A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



Inititutioo Name Presented by Cause of Vacancy 



I Feb. 1 630-1 Thomas Legh, D.D.' Sir P. Legh d. A. Molyneux 



^9>n=l,639 Andrew Clare, D.D.' jLord Molyneux . . • jj. t. Legh 



I July J ^^ IThe king j 



c. 1645 William Ward, M.A.' 



13 Oct. 1655 Robert Eaton' The Protector .... 



5 Sept. 1660 John Heywood, D.D.' Earl and Countess of 



Southampton 



9 Nov. 1 67 1 Thomas Pawlet, B.D.' .... Countess of Southampton, d. J. Hcywood 



10 April, 1690 Richard Richmond, M. A.' . . . Dr. S. Richmond . . . d. T. Pawlet 



6 April, 1722 Silvester Richmond, M.A.' . . . Earl of Cardigan . . . d. R. Richmond 

 25 Oct. 1768 Henr)- Heathcote, M.A.' . . . Earl of Macclesfield . . d. S. Richmond 



8 Feb. 1803 Samuel Heathcote, M.A." . . . Sir W. Heathcote . . . d. H. Heathcote 



14 June, 1847 Thomas Gerard Leigh, M. A." . . Jn. Shaw Leigh . . . d. S. Heathcote 

 23 Jan. 1868 Richard Leigh, M. A." .... „ ... d. T. G. Leigh 



3 June, 1884 James Gerard Leigh, M.A." . . . Madame de Falbe . . . d. R. Leigh 

 27 April, 1906 George Hardwicke Spooner, M.A." res. J. G. Leigh 



The following have been vicars ; they have always been presented by the rectors : 

 Institution Name Presented by Cause of Vacancy 



3 May, 1327 John de Walton " 



27 Dec. 1329 Thomas de Knighton '* .... res. J. de Sutton 



10 Jan. 1348-9 John de Eccleshall " d. Thomas 



was buried at Wilton 26 Dec. 1614, and Walton . . . and to officiate the cure This rector, in conjunction with his 



he himself was buried there i Feb. there ' ; Plund. Mini. Acctt. (Rec. Soc. son as vicar, made strenuous efforts to 



i6;to-i J a note by the vicar in the Lanes, and Ches.), i, 1, 143. He signed increase the money value of the rectory by 



register states that he 'gave to the poor the ' Harmonious Consent ' in 1648, and claiming tithes for agistment, potatoes, and 



of Walton parish ^^40, and gave to the was minister there when the survey of gardens. As corn was being grown to a 



free school wages of Walton ,^20, and 1650 was made. He was buried at Walton diminishing extent the tithes were also 



his theology books to the vicar for his i March, i6t;4-5, according to the registers. diminishing. There are at Croxteth papers 



life and to the rectors succeeding succes- ■* The rectory of Walton standing concerning these claims, 



^ivclv to be kept from one to the other * sequestered from Dr. Clare, late rector ^^ He was son of the patron ; educated 



for aye' ^ IValnn Reg. (Lanes. Par. Reg. thereof,' His Highness nominated Mr. at Queen's Coll. Oxf., M.A. 1799; 



Soc), i, 1 26. Robert Eaton, who from that time acted Foster, Alumni. He resided chiefly in 



There occurs in 1575 a presentation by as rector ; Plund. Mini. Acctt, ii, 93, 208. Hants, and about 1803 counsel's opinion 



the queen to the rectory of Walton, in He was of Cambridge, but created M.A. was sought as to the obligation of resi- 



conscquence of which William Haworth, at Oxford in 1653 ; Foster, Alumni. On dence. It was stated: 'Since the pur- 



' preacher of the word of God,' was insti- the Restoration Robert Eaton attempted chase by the Heathcote family, the 



tuted on 12 July, and this a month later to obtain the royal confirmation, a patent revenues (of considerable value) of the 



caused Rector Molyneux to make search in being issued on 13 August, 1660, appoint- rectory have been considered as the 



the bishop's registry for his own presenta- ing him ; Pat. 12 Chas. II, pt. iii, n. 94. fund to provide for a younger son. The 



tion. Nothing appears to have resulted He became chaplain to Lord Delamere first Sir William gave it to one of his 



from Haworth's institution, for next year and died in Manch. in 1701; Foster, younger sons, and the present Sir William 



Alexander Molyneux was rector. The quoting Calamy, ii, 380 ; Nightingale, has also given it. The present Sir 



queen's mandate is at Chest. I,an<rj. A'onion/; iii, 218, 288. William when he gave the rectory to his 



