WEST DERBY HUNDRED north meols 



Date Rector Patron Cause of Vacancy 



8 Dec. 1735 . Edward Shakespear, M.A. ' . . . Hy. Fleetwood . . . . d. C. Sudell 



17 June, 1748 . John Baldwin (Rigby), M.A. . . Richard Harper, &c. . . d. E. Shakespear 



21 Nov. 1793 . Gilbert Ford, M.A. ^ John Ford, M.D. . . . d. J. Rigby 



6 May, 1835 • Charles Hesketh, M.A. " .... Peter Hesketh . . . . d. G. Ford 



+ Oct. 1876 . Charles Hesketh Knowlys, M.A. '^ . Mrs. Anna Maria Hesketh d. C. Hesketh 



6 Oct. 1894 . James Denton Thompson, M.A. ° . „ res. C. H. Knowlys 



26 July 1905 . Robert Bibby Blakeney, M.A. ' . . C. H. B. Hesketh . . . res. J. D. Thompson 



Apart from the conduct of James Starkie the list of 

 rectors has few points of interest. In i 541-2 there 

 were in addition to the rector two stipendiary priests, 

 Edmund Hodgson and James Hodgkinson, both paid 

 by Sir Richard Aughton." All three appeared at the 

 visitation of 1548.' There was no endowed chantry. 

 In 1554 the rector had been deprived, and only 

 Edmund Hodgson was left in charge ; '° the late 

 rector, having married, was probably inclined to the 

 new opinions in religion. In 1556 it was found 

 that the church wanted repairs, and that books and 

 ornaments were lacking." Bishop Stanley, a non- 

 resident pluralist, was scarcely likely to make much 

 improvement, and in 1561 the church was still out of 

 repair. By 1563 things had become worse; the 

 chancel was not repaired and there was no curate, so 

 that children were not baptized and burials had to 

 wait six days — presumably till some one came to take 

 the Sunday duty." Henry Charnley was immediately 

 afterwards appointed curate, and in 1565 the clergy 

 summoned to the visitation were Bishop Stanley, who 

 appeared, but was not examined, and Henry Charnley, 

 who did not appear." The chancel remained out of 

 repair, it was even 'ruinated,' but in 1592 the execu- 

 tors of the late rector, Clayton, were compelled to 

 put it right ; the churchyard at this time required 

 attention, and there was neither Bible nor Commu- 

 nion Book in the church.^* It thus appears that the 

 new services were not regularly performed. In 1598 

 the chancel was once more out of repair, the windows 

 ■wanted glass, and the roof was ready to fall.'* 



In 1605 only one recusant (Ellis Rimmer) was 

 reported, and but two others who ' came slackly to 

 ■church.' In 1625, Cuthbert, the son of Ellis 



Rimmer, was considered ' a dangerous person for 

 seducing of good protestants,' but in spite of the 

 example of the squire's family there seems to have 

 been little refusal to attend church for religious 

 reasons.'" The fewness of such presentations may have 

 been due to the indifference of the ministering clergy, 

 for in 1665, after the Commonwealth persecution, a 

 considerable number of recusants were found at North 

 Meols." 



Protestant Nonconformity appears to have had 

 few adherents in the district until the rise of 

 Southport. 



Anciently the rectory house was at Crossens," 

 some distance from the church. In I 803 the rector 

 stated that it was entirely unfit for residence through 

 no fault of his, and he therefore desired leave to reside 

 outside the parish ; he had a resident curate. In 

 1825 the old parsonage house and some glebe were 

 exchanged for lands of Peter Hesketh, and a new house 

 was built for the rector in Roe Lane. This in 1 879 

 became the property of Mrs. Hesketh ; it is known as 

 the Rookery, and is the local residence of the Hes- 

 keth family. In return a new rectory was built, 

 and land given with it. 



