A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



has been little altered, though at periods when the 

 house '.va; abandoned in the iSth century it was 

 used as a granary or store-room.'^ The walls are 

 panelled to within 2 ft. of the ceiling with rchly 

 wrought oak wainscot, surmounted by a cornice, the 

 whole being a very good example of Renaissance 

 woodwork. The two upper ranges of panelling are 

 of marquetry, the second row with arched heads. 

 The fireplace is on the north side opposite the 

 windows and is the original one, with a low stone 

 arch 6 ft. 6 in. wide, above which the panelling is 

 carried with three rows of five panels over the 

 opening. On eitaer side the squareness of the 



the chief connexions of the family at the period 

 \\l en the house was built, as follows '" : — 

 s S S 



R M R A 



Plan of Second floor 



o 



E M 



Above the panelling is a rich plaster frieze i8 in. 

 deep, ornamented at intervals with costumed figures 

 and at the angles with lions and griffins holding 

 shields. The plaster ceiling is very elaborate and 

 has a vine pattern from which clusters of grapes 

 hang as pendants. 



The library has been almost wholly modernized, 

 but retains its original plaster frieze, though 

 the ceiling is new. The staircase in the 

 tower belongs to 1850 and has the hardness 

 of the detail of the time. 



On the first floor a rearrangement of some 

 of the rooms on the east side was carried out 

 by Barry, but generally the plan remains 

 approximately in its original form with four 

 large bedrooms and a dressing-room facing 

 south, two of these rooms retaining good 

 ornamental plaster ceilings. Over the mantel- 

 piece of the ' Grey bedroom ' is a panel 

 with the date 1604 and the initials of Law- 

 rence Shuttleworth, and the arms of Shuttle- 

 worth impaling Fleetwood are carved on one 

 of the old oak beds. On the second floor 

 the whole of the front of the house is 

 occupied by the long gallery, which is lit by 

 the three great bay windows and two 

 windows of four lights between, together 

 with a slightly projecting bay of seven lights 

 at each end. The long gallery is 70 ft. in 

 length by 1 3 ft. 6 in., and has a good original 

 geometrical plaster ceiling and ornamental 

 frieze. The walls, however, are without 

 wainscot, being covered with modern wall 

 paper, and this, perhaps together with the 

 lengths of blank wall between the windows 

 and at the ends (which do away with the 

 effect of a continuous window as at Astley 

 Hall), somewhat detracts from what would 

 otherwise be the very fine effect of the room. 

 Over the fireplace in the middle of the north 

 wall is a plaster panel flanked by caryatides 

 supporting an entablature, and containing 

 the royal arms of James I within a garter and 

 surmounted by the crown with the royal 

 initials I.R. and the date 1603. Two other 

 plaster panels below, side by side, contain the 

 following inscriptions : — 



Scale of Ret 



room is br-i'en in the angles by a square partition 

 carried up to the ceiling in front of the doors. 

 Over the fireplace the central panel of the upper 

 row is dated 1604, and in the second row four of 

 the five panels are ornamented, the centre one with 

 the Shuttleworth arms and crest. In the low er row 

 immediately over the arch are the inlaid initials of 



NON POTESTAS 



NEC FORTVNA 



SED DEVS 



CONSTITTIT 



AMBVLA CORAM 



DEO ET ESTO PFLCt' 



FEARE COD 

 HONOR y° KINCE 

 ESCHEWE EVIL 

 AND DOE GOOD 

 6EEKE PEACE 

 AND ENSVE IT 



In a small lobby on the north side of the gallery 

 is a fragment of linen pattern wainscot. The other 

 rooms on the second floor are without interest. 



■" Ch::. Soc.xW, :,i6. 



'" These initials have been conjec- 

 tured to re:"er to various recent membt-rs 

 of the Shuttleworth family {Ciet. Sue. xli, 



326), but considering that the date of the 

 fireplace is 16^4 the ccnj-.ctures for ihe 

 most part arc impossible. The third 



466 



initials, however, may pofsibly refer to Sir 

 Richard Shuttleworth, kt., and Margaret 

 his wife. 



