AMOUNDERNESS HUNDRED 



B1SPHAM 



An ancient stoup of roughly hewn stone, which for 

 many years lay in the churchyard, has been built into 

 the north wall of the tower in the interior, and on 

 the north wall of the nave are four 18th-century 

 brasses to members of the Veale family of Whinney 

 Heys, and a chest in the vestry has the initials of the 

 four churchwardens, together with the figure 12, 

 probably for 171 2. 33 



There is one bell cast from two older ones by 

 Mears & Stainbank in 1883. 



The plate consists of a chalice of 1608, in- 

 scribed 'The gift of Ann, daughter to John 

 Bamber, to ye churche of All Hallows in Bispham. 

 Delivered by John Corrit 1 704 ' ; a silver-gilt 

 chalice of Sheffield make, 1908, and a plated paten 

 and flagon. 



The register of baptisms begins in 1599, but 

 after 1603 nearly thirty years are missing, after 

 which the entries continue till 1652, and are then 

 ' wanting till 1 66 1 . They are also missing between 

 October 1670 and June 1672. There is no register 

 of marriages till 1632, and between 1645 and 1697 

 only one marriage is recorded. The burials begin 

 in 1632, but are missing between 1651 and 1678. 34 

 The first five volumes (1599-1754) have been 

 printed. 35 



The churchyard has been twice enlarged, on the 

 north-west in 1888 and on the south-west in 1902. 

 On the south side is a sundial on a stone shaft, which 

 is probably a portion of the old churchyard cross. It 

 stands on two steps, the lower one of which is circular 

 and the second octagonal on plan. The plate bears 

 the date 1704, together with the motto 'Die dies 

 Truditur,' and the name of John Hull and that of 

 the maker, Jo" Heblethwaite. John Hull was probably 

 the donor of the dial, the initials I.H. being carved 

 on the north side of the stone shaft. On the west 

 side, nearer the bottom, are the initials R.B. roughly 

 cut in an upright position. 86 



B.A. 49 (Brasenose 

 M.A. 60 (Emmanuel 



The following have been curates 37 and vicars or 

 rectors : — 



oc. 1598 Michael Rigmaiden 38 

 oc. 1 6 io — Walkden 39 

 oc. 1 6 14 Robert Brodbelt 40 

 oc. 1634-44 Robert Freckleton 41 

 oc. 1646 John Sumpner 42 

 oc. 1648 John Fisher 43 

 oc. 165 1-4 John Berkeley 44 



? 1674 Robert Wayte 45 

 1690 Thomas Riley 46 



1692 Thomas Sollom 47 



1693 Jonathan Hayton 48 

 {1725 Christopher Albin, 



Coll., Oxf.) 

 1753 Roger Freckleton, 



Coll., Camb.) 

 1760 Ashton Werden, LL.B. 51 (T.C.D.) 

 1767 John Armetriding, B.A. (Trinity Coll., 



Camb.) 

 1791 William Elston, B.A. 52 (Brasenose Coll., 



Oxf.) 

 1 83 1 Charles Hesketh, M.A. 53 (Trinity Coll., 



Oxf.) 

 1837 Bennett Williams, B.A. 54 (Queen's Coll., 



Oxf.) 

 1850 Henry Powell 55 

 1857 William Abraham Mocatta, M.A. 58 



(T.C.D.) 

 1 8 6 1 James Leigh ton 57 

 1874 Charles Stead Hope, M.A. 68 (Sidney 



Sussex Coll., Camb.) 

 1876 Francis John Dickson, M.A. 69 (Trinity 



Coll., Camb.) 



1885 George Leighton, M.A. (Dur.) 



The school above named, which was not the 



first, 60 was founded in 1659. 61 Provided by a 



Puritan, it is noteworthy that it was in 1689 



licensed as a meeting-place for Presbyterians. 62 They 



33 The inscription reads ; RB | TB | 

 IB I AG I CW. 12. The chest appears 

 to be of 18th-century date. 



