The parish of Bury

A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 5. Originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1911.

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'The parish of Bury', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 5, ed. William Farrer, J Brownbill( London, 1911), British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol5/pp122-128 [accessed 5 October 2024].

'The parish of Bury', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 5. Edited by William Farrer, J Brownbill( London, 1911), British History Online, accessed October 5, 2024, https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol5/pp122-128.

"The parish of Bury". A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 5. Ed. William Farrer, J Brownbill(London, 1911), , British History Online. Web. 5 October 2024. https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol5/pp122-128.

In this section

BURY

Bury; Elton; Heap; Walmersley - With ShuttleWorth; Tottington Higher End; Tottington Lower End; Musbury; Cowpe; Lench; Newhall Hey; Hall Carr

INDEX MAP to the PARISH of BURY

The parish of Bury, of which two townships— Cowpe-Lench and Musbury—lie in the hundred of Blackburn, has an area of 24,915 acres. The Irwell flows southward through the middle of it, and it is bounded by hills on the east, west, and north, those in Tottington attaining elevations of 1,200 to 1,500 ft. The Carboniferous Rocks occur throughout the parish. At Bury, Elton, and Redvales the Coal Measures cover a considerable area; elsewhere the Lower Coal Measures occur, except between Walmersley and Birtle, where the Millstone Grit is thrown up by faults.

Anciently there were only two manors or townships in the parish, but these were later subdivided, the old 'hamlets' becoming townships; and in recent years great changes have been made in the boundaries to accord with the changes that have taken place in the distribution of the population and the resulting progress of local government. To the county lay of 1624 Bury and its hamlets paid £6 16s. 6d., and Tottington £3 8s. 3d., when the hundred contributed £100. (fn. 1) To the fifteenth the payments respectively were £2 3s. 4d. and 15s. 8d. out of £41 14s. 4d. (fn. 2)

There is evidence in the history of the town of Bury of the disturbances raised by Adam Banastre in the time of Edward II, Henry de Bury being killed by his emissaries. Many people of the district no doubt accompanied the Pilkingtons, whose fortified dwelling stood in the town, to the foreign wars, as well as to the fatal fields of Bosworth and Stoke. There were also domestic wars nearer home; for about 1447 a number of the people of Butterworth and Spotland, having gathered a company of sixty 'malefactors,' came to Bury arrayed in manner of war, with a white banner carried before them; they then marched off to Hundersfield in Rochdale, where the demonstration ended in the death of one Roger Smethley. It seems to have been intended to intimidate the Holts. (fn. 3)

The Reformation appears to have passed by without any resistance or opposition, the people here, as in the neighbourhood, soon becoming favourable to the Puritans. On a certain Sunday of July 1588 the town was disturbed by a number of Oldham men, who, in time of divine service, made 'foul disorders' by galloping horses in the street, shouting and piping; 'a lamentable spectacle in the place of preaching ministry,' as the narrator remarks. (fn. 4) About the same time the mining industry comes into notice, by a dispute concerning 'mines, delphs, and pits of coal.' (fn. 5) The making of woollen yarn had been mentioned by Leland fifty years earlier.

In the Civil War the lord of Bury took the lead on the king's side, and the rector was also a Royalist, while John Greenhalgh and Edward Nuttall distinguished themselves in the same cause. A conflict is reported to have taken place close to the town of Bury on 14 August 1648. (fn. 6) The restoration of Charles II was cordially welcomed in Bury, (fn. 7) but the revolution appears to have been acquiesced in as readily, and nothing is known of any Jacobite sympathizers in the risings of the 18th century.

In 1798, during the French War, a volunteer force was created under the name of the Loyal Bury Volunteer Association. (fn. 8) A rifle corps was formed in 1859, and the town is now the head quarters of the 5th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers (Territorials). (fn. 9)

Bury has had its share in the great development of Lancashire manufactures, and here, as elsewhere, distress in times of bad trade produced disturbances, of which the most notable examples were the riots of 1826, (fn. 10) and the 'plug drawing' of 1842. The agricultural land in the parish is now apportioned thus: Arable land, 1,315 acres; permanent grass, 12,691; woods and plantations, 61. The following are details:—

Arable acres Grass acres Woods, &c. acres
Bury 180 1,248 8
Elton 143 1,723 14
Heywood 903 1,435
Tottington 26 2,032
Ramsbottom 7 3,533 39
Walmersley 56 2,720

The worthies of the parish include Henry Dunster, 1609–59, the first president of Harvard; Captain William Kay, who took part in the defence of Lathom House in 1644, and died a prisoner for debt in Lancaster Castle in 1670; Edward Rothwell, a Nonconformist divine, who ministered in Bury, Holcombe, and the district, and died in 1731; John Warburton, 1682–1759, book collector; Josiah Nuttall, naturalist, 1771–1849; John Ainsworth, local historian, born near Chamber Hall, 1777–1858; (fn. 11) James Bateman, botanist, born at Redvales in 1811, and died at Worthing in 1897; Sir James Phillips Kay-Shuttleworth, bart., a founder of the system of school inspection, 1804–77; his brother, Sir Edward Ebenezer Kay, judge, 1822–97; Sir John Holker, politician and judge, 1828–82; and Sir William Hardman, 1828–90, sometime Recorder of Kingston and editor of the Morning Post. Lives of most of them will be found in the Dictionary of National Biography. Others are noticed in the different townships.

