ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY 



With the exception of Garstang,"' Littleborough, Oldham, and Todmorden 

 those mentioned above seem to have been originally mere chantry chapels. 



Some important changes in the relations of the parish churches to the 

 religious houses took place. In 141 4 Lancaster Priory shared the fate of 

 other alien priories dependent upon foreign monasteries. Their possessions 

 had from time to time been taken into the king's hands during the wars with 

 France, and now an Act of Parliament dissolved them altogether and vested 

 their property in the crown.'" Henry V bestowed the priory of Lancaster 

 upon his new Brigittine nunnery of Sion founded in the same year.'" Its 

 advowsons and appropriate churches were included in the grant, with the 

 exception of the advowson of Eccleston, which was granted (before 1463) 

 to one of the Stanleys.'" As some compensation perhaps for its being with- 

 held, Croston, of which the priory had only held the advowson, was appro- 

 priated to the nuns of Sion ; '" a vicarage was ordained by Bishop Heyworth 

 in 1420.'** Ten years later the archdeacon of Richmond ordained a vicarage 

 in their church of Lancaster,'*' and in the same year the abbess augmented 

 the vicarage of Poulton.'" 



Three churches besides Croston were now first appropriated. St. 

 Michaels-on-Wyre was given by Henry IV in 1409 as part of the endow- 

 ment of the chantry (afterwards college) of Battlefield, founded in com- 

 memoration of the battle of Shrewsbury, and a vicarage was subsequently 

 ordained.'" In 1448 Prescot became appropriate to King's College, 

 Cambridge, which had received the advowson from its founder Henry VI 

 in 1445,'" and in the same year William, Lord Lovel arranged for the 

 appropriation of Leigh, the advowson of which he had inherited from the 

 Hollands, to the Austin Canons of Erdbury in Warwickshire, of whose house 

 he was a patron.'" Vicarages were ordained in each case.'" 



Eccleston was not the only church which reverted to lay patronage. 

 In 1433 or 1434 (12 Hen. VI) the canons of Nostell sold their rights in 

 Win wick church, which in this case too passed into the hands of the 

 Stanleys ; the purchaser was Sir John Stanley of Lathom, K.G., grandfather 

 of the first earl of Derby.'" The advowson of Walton-on-the-Hill was 

 bought from Shrewsbury Abbey in 1470 by Sir Thomas Molyneux, knt., of 

 Sefton.'" 



'" In 1437 the inhabitants of Garstang had licence from the archdeacon of Richmond to have divine 

 service performed in the chapel in that town for one year ; Not. Ceitr. ii, 412. 



'" Rot. Pari, iv, 22. '" Ibid, iv, 243. See * Religious Houses.' 



"° Lich. Epis. Reg. Heyvyorth, fol. nob ; ibid. Hales, fbl. loi. Thomas, Lord Stanley, father of the 

 first earl of Derby, presented in 1463. 



'■" Ratified by Pope Martin V on 18 Aug. 141 8 ; Foedera, ix, 617. 



"' Lich. Epis. Reg. Heyworth, fol. 129. The vicar was bound to distribute annually 10/. to the poor. 



^'' Not. Cestr. ii, 429. The vicar was required to maintain six chaplains, three in the parish church and 

 one each in the chapels of Gressingham, Caton, and Stalmine. 



"^ Ibid, ii, 456. 



»i Wylie, Hist, of Hen. IV, iii, 241 ; Hist, of St. Michaels-on-Wyre (Chet. Soc), 43, 109. 



^** Rot. Pari. V, 92 ; Lich. Epis. Reg. Booth, fol. 64 ; Not. Cestr. ii, 203. John of Gaunt obtained the 

 advowson in 1391 from Ralph, Lord Nevill of Raby in exchange for that of Staindrop ; Lich. Epis. Reg. 

 Scrope, fol. 57. 



"» Lich. Epis. Reg. Booth, fol. 683. 



'" The vicar of Leigh's portion was 16 marks and a tenement. Besides the usual payments to the bishop 

 and archdeacon he was bound to distribute annually 6s. id. among the poor. 



'" Not. Cestr. ii, 261. The priory reserved a pension of ^^5. The incumbents were henceforth rectors 

 instead of vicars. 



"" Ibid, ii, 222. The Molyneux family had always been patrons of the adjoining rectory of Sefton. 



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