A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



The fronts and standards are well carved, and the 

 benches in front of the stalls are supported at inter- 

 vals by turned balusters. The altar rails are also of 

 the seventeenth century, and are returned westward 

 in the middle of their length, giving kneeling space 

 for communicants on three sides, while against the 

 north and south walls are benches backed with seven- 

 teenth-century panelling. A bench-end on the north 

 side seems to belong to an earlier date than any of the 

 rest of the woodwork in the chancel. Against the 

 north wall is an effigy placed upright, with a panel of 

 heraldry over it, and the initials I O and the motto 

 ' Veritas Vincit.' It commemorates John Ogle of 

 Whiston. Near the effigy is a good example of a 

 seventeenth-centur)- poor-box. The roof of the 

 chancel is not old, though following old work in its 

 detail ; and the chancel arch is modem. 



The nave has north and south arcades of five bays 

 with octagonal pillars, plainly moulded capitals, and 

 pointed arches of one chamfered order, which, in 

 spite of their Gothic form, doubtless date from the 

 rebuilding of 1 6 1 o,and have over them a low clearstory, 

 with ten three-light square-headed windows on each 

 side, and over the chancel arch a five-light window of 

 the same character between two three-light windows 

 at a slightly lower level. The nave roof is a fine 

 example, with alternate tie and hammer beams with 

 carved brackets, and wind-braces to the purlins. On 

 one of the beams is the inscription, ' Thomas Bold, 

 knight, 1610.' 



The aisles of the nave have nothing of interest to 

 show except some stone tablets let into the walls ; 

 one in the north aisle with the arms of Bold and 

 'T. B. 1610' (for Thomas Bold), and three in 

 the south aisle, namely, one with the crowned 

 arms of Derby and de Vere quarterly, with W. D. 

 for William, sixth earl of Derby and king of 

 Man ; another, dated 1610, with the Bold 

 arms and ' H. B., M. B.' (for Henry and Mar- 

 garet Bold) ; and a third, with the Gerard coat, 

 inscribed ' Sir T. G. Kt.' They are all of good work- 

 manship, and form a distinctly unusual feature, and it 

 is possible that they were here set up to record those 

 who contributed to the rebuilding of 16 10. In the 

 south aisle also are the royal arms of George III. 

 The west tower, though rather coarse in detail, is of 

 good proportion, and has round-headed belfry windows 

 of two lights flanked by Doric pilasters, and over 

 them a heavy cornice with a group of three vases at 

 each angle of the tower. Above is a tall stone spire 

 with three tiers of spire lights, of Gothic form. In 

 the second stage of the tower is a circular window 



on the west face, and above it an inscription record- 

 ing the building of the tower, ' Conditum an" dom"" 

 1729'; while in the ground stage is a three-light 

 west window with two plain circles in the head, and 

 below it a square-headed west doorway, the head of 

 which is level with the tall, moulded plinth of the 

 tower.' 



The fittings of the church other than those already 

 noted are modern, the reredos in the chancel being a 

 very good piece of work. The eighteenth-century font 

 is of marble, tazza-shaped, with a fluted bowl, on which 

 is an inscription recording its gift by William Halsncad. 



The plate consists of two silver communion cups of 

 1663, with two flagons of the same date, and two 

 patens of 1723 and 1738 respectively. 



There are eight bells by Mears of London, 1 845. 



The registers begin in 1580. 



The dial in the churchyard is mentioned in 1663.' 

 The advowson was one of the 

 JDFOIVSON appurtenances of the manor of Whis- 

 ton, held by the Forester of Lancas- 

 ter ; ' it descended from the Gemets to the Dacres,' 

 and was acquired from Ranulf de Dacre about 1374 

 or 1375 by Sir John de Nevill, lord of Raby.' In 

 December, 1 391, Ralph de Nevill of Raby exchanged 

 it for the advowsons of Staindrop and Brancepeth in 

 the bishopric of Durham, John of Gaunt, duke of 

 Lancaster, becoming patron of Prescot." The advowson 

 descended with the crown until conferred by Henry VI 

 on his new college of the Blessed Virgin Mary and 

 St. Nicholas at Cambridge in 1445.' From that 

 time to the present the right of patronage has belonged 

 to King's College, together with the manor of Prescot. 