Church

The church of ST. MARY stands in the centre of the town, to the north of the market-place, on an ancient site, but is itself a modern building erected entirely in the 19th century. A church is said to have been built here in the 13th century, and restored or rebuilt about 1535; but it had fallen into a state of decay by the middle of the 18th century, and in the year 1773 was taken down, with the exception of the tower, and a new building erected between the years 1773 and 1780. Old prints show this church to have been rectangular in plan, with a square projecting chancel, built in pseudo-Gothic style, with two tiers of pointed windows, straight parapets, and drafted angle quoins. The tower, which is described in 1829 as an 'old small semi-spire steeple' detracting from the appearance of the church, (fn. 12) having been damaged in 1839, was taken down four years later, and the present tower and broach spire built in 1844–5. The 18thcentury church stood till 1870, when the chancel was taken down and the present one begun; but in the course of reconstruction the whole of the old building was declared to be unsafe, and was pulled down in 1872. The present handsome church was erected between 1870 and 1876, Mr. F. S. Crowther being the architect, and consists of an apsidal chancel 56 ft. 6 in. long by 27 ft. 8 in. wide, with south chapel and north vestry, nave 84 ft. 6 in. long by 30 ft. wide, with north and south aisles and south porch. The tower of 1845 was retained at the west end, and is joined on to the new church by a wide narthex extending the whole width of the nave and aisles, to which it is open by three arches. The building is of stone, in the style of the 14th century, with lofty clearstory and roof, quite overshadowing the tower and spire, which, though too big for the church as it was before 1870, is now too small. The interior is partly lined with bricks, and is a fine example of modern Gothic work. The height of the chancel is 63 ft., and that of the nave 76 ft. The fittings, like the structure, are all modern, and there is nothing about the building of antiquarian interest.

The churchyard was enlarged in 1843, and closed for interments in 1855. It is paved with headstones laid flat, and has an 18th-century pedestal sundial on the north side.

There is a ring of eight bells, six by A. Rudhall of Gloucester, 1722, recast by Mears & Stainbank, and the two trebles by Taylor & Co., of Loughborough, 1892. (fn. 13)

The plate is all modern, and consists of two chalices of 1860–1, two patens of the same date, and a silver bread-box given by Archdeacon Blackburne. One of the patens is inscribed 'The gift of Elizabeth Plant, relict of Thomas Plant, to the church of Bury,' and the other 'The gift of Mary Hutchinson, relict of William Hutchinson, to the church of Bury.' There are also two large plated flagons given by the Rev. James Bankes (rector 1710–43), and a plated paten.

The registers date from 1590 (baptisms 1590, marriages and burials 1591), and have been printed, up to 1698, by the Lancashire Parish Register Society. (fn. 14)

There is a clock and chimes in the tower, given in 1903 by Mr. Henry Whitehead, High Sheriff of Lancashire.

Advowson

The church of Bury is known to have existed at the end of the 12th century. The patronage has always descended with the lordship of the manor, (fn. 15) the Earl of Derby now having the right of presentation. In 1291 the income was taxed at 20 marks, (fn. 16) but fifty years later the ninth of sheaves, wool, &c., was only worth half that sum, Bury proper contributing 102s. 2d., and the moiety of Tottington 31s. 2d. (fn. 17) The gross value of the rectory in 1534 was returned as £30 6s. 8d. (fn. 18) Nearly two centuries later it was given as about £250. (fn. 19) A large amount of the glebe lying in the town of Bury, the rector was empowered in 1764 to grant building leases for ninety-nine years. (fn. 20) This greatly enhanced the rector's income, which in 1834 was nearly, £2,000, and afterwards increased. It is now given as £2,000. (fn. 21)

The following is a list of the rectors:—

Institution Name Patron Cause of Vacancy
oc. 1189 Peter the Chaplain (fn. 22)
bef. 1226 Henry (fn. 23)
oc. 1275 Geoffrey (fn. 24)
Roger de Freckleton (fn. 25)
14 Jan. 1318–19. Richard de Radcliffe (fn. 26) Margery, lady of Bury res. R. de Freckleton
23 Dec. 1323 Adam de Radcliffe (fn. 27) " " d. R. de Radcliffe
12 Dec. 1331 John de Radcliffe (fn. 28) Margaret de Radcliffe d. A. de Bury
13 Mar. 1334–5 Henry de Over (fn. 29) Henry s. of Sir Henry de Bury res. John
17 May 1335 John de Radcliffe (fn. 30) Henry de Bury res. H. de Over
22 Oct. 1367 John de Pilkington (fn. 31) Sir Roger de Pilkington d. J. de Radcliffe
28 Aug. 1406 Thomas de Hulton (fn. 32) Sir John de Pilkington
17 July 1442 Roger Bradeley (fn. 33) "
9 May 1462 George Pilkington (fn. 34) Thos. Pilkington d. R. Bradeley
16 Feb. 1482–3 John Nabbs, B.Can.L (fn. 35) Sir T. Pilkington d. G. Pilkington
19 Oct. 1507 Richard Smith, LL.B (fn. 36) John Ireland res. J. Nabbs
Thos. Stanley
4 Feb. 1554–5 Richard Jones, M.A. (fn. 37) Hugh Jones d. last rector
21 Aug. 1568 Gowther Kenyon (fn. 38) Earl of Derby d. R. Jones
John Shireburne, B.D. (fn. 38)
— 1572 Peter Shaw, B.D. (fn. 40)
6 July 1608 Hugh Watmough, B.D. (fn. 41) John Favour d. P. Shaw
23 Aug. 1623 George Murray, B.D. (fn. 42) Earl of Derby d. H. Watmough
16 Mar. 1632–3 Peter Travers, B.D. (fn. 43) " d. G. Murray
— 1654 William Alt, M.A. (fn. 44) Oliver, Protector
— 1654–6 John Lightfoot (fn. 45) Countess of Derby
2 Mar. 1660–1 John Greenhalgh, D.D. (fn. 46) " res. J. Lightfoot
26 Feb. 1674–5 Thomas Gipps, B.D. (fn. 47) Earl of Derby d. J. Greenhalgh
19 May 1710 James Bankes, M.A. (fn. 48) Thos. Bankes d. T. Gipps
19 July 1743 Hon. John Stanley, D.D. (fn. 49) Earl of Derby d. J. Bankes
6 Feb. 1778 Sir William Henry Clerke, bart., B.C.L. (fn. 50) " res. J. Stanley
23 Sept. 1818 Geoffrey Hornby, LL.B. (fn. 51) Earl of Derby d. Sir W. H. Clerke
28 Mar. 1850 Edward James Geoffrey Hornby, M.A. (fn. 52) d. G. Hornby
10 Sept. 1888 Frank Edward Hopwood, M.A. (fn. 53) d. E. J. G. Hornby
13 Feb. 1894 Foster Grey Blackburne, M.A. (fn. 54) " d. F. E. Hopwood
27 Apr. 1909 John Charles Hill, M.A. (fn. 55) d. F. G. Blackburne

