A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



The churchyard, uhich is almoft entirely inclosed 

 by surrounding buildings" is intersected by fl.igyed 

 piths and has an entrance at each of it; four corners, 

 th.it at the south-west leading from the market-place. 

 It was at one time a ' filthy place almost surrounded 

 by a ditch.'" On the south side is an octagonal 

 stone sundial shaft without plate on two older circular 

 steps. 



The church of Poulton, with one 

 ADVOIfZOX plough-land and all appurtenances, 

 was given by Roger of Poitou to 

 the Abbey of Sees in 1094." In spite of a confirma- 

 tion," Theobald Walter was able, a century later, to 

 lay claim to the advowson, but in 1 196 released his 

 ri.-ht to Poulton and Bispham on being allowed the 

 aivj.v on of Preston." The Prior of Lancaster, as 

 representing Sees, appears to have retained a moiety 

 of the rectory" and given the other moiety to a 

 clerk who would be responsible for the mi:ntenance 

 of divine worship. In 1247, however, it was agreed 

 that on the next avoidance of the latter moiety the 

 whole should be appropriated to Lanca-tcr Priory,* 7 a 

 vicar .^e being ordained. The vicar was to receive 

 20 mrk a year, being responsible fer all ordinary 

 dues, and was to be duly in tit ted by the archdeacon 

 to the cure of souls. ' Afterwards the vicar was paid 

 out of the sma'l tithe and oblations, but had a house 

 provided for him.** In 1291, when the rectory was 

 valued at 70 marks a year, the vicarage was estimated 



at 10 marks." The destruction wrought by the 

 Scots in 1322 seems to have been unusua ly great in 

 this parish, for the value of the rector) - was reduced 

 by 70 per cent, in consequence of it, while that <>l 

 the vicarage fell to 40/." As in other ca.es, the 

 rectory was, as part of Lancaster Priory endow in en , 

 in 143: transferred to Syon AoLcy," and was in 

 1535 valued at £6z" the vicarage being then v. rt , 

 £: 1 6/. -J. clear. 54 



During the wars with France the advowson 

 had several times been in the king's hinds," 

 owing to seizures of the temporalities of foreign 

 houses, and on the suppression of Syon it was 

 again taken by the Crown. It was in I ^ 54 pur- 

 chased by Thomas Fleetwood of Rossall,^ and has 

 descended to Mr. C. H. Fleetwood-Hcskcth of North 

 Meols. 



The rectory became divided among several impro- 

 priators." In 1650 the vicar had a house with 

 2 acres of land, the small tithes and tithe salt through- 

 out the parish, which then included Bispham, but in 

 some parts these dues were limited by prescription ; 

 the who'e was worth about ^55.1 year." About 1717 

 Poulton, without Bispham, was certified as worth 

 only £ 2 8 l8x. a year, but some additional endow- 

 ments were given." A terrier of 1 75 5 has been 

 preserved ; it shows a total revenue of £6j is. 6J." 

 At present the vicar's income is reported to be 

 £260." 



11 S- me of these hav. bet-n con iemned 

 to demolition ( i 9 = 9). 



,J Thorn ber, Blacky I, 285. Th 1 

 probably re'ers to the 1 8th century. Jt 

 was surrounded bv a ditch in 17^1, on 

 the borders of which were several fine 

 ivcimfTc trees, subsequently cut down. 

 The houses probably Hate from the end 

 <f the 1 8th or beginning of the 19th 

 century. 



* Farcer, Lai::. Pipe R. 290, 204. In 

 a pleader, in 1293 it was staled that the 

 church »-» built by Roger of Poitou, who 

 en * '-d it w.th a third p-rt of the land, 

 which was all that he held ' irectly in the 

 F la r ; I.*nc Ch. (Chet. Soc), ii, 4*<- 



14 Farrer, op, ell. 298 ; by John, when 

 Coi;p.t of Mf-rtam, 11*7-9]. 



Ij Ftnal Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Cl.cs.), i, 6. 



'' Hon-rius, Archd'-.icnn of Richmond 

 ! I 198— 1200), 'pe-hally confirme i to them 

 the moiety of the ch.ir^h of" F. ult n and 

 the moiety of the ch ireh of B:»rha-Ti, 

 which (among others) thev had to their 

 own uses according to a confirmation by 

 Pope Celcstine (III, 1191-8); Lane. Ch. 

 (Chet. Soc), i, 117. 



17 Ibid. 122. The Archdeacon q ; . 

 Richmond agreed on condition that the 

 monks released their claim to the advow- 

 son of Bolton-Ie-Sands and a pension of 

 3 m rk> from that church. 



The right of Lancaster Priory was the 

 subject of inquiry m i;;i, and found to 

 be established \ Flshw.clc, op. cit. 205. 



^ Lji:. Ch. i, 141. Bispham is called 

 a chsrel only. 