84 Fishwick, op. cit. 71. 



35 Lanes. Parish Reg. Soc. Publ. xxxiii 

 (1 908). Transcribed by W. E. Robinson. 



86 These are said to be the initials of 

 Robert Brodbelt, parish clerk 1678-1715, 

 cut by him in hours of leisure while 

 resting on the steps. He was what is 

 known as a ' character.' 



87 Some of the earlier names are taken 

 from Fishwick, op. cit. 37-66, where 

 biographical notices will be found. He 

 also gives William Silcock, curate in 1 530, 

 and William Corwyn, 1552, attesting the 

 scanty list of church goods (ibid. 25). 

 From the visitation lists at Chester 



Souters appears to have been there 



in 1554 and Thomas Hankinson in 1562. 



88 Visit. List at Chester Dioc. Reg. 



39 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 9 ; 

 he was 'no preacher.' In 1604 tiere 

 was communion only once a year — at 

 Easter ; Visit Papers at Chester. In 1605 

 the curate was presented to the bishop 

 for nonconformity, but he said that he 

 observed the Book of Common Prayer 

 and would do so ; ibid. 



40 He served Lytham also at one time ; 

 Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and Ches.), i, 

 124. He died in 1674, being described 

 as ' minister of Bispham.' The ministers 

 recorded down to 1674 may have been 

 acting for him. 



41 See the account of Poulton Church. 



43 In the Commonwealth period an in- 

 come of ,£50 a year was given to the 

 minister of Bispham out of the sequestered 

 estates of Royalists, Sumpner being there 

 in 1646 ; Plund. Mini. Accts. i, 13. 



43 He signed the Agreement of the 

 People as pastor, but had gone before 

 1650. 



44 Appointed in 1651 ; Plund. Mins. 

 Accts. i, 104, 142. 



45 In the visitation list of 1674 he is 

 called Robert Wayte alias Ward, curate ; 

 and in 1677 he showed letters of orders — 

 deacon 1668 and priest 1674 — but no 

 licence. He died in 1689. 



46 No curate occurs in the lists of 1689 

 and 1691, so that Riley's tenure was very 

 brief. 



* 7 From this time the nominations of 

 the curates have been preserved in the 

 diocesan registry at Chester, Richard 

 Fleetwood and hissuccessors beingpatrons. 



48 He was resident and held no other 

 benefice, according to replies to articles 

 of inquiry 1703-12. He died in 1728. 



49 Pedigree in Fishwick, op. cit. 55. 

 This incumbent, who was acting (perhaps 

 as curate) in 1723 and as 'minister' in 

 1725, is commemorated by a brass plate 

 in Bispham Church and a tombstone in 

 Poulton Church. He died in 1753. 



so He had been curate of Maghull. 

 51 In 1762 he resided at Peulton : he 

 had no other benefice. 



245 



52 Nominated by his father, Thomas 

 Elston of Blackpool. For an anecdote of 

 him see Nightingale, Lanes. Nonconf. 

 i, 125. 



53 Also vicar of Poulton ; afterwards 

 rector of North Meols. 



6-1 Had licence of non-residence in 

 184.7. Became rector of Bramshall. 



65 He had been a missionary in India, 

 and in 1857 became vicar of Bolton-le- 

 Moors, &c. 



56 Afterwards vicar of St. Thomas', 

 St. Helens. 



57 Formerly a missionary in India ; 

 rector of Harpurhey 1884. 



68 Vicar of Holy Trinity, Southport, 

 1876-1909. 



69 Vicar of Ribchester 1885. 



60 Fishwick, op. cit. 67. 



61 End. Char. Rep. for Bispham. The 

 founder charged £30 for maintenance on 

 lands, rScc, which had belonged to the 

 Dean and Chapter of St. Paul's, so that 

 the endowment failed at the Restoration. 

 His widow Elizabeth (who married John 

 Amherst) gave £200 for the school, so 

 that all might not be lost, and land was 

 purchased in Layton. This became very 

 valuable owing to the growth of Black- 

 pool, and the £200 is represented by 

 nearly £10,000 in consols, yielding £z$o 

 a year. 



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

 232. 