Little is known of the condition of the pre-Reformation clergy. There was no endowed chantry at the parish church, but probably each of the chapels of ease, at Holcombe, Edenfield, and Heywood, had a curate of its own. Richard Smith, rector in 1542, paid a curate, and the stipend of another assistant priest was contributed by Charles Nuttall and others. (fn. 56) In 1548, however, only the rector and these two assistants are named in the bishop's visitation list; in 1554 there were four, a curate having been found for Edenfield; the same names reappear in 1563, when the rector was 'excused,' perhaps for absence, and two years later there are five names in the list—showing an increase in the number. This extraordinary statement is somewhat modified by the fact that two of those named did not appear, and that another's name was marked out, the active clergy being reduced to the rector and his curate, Roger Hodgkinson. (fn. 57) It was reported to the royal commissioners in 1559 that the curate of Bury did not read the Gospel, Epistle, Lord's Prayer, and Ten Commandments, according to the proclamation. (fn. 58) A similar indifference or hostility, though perhaps from other causes, appears in 1592, when the rector and curate were ordered to use the Catechism, go the perambulations, and 'observe her majesty's injunctions in all things'; the churchwardens were to provide Jewell's Reply and Apology. (fn. 59) About 1610 the incumbent was 'a preacher,' and the three chapels were 'maintained by the inhabitants.' (fn. 60)

During the sequestration under the Commonwealth the curates in charge preached constantly every Sabbath day and once every Thursday, the market day, keeping a constant lecture there, as had been accustomed; they lived in the parsonage house. (fn. 61) The Restoration appears to have been quietly accepted in Bury itself, where the two landowners, the Earl of Derby and the rector, were both Royalists. Nonconformists, however, were numerous, and in 1669 the vicar reported to the Bishop of Chester that he heard that several conventicles were 'constantly kept at private houses of Independents, Presbyterians, Dippers and other such like jointly, of the bset rank of the yeomanry and other inferiors.' (fn. 62) The matter became evident after the Revolution, (fn. 63) and Bury has now, like other Lancashire parishes, provision for a great variety of worship and doctrine.

Charities

Apart from the grammar school at Bury, founded in 1625 and refounded in 1726, (fn. 64) and some other endowments for ecclesiastical and educational purposes, the general charitable funds have an income of about £190 a year. (fn. 65) Some ancient benefactions have been lost. The whole parish participates in the sums given by John Guest in 1653, (fn. 66) Thomas Rothwell in 1737, (fn. 67) and Rector Bankes in 1743. (fn. 68) The old manor or township of Bury, including Bury, Heap, Elton, and Walmersley, benefits under the will of Samuel Waring, 1742. (fn. 69) Bury proper had in 1828 two small charities. (fn. 70) In Heap, in addition to Heywood School, 1737, is the foundation of John Nuttall, 1763, (fn. 71) with the more substantial recent gifts of William Clegg, 1887, and others. (fn. 72) Walmersley had a school at Baldingstone, founded in 1716, (fn. 73) and over £22 for the general benefit of the poor, the gifts of Richard Haworth, 1760, (fn. 74) and John Hall, 1867. (fn. 75) The most considerable single charity is that founded in 1892–6 by Miss Nancy Haworth for the poor of Walshaw, partly in Tottington Lower End and partly in Elton. (fn. 76) Tottington has old school endowments and some gifts for the poor, including £35 a year from Miss Jane Brennand's bequest in 1882. (fn. 77) The township of Cowpe Lench participates in Mrs. Alice Martha Crabtree's bequest. (fn. 78)

