BLACKBURN HUNDRED 



WHALLEY 



In Pendle in 1524 three persons contributed to 

 the subsidy in respect of their lands : Henry Banister, 

 Simon Blakey and William Barcroft ; they lived in 

 Barrowford or Rcedley Hallows.^J In 1564 the 

 following so contributed : Henry Banister and 

 Nicholas Hancock.25 In 1597 Henry Banister, 

 William Anderton, William Barcroft, Edmund 

 Robinson, Hugh Moore.2« In 1626 Charles 

 Banister, Isabel Anderton, Thomas Barcroft, Edmund 

 Robinson, Nicholas Duxbury, and John Nutter ; 

 Hugh and Elizabeth Anderton, Mary Ruskin and 

 many others paid as non-communicants.-" 



In 1666 there were 502 hearths in Pendle liable 

 to the tax, but there were few large houses in the 

 Newchurch portion, that of John Hardey of Rough 

 Lee with six hearths being the largest. There were 

 three houses of four each in Goldshaw Booth ; the 

 remainder had three or less.-* 



The church of ST. MJRT THE 

 CHURCH FIRGIN stands on the hillside, the 

 ground of the churchyard, which is 

 almost wholly on the south side of the build- 

 ing, falling rapidly from north to south. Of the 

 original chapel nothing remains except it be that 

 the tower incorporates part of the 16th-century 

 structure. The building consists of nave with north 

 aisle, south porch and west tower, and is built of 

 local gritstone. With the exception of the tower 

 the church was rebuilt in 1 740,^9 and in plan is a 

 plain rectangle 60 ft. long by 30 ft. wide internally, 

 divided into nave, 19 ft. wide, and north aisle, I oft. 

 wide, by an arcade of six semicircular arches. Ex- 

 ternally the building is very plain, the south side 

 having four tall elliptical-headed windows with 

 moulded architraves and plain keystones. The 

 east window is of three lights divided by plain 

 mullions, the lesser side lights having square and the 

 middle light a semicircular moulded head and plain 

 keystone. The aisle has a double tier of smaller and 

 plainer windows and internally contains a gallery its 

 full width. There is also a gallery at the west end 

 containing the organ. The nave and aisle are under 

 separate gabled roofs. The walls are constructed of 

 square-tooled stones in courses with square projecting 

 quoins, but the porch, which is 7 ft. 6 in. square 

 inside, is faced with rusticated sandstone blocks and 

 has an outer semicircular arch and pediment. There 

 was formerly a second door in the south side near the 

 east end, but this is now blocked up. On the north 

 side there appears to have been originally a door high 

 up in the wall leading to the gallery, the level of the 

 churchyard allowing this without steps. The building 

 underwent a thorough restoration in 1902 when the 

 roof was renewed and blue slates substituted for the 

 original stone slabs ; the pitch at the same time was 

 slightly altered. The modern chancel arrangement 

 extends 1 5 ft. from the east end, but the original 

 sanctuary appears to have occupied only 7 ft., that 



length of blank wall inclosing it on the north side 

 below the gallery with a narrower arch in the arcade 

 above, the east end of the aisle forming a small 

 vestry. The arcade is a lofty one with pillars 10 ft. 

 high with Tuscan caps, and the arches, which are 

 g ft. 6 in. \\ ide, rising 4 ft. 9 in. above this. The 

 gallery front dates from about 1812. The roof is a 

 modern one of open timber in six bays. 



The west tower is 9 ft. by 7 ft. 6 in. inside, the 

 greater length being from west to east, and is of very 

 plain character with square-headed two-light belfry 

 windows and embattled parapet. Like the later 

 nave it is built of gritstone, with large quoins, on one 

 of which at the south-west angle facing south are the 

 date 1653 and the initials I.D. Another quoin at 

 the north-west angle facing west has the date 1 71 2 

 and some initials difficult to decipher.^" These dates 

 may have reference to rebuildings of the tower in 

 these years. Except for a string course rather low 

 down and a plain two-light west window, the walls 

 are quits plain,^' and the tower is now open its full 

 height internally to the floor of the belfry. There is 

 no vice and no external door.'- The door from the 

 old ringing chamber floor to the gallery is now 

 built up. 



There is a good brass chandelier dated 1756 

 inscribed with the names of the churchwardens of 

 that year, and the royal arms of George II are on the 

 south wall. The fittings are modern and mostly 

 date from 1902. There is a detached stone sundial 

 on the roof at the south-west angle of the nave dated 

 1 718 and with the initials H. P., C. B., I. B. 

 and I. V. 



There is one bell by T. Mears, London, 1830. 



The silver communion plate consists of a chalice 

 and cover paten of 1633 ; the chalice, which is 5 in. 

 high, is inscribed 'John 6, vers. 53. Then Jesus sayd 

 unto them Veryly Veryly I say unto you Except you 

 eat the flesh of the sonne of man and drinck his blood 

 ye haue no life in you. Anno Dom. 1633. The 

 Church Wardens of the new church in penell forest 

 are John Robinson of the old land and lohn Steuen- 

 son of Gouldsha booth Robert Bulcok of Whithough 

 lohn hartle of the ruff lea ' ; a chalice of 1 643 made 

 at York, with the maker's mark R. C. ; and a paten 

 and flagon of 1882. There are also a small silver 

 paten which fits the York chalice and appears to 

 belong to it, but it has no marks, and a large pewter 

 plate with the maker's name William Cowell. 



The registers begin in 1574, but the earlier entries 

 are copies on paper obtained from Chester by 

 Archdeacon Rushton (incumbent 1825-48). 



When this part of the county 

 ADFOWSON was disforested and granted out to 

 copyholders early in the 1 6th century 

 chapels were budt for the dwellers in Pendle and 

 Rossendale ; and as the forests had been technically 

 in the parish of St. Michael's in the castle of Clitheroe 



^* Subs. R. Lanes, bdle. 130, no. 82. 

 '= Ibid. bdle. 131, no. 212. 

 '^ Ibid. no. 274. 

 ^' Ibid. no. 317. 

 '* Ibid. bdle. 250, no. 9. 

 ^^ A tablet on the outBidc of the south 

 wall reads thus ; 



John Stephenson 



George Hartley 



John Hargreaves 



Thomas Varley 



Church Warddens 



1740 

 Richard Broughton 

 John Broughton 

 Robert Wilkinson 

 Matthew Crook 

 Masons 



'^ It is said that at the south-east angle, 

 now hidden by the roof, is the date 1544, 

 but this cannot be verified. 



^^ There are indications, however, on 

 all three sides between the string and the 

 belfry windows of former openings to the 

 ringing chamber now built up. 



^^ This together with its small size 

 seems to indicate that the tower as now 

 standing is substantially of 1712 date. 

 The tower was 'almost entirely rebuilt' 

 in the first half of the last century. Notes 

 to Whitaker's Whalley (ed. 4, 1876), i, 

 299. 



