WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



HUYTON 



aisle is a second font, found under the west tower in 

 1873. It belongs to the first half of the twelfth 

 century, and has a round bowl ornamented with 

 eleven arched panels, in each of which is a human 

 head, and above a row of five-pointed stars.' It is set 

 on a modern pedestal. In the east part of the church- 

 yard is what may be a third font, quite plain, with a 

 hole in one side, which is probably the ground for a 

 tradition that it was formerly used for grinding corn. 



Before 1871 the font now in use stood in the 

 chancel near the priest's door, and the middle of the 

 cast end of the nave was taken up with a large ' three- 

 decker ' of pulpit, reading desk, and clerk's desk. 



At the east end of the south aisle is a slab with a 

 tonsured effigy wearing a monastic habit, much 

 damaged but of very good style, c. 1 300, and in the 

 chancel are several late brass plates, one to Jonathan 

 Fletcher, archdeacon of Sodor and Man, 1668,' 

 another to John Stockley, 1695, another to John 

 Lowe, vicar, 1706, and another to Elizabeth Farren, 

 countess of Derby, 1829. 



The church plate consists of a silver cup and cover 

 paten of 1695, the cup inscribed 'The gift of Capt. 

 John Case of Redhassles, Anno Domini 1695 ' ; two 

 plates inscribed ' The gift of Dorothy Case,' with the 

 mark of Benjamin Branker, a Liverpool silversmith ; 

 a breadholder of 1714 ; a flagon of 1719 with the 

 arms of Case ; two modern chalices of Sheffield make, 

 1873 ; a silver-topped glass cruet ; and a strainer of 

 1799. 



There are six bells, the treble, second, and fourth 

 by C. and G. Mears of Whitechapel, 1846, the third 

 and fifth by the same firm as Mears and Stainbank, 

 1872, while the tenor is inscribed : — 



lACOBUS WILLIAM EARLE OF DARBIS ED. TORBUK ESQ. 



lAC. HARINGTON ESQ. HEN. STANLEY ESQ. 1606 TOM. 



STANLEY ESQ. TO. WOOLFALL GEN. ED. STOCKEY. 



lOHN ORME. W.M. W.D. I.H. 



A small bell formerly here was given to the new 

 church of St. Gabriel in 1894. 



' On Sunday one bell is rung at 7 a.m., and two 

 bells at 8 a.m., in addition to the ordinary ringing for 

 divine service. The passing bell is tolled as follows — 

 two for a child under twelve, three for a woman, and 

 four for a man ; after a short interval the bell is again 



tolled for a number of strokes equal to the age of 

 the deceased. The curfew bell is rung from the first 

 Thursday after the 1 2 October — this date being what 

 is known as Huyton Wakes — and continues ringing 

 each evening to the 2 5 March.' ' 



North-east of the church stands the late seventeenth- 

 century mausoleum of the Case family, now used as a 

 quire vestry. On its east wall is a tablet to Elizabeth 

 wife of John Case, 168 1. 



The registers begin in 1578. In a terrier of 1778 

 they are described as in three old books — 15 78-1 667, 

 1672-1726, and 1727-1759 ; and two new books 

 beginning in 1759 and 1754 respectively. 



One volume of churchwardens' accounts exists for 

 1783-1834. 



The church of Huyton was 



ADVOW&O'N granted by Robert son of Henry 

 de Lathom to the priory he 

 founded at Burscough about 1 189.' 



In 1277 Roger de Meulan, bishop of Lichfield, 

 ordained a vicarage. Its possessions were to be the 

 competent residence (manse) which the chaplains had 

 been accustomed to have, next to the cemetery, and 

 three selions of land extending as far as the wood, the 

 prior and canons having right of way across them to 

 their grange. Its revenues were to be various offer- 

 ings, as those at marriages and burials, in Lent, candles 

 at the Purification, &c., also small tithes. The vicar 

 was, however, to pay half the ordinary charges upon 

 the church, such as synodals and the like, and to be 

 responsible for extraordinary ones, on the assumption 

 that his income was 10 marks. The dean and 

 chapter of Lichfield saw and confirmed this ordinance, 

 as did the prior and convent of Coventry.* The 

 vicars were sometimes canons of Burscough Priory and 

 sometimes secular priests. The prior and convent 

 were patrons down to the suppression ; after which 

 the crown presented to the vicarage until it sold the 

 rectory. 