Footnotes

  • 1. Gregson, Fragments (ed. Harland), 22.
  • 2. Ibid. 18.
  • 3. Pal. of Lanc. Plea. R. 11, m. 32.
  • 4. Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 572.
  • 5. Ducatus Lanc. (Rec. Com.), iii, 258.
  • 6. B. T. Barton, Hist, of Bury, 35. The writer admits that the story is merely traditional; the 'castle' is said to have been finally destroyed at this time. It was said that for many successive years all the grain grown on the place of conflict in Bury Lanc (now Bolton Street) was 'streaked as if with gore,' due to the blood shed there. Butcher Lanc is said to have been named from a butcher who, being pursued in the fighting, made his horse leap across both the hedges bordering the lane; ibid. 44. The name, however, occurs earlier. It may be added that the History quoted was a compilation from earlier writers and was issued in 1874. The author died in 1896.
  • 7. For an account of the festivities see Manch. Guardian Local N. and Q. no. 577, quoting Parl. Intelligence, no. 27 (2 July 1660).
  • 8. Barton, Bury, 71.
  • 9. There is a full account of the local force in T. H. Hayhurst, Bury and Rossendale Volunteer Movement (Bury 1887).
  • 10. Barton, op. cit. 163.
  • 11. a Bury Library Quart. July 1906, P. 55.
  • 12. Jas. Butterworth, Bury, 1829. The church of 1775 was thus described in 1824: 'The new building is spacious and handsome, but the old small halfspire steeple detracts from its appearance and ought to have shared the fate of the body of the church;' Baines, Lancs. Dir. i, 577. Canon Raines on the other hand says: 'In 1773 the nave of the church was rebuilt in a debased style, and in 1843 the fine old tower and spire were with difficulty razed and rebuilt;' Notitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc), ii, 28. An organ was first placed in the church in 1752; Barton, Bury, 298. This work has a view of the church of 1775 as frontispiece.
  • 13. a These are recastings of two bells added to the original ring of six in 1843. The sixth and seventh bells are inscribed with the initials of A. Rudhall, the date 1722, and the names of the churchwardens of that year.
  • 14. Vols. i, x, and xxiv, transcribed by Rev. W. J. Löwenberg and Henry Brierley, the third vol. by Archibald Sparke.
  • 15. It was so in 1287; De Banco R. 67, m. 56. Sir Roger de Pilkington claimed the presentation in 1367, Henry son of Margery de Radcliffe being defendant; De Banco R. 429, m. 127 d.
  • 16. Pope Nich. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 249.
  • 17. Inq. Non. (Rec. Com.), 39. The other half of Tottington paid to Prestwich.
  • 18. Valor Eccl. (Rec. Com.), v, 226. The glebe lands returned 48s. 4d.; tithe of grain and hay, £15; of lambs and wool, £4.; of calves, &c., 20s.; Easter roll, offerings, &c., £7 11s. 8d.; mortuaries, 6s. 8d. The Archdeacon of Chester received 15s. 4d. for synodals and procurations.
  • 19. Bishop Gastrell, Notitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc), ii, 27, 28. In 1673 there were five wardens and five assistants; about 1718 there were six churchwardens, viz. one for Bury, chosen by the rector; one each for Heap, Walmersley, and Elton, chosen by the rector out of three presented for each of these hamlets; and two named by Tottington. In 1552 there were four churchwardens for Bury, and a warden for each of the three chapels-of-ease; in 1850 it was the custom for the rector to nominate a warden and sidesman without any parish meeting, the other townships sending in three names, of which the rector chose two; Cb. Gds. (Chet. Soc), 45, 47.
  • 20. Raines, op. cit. ii, 28; the Act is printed in Barton, Bury, 149. In 1824 half the town was said to be glebe, the other half being the Earl of Derby's leasehold.
  • 21. Manch. Dioc. Dir. 1910.
  • 22. He was one of the witnesses to the foundation charter of Burscough Priory; as his name stands third, after the Archdeacon and the Prior of Norton, he could not have been a mere stipendiary chaplain; Farrer, Lancs. Pipe R.350.
  • 23. Henry, parson of Bury, attested a grant by Roger de Montbegon before 1226; Hopwood D.
  • 24. There was in 1275 a dispute as to 2 acres of land between Geoffrey, rector of Bury, and Richard son of Robert, the former claiming them as the free alms of his church, and the latter as his lay fee; De Banco R. 7, m. 33. About the same time a Geoffrey de Bury, not described as parson or clerk, was witness to a grant to Stanlaw Abbey; Wballey Coucher (Chet. Soc), ii, 481.
  • 25. He was ordained deacon in 1311 on the presentation of Siegrith, lady of Urmston; Lich. Epis. Reg. i, fol. 114b.
  • 26. Ibid, i, fol. 86; he was a priest, and exchanged the rectory of Radcliffe for that of Bury. He took part in the rebellion of Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, in 1322, being present with Robert de Holland at Ravensdale after the king had forbidden the assembly. He was fined 10 marks; Coram Rege R. 254, m. 61 (where he is called Richard de Bury, parson of the church of Bury).
  • 27. Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, fol. 100b; he was a clerk. He is no doubt the Adam de Bury of the next presentation. Adam, rector of Bury, was ordained subdeacon in Sept. 1325, and priest a year later; ibid, i, 150, 152.
  • 28. Ibid, ii, fol. 107b; a clerk. In 1334 John son of Robert de Radcliffe, rector of Bury, was accused of maintenance; Coram Rege R. 8 Edw. III, m. 3. He was among those charged with complicity in the death of Sir William de Bradshagh; Cal. Fat. 1330–4, pp.498, 572.
