WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



The right of the Heskeths having been vindicated 

 in the suits with William Bradshagh,' Samuel Hankin- 

 son was presented by Gabriel Hesketh, at the request 

 of Sir Cuthbert Halsall, to whom he had been recom- 

 mended by the bishop for the mastership of Halsall 

 school. Again, however, a dispute occurred. The 

 new rector was accused of simony, and the king inter- 

 vened in consequence, presenting Nicholas Banastre, 

 who was instituted in 1607.' 



The parliamentary authorities appear to have made 

 no objection to the appointment of James Worrall, 

 who had indeed just been approved ot as curate of the 

 chapel of Maghull.' He joined in the ' Harmonious 

 Consent' of 1648. 



Peter Stananought, his successor, was expelled 

 from Oxford by the parliamentary visitors in 1648, 

 and for a time taught in a school at Sevenoaks in 

 Kent. Here he began a correspondence with Dr. 

 Henry Hammond.* In 165 1 he conformed to the 

 Presbyterian discipline established in the Church of 

 England, becoming one of the ministers in the 

 garrison at Liverpool ; he relinquished this duty on 

 appointment to Aughton. In 1660 he seems to have 

 welcomed the restoration of episcopal government, 

 conforming and receiving a new institution. He was 

 also made one of the king's preachers for the county.' 



His successor, Alexander Baguley, was very soon 

 deprived for simony,' and the king presented the next 

 rector. Christopher Sudell, on John Brownsword's 

 death, was presented by Alexander Hesketh, but 

 resigned six weeks afterwards to be presented a second 

 time by Alexander Hesketh and Robert Scarisbrick. 

 Three weeks later the benefice was declared vacant 

 for simony.' The king for this reason again presented 

 to Aughton. 



The new rector, Robert Hindley, purchased the 

 next presentation of the rectory for his son, who, how- 

 ever, died before him.* 'The old parsonage being 

 extremely ruinous and upon inspection found incapable 

 of tolerable repairs,' was in 1 7 1 1 rebuilt by him at 

 his own cost.' 



From a list made it is evident that the furniture of 



AUGHTON 



the church a little later was of the simplest kind ; 

 the vestments consisted of ' two surplices ' ; at the 

 communion table were a velvet cloth and cushion, a 

 table cloth, a napkin, and two bosses (to kneel 

 on) ; and the plate consisted of a silver chalice, two 

 pewter tankards, and a salver. There were a pitch 

 pipe and figured boards for the singers in the gallery.'" 



The Long Lane Baptist Mission began in 1872 ; 

 the wooden building then erected was replaced by a 

 stone-fronted building about 1887." 



There are two Roman Catholic churches within 

 the parish. Formerly the chaplain of Moor Hall," for 

 whom an endowment of ;^300 had been given in 

 1728 by Mrs. Wolfall, served the mission. Simon 

 George Bordley, an able but eccentric priest, had 

 charge for many years, keeping a school also ; but on 

 some of the Stanley family coming to reside there, he 

 in 1 784 removed to New House, close to Gerard Hall. 

 His successor built St. Mary's in 1823." 



St. Anne's, the church of the Ormskirk mission, is 

 situate on the high road a little way outside that town. 

 In 1729 Mr. Lancaster of Ormskirk gave /lOO to 

 the Benedictines in order to have mass said once a 

 month at Ormskirk during his life and that of his wife. 

 Fr. Anselm Walmesley of Woolston discharged this 

 duty until 1732, when Fr. Bertram Maurus Bulmer 

 came to reside here, and built a house which served 

 as residence and chapel." 'After the Jacobite rising 

 of 1 745 the chapel and mission house were attacked 

 and partially burnt down by the mob." In 1784 

 Bishop Gibson confirmed 94 persons here, at which 

 time the communicants numbered 260."° In 1795 

 a chapel dedicated to St. Oswald was built, adjoining 

 the priest's house. St. Anne's replaced this in 1850. 

 The Benedictines have continued to serve the mission 

 to the present time." 



There was in 1 7 2 1 an annual dis- 

 CHJRITIES tribution of j(;6 is., the result of gifts 

 by several persons.'* Various additions 

 have been made from time to time, as well as bene- 

 factions for other purposes, but the principal charity is 

 the almshouses founded by the Rev. George Vanbrugh." 