 The rectory was appropriated to the college in October, 

 1448, a vicarage being ordained.* 



The annual value of the rectory was assessed at 

 £\o in 1291.° Fifty years later the value of the 

 ninth of sheaves, wool, and lambs, was declared to be 

 j^SO.'" In the time of Henry VIII the vicarage was 

 valued at ^^24 o/. ()d. net." From the report of the 

 Commonwealth surveyors in 1650 it appears that 

 King's College had farmed out the rectory to the 

 vicar of Prescot, the earl of Derby, and others, so 

 that they received but a small share of the revenue, 

 the vicarage having about £60 from small tithes, as 

 well as a house with 2\ acres of land. Various 

 subdivisions were recommended." 



Bishop Gastrell in 1719 found the vicarage worth 

 Xi 40 a year." The gross value is now stated as ;^650, 

 but the district attached to the parish church hat 

 become practically restricted to little more than the 

 town of Prescot. 



1 There is a view in Gregson's Frag- 

 mfna, 1 7 ^ ; sec also Glynne, Lanct. Churches 

 (Chct. Soc), 63. For armorial notes, 

 made about 1 590, see Trans. Hist, Soc, 

 xzxtii, 2+7. An old font, said to have 

 belonged to Prescot, is now in Roby 

 churchyard, used as a flower-pot ; ibid. 

 (New Ser.), xvii, 72. 



* Adam Martjndale (Chet. Soc), 172. 



^ Lanes, Inq. and Extents (Rec. Soc 

 Lanes, and Ches.), 43-4, 18S. 



* Final Cone. (Rec. Soc. Lanes, and 

 Ches.), ii, 192, 68 n. 



' Lich. Epis. Reg. iv, fol. 87A. 



^ Ibid, vi, foL 57 ; also Duchy of 

 Lane. Great Cowcher, i, fol. 70, n, 44 ; 

 fol. 69, n. 43. See Def, Reefer's Rep. 

 xixii, App. p. 361. 



' The grant was made 6 Aug. 1445 

 (Pat. 23 Hen. VI, pt. xxii), and was speci- 



ally exempted from subsequent Acts of 

 resumption ; Par/. R. v, 92, 523 ; vi, 

 9'- 



8 Lich. Reg. x, foh 64-8*. There is 

 a local story attributing the vicarage to 

 the king's disgust at finding the rector so 

 wealthy as to be able to shoe his horses 

 with silver ; Gregson, Fragments, 173. 



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



"• Inq. Nonarum (Rec. Com.), 40. 

 The various townships contributed as 

 follows : Rainhill, 601. ; Whiston with 

 Prescot, 50s. ; Eccleston, ^4 ; Rainford, 

 Windle, and Parr, 601. each ; Sutton, 

 £^ 1 01. ; Bold, £i 81. id. ; Ditton with 

 Penketh the same ; Appleton, £j is. %d. ; 

 Sankey, ^2 1 31. 4//. ; Cuerdley, ^3 81. ^d. ; 

 Crouton, 6oi. 



" Fal'.r Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 220. 

 The bishop received 1 3s. ^d. a year, and 



the archdeacon 151. ^J, The vicarage 

 house was worth 51. a year. There were 

 three chantries in the parish. 



'* Common-wealth Ch. Surv, (Rec. Soc. 

 Lanes, and Ches.), 70—9. 



" Notitia Cettr, (Chet. Soc), 11, 203. 

 There were four wardens, one named by 

 the vicar for Prescot, Whiston, and 

 Rainhill, in turn ; and others for Sutton 

 (i), Eccleston and Rainford (i), and 

 Windle and Parr (i), these being named 

 by the 'eight men.' There were 735 

 families, and the number of 'papists' was 

 372. The account made in 1767, and 

 preserved in Chester Diocesan Registry, 

 gives 1,294 'Papists,' in Prescot and St. 

 Helens, there being four priests known, 

 viz. Joseph Bamand at Windle, Philip 

 Butler at Parr, Mr. Weldon and Mr. 

 Conyers at Eccleston. 