  • 29. Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, fol. 110; a priest. It is probable that John de Radcliffe had failed to comply with the canons, or had incurred censure through the proceedings mentioned in the last note, and that he resigned, Henry de Over taking his place for three months, so that he might secure a fresh presentation. It should be noted that an Adam, parson of Bury, and Roger his brother are named in 1337; Cal. Pat. 1334–8, p. 452.
  • 30. Lich. Epis. Reg. ii, fol. 110; an acolyte. John de Radcliffe, as a trustee, is frequently mentioned. In 1343 he was charged with trespasses against the peace, including a part in the murder of Adain de Lever at Liverpool; Assize R. 430, m. 18d.; Coram Rege R. 344, m. 8; and two years later secured a pardon by offering to go to Gascony, or elsewhere, for a year at his own charges on the king's service; Cal. Pat. 1343–5, p. 531. He died on 22 Aug. 1367. His son John became lord of Chadderton, but was illegitimate, the next-of-kin and heir of John the rector being Ralph son of William de Radcliffe; De Banco R. 426, m. 35; R. 435, m. 139.
  • 31. Lich. Epis. Reg. iv, fol. 83; a priest. He was still rector in 1394, and perhaps in 1402; Lancs. Inq. p.m. (Chet. Soc), ii, 38.
  • 32. Lich. Epis. Reg. vii, fol. 95b; he had only the first tonsure. A Thomas de Hilton was prebendary of York in 1401 and 1404; Le Neve, Fasti, iii, 171, 224. Thomas de Hulton in 1427 agreed to allow Thurstan de Langley, rector of Prestwich, to receive all the tithes, mortuaries, oblations, &c., within the town of Tottington and Tottington Frith, according to the sentence given in the Court Christian at Warrington, before Richard de Stanley, Archdeacon of Chester, or his official; Agecroft D. 75.
  • 33. Lich. Epis. Reg. ix, fol. 126; a priest.
  • 34. Ibid, xii, fol. 100b; a priest. George Pilkington, chaplain, was a younger son of Robert Pilkington, and was about 1462 a defendant with his brothers, Thomas, Edmund, &c., in a charge of robbery made by Peter Legh; Pal. of Lanc. Plea R. 24, m. 27 d. In 1481 George Pilkington, rector of Bury, Robert Pilkington, late of Little Lever, and others, were summoned to answer for aiding and abetting divers felonies; Pal. of Lanc. Writs Proton, file 22 Edw. IVb.
  • 35. Lich. Epis. Reg. xii, fol. 116; he is called Master John Nebbe.
  • 36. Ibid, xiii-xiv, fol. 55. Richard Smith appears to have been presented a second time, on 21 Oct. 1507, by Sir Henry Halsall and Sir John Ireland; Act Bks. at Chester. He held the rectory for fifty years, appearing at the bishop's visitation in 1554. In 1523 it was reported to the Chancellor of the Duchy that he had been presented by the Earl of Derby, and that the rectory was worth 40 marks. A few years later Richard Smith complained that he had appointed a parish clerk, but John Greenhalgh and others, probably as claiming a voice in the nomination, had combined against the new clerk and the rector. On the Sunday before All Saints' Day 1526, they came to church in the morning, 'making semblance as though they had come to hear there divine service,' but bearing weapons concealed under their clothes. The rector, having said his hours, went in procession, the clerk preceding him with the crucifix as usual, when the confederates sprang up and attacked them, snatching the crucifix from the clerk's hands and casting it down, 'using themselves more like Jews and Paynims than otherwise.' There was 'no mass nor other divine service' in church that Sunday. On Hallowmass itself the rector, fearing to come abroad in the daylight, came into the said church early in the spring of the day, intending to have served Almighty God as to him of duty did appertain,' but found John Greenhalgh and the others lying in wait, and had to refrain 'from saying of mass and other service.' This seems to have gone on until the following January; Duchy Plead. (Rec Soc. Lancs, and Ches.), i, 151–3. In 1542 Smith was official of Chester; Duchy Plead, ii, 154. He built a chapel on the north aisle of his church, no doubt intending to found a chantry there, but lived to see the spoliation of these endowments and the restoration of the old religion under Mary. Hugh Watmough, rector in 1614, allowed Roger Kay of Widdell to make a seat in the north chapel, which chapel had been erected by Richard Smith, formerly rector, and repaired by his successors; Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxxi, fol. 265.
  • 37. Act Bks. at Chester Dioc. Reg. Hugh Jones presented by grant of the Earl of Derby. The new rector paid first-fruits 1 Oct. 1557; Lancs. and Ches. Rec. (Rec. Soc. Lancs, and Ches.), ii, 409. He was probably one of the Jones family of Middleton. His will, made in 1568, is printed in Piccope, Wills (Chet. Soc), ii, 223. To the curate, Sir Roger Hodgkinson, he bequeathed, among other goods, his surplice and £5.
  • 38. Church Papers at Chester Dioc. Reg. Paid first-fruits 26 Nov. 1568; Lancs. and Ches. Rec. ii, 409.
  • 39. In 1572 there was a disputed presentation to the rectory. One John Shireburne, brother of Roger Shireburne of Chipping, claimed to be admitted, but had to submit to a searching examination. He professed himself 'obedient to the Queen's Majesty's proceedings in religion.' He had been in the company of Sir John Southworth. Though he had not preached at Blackburn denouncing the 'nakedness of the Church of England for want of ceremonies,' he had extolled good works in a sermon. Robert Cottam, a priest, once curate of Longridge, had paid him a visit when he lay sick. As being resident in Lord Derby's house he did not himself teach the Catechism to the youth of the parish. The Communion, he believed, was administered once a year only, unless sick folk asked for it. He had never been at burials or wakes; Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxii, fol. 531. From these replies it would appear that he had actually been in charge for some time, though not instituted. The admission asked for was no doubt refused, but Shireburne became rector of Brindle (q.v.).
