BLACKBURN HUNDRED 



WHALLEY 



lord of the manor and the north chapel to the 

 Starkies of Twiston. 



The present building stands on high ground at 

 the north end of the village, close to the high road, 

 which skirts the churchyard on the north and east. 

 The ground falls rapidly on the south side, from 

 which there is a very fine view from the churchyard 

 towards Pendle Hill. The old church, with the 

 exception of the tower, was pulled down in 1800 

 and the present building erected." It is an extremely 

 plain stone structure in the poorest Gothic of the 

 day, the plan being a simple rectangle 73 ft. long by 

 34. ft. wide inside without any structural division of 

 quire or aisles, with a south porch at the west end 

 and a slated roof with overhanging eaves. The 

 tower is of late i jth-century date with diagonal 

 buttresses of four stages stopping below a string 

 course under the belfry windows and a projecting 

 vice in the north-east corner. The west doorway is 

 pointed, with hollow-chamfered jambs and head and 

 label over, and retains, though in a very bad 

 condition, its ancient oak door. The west window 

 is of three cinquefoiled lights and tracery under a 

 sharply-pointed four-centred arch, the mullions alone 

 being new. The belfry windows are pointed and of 

 two cinquefoiled lights with hood mould over, and 

 have been partly restored. The tower terminates in 

 an embattled parapet with poor angle pinnacles, 

 and gargoyles on the north and south, on which sides 

 also is a clock. The tower arch is of two chamfered 

 orders and is only partly visible, the end wall of the 

 new church having been built in front of it. 



The east window is of five lights, and there are 

 four three-light windows in the north and three on 

 the south side, the mullions being carved in the 

 heads. The font is octagonal and apparently of 

 16th-century date, but has been spoiled with paint ; 

 the sides are ornamented with shields, six of which, 

 however, are blank, the others being carved with the 

 Legs of Man and a cheveron between three fleurs de 

 lis. There are some old square pews at the east end, 

 and the original three-decker pulpit remains against 

 the north wall. At the west end is a gallery, but 

 there is no organ, and the interior remains sub- 

 stantially as it was when built." A brass chandelier, 

 presented by Ralph Assheton of Preston in 1802, 

 hangs from the flat plaster ceiling. There are 

 numerous mural monuments to members of the 

 Assheton family, the oldest being those of Lady 

 Dorothy Assheton, who died in 1635, and Sir Ralph 

 Assheton of Whalley, who died in 1680. 



There are four bells, three of which are said to 

 have come originally from Whalley or Sawley Abbey, 

 but one of these has been recast. The fourth is a 

 newi, bell by Taylor of Loughborough, the gift of 

 Ralph Assheton in 188 I. The first of the old bells 

 is inscribed ' Vox Augustini sonet in aure Dei,' and 

 the second ' Sta. Margareta ora pro nobis,' and both 

 have marks attributed to John Walgrave (c. 1408). 

 The third bell was recast by Taylor of Loughborough, 

 and is inscribed ' St. Katharine, mdccclxxxi,' " the 

 old form of lettering being copied. 



The plate consists of a chalice and cover paten of 

 1613-14 (the date 1 6 1 4 being scratched on the bottom 

 of the chalice) ; a flagon inscribed ' The gift of 

 Mrs. Assheton, of Cuerdale, to Downham Church for 

 the use of the holy altar. Anno Domini 1728' ; with 

 the arms of Assheton on the lid ; and a breadholder 

 of 1804. 



The registers of baptisms and burials begin in 

 1653 and those of marriages in 1655. There is a 

 gap in the burials between 1766 and 1 770. 



There is a pedestal sundial on the south side of the 

 church dated 1808. 



The old allowance from the rectory of Whalley 

 was j^4 a year,"'" increased to j^io by the Arch- 

 bishops of Canterbury before 1650, at which date 

 j^30 a year had been added out of sequestrations.^' 

 In 1717 the certified income was only ^^lo 15/. ^d., 

 the addition to the old ^10 arising from fees'*; 

 but in 1722 Nathaniel Curzon gave j£200, in 

 return obtaining the advowson," which descended 

 in his family till about 1845, when it was purchased 

 from Lord Howe by the Hulme Trustees, the 

 present patrons.'" Some augmentations have been 

 obtained, and the net income is now stated to be 

 £190 a year." 



The following have been curates and vicars : — 

 oc. 1541 Thurstan Duckworth " 



1563 Robert Thomlinson 

 oc. 1565 Miles Carrier *' 

 oc. 1617 James Whalley ''' 

 cc. 1645 George Whitaker, M.A.'' 

 1655 Jeremiah Hey'* 

 1674 Carus Philipson, M.A." 

 1683 Richard Wright »« 

 1695 George Barker''' 

 1702 Richard Pollard '" 



1704 George Escolme, B.A." (Hart Hall, Ox- 

 ford) 

 1716 George Brown, B.A. 

 1720 James Langfield 



''* The spout heads bear the date 1 800. 



^^ The roof was stripped and repaired 

 in 1832. 



"= The old bell had ' Sea. Katharina 

 ora pro nobis ' ; Whitaker. 



'^» Hut. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, i o. 



^' Commoniv. Ch. Surv. (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), 165. The people 

 wished it to be made a parish church 

 with a competent maintenance. The 

 additional allowance of ^-^o had been 

 made in 1648 ; Whitaker, op. cit. i, 221, 

 It was confirmed or renewed in 1656 ; 

 Plund. Mins. Acctz, (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), ii, 162. It was to come from the 

 rectory of Whalley ; ibid. 176. 



™ Gastrell, Notitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc), 

 ii, 328. There were four wardens. 



" Ibid. 329. Queen Anne's Bounty 

 added another £zoo. 



^^ Ibid. 330 n. '1 Manch. Dioc. Dir. 



®2 In I 541 Duckworth was paid by the 

 vicar of Whalley ; Clergy List (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), 18. He is named later in 

 the visitation lists of 1548, 1554, 1562 

 and 1563, but in the last of these his 

 name is crossed out and the curacy is 

 stated to be vacant. 



8' Visitation List of 156;. In 1598 

 it was reported to the bishop that ' all 

 wag well' at Downham. About 1610 

 Carrier was reported to be * no preacher ' ; 

 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 10. 

 His will was proved in 1612. 



*■■ N. Assheton, Journal (Chet. Soc), 

 82, 87. He is called 'Sir James alias 

 Mr. Whalley ' ; ibid. 126. The will of 

 a James Whalley, clerk, of Danefield, 

 Blackburn, was proved at Chester in 

 1633. 



557 



^'' He was approved by the committee 

 of ministers i Apr. 1645, but may have 

 been in charge earlier ; Whitaker, op. 

 cit. i, 221. One of this name, of Simon- 

 stone, graduated at Oxford in 1635 ; 

 Foster, Alumni. 



'^ Plund. Mins. Accts. ii, no. Hey 

 was still there in 1659 ; ibid. 289. 



''The chapel was vacant in 1 67 1; 

 Visit. Returns. 



"' Visit. List of 1691 ; also curate of 

 Whitewcll. As ' vicar ' he was ' con- 

 formable ' in 1689; Hist. MSS. Com. 

 Rep. xiv, App. iv, 229. 



*^^ His will was proved in 1702. 



'" The church papers at Chester Dioc. 

 Reg. begin with the nomination of this 

 curate by the vicar of Whalley. 



" Schoolmaster of Clitheroe 1693- 

 1714. 



