which j^20 was the rent 

 charge upon copyhold land, * p.irt of whicli 

 being now mortgaged is dubious ' ; the 

 rem.Tindcr came I'rom fees. 



»» VVhitaker, U.S. '1 .Uj^r/i. £)« . DIr. 



'^ Gastrell, loc. cit. 



^ On the contest as to the patronage 

 between the bishop and the vicar in l~f>i 

 see Ne\\bigging, op. cit. 125—30. 



^ The beaeticc was declared a rectorj- 

 in 1867 ; Land. Gjz. 7 June. 



« ^Cl Bi. offr/:M:ey, 45, 52, 59- He 

 was probably the chaplain suspended in 

 1 i:;20 ; ibid. 72. 



"^ Ibid. 4^. His name does not occ .r 

 again. 



^ Ibid. 73. He was still chaplain in 

 i^:;i ; ibid. 13S. He appears next at 

 Burnley. 



-^■^ Ibid. 142. His will, dated 5 Apr. 

 I^4S, is printed by Piccope, ff'ilis (Chet. 

 Soc), it, 199. He desired to be buried 

 in Haslingden churchyard, his body being 

 * honestly waked, broiuht forth, and 

 buried.' He mentions his brothers John 

 and Richard. To Henrj- Ramsbottom he 

 le:t 3;. 4i/. to pray for his soul and 3.C. ^i 

 to the repairs of" Rossendale Chapel with 

 the same object. He owed the chapel 

 131. 4^., but the chapel reeves owed him 

 wages I'"-'" three quarters, 41J. 7^/. in all. 



His income would probably not exceed 

 £} a year ; he had two beehives. 



^* This name and some others are taken 

 from the lists in Whitaker, op. cit. i, 3 19, 

 and Nt\\6igping ; they cannot be regarded 

 as cLTtain. Ashworth's name is not in the 

 visitation lists. 



*** Visit. List5 of 1563 and 1565, A 

 curate was licensed in 1575; Pennant's 

 MS. Acct. Bk. at Chester. 



*^ At the visitations of 1592, 1598 

 and 1 601 he was presented for not wear- 

 ing the surplice, and in 1619 for not 

 * usually ' doing so, then promismg amend- 

 ment ; but a similar charge was made in 

 1622. In 1610 he was described as * the 

 stipendiary preacher . . maintained by 

 the inhabitants'; //;:/. AISS. Com. Rep. 

 xiv, App. iv, 10. He was called ' Lecturer ' 

 in 1622; M::c. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), i, 68. 



^^ The local committee disapproved of 

 Dewhurst ' for several gross scandals 

 proved against him,' but as he defied them 

 and went on in 'his pretended ministr)' ' 

 they were required in 1647 to furnish the 

 proofs ; PlunJ. Mins. Accts. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), i, 48. Dewhurst 

 retained his place, for he was there in 

 1650 ; CommoniL-. Ch. .Surz: 168. He 

 may be the Robert Dewhurst who was 

 afterwards curate of Gorton. 



^ This name is taken from Whitaker. 

 Brown was at Newchurch in Pent^ie 

 1647-8. Ciilamy states that John Klip- a.^ 



440 



was expelled from Newchurch in Rossen- 

 dale in 1662, but Whitaker names him 

 at Haalingden, where he continued till his 

 death in 1679 or 1680. 



'•' He matriculated at Christ Church, 

 Oxf., in 1640 ; Foster, Alumni. No 

 degree is given. He died on a visit to hit 

 home and was buried at Great Budworth, 

 169;. 



"* The church papers at Chester Dioc, 

 Reg. begin at this point. 



''^' Also of Walton-le-Dale. 



'■' Also curate of Great Crosby ; he 

 served Rossendale by assistant curates. 



'''* Writing master at Clitheroe School. 



''» Vicar of St. Paul's, South Hampstead, 

 by exchange with Rev. J. W. Bennett. 



'" Previously incumbent of various 

 churches, including Potter Newton, 1 897- 

 1906. 



'* The district had been formed in 

 1846 5 Lond. Gaz. 17 Mar. 



" For district see ibid. 13 Mar. 1866 ; 

 II Mar. i88i. 



'■* A district was assigned in 1887. 



'* Newbigging, op. cit. 159-63. 



" The details in the text are chiefly 

 from A. J. Parry, Hist, of Chughjali 

 Bapt. Ch. 1876. 



''" See the list of sixty-one, c.p. cit. 

 198-200. 



" The first chapel at Lumb was built 

 about 1750; Newbigging, op. cit. 154. 

 The congregation moved to Goodshaw 

 about ten years later. 