A grammar school was founded near the end of the 

 seventeenth century.'^ 



Peter Rimmer, formerly clerk, about 

 CHJRITIES 1773 left ^80, the interest to be 

 spent on clothing for the poor ; in 

 1828 the overseers paid ^^4 a year as interest on this 

 money, which was spent as nearly as possible in 

 accordance with the founder's wishes. In 1898 no 

 trace of this charity could be found in the books of 

 the overseers or churchwardens.'" 



■of Leyland (1720) ; at his death he was 

 also chaplain to James earl of Derby, 

 rector of Holy Trinity, Chester, and pre- 

 bendary of the cathedral (1730). He 

 presented brass candelabra to Ormskirk 

 church, and was buried in the Cross Hall 

 chapel there. 



^ He was also vicar of Leyland. He 

 -was a Camb. graduate (Clare Coll. ; M.A. 

 1736), and published two sermons. Some 

 memorial verses upon him are printed in 

 W. Farrer's North Meols, 83. 



^ The patrons for this turn were Rich- 

 ard Harper, George Jarvis Tapps, and 

 Walter Chetwynd. John Baldwin was of 

 Peterhouse, Cambridge ; M.A. 1739. He 

 was the eldest son of the Rev. Thomas 

 Baldwin, rector of a mediety of Liverpool, 

 .&c. In 1757 he purchased the estate of 

 Hoole near Chester (Ormerod, Ches, ii, 

 813), and in 1787 succeeded to the estate 

 of his uncle Thomas Rigby of Harrock, 

 after which he took the surname and arms 

 ■ol Rigby only 5 see Stanley Papers (Chet. 

 Soc), ii, 108. 



8 Educated at Wadham Coll. Oxf. M.A. 

 1798. He became chaplain to the duke 

 .of Clarence. 



^ Educated at Trinity Coll. Oxf. ; M.A. 

 1830. He became vicar of Poulton- 

 le-Fylde in 1828 and in 183 1 perpetual 

 curate of Bispham also, resigning both on 

 coming to North Meols. He gave land in 

 1856 for the enlargement of the church- 

 yard, and procured a partial rebuilding of 

 the church in i860. 



^ Charles Hesketh Knowlys was edu- 

 cated at Trinity Coll. Camb. ; M.A. 

 1871. He is now rector of Washlield, 

 Devon. 



* James Denton Thompson was edu- 

 cated at Corpus Christi College, Camb. 

 M.A. 1886. He was vicar of St. Leo- 

 nard's, Bootle, from 1889 to 1894. He 

 was made an honorary canon of Liver- 

 pool in 1895. In 1905 he became vicar 

 of Birmingham. 



!■ Of Peterhouse, Camb.; M.A. 1904. 

 Formerly incumbent of St. Jude's, 

 Andreas, 1893, and rector of Wombwell, 

 1894. 



^Clergy List of 1 541-2 (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), 14. 



9 Visit. Books at Chest. 



'" John Bold, one of the lords of the 

 manor, * of his covetous and greedy mind,' 



229 



took advantage of the times to seize the 

 rector's hay and refuse him the accus- 

 tomed rights of way ; Duchy Pleadings, iii, 

 118. 



The inventory of the vestments, &c. 

 in 1552 will be found in Ch. Gds. (Chet. 

 Soc), 115. 



" Visit. Books at Chest. 



12 Ibid. 



13 Ibid. 



" Trans. Hist. Soc. (New Ser.), x, 

 188. 



15 Visit. Books at Chest. 



1*^ In 1641 the recusants included Ellen, 

 wife of Thomas Hesketh, two others of 

 the family, and four women ; Trans. Hist. 

 Soc. (New Ser.), xiv, 232. 



17 Visit. Books at Chest. ; so also in 

 1677. 



13 Pal. of Lane. Plea R. l,m. 18. The 

 position may have been determined by a 

 grant by Albert Bussel, among other lands, 

 of two oxgangs in North Meols and the 

 land between Bernes Lane and Blackshaw 

 Brook; Kuerden's fol. MS. 53. 



19 Notitia Cestr. 



20 End. Char. Rep. 1899. This report 

 includes a reprint of that of 1828. 