19 Ibid, ii, ;So. It was in 12-; ordained 

 that the vicar, besides a suitable house, 

 fb uld have the whole altnra.^e of the 

 church of Pou!:on and chapel of El*: ham, 

 except living mortuaries and the t ;hes of 

 woo!, v'vc, in Gr-nt Layton and Thornton, 

 which belonged to the Prior and monks 

 of Lancaster. 



m Pope A'/VA. Tax. 30-, 3 2 -•. The 

 Prior of Nort n had a ' p ->n .< >:i '- -/"'» 

 re-iuced to ioj. The Alb i -I Stan aw 

 a -3 had a portion — £i^ OI * ^^* rc ^ ucc d 

 to £6 1 31. 4..'-, besl -ei ray; 1 j 10 mirks 

 to the Prior ■■!' Lancaster. This la'-t was 

 in respect of Staining. Compositions 

 be: ween the pr ry •>{ Lancaster and the 

 abbe;, s of Oockr r *jnd and Whalley as to 

 tithes ot printei in L.'-u\ Ch. i, ;o, 70, 

 52-; see also H'halky Coucher (Chet. 

 S.<, ii, 395. 



11 In jm Senium (Rec. Com.), 3 -\ The 

 various townships were able to pay thus : 

 H inborn and Lav ton, £2 61. %J. each ; 

 Mart on and Bispham, /.2 31.4a/. each; 

 Th rr.t- n, £\ t 31. 4./. ; Cirlct'Ti, £\ iO'.; 

 and Poulton, £1 \t. 4< /.— £13 61. %,i. 

 in at!. The p ebe was estimated at 

 £i 6j. 8,/., and the loss through lands 

 w <ste by the destruction of the Scots at 



* J Si.np :., Ih-t. and Ar.tif. of Lane. 

 241. 



M f-'alor Eeel. (Rec. Com.), i, 42 c. In 

 the minister's accounts, after the I>i«soIu- 

 tk.n, only £30 61. :v/. is recorded as 

 coming from Amounderness ; Uugdale, 

 M a. vi, 544. 



4 Valtr Eeel. v, 262. The house and 

 garden were worth only 1;. %d. ; the 

 tithes of calves, jt. ; of s;^t, 241. ; flax 

 and hemp, 20;. ; smiii tithes, ofTerjriL r % 

 &c, as in the Easter rol!, £^ \%$. ; in ail 

 £% 7,s. %d. For synodals 21. %d. was paid, 

 ani for procurations 4J. 5^. 



*** See the list of vicars. 



36 Pat. 2 Mary ; lands in Layton, &c, 

 were purchased at the sime timr. On 

 12 July 1 55^ Thomas Fleetwood of 

 Heslc n granted the nert presentation t j 

 John Fleetwood of Pen worth a -t , John 

 Wr ;rht:ngton of Stan^lsh, Ri^h ird 

 Wrightington his son and heir- pp rmt, 

 and Alexander Wrightington of Enfield ; 

 Church Papers in Chester Dioc Reg. 



222 



The advowson was bequeathed to a 

 V'Mim;i'r son William, who in f<;«;6 io'd 

 it, t igctlicr with the manor of Layton, 

 Ac, to his brother, F.dmund Fleetwood 

 of Rossall, wIim died in \<<zz holding 

 the advowson ; Lanei. lnj. p.m. (Rec. Soc. 

 l-nm-. and Chcs.), tii, ^16. 



37 The nciorial t ithcs, &c, were leaned 

 to Thom.ii Bradley and otturs in IS77 ; 

 Pat. 19 Klie. pt.xii. In 1605 the rectory 

 was sold to L:iwrcncc Bok- rville ; Pit. 

 3 Jan. I, pt, xii. Sec also Pat. 6 Jas. I, 

 pt. iii, xv. 



In 1650 Biron Rigby had the tithes 

 of Poulton, Marton and p.irt (>f liirhim 

 with Norbrr-ck ; Sir Tliomas T; Idetley 

 those ol llardhorn-with- New tun, Car let on, 

 Thornton and the ri-main lcr of Bispham 

 with Norbreck ; A r^and-r Rigby those 

 of Layton ; Cummoniv. Ch, &urv. (Rec. 

 Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), 150. 



w Ibid. 151. 



w Gastrell, Notitia Cettr. (Chet. Soc), 

 ii, 456; the glebe land and churchyard 

 produced £2 91.; jr-uiftivc payment) 

 for tithe hay, hemp and flax, ^5 151, ^d.\ 

 tithe hay in kind, £1 181. ; Easter dues, 

 as let, £cf ; tithe geese, hemp and 6a 



kind, as le', £\ ic,j. ; tithe 



P'cT' 



O «' 



irplice fees, £<,. He statei that Ri ar : 

 Fleetwood of Rossall had in 1687 fr.cn 

 £10 a year to the church and Mr. Ii ones 

 in 1717 land worth £4. 101. 



Tlicr-* were five churchwardens tl.o-rn 

 thui : 'Every Ea»ter the old church- 

 wa- Jens write down everyone three persons 

 living in the township for which he serves, 

 out of which the minn-ter chooses one. 

 The c>k is chosen by the heir of Stain- 

 ing Hall, now John May field, gent., a 

 Pa;ist : I 722' ; ibid. 4^8. 



Gra :,-• were later :e^jred from Queen 

 Anne's Bountv. 



is ' V.sit. Re':. 



iX M.i-c : .. Di.c. Dir. There are 1 

 vlciragc h , jI2 and 36 acrei of glebe. 