  • 40. Paid first-fruits zo Nov. 1572; Lancs. and Ches. Rec. ii, 410. Collated to the sixth prebendal stall at Durham, 1572; Le Neve, Fasti, iii, 313. He was plaintiff in a tithe case in 1598; Ducatus Lanc. (Rec. Com.), iii, 386. The 'wife of John Shaw, old Mrs. Shaw, the parson's mother,' was buried 4 May 1597, and the parson himself on 11 July 1608; Bury Reg. His son became rector of Radcliffe.
  • 41. Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxii, fol. 72; the patron for this turn was vicar of Halifax. The rector had been educated at University College, Oxford; M.A. 1586; B.D. 1594; rector of Thorntonin-Craven, 1599–1623; Foster, Alumni; Whitaker, Craven. Paid first-fruits 17 Dec. 1608; Lancs, and Ches. Rec. ii, 411. He was buried 21 Aug. 1623; Bury Reg. There is an allusion to him in N. Assheton's Journ. (Chet. Soc), 6.
  • 42. The dates of institution, &c., from this time onward to 1800 are taken from the Inst. Bks. P.R.O., as printed in Lancs. and Ches. Antiq. Notes. For fuller accounts of the modern rectors see Baines, Lancs. (ed. Croston), iii, 98–101. George Murray was of Queens' College, Cambridge, and had been tutor of Lord Strange; Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxii, fol. 72. He paid first-fruits 17 Nov. 1623; Lancs. and Ches. Rec. ii, 412 (where the name is given as Massye). He was a prebendary of Lichfield from 1623 to 1633; Le Neve, Fasti, i, 590, 602. Buried 12 Mar. 1632–3; Bury Reg. His will was proved at Chester in 1633.
  • 43. Paid first-fruits 31 May 1633; Lancs. and Ches. Rec. ii, 413. The name is also spelt Travis. Shortly afterwards he was appointed rector of Halsall, retaining both benefices till ejected by the Parliamentarians, on account of his zealous adhesion to the royal side in the war. On 24 April 1645 it was ordered that as Peter Travers was 'disaffected to the Parliament and the proceedings thereof,' and was actually at Lathom House, a hostile garrison, his rectory should be sequestered; and that William Alt and Andrew Lathom, 'godly and orthodox divines,' should 'officiate the cure' and take for their pains the rectory house, tithes, and other profits. Mr. Lathom dying, Mr. Toby Furness, another 'godly and orthodox divine,' was 'settled in the rectory' in his place. A tenth part of the profits was paid to Mrs. Dorothy Travers, wife of the sequestered rector, for the maintenance of herself and her children; Commonwealth Ch. Surv. (Rec. Soc. Lancs, and Ches.), 38–40. It is clear that the three ministers named were rather curates in charge during the sequestration than rectors. Toby Furness had had a similar charge at Prestwich; he signed the 'Harmonious Consent' in 1648, and continued to minister at Bury till his death about 1653; Bury Classis (Chet. Soc.), i, 90, 135. For Andrew Lathom, see ibid, ii, 242–4; his will is printed. An incident of the time should be recorded: The Manchester Parliamentarians took from the church of Bury 'the surplice, and put it on the back of a soldier, and caused him to ride in the cart the arms were carried in, to be matter of sport and laughter to the beholders'; Lancs. War (Chet. Soc), 11.
  • 44. Rector Travers appears to have died by 1654, for Halsall as well as Bury was filled up in that year; Plund. Mins. Accts. (Rec. Soc. Lancs, and Ches.), ii, 49, 60. William Alt, as 'minister of Bury,' signed the 'Harmonious Consent' of 1648. He had been a curate of Bury for many years, his name appearing in the registers from 1628. He died 5 April 1656, and was buried at Bury. See the account of him in Bury Classis (Chet. Soc), ii, 208.
  • 45. Paid first-fruits 4 July 1656; Lancs. and Ches. Rec. ii, 414. He was presented in July 1654 by the Countess of Derby (Plund. Mins. Accts. ii, 46); but the Protector's presentation appears to have prevailed, though Lightfoot succeeded after William Alt's death. He is identified by Dr. W. A. Shaw with John son of the celebrated Dr. John Lightfoot; Bury Classis, ii, 246. He was Episcopalian in his leanings, and was in 1655 denounced by the congregation of Bury for 'certain mistakes and miscarriages in point of doctrine and practice'; ibid. 142. From the date it would appear that he took up his residence at Bury in the lifetime of Mr. Alt, and also ministered there. In 1659 he was engaged in suits respecting tithes; Exch. Dep. (Rec. Soc. Lancs, and Ches.), 32, 33. He became vicar of Bowdon in 1660, and died in 1661. He had been an advocate of the Restoration, and is said to have been deprived of his benefice for praying publicly for the king at the time of Sir George Booth's rising; Manch. Guardian Local N. and Q. no. 577.
  • 46. He was a son of John Greenhalgh of Brandlesholme, and educated at St. John's College, Cambridge; Admissions St. John's Col. i, 9; Dugdale, Visit. (Chet. Soc), 126. He was elected fellow of his College in 1632, but expelled by the Earl of Manchester (for the Parliament) in 1644; Baker, Hist, of St. John's Col. (ed. Mayor), i, 294, 296. He was a Royalist, and attended the Earl of Derby on his way to Bolton in 1651, being afterwards chaplain at Knowsley; Stanley Papers (Chet. Soc), iii, pp. ccxxxix, cclxxvii. He took the D.D. degree in 1672. He died 27 Oct. 1674; Bury Reg. Hit will was proved at Chester.