^ See the account of the manor of 

 Litherland. 



^ Samuel Hankinson, who became vicar 

 of Huyton, in a letter from Lathom 

 chapel, II June, 1607, released his title 

 to the rectory, owing to the controversy 

 between him and Mr. Banastre, and re- 

 quested the bishop to institute the latter ; 

 Aughton Ch. Papers. 



' Plund. Mini. Accts. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), i, 10. 



It was reported in 1650 that he was 

 'an orthodox divine of godly life and con- 

 versation,' observing the Lord's days and 

 days of humiliation and thanksgiving ap- 

 pointed by Act of Parliament ; one, how- 

 ever, he had omitted, ' in regard he was 

 visited with sickness and not able, neither 

 had notice as was given to others whereby 

 he might have ordered for that day ' ; 

 Commonivealib Cb, Surv. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, 

 and Ches.), p. 95. His will was proved 

 in 1653 ; Breat 98. 



^ Pai, Note-book, iii, no, 



' His eagerness in the matter — it was 

 but a month or two after Charles's re- 

 turn — gave great offence to his neighbour 

 Nathaniel Heywood, vicar of Ormskirk. 



By his will, dated 7 June, 1673, and 

 proved 23 June, 1674, he left his tene- 

 ments in Appley in Wrightington to his 

 wife, but ' half only if she marry or mis- 



carry.' She afterwards married Thomas 

 Marsden, vicar of Walton. To the poor 

 of Aughton he left ,^10. His property 

 was valued at ^^228, including a library 

 worth ;^40, and silver plate £lz. 



^ According to Oliver Heywood 

 (Diaries, ii, 265) ' Mr. Hesketh, a papist 

 and profligate gentleman,' lost the pre- 

 sentation at cards to Mr. Banastre of 

 Bank. The relatives of ' young Baguley ' 

 obtained it by giving ;^ioo to Mr, 

 Banastre, hoping to evade the law of 

 simony by calling this sum the price of a 

 horse they bought. The bishop refusing 

 to institute except on a presentation by 

 the true patron, the latter was induced to 

 agree by a present of 20 guinea pieces. 

 'At last Mr. Brownsword's son sued them 

 at the assizes for simony . . . and 

 Brownsword hath got possession, but 

 there's no choice, he living as ill as the 

 other,' The case has a record in the 

 Exch. of Pleas, 3 1 Chas, II, Trin, m. 107 ; 

 and 10 June, 33 Chas, II, 



' Aughton Ch. papers. 



' Baines, Lanes, (ed. Croston), v, 243. 



^ Terrier at Aughton. 



10 Newstead, op. cit. 62. 



In 1775 a meeting was called to con- 

 sider means of raising money to buy 

 •decent vessels for the celebration of the 

 Lord's Supper,' the old ones being so 



291 



decayed as to be unfit for use ; ibid. 



58.59- 



^^ Newstead, 32. The mission is an 

 offshoot of Myrtle Street Baptist Chapel in 

 Liverpool. 



^2 John Blackburne was the priest in 

 1703 ; N. BlundeU's Diary, 9. 



^ Gillow, Bibliog. Diet, and Liverpool 

 Cath. Ann. 1892. 



" Information of Abbot O'Neill, O.S.B. 



^^ Pal. Note-book, \, 213, mentions one- 

 of Fr. Bulmer's books showing signs of fire.. 



^** Trans. Hist. Soc. (New Sen), xiii, 

 156-7, where a list of the priests in charge 

 is given. 



17 Newstead, 26 ; Liverpool Catb. Ann. 



18 Gastrell, Notitia, ii, 162. 



1^ The following details are taken from 

 the End. Cbar. Rep. for this parish, issued 

 in 1901, in which a reprint of the report 

 of 1828 is included: — 



The Commissioners of 1828 found that 

 William Sutch had in 1703 given two. 

 closes called Long Hey and Little Hey in 

 Aughton for the benefit of the poor of this 

 place and also of the township of Snape^ 

 5J. being allowed for the entertainment of 

 the distributors. The trustees first ap- 

 pointed died, and no new ones were ap- 

 pointed, but the rector, churchwardens, 

 and overseers managed the estate, which 

 was producing ^14 loj. a year, besides 



