A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



shows above the knees. It is possible, as has been 

 already suggested elsewhere, that the figure represents 

 his actual appearance at Flodden, in old armour 

 hastily chosen from among the suits at Sefton on the 

 sudden alarm of war. 



On an altar tomb just south of this slab, and 

 balancing the tomb of Lady Joan Molyneux on the 

 other side of the chancel, are the brass figures of Sir 

 Richard Molyneux, 1558, and his two wives, Eleanor 

 (Radcliffe) and Eleanor (MaghuU). Below is a 

 rhyming inscription in eight lines and a group of five 

 sons and eight daughters. Of the marginal inscrip- 

 tion there only remains enough to identify the tomb. 



In the south-east chapel are later monuments, one 

 of white marble to Caryll Molyneux, third viscount, 

 I 700, and others to his wife and daughter-in-law. 



The most notable of the modem monuments is 

 that of Henry Blundell of Ince, who died in iSlo ; 

 it was designed by John Gibson and represents the 

 deceased relieving Genius and Poverty.' 



The church plate consists of a chalice with the 



E X <,( and the inscription ' The gift 



letters 



of Mrs. Alice Morton to the church of Sephton, 

 1695 ' ; a flagon, inscribed 'The gift of Mrs. Anne 

 Jackson of Sephton, 1715'; another chalice, with 

 •The gift of .Mrs. Ann Molyneux to the parish church 

 of Sephton, 1729,' and among the plate marks B.B. 

 for Benjamin Branker, a Liverpool silversmith ; a 

 cylindrical cup with handle, engraved with a crest 

 of three arrows, tied with ribbon, and the points 



resting on a wreath ; and a silver paten, which fits 

 an old silver chalice now at St. Luke's, Great 

 Crosby. 



The churchwardens' accounts begin in 1 746.' 

 The registers begin in 1597, but were not regu- 

 larly kept until 1615, from which time they are 

 continuous.' 



From its position the parish of 

 JDFOJf'SON Sefton appears to have been taken 

 from that of Walton. The earliest 

 record of its independent existence is in 1203, when 

 the abbot of Combermere and others, by virtue of a 

 commission from Innocent III, adjudicated in a dis- 

 pute as to certain tithes in Crosby between the prior 

 of Lancaster and the rector of Sefton.* In 1291 

 the value of the benefice was £z6 1 3/. 4^.,' and in 

 1340 it was assessed at 40 marks for the ninth of 

 sheaves. Iambs, and wool.* The net value in 1535, 

 including the rectory house, was ^^30 is. idJ By 

 171 8 this had increased to ;^300,' and now the gross 

 value is said to be ^^ 1,3 00.° 



The Molyneux family, as lords of Sefton, were the 

 patrons,'" until after the Revolution, when Caryll, 

 Lord Molyneux, being disqualified by his religion 

 from presenting, sold the advowson to a connexion, 

 George, earl of Cardigan." It is found in a list of 

 the Molyneux properties made in 1770, but had been 

 finally disposed of in 1 747 to the Rev. James Roth- 

 well, vicar of Deane," whose representatives, the trustees 

 of the late marquis de Rothwell, of Sharpies Hall, 

 are the present patrons." 



oc. 

 oc. 



c. 



9 



The following is a list of the rectors : — 



Instituted Name Patron 



1203 . . . Richard" 



1288 . . . William de Kirkdale " 



1310 . . . Richard de Molyneux '* .... 



May, 1339 . Gilbert de Legh " Ric. de Molyneux . 



Cause of Vacancy 



d. of Richard 



> Trjni. Hhr. Sac. (New Ser.), xi, 56, 

 *5i 74i 99 i »« a'"o Thornely, Land. 

 Bratict, 187, 209-+I ; and for heraldic 

 notes made in the 16th and 17th centuries 

 see Tram. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.), vi, 261 ; 

 liv, 214. 



"Ibid. 96. 



•Ibid. 92. 



■• Lane. Cb. (Chet. Sec), I, 66, 67. 