  • 47. He was a correspondent of John Walker, author of The Sufferings of the Clergy; Bury Classis, ii. He was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, of which he became fellow; M.A. 1662. In 1674 he received a faculty to preach throughout England and Ireland from James, Duke of Monmouth, then Chancellor of the University; Stratford, Visit. List, Chester. Hit sermon at the Preston Gild of 1682 was published, and in 1697 he printed a sermon Against Corrupting the Word of God, directed against the Presbyterians, which roused some controversy; Fishwick, Lancs. Lib. 391–2. His will was proved at Chester in 1710. A terrier compiled by this rector in 1696 for the benefit of his successor is in the possession of W. Farrer. There is a copy in Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxii, fol. 368. It contains a full account of the rector's dues and the tenants of the glebe, with advice as to dealing with the people, especially those of Tottington. The Easter dues were as follows: House and offering, 5d.; every communicant, ½d.; garden, 1d.; hen, 1d.; cow, 1d.; calf, ½d. (except there be seven); plough, 4d.; foal, 2d.; sheep, each 1d.; every lamb, 1d. (except there be seven); every loom, 1d.; every swarm of bees, 1d.; wintering only sheep, each ½d.; or summering them only, ½d.
  • 48. Church P. at Chester. Thomas Bankes had the right of presentation for that turn only. The date in the text is that of presentation. There was probably some dispute as to title, for the new rector was not instituted till 5 March 1712–13. The rector was of the Winstanley family, and founded a charity for the poor. An anecdote of him is in Raines MSS. (Chet. Lib.), xxxi, fol. 278. James Bankes, of Trinity College, Cambridge, M.A. 1686, became rector of Lilley 1706; Foster, Alumni Oxon.
  • 49. Also rector of Winwick, under which church he is noticed. At Bury he founded a charity school, and started a dispensary. Some anecdotes of him will be found in Raines MSS. xxxi, fol. 335, 355.
  • 50. Educated at Oxford; fellow of All Souls; B.C.L. 1778. Succeeded his brother as eighth baronet in the same year; G.E.C. Complete Baronetage, iii, 81. He is said to have been a charitable man, but incapable of managing his affairs; his creditors came upon him, the benefice was sequestrated, and he died in the Fleet Prison; Raines MSS. xxxi, fol. 344. A further account of his speculations is given in Barton, Bury, 106, 107.
  • 51. Son of Geoffrey Hornby, rector of Winwick; educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge; LL.B. 1809; rector of Felbriggwith-Moulton in Norfolk, 1813.
  • 52. Son of the preceding rector; educated at Merton College, Oxford; M.A. 1843; incumbent of Christ Church, Walmersley, 1841; vicar of Ormskirk, 1846; Hon. Canon of Manchester, 1855.
  • 53. Son of Canon Hopwood, rector of Winwick; educated at Christ Church, Oxford; M.A. 1868; incumbent of St. James's, Congleton, 1869; rector of Badsworth, 1879.
  • 54. Son of Rev. Thomas Blackburne, rector of Prestwich; educated at Brasenose College, Oxford; M.A. 1864; rector of Nantwich, 1872; Hon. Canon of Manchester, 1898; Archdeacon of Manchester, 1905; died 1 Feb. 1909.
  • 55. a Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge; honorary canon of Worcester.
  • 56. Clergy List (Rec. Soc. Lancs, and Ches.), 12.
  • 57. From the visitation lists at Chester. The church ornaments existing in 1552 included four sets of vestments for the priest to say mass in, three great bells in the steeple and a little sanctus bell, a veil to hang before the altar in Lent, &c.; Ch. Gds. (Chet. Soc), 45, 46. Roger Hodgkinson was one of the old clergy, having been ordained priest in 1547; Ordin. Bk. (Rec. Soc. Lancs. and Ches.), 80. He was still curate in 1575; Pennant's Acct. Bk. Thomas Duerden was curate in 1599.
  • 58. Ch. Gds. 47, quoting S.P. Dom. Eliz. x, 288. The depositions of John Shireburne in 1572, already cited, have some suggestive features.
  • 59. W. F. Irvine in Lancs. and Ches. Antiq. Soc. xiii, 57.
  • 60. Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiv, App. iv, 12. Each chapel had its own curate in 1634; Misc. (Rec. Soc. Lancs, and Ches.), i, 95.
  • 61. Commonw. Ch. Surv. 40. At this time there were no ministers at Holcombe and Edenfield, 'for want of maintenance'; 44.
  • 62. Visit. P. at Chester Dioc. Reg.
  • 63. Quakers were presented at the bishop's visitation of 1671; ibid.
  • 64. The original founder, Henry Bury (d. 1636), who was a native of the place, also gave a number of books, three or four of which are still preserved; Old Lancs. Libraries (Chet. Soc), 139. A school magazine called the Clavian is published.
  • 65. The details given are from the End. Char. Rep. for Bury, published in 1901; the county borough of Bury was not included. The report of 1828 is reprinted.
  • 66. John Guest gave rent - charges of £3 15s. each to the ministers of the parish churches of Winwick, Leigh, Wigan, Deane, Radcliffe, Bolton, Bury, and Middleton, to be spent in linen cloth for the poor. His estate being insufficient for the fulfilment of the bequests, an Act was passed in 1663 under which this parish received £60, Bury having £40 and Tottington the rest. The rectors appear to have had charge of the capital, but owing to the insolvency of one of them only £30 remained in 1828, for which Rector Hornby allowed 30s. interest, expended in linen cloth. It appears that £3 13s. 4d. was then independently held for the benefit of the township of Cowpe Lench in the Hundred of Blackburn; it has since been lost.
