A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



exaggerated estimate of the number of deaths in each parish of the 

 deanery (varying from 3,000 in those of Preston, Lancaster, and Kirkham 

 to sixty in that of Chipping, and amounting in the total to 13,180) to a 

 dispute between Henry de Walton, archdeacon of Richmond, and Adam de 

 Kirkham, dean of Amounderness, as to the sums received by the latter 

 inter alia from vacant benefices, probate of wills, and administration of the 

 goods of intestates."' As Adam, whose accountability began in September, 

 was executor for his predecessor in the ofBce of dean, William Ballard, it is 

 not unlikely that the latter was himself a victim of the plague.'" For the 

 other Lancashire deaneries no similar data are available. The prior of 

 Cartmel apparently died, probably of the plague."* The Lichfield Registers 

 do not reveal any unusual mortality among the beneficed clergy of South 

 Lancashire during the subsequent visitations of the plague in 1361 and 1369. 

 While the plague raged it was not possible to enforce the rights of sepulture 

 of the parish church where the distances involved were great ; licences were 

 therefore granted for local burial. In two cases this interim arrangement 

 led to a more permanent one. In 1352 Bishop Northburgh authorized the 

 consecration of a cemetery for the chapel of Didsbury in consequence of the 

 devotion of its people during the late pestilence and the difficulty of carrying 

 their dead to Manchester, on account of which they had had a licence to 

 bury at Didsbury.'" The burgesses of Liverpool received a licence to bury 

 in the cemetery of their chapel of St. Nicholas during the plague of 1361, 

 saving the dues of the parish church of Walton, and in the following year 

 the rector of Walton procured from the bishop a commission to dedicate 

 the chapel and appoint a cemetery to last as long as the vicar of Walton 

 pleased."' 



The more general effects of this terrible scourge, which must have been 

 specially felt in North Lancashire, where the wounds inflicted by the Scots 

 were still fresh, are not easy to appraise."^ A temporary relaxation of morals 

 and disorganization of church institutions, some lowering of the character of 

 the clergy, whose thinned ranks had to be suddenly recruited without too 

 nice an attention to qualifications, must have resulted."^ Against this is to be 

 set a certain revival of religious feeling, partly no doubt the effect of panic. 



The mortality among the landowning class doubtless stimulated the 

 desire to secure permanent intercession for the souls of the dead by the 



this document (p. 529) must b/an error for Chinninc ^. P'^°bably not included. The second Poulton in 

 is otherwise un^counted for P^'"^" ^^"^ ""'' ""'^ °»= P"'''^ °f Po-^'ton, and Chipping 



office." "^'"^ "^^ '" '"^ '"" °'^" ^^"""" - b-<^fi«' -jng to the plague before Adam came into 



■"Lich. Epis. Reg. Northburgh, vol ii fol ,27 V.r r ■ P^'^""' °P- "'• '57- 

 to bur), in their cemefery, in Sept 36, 'on account ^f ' '""""^'^ =°°"8h, they again received a licence 

 Stretton, ii, fol. 7). No«hburgh^lso Vutiorized ^m tf cet^^^^^^^^ V' P'^-S^ ' ('bid- Reg. 



though it is of antiquity beyo'nd memory, harJeln Seldom dn"':f';a"e"' "tL^'k" , ''' ^^^P^'' ' -!»-'. 

 oblations to the rectory of Manchester. ^^^ chaplain was to pay all 



"° Ibid. Reg. Stretton, vol ii fol a.±—c Th 

 Croston and the inhabitants of Chorley for the dedi^doToTlh'" K TTo^."" ^"^'^^^^ '^^ «<=t°r of 

 brought about by the p.tilence, though n^othi^glttTofTcemelt^trbi lol'^'f'' "^'^ ''^ ^^^ ^"" 

 .o.^Z^^^^l!:^^J:^::i- ^-" '° ^^^ P°ven;tSen nun, of Seton, which 

 '" Gasquet, Tie Great Pestilence, 205. 



30 