In 1291 the church was said to be worth £,\o.^ 

 In Henry VIII's time £z i 7/. zd. was the value of the 

 rectory, and £(> 9/. that of the vicarage.' From a 

 rental of this time it appears that £(1 \y. 4a'. 

 (10 marks) was paid to the vicar by the prior and 

 canons, who also paid a fee of 26/. %d. to their bailiff 

 at Huyton.* 



1 Tran%. Hht. Sac. xxvi, 83 ; ibid. (New 

 Ser.), xvii, 70. 



2 With an inscription in Latin elegiacs 

 full of false quantities. 



3 Tram. Hist. Soc. xjcxiv, 86. 

 ■• Farrcr, Lanes. Pipe R. 350. 



This grant was confirmed shortly after- 

 wards by Geoffrey de Muschamp, bishop 

 of Lichfield, and his successors William 

 de Cornhill and Alexander de Stavenby. 

 The latter in one of his grants about 

 1228 specially mentions the poverty of 

 the canons as a reason, and reserves the 

 ordination of a vicarage. The dean and 

 chapter of Lichfield also agreed to the 

 charter of 1232. See Dep. Keeper's Rep. 

 XXXV, App. 35 ; Rep. xxxvi, App. 200 ; 

 Burscough Reg. fol. 68A, 69, 68i, 25^, 

 65A, 66. Pope Gregory IX, in 1228, 

 gave a general confirmation of the grants 

 to the canons, including the church of 

 Huyton ; ibid. fol. 63A. 



° Burscough Reg. fol. 67. The prior and 

 canons had in later times disputes with 

 the vicars as to tithes ; for instance with 

 John Layot, the agreement with him being 

 confirmed by Urban VI in 1377-8 ; ibid. 

 fol. 104. 



^ Pope Nich. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 249. 



The value of the ninth of sheaves, 

 wool, and lambs in 1341 was stated at 

 16 marks ; Huyton and Roby 5 marks, 

 Knowsley 5^, and apparently Tarbock 

 (not named) also 5 J ; Inq. Nonarum (Rec. 

 Com.), 40. 



'i Valor. Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 222. In 

 a return made in 1527 the value to the 

 priory is given as 20 marks ; Duchy of 

 Lane. Rental ^. 



s Duchy of Lane. Rentals, §. 



Among the revenues of the dissolved 

 priory from this parish were zos. from the 

 earl of Derby for 'St. Leonard's lands* 

 within Knowsley park ; 35. 6d. rent from 

 Red Hazels at Huyton, and other small 

 rents from fields and cottages in Knows- 

 ley, Huyton, and Tarbock, the vicar of 

 Huyton being in several cases the tenant. 

 The tithe barn at Tarbock had been leased 

 in 1522 by Prior Robert Harvey to the 

 vicar for thirty-four years at a rent of ,^6 ; 

 the tithe corn of Huyton,Roby, and Wolfall 

 had been leased by him in 1 5 3 1 to the vicar 

 and two chantry priests for jf 7 1 31. 4^., 

 the vicar to give loi. for his heriot and 

 the others 55. each. 



The yearly value of the tithe of corn 

 in Knowsley was estimated at £\, and 

 6j. id. was the profit of tithe in Huyton 

 in the occupation of Robert Bethom. 

 These seem to have been let by the royal 

 commissioners to Sir William Leyland for 

 io6j. %d., 'and not more because the de- 

 mesne lands of the manor of Knowsley 

 which were wont to be sown yearly are 

 now enclosed within the park of Knows- 

 ley and there lie for pasture.' Tithe hay 

 of Knowsley and Roby produced los. ^d., 

 and 40J. was due from the tithe of suck- 

 ing beasts ; Duchy of Lane. Mins. Accts. 

 136/2198. 



The last item Is explained in one of the 

 rentals thus : For each cow having a calf 

 id. was paid ; for each calf less than 

 seven Jt/. j if there were seven calves the 

 parson could claim one on paying ij^., if 

 eight or nine on paying id. or Ji., if ten 

 a calf was due without any payment. For 

 each swarm of bees id, was paid, and for 

 each colt also id. ; Duchy of Lane. Ren- 

 tals 4/64. A dispute as to this class of 

 tithes was settled in 1422 ; Anct. D. L. 

 276. See Dep. Keeper's Rep. xxxv, App. 

 35- 



20 