  • 67. As in the preceding charity, half of the capital of £10 had been lost before 1828, and the 5s. given as interest by the rector was expended on fourpenny loaves for poor persons attending church. The testator had named 'sixpenny jannocks.' The Guest and Rothwell Charities are now represented by £64. consols, and by a scheme approved in 1863 the income, 35s. 4d., is spent on clothing or other necessaries for the poor of the ancient parish.
  • 68. The capital of £60 is represented by a rent-charge of £3 still paid by the owner of the Winstanley estate. The income is distributed in flannels, &c., by the incumbents of the different ecclesiastical parishes. A benefaction of the Rev. John Lomax, 1694, had been lost by 1786.
  • 69. He left £20, which was increased by unknown benefactors to £84. In 1828 George Ormerod, the historian of Cheshire, as heir of Thomas Johnson, who had held the capital, granted a rent-charge of £4 4s. a year; this is still paid, and a guinea each is sent to the rector of Bury, and the vicars of Elton All Saints, Walmersley, and Heywood St. Luke, for distribution to the poor. The original gift was for linen cloth.
  • 70. Robert Shepherd in 1666 granted to trustees a rent-charge of £9 arising from his messuage called Hall-de-Hill in Elton; they were to expend £7 10s. for the benefit of poor householders in Bury, and in apprenticing children. In 1828 the £9 was paid by the then owner of the property, and was distributed in sums of from 5s. to 15s. among poor persons selected by the trustees. William Yates in 1810 bequeathed £400 for the benefit of the poor. This was in 1828 invested in Government stock, and the income £16 3s. 10d. was distributed in sums of 10s. each. Thomas Openshaw, who died in 1869, left £4,000 for the poor; Barton, Bury, 106.
  • 71. His £10 was lent to James Starky, whose descendant, James Starky of Heywood, in 1828 paid 8s. a year interest; it was given on Good Friday to poor communicants. The capital was, in 1863, given to the official trustees; the income, 5s. 8d., is distributed as formerly. Samuel Haworth in 1767 left a charge of £2 10s. a year for linen or woollen cloth for the poor; but his property being leasehold, the charge expired when the lease ran out, before 1828. Heywood School was discontinued in 1891. Bequests by Ann Bamford in 1778 for education were void under the Mortmain Acts.
  • 72. William Clegg gave £1,000 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Jubilee; it is now invested in consols, and the total income is £27 1s. 8d. a year. In 1890 the sons of the Rev. Robert Minnittgave £150 in fulfilment of their father's intention; this produces £4 6s. The two charities are worked together; tickets for 5s. each are given to poor persons to be expended on clothing or the like necessaries.
  • 73. The school was discontinued in 1883. In this and similar cases the interest on the capital is now applied to provide prizes, &c., for school-children of the district.
  • 74. The residue of the testator's estate produced £481; this sum was in 1828 in the hands of Thomas Kay, and the interest, £19 4s. 9½d., was distributed in doles of money. In 1831 the capital was expended in the purchase of a copyhold farm in Musbury; this was sold in 1887 for £720, now represented by £649 consols. The income, £17 16s. 8d., is still given in money doles to about ninety recipients.
  • 75. His bequest was not available till 1876, when it was invested in £481 5s. 8d. consols, of which a third was allotted to Walmersley. The income, £4 14s. 8d., is distributed in money doles and gifts of flannel.
  • 76. Her will was proved in 1897. She left £2,000, increased by a codicil to £3,000, to the minister and churchwardens of the Jesse Haworth Memorial Church for the benefit of workpeople at her brother's mills at Walshaw, and of the poor of the district. The income, £82 7s. 4d., is distributed in money gifts. Thomas Howard in 1808 left a rentcharge of £5 5s. for the poor of Elton; it was distributed in blankets, but the charity expired with the lives of the persons named in the lease.
  • 77. She left £1,000 to the vicar and churchwardens of St. Paul's, Ramsbottom, to keep her gravestone in good order, and to distribute the remainder of the income to the poor. An additional amount of £41 8s. from other sources was invested with it, and the total income is £35. All but about 4s. for the care of the grave it spent upon the poor in various ways, £5 being subscribed to the cottage hospital. John Hall's benefaction has been described above. A third of the amount was allotted to Tottington Lower End, and the income is distributed in payments to the sick. The Rev. Thos. Bridge, rector of Malpas (1625–80), left £200 to the 'township' of Holcombe; as there was no such township the executors refused to pay, but gave £100 to Tottington. In 1828 the income was applied, according to the testator's wish, in apprenticing children. The capital has long been lost; see Gastrell, Notitia Cestr. (Chet. Soc), ii, 32. John Buckley in 1737 gave £10 for the poor of Tottington Lower End, but nothing was known of it in 1828. Lawrence Rostron in 1812 directed that his executors and their assigns should distribute to the poor any interest they might receive from the trustees of the turnpike road from Rochdale to Edenfield. Nothing is known of this charity since 1867.
  • 78. She in 1877 bequeathed £500 for the 'deserving poor' of St. James's, Waterfoot; the ecclesiastical district includes part of Cowpe Lench. See the End. Char. Rep. for Whalley (Newchurch in Rossendale), 1901, p. 22.