BLACKBURN HUNDRED 



with two plain chamfered orders, imposts and cham- 

 fered jambs. In the gable is a plain niche, and, in 

 the place of a finial, there is a square stone sundial, 

 with a gnomon on three sides, raised on a short 

 pedestal. In thcipex of the gable are a number of 

 initials, probably those of the churchwardens at the 

 time when the porch was erected or rebuilt, together 

 with the name ' John Dison, August.' "" The outer 

 archway is now open to the churchyard, but had 

 formerly wooden gates about 6 ft. high. Against the 

 front wall on the east side are three semicircular 

 stone steps. 



The tower is i 2 ft. g in. square inside and 62 ft. 

 high. It has a projecting vice with external door in 

 the south-east corner, and square buttresses of four 

 stages at the western angles stopping below the belfr\- 

 windows. There is a moulded plinth, but otherwise 

 the exterior is very plain. The belfry windows are 

 pointed and of three lights, with transoms and 

 tracery in the heads, the openings and hood moulds 

 alone being ancient. The original mullions and 

 tracery were removed at the beginning of the 19th 

 century, when new bells were hung; and wood louvres 

 were substituted, the present mullions dating only 

 from the last restoration. The ^^•alls terminate in an 

 embatded parapet, with gargoyles below the string 

 on the north and south sides. The west door has a 

 pointed head with hood mould and continuous double 

 hollow-chamfered head and jambs stopped at the base, 

 the inner order being new ; and above is a pointed 

 three-light window with traceried head and external 

 hood mould. The lights are cinquefoiled, and the 

 head has a sunk chamfer dying into plain splayed 

 jambs. On either side of the window are two 

 shields, all four of which are indecipherable or 

 blank, and above is a small ^vindow to the ringing 

 chamber. On the vice are two other shields, one 

 above the other, the lower one defaced, and the 

 other supposed to be the arms of Lee, or Legh."' 

 The clock was placed in the tower in 1 8 1 1 , and 

 faces east and west high up on the south side of the 

 belfry windows, and there is a good 18th-century 

 weather vane. The arch is lofty and open to the 

 church, and consists of two continuous chamfered 

 orders running to the ground. 



The font, which now stands under the tower,"^ 

 has an octagonal basin on a clustered shaft with 

 hollowed sides, each containing a shield. It is of 

 early 16th-century date, and was given to the church 

 by Lawrence Townley of Barnside, whose initials 

 and arms occur on three of the shields. The re- 

 maining sides have the sacred monogram and the 

 implements of the Passion. 



In the Banastre chapel, or north chancel aisle, now 

 attached to the wall, are preserved three pieces of oak 

 which originally formed part of one of the beams 



WHALLEY 



which supported the root, on which is an inscription 

 in raised letters : — 



QuesumtK \n celo prifcibus succarrcrc muwdo. 



Hac recitare via debes Lctare Maria 

 Laruas menlw diluit ilia manu. 



Hyrd genitrix Xrish Wilelmuw depr^cor audi 

 Ne sup^;et mors me wirgo parews retine.'" 



In the south chancel aisle is a sepulchral slab 5 in. 

 thick, 6 ft. long and 2 ft. wide, at the top slightly 

 tapering, with bevelled edge and floreated cross and 

 sword.'*' 



The organ is first mentioned in I 8 I 5, and stood 

 till 1829 in a gallery at the east end, supported by 

 the chancel screen. In that year it was removed to 

 the west gallery, the eastern one being pulled down. 

 A new organ was opened in 1857 at the west end of 

 the new north aisle, which position it occupied till 

 the erection of the present organ chamber in 1889. 



The pulpit, which dates from 1891, is of oak on a 

 stone base, and all the seating is modern. 

 There is no ancient stained glass. 

 When the west gallery was removed in 1856 frag- 

 ments of a wall painting were found beneath the 

 whitewash above the western arch of the north arcade, 

 half the head and part of the body of a man in red 

 colouring being visible.'*^ 



There are mural monuments to William Emmott 

 (d. 1660), with a rhyming epitaph made by himself; 

 to the Rev. John Horrocks, incumbent (d. 1669), 

 with a long Latin inscription ; and to Edward Parker 

 of Alkincotes (d. 1805), who is buried at Waddington. 

 A brass to George Hartley (d. 1670) has a quaint 

 rhyming inscription, and another brass marks the 

 place of burial of Christopher Jackson (d. 1695), 

 ' Actor homo, Coelum Spectator, grande Theatrum 

 Mundus, Vita frequens Fabula, Scena Dies.' 



There is a ring of eight bells. Six were cast by 

 Thomas Mears of London in 1 8 1 4, and two trebles, 

 the gift of Thomas Hyde of Colne, were added in 

 1900, in which year all the bells were restored and 

 rehung."* 



The plate'*' consists of two chalices of 1790, with 

 maker's mark I. L. ; a flagon of 1774-5, originally 

 given to Mr. John Turner of Hob Stones, on the 

 completion of the Cloth Hall by the shareholders, in 

 recognition of his superintendence of the erection of 

 the building, and afterwards given by him to the 

 church. The flagon, which is 14 in. high, is in- 

 scribed, ' I cloath the naked,' with a sheep feeding 

 below, and the words, ' The free gift of the Pro- 

 prietors of the Piece Hall in Coin to Mr. John Turner 

 of that Town, Surgeon, in gratitude to Him for his 

 unwearied attendance and daily instructions to the 



^^^ This name occurs also on the sun- 

 dial at Alkincotes, which is of 17th- 

 century date. Dison probably erected 

 both dials, and the initials of the wardens 

 may have been cut at the same time as 

 his name on the porch. 



'" Carr, op. cit. 105. A fesse between 

 three crescents. Other interpretations 

 are given. 



'*^ Before 1889 the font stood at the 

 west end of the south aisle. 



^■'^ A portion of the inscription was 

 communicated to the Society of Anti- 



quaries in Tan. 1747—8, but through 

 certain of tlie words being wrongly 

 copied an incorrect translation naturally 

 followed. This was copied into Cam- 

 den's Britannia, but a corrected reading 

 was given by Dr. Whitaker In his History 

 ofWhalley. 



"^ Carr, op. cit. 133, says there is an 

 obscure inscription round the edge, the 

 words 'Thompson' and * Esholt ' being 

 visible. According to Whitaker Helen 

 daughter of Lawrence Townley of 

 Barnside married Henry Thompson, to 



533 



whom the site of the nunnery of Esholt 

 was granted in i Edw. VI. 



'''*' Can-, op. cit. 112. * In attempting 

 to bare the lower portion of the figure 

 the composition on which it was painted 

 crumbled away to such an extent that 

 the attempt was abandoned.' 



!■"• The tenor bell bears the names of 

 the Rev. John Dunderdale, curate, seven 

 churchwardens and a sidesman. 



^'^ Among the church goods in 1599 

 as given in the register was a * silver cup 

 with a lid or covering.' 