 Roger of Poitou had given tithes from 

 his demesne lands, including Great Crosby, 

 to the church at Lancaster, and this was 

 confirmed by John when count of Mortain; 

 ibid. 8, 15. In 1193 the bishop of 

 Coventry confirmed Count John's grant, 

 and about the same time Stephen (rector) 

 of Walton made a composition with the 

 prior of Lane, as to various tithes, 

 including those of Crosby ; ibid. 1 1 1, 

 112. It thus appears that Sefton parish 

 had not then been taken out of Wal- 

 ton. 



The dispute of no; was concerning 

 two sheaves from two plough-lands in 

 Crosby ; Richard, the rector, and his 

 vicar, Robert de Walton, were allowed to 

 have them for life, paying 21. a year, and 

 afterwards the prior vias to have the 

 sheaves. 



^Pof,e N:ch. Tax. (Rcc. Com.), p. 

 249- 



' /ny. Ncr.. (Rec. Com.), 40. The 

 amount was made up as follows : Sefton, 

 1 1 marks ; Aintree, 331. ^J. ; Litherland, 

 6 marks ; Great Crosby, 8 marks ; Thorn- 



ton, 4j marks ; Little Crosby, the same ; 

 Ince Blundell, 461. id. 



'' Valor Ecd. (Rec. Com.), v, 223. 

 The tithes were valued at ^25 71. %d. ; 

 oblations and Easter roll at ^5 21. %d. ; 

 15J. 41/. was payable to the archdeacon as 

 synodals and procurations. 



8 Saritia Cestr. (Chet. Soc), ii, 216-20. 

 There had been forty acres of glebe, but 

 almost all had been annexed by the lords 

 to their demesne, which was exempt from 

 tithe. The tithes of Great Crosby, worth 

 ^100, were leased to Lord Molyneux for 

 £^. Anew rectory was built in 1723. 



There were two churchwardens, chosen 

 by the townships in turn. 



Among the deeds at Croxteth is a 

 lease, dated 1739, from Rector Egerton 

 to Lord Molyneux of the tithes of Sefton, 

 Aintree, &c., and New Park at Netherton 

 ^°^ C^i ^ year and a fat buck. 



In 1 78 1 the rector observed that no 

 tithes were received from heath and uncul- 

 tivated lands, and that by ancient custom 

 ' such kind of land is tithe free for the 

 term of seven years after the first break- 

 ing upon or ploughing thereof.' The 

 result was that the tenants often ploughed 

 It for seven years, thereby exhausting it, 

 and then left it. 



' Liiicrfool Dioc. Cal. 



'" This will be seen from the list of 

 rectors. In the fifteenth century there 

 seems to have been an intention to 

 appropriate the rectory to the abbey of 



62 



Merivale, in exchange for the manor of 

 Altcar ; Tram. Hist. Soc. xxxiv, 125. 



" Oastrell, Notitia, ii, 216. 



" Com. Pleas, deeds enr. vol. 147 

 (Mich. 21 Geo. II), 325, 327. 



" Li'vcrpool Dioc. Cat. 



" Lane. Ch. (Chet. Soc), i, 66 ; also 

 Cockersand Chartul. (Chet. Soc), ii, 752. 

 He was witness to the charter concerning 

 Hagencroft in Sefton. ' Robert the priest 

 of Sefton ' was witness to a Lytham 

 charter about 1 206 ; Dur. Cath. D. 2, 4, 

 Ebor, n. 3. 



" Blundell of Crosby D. K. 237. He 

 was rector in 1288; Assize R. 1277, 

 m. 31. 



" He was a younger son of Richard de 

 Molyneux of Sefton. For his dispute 

 with the rector of Walton see the account 

 of the latter church. He had a son 

 Thomas, to whom between 1323 and 

 1336 he made a grant of 14 acres of 

 moor in Litherland ; Croxteth D. Genl. 

 I, 23 ; the mother was apparently Joan, 

 daughter of William le Boteler ; ibid. 

 n. 20. In 1339 Thomas de Molyneux, 

 son of Joan le Boteler, was pardoned, on 

 account of his service in the wars, for 

 participation in the murder of Sir William 

 le Blount, sheriff, at Liverpool j Cal. of 

 Pat. 1338-40, p. 229. 



"Lichfield Epis. Reg. ii, fol. 113. 

 Gilbert was a priest. As Gilbert de 

 Legh, chaplain, he occurs in 1 330 ; Tram, 

 Hist. Soc. (New Ser.), iii, 60. 



