A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



No very marked declension in character or devotion to their work on 

 the part of the parochial clergy is observable, unless it be among the monastic 

 vicars. Negligent and absentee parsons — some too, of indifferent morals — are 

 met with, but there is nothing to show that they were much more numerous 

 than before. The use of patronage to provide a career for younger and ille- 

 gitimate sons perhaps increased a little — a continuous succession of Langtons, 

 e.g., held the rectory of Wigan from 1370 to 1506 — and the rich living of 

 Winwick became almost an appanage of the Stanley family. °" Crown 

 patronage continued to be exercised in a way which led to non-residence. 

 The rectors of Prescot, for example, before its transference to King's College 

 were men of high academic standing — two of them became bishops — but one of 

 them, Philip Morgan, much employed by Henry V in diplomacy, and after- 

 wards bishop successively of Worcester and Ely, was certainly an absentee,^" and 

 probably others were. Royal nominees cannot, indeed, be said to have been the 

 only offenders in this respect. In 1444 the archdeacon of Richmond had to 

 admonish the rectors of Claughton and Chipping and the vicars of Lancaster 

 and Garstang for non-residence."' Instances occur of diocesan interference 

 for graver reasons. The bishop of Lichfield ordered an inquiry in 1460 into 

 the state of Walton church, whose church furniture and buildings were 

 alleged to be notably defective by the fault of the late rector, Ralph Stanley.^"" 

 In 1473 the archdeacon of Richmond inquired into abuses in the church of 

 Tunstall.'" Bishop Hales in the following year collated to the vicarage of 

 Eccles because John Bollyng, whom the abbey of Whalley had presented, was 

 found to be ' unsuitable and incompetent.' ''' As the vicar of Tunstall was a 

 canon of Croxton, the last two incidents are primarily a reflection upon the 

 condition of the religious houses. This seems to have undoubtedly suffered 

 a change for the worse. In 1454 the prior of Burscough and two of the 

 canons, one of whom was the vicar of Ormskirk, were convicted of practising 

 divination, sortilege, and the black art in order to discover hidden treasure 

 All three were suspended from the priestly office, the prior had to resign, 

 and the vicar was deprived.-' Towards the end of the century Holland 

 Priory fell into a very unsatisfactory state. Complaints reached the bishop in 

 1497 that the monks did not observe the rule of St. Benedict, that their 

 church was out of repair, their other houses ruinous, and their spiritual and 

 ^mporal goods dilapidated or dissipated by their neghgence and excesses.- 

 1 he result of the inquiry ordered does not appear, but the alleged neglect of 

 he rule is borne out by the evidence as to the condition of the priory at 



Cocke"?s'and Ahh ^^'^ ^ ^""'^ ^""''' ^''''-^ ^''°''^' °^ visitations^ of 

 preva leTfn^,h^'\'^°" '^'' a considerable relaxation of morals and discipline 

 prevailed m that house towards the close of the century But the abbev 

 seems to have recovered a healthier tone before the Dissolu ion - F om^he 

 episcopal registers it would appear that the number of regular; taking o'der: 



Sn,:th, fol. .57/ '■ ' °' "'• ^"^"'°" -^^ ^-"' - H93 'hy cession or dismissal' ; ibid. 



"' Lanes. ChM. 233. •«» t • 1. 1- 



' Ibid. Boulers, fol. ^o, q :. ,« tl'^f f P'^" ^^g. Hales, fol. 108. 



' See below, fP- . n, 1 . 2. J)'^' ^^""'^^1. f°l- ^36^. 



Ibid. p. 156. 



36 



t«3 



