BLACKBURN HUNDRED 



CHIPPING 



opposite side. The north aisle is 70 ft. 6 in. long by 

 15ft. 4 in. wide, and is lit by three square-headed 

 windows of four trefoiled lights in the rebuilt north 

 wall, with a modern window of three trefoiled lights 

 at the east and an old one of four lights at the west 

 end. The aisle extends 6 ft. 6 in. west of the arcade 

 and formerly possessed, ' near the east end of the north 

 wall,' a low side window about 1 8 in. high, 8 in. wide, 

 and 2 ft. from the ground, 9 which was done away 

 with in the restoration of 1872-3, when a small vestry 

 was erected at the north end of the aisle on the north 

 side. The organ now occupies the east end. The 

 south aisle is 68 ft. 9 in. long and 1 1 ft. 4 in. wide, 

 and is lit by four square-beaded windows of three 

 trefoiled lights in the new south wall, and by an 

 original window of similar type at the east end, the 

 mullions of which have been renewed. The east end 

 of the aisle was formerly the Shireburne chapel, com- 

 monly known as the Wolfhouse quire from the name 

 of the residence of its possessor, 10 and was separated 

 from the rest of the church by a low wooden par- 

 tition. In the restoration of 1872 a stoup was 

 found in the wall. 11 There is a priest's door oppo- 

 site the second bay from the east, the principal 

 entrance being at the west end opposite the fifth bay. 

 West of the door in the south wall is built a plain 

 piscina without bowl, and there is another similar one 

 in the west wall between the window and the arcade. 

 The porch is of stone with gabled roof, the eaves of 

 which come close to the ground. In its east wall is 

 a small arched recess built into the wall. At the east 

 end of the nave roof on the south side is a dormer 

 window of five lights, rebuilt in 1873, with stone 

 mullions and timber gable. 



The font, which stands at the west end of the south 

 aisle near the door, is of gritstone, octagonal in shape 

 and of 16th-century date. On each face is a shield, 

 three of which are carved with emblems of the 

 Passion, and the others with the sacred monogram, 

 the initials j. b. and other devices, one side only 

 being blank. The stem has eight hollowed sides, and 

 on the foot is a series of devices in Gothic letters 

 which have been interpreted asAMG + pdt 

 (Ave Maria Gratia Plena Dominus Tecum). 12 



The tower is 1 3 ft. square internally with diagonal 

 buttresses of five stages and a vice in the south-west 

 corner. The stages are unmarked externally by any 

 string course and the character of the whole is very 

 plain, the walls being of rubble and terminating in 

 an embattled parapet with continuous moulding to 

 merlons and embrasures and with angle pinnacles. 

 The belfry windows are of two trefoiled lights with 

 stone louvres but without hood moulds. On the 

 north and south sides the walls below the belfry 

 windows are quite plain except for a small square 

 opening on the north and a clock on the south side, 



but on the west side are a pointed door with moulded 

 jambs and head and a traceried window of three 

 trefoiled lights and external hood mould. The 

 tower arch is of two chamfered orders springing from 

 moulded imposts and was opened out in 1873, the 

 bells being rung from the floor of the church. 



A modern stone pulpit replaces one of wood 

 which had a massive canopy and was inscribed with 

 the initials of the Rev. Thomas Clarkson, vicar, and 

 the date 1723. 



In the restoration of 1872-3 during the removal 

 of the whitewash several painted texts were brought 

 to light, 13 but these, with an inscription on the east 

 face of the central pier of the north arcade, 14 have 

 been lost. 



On the face of the east respond of the south arcade 

 is a brass 16 to the ' two wyves of Robert Parkinson of 

 Fayresnape,' Marie daughter of Jerome Asheton, died 

 1 6 1 1 , and Anne daughter of George Singleton of 

 Stayninge, died 1623. At the bottom of the 

 inscription are a skull and cross-bones and these 

 lines : — 



* Theire partes theire persons and theire vertvovs lyfe 

 Now rest in peace freed from the bond of wyfe.' 



There is a tablet on the south wall of the chancel, 

 where he is buried, to the Rev. John Milner, vicar 

 1739 to 1777, but the other monuments are all 

 modern. They include a brass to the fifteenth Earl 

 of Derby, who died in 1893. 



There is a ring of six bells cast by Thomas Mears 

 in 1793. 



The plate consists of a chalice of 160 1-2 inscribed 

 round the rim ' The Comvnion cupp of y e Churche 

 of Chyping in y e County of Lancaster 1602,' with 

 the maker's mark R.B. ; and a paten of 1876 by 

 Elkington inscribed ' St. Bartholomew's Church, 

 Chipping, Easter 1876.' There is also a bread-holder. 



The registers begin in 1559. The first two 

 volumes (15 59-1 694) have been printed. 16 The 

 churchwardens' accounts begin in 1809. Plans of 

 the seating 1635 to 1818 have been preserved. 17 



The churchyard, which lies principally on the 

 south side of the church and is approached from the 

 road by a broad flight of stone steps, was enlarged in 

 1863. It contains an old yew tree and a stone 

 sundial dated I 708, inscribed with the initials of the 

 churchwardens. The plate bears the name of Jas. 

 Hunter, maker, Wappin, London. The oldest 

 decipherable dated stone is 1754. 



Originally the church may have 

 JDVOWSON been a chapel of Preston, the rector 

 of which place claimed the presen- 

 tation in 1240 18 ; but the right of the lord of 

 Clitheroe, to whom the manor had been given, seems 

 in later times to have been admitted without question, 



9 T. C. Smith, History of Chipping, 

 69. The illustration there given of 

 the east end of the church, however, 

 shows this window in the east wall of 

 the aisle. The illustration is presumably 

 correct. 



10 Cf. T. C. Smith, Chipping, 73 (quoting 

 Derby MSS.). 



11 Smith, op. cit. 74. 



12 The shields and inscription on the 

 font are given, Gent. Mag. 1772, p. 588 5 

 but the shields are placed wrong side up, 

 and the small letters of the inscription are 

 placed close together instead of being 



separate, and are made larger than the 

 shields. For corrections see Baines' Lanes. 

 (Croston's edition), iv, 76, and T. C. 

 Smith, op. cit. 73. 



13 T. C. Smith, op. cit. 70. 



14 It consisted of the name ' Rich. 

 Singl(e)ton.' 



15 Formerly on a flag in the floor of 

 the central aisle ; Hewitson, Our Country 

 Churches, 537. 



'« Lanes. Parish Reg. Soc. vol. xiv 

 (1903). Transcribed by Alice Brier- 

 ley. 



17 T. C. Smith, Chipping, 76 ; the lrsts 



23 



1635, 1739, 1769 and 1818 are printed 

 in full. 



18 The church being then vacant the 

 king claimed to present as guardian of 

 the lands and heir of John de Lacy. The 

 Prior of Lancaster claimed, but withdrew 

 absolutely ; the rector of Preston (Amery 

 des Roches), who alleged that Chipping 

 was only a chapel belonging to his church, 

 withdrew his claim for a time, until the 

 heir should be of age, it being acknow- 

 ledged that the lord of Clitheroe had 

 presented the last incumbent ; Abbre-v. 

 Plac. (Rec. Com.), no, m. 