> The institutions fi-om this time are * The countess of Southampton, patron, son, Mr. Samuel Heathcote, the now 



given from the institution books, P.R.O. was widow of Richard Lord Molyneux. rector, had no idea that the duty of resi- 



as printed in Lanci. ami Cha. Antiq. The new rector was educated at Corpus dence was in any degree obligatory, and 



Notes. There are good accounts of the Christi Coll. Oxf. being elected fellow ; it would be extremely inconvenient, and 



modem rectors, etc. m Baines, Lanes, (ed. M.A. 1639 ; D.D. 1666 ; Foster, Alumni. tend very much to break in upon the 



Croston), v. 100-103. For his pedigree see Dugdale, ^/j«. (Chet. enjoyments of the family were Mr 



Dr. Legh, who paid his first-fruits Soc), 140. A grant by the crown was Samuel Heathcote obliged to reside at so 



II Feb. 1630-1, was fourth son ot the also given, in which the vacancy is de- great a distance from Sir William's seat 

 patron for that turn ; educated at Erase- scribed as by the death of Dr. Andrew in Hampshire ' : Walton naoers in 

 nose Coll. Oxf. ; D.D. 1634 ; also rector Clare; Pat. 12 Chas. II, pt. 11,^.39. Chester Dioc Reg 



of Sefton ; Foster, Alurr.n, Oxon. The The Act Books at Chest, assign the same " A younger brother of the patron. 



Legh, of Lyme descend from him. reason for the vacancy ; they give the Educated at Brasenose ColL Oxf., M.A. 



« He paid hrst-lruits 24 Sept. 1639. date of institution as 17 Dec Thus Ward iSzi ; FosUr Alumni 



The second institution was necessary by and Eaton were treated as mere intruders. " Younger 'brother 'of the last rector ■ 



reason of the minority of the patron « One of this name was fellow of Trin. previously rector of Hals 11 ■ educated at' 



Viscount Molyneux. Dr. Clare was of ColL Camb. ; M.A. 1665. Brasenose Coll Oxf MA Vs!rp/ 



Trin. Coll. Camb. incorporated a. Oxf. as 7 Eldest son of the patron for that turn AluZi ' " ' "' 



M.A. .624; rector of Ickenham ,63;; Silvester Richmond, M.D. ; he was also 13 M^d^^e de Falbe, wife of the 



Foster, Alumn, Being a staunch royalist rector of Sefton. Of Brasenose Coll. Danish ambassador, pres^nteT as widow 



he was expelled from his rectory by Oxf.- MA ifi-rX- Fn<:f„r ^1 ■ c t i. ^ , , .' F'escnico as wiaow 



the ParL and went abroad, Johk Ther^ iran account 'of the f, °f J^^n Gerard Leigh. Canon Leigh is 



Evelyn noting that he preached b fore Fishwick HisrofGanL^IChT^ T '/"" °J '^' J'""'""^ ^"'°^' ^°^ ^=" 



Charles II in'sir Richard Brown's chapel « rrdCardigan was pftrin for Lo^d s""'' '' ^hrist Church, Oxf., M.A. 



in Paris on . 2 November, , 6; ,, • S>e Molyneux'sUfe by purchase Gas^re 1 of P ' """i f'^*^""' ' ^^^ ' ''°"- ""°" 



first Sunday His Majesty came to chapel NoJlia ii 22. The new r.rt;,. ' t'^lT ' '^^^ ' ''"'°'' °^ ""'""• 



after his eLpe' frimVorcester. I^is of the 'pre'c^ding, and Td bee^r Z MaXT'^' Pembroke Coll. Oxf., 



r:^o!:^^r^™c:n^r?.! -^-.^^r""''-'^'^- ^i^^'^^r^^^o;^::.;!^^ 



X!\:rbeen rector of Warrington fo/ ^ t:::! ':^ ^-^ ^^^ -^^^f I^--^^-^ ^'^ ^ "^ 



from .62.. On .8 March, .644-5, the cote was a brother-in-law an^ cousin the mII /'% ^^^ ".' ^'''- '"• P"'"''''' 



committee of the Assembly of Divines for being son of Sir William h7,,1, , k ' • ^ ''^ ^""°° °^™<^'' "t the ap- 



examination of ministers was desired to Eli^fbeth, daughter of ihTfi" earl H^ P°'lc\Tf •°'.'^' ""[ ''""■ 



examine his fitness 'to have the seques- was educated at Exeter Coll Oxf ' M A 1- rk'j "■' I , '°'^ ' 



tration of the rectory and church of 1759 i Foster, ^/„m«/. ' ""•' I^-A. »' Ibid. 11, foL 123. 



