| Pages from the Church
Magazine By Betty Brown  |
|---|
Prescot
Film Archive Society
A Prescotians Guide to Prescot is 1 ½
hours long, and covers the history of Prescot from the 1600,s to 2010.
There is lots of cine film from the 1930's and 1950's,
and the long demolished factories of the B.I.C.C.
They go into the Blundell's Files factory, and Stephenson's Printers.
There is a lot of footage of St Mary's Church, including the new bells, and
much, much more.
And all with narration and mostly original music.
THE REVD SAMUEL SEWELL (1737-1815)
The Revd Samuel Sewell certainly left his mark
after his demise in 1815 at Prescot. He was instituted Vicar on the 11th July
1776 and, during his incumbency for nearly 40 years, resided in the Vicarage
and worked tirelessly bringing much benefit to the town of Prescot, and beyond.
Samuel Sewell was born at New Windsor, and baptised there on the 15th November
1737. His father was also named Samuel. Samuel the younger attended Eton College
from 1747 to 1754 and became a King’s Scholar in 1751. He was admitted
as a scholar at King’s College, Cambridge University 2nd July 1755 and
awarded his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1759, followed by a Master of Arts
in 1762. He was a senior fellow. During his time at Prescot, Samuel was chaplain
to Edward the 12th Earl of Derby.
The Revd Sewell founded one of the earliest Sunday Schools in the country
which he opened in 1784. The school was for the instruction of poor children
in reading, English, and the church catechism. It was established four years
after Robert Raikes of Gloucester opened his Sunday school for poor children.
For a few generations the Sunday school was held in church, then in the town
hall Market Place, the number of pupils increased greatly to about 300. At
the request of many of his former scholars he consented to sit for his portrait,
the expense of which, together with an elegant frame of Windsor pear tree,
was paid for by a subscription raised among them. The portrait was to be put
in the Sunday school as a token of their esteem and gratitude - it would be
interesting to learn if this portrait still survived in some unknown place?
Samuel Sewell has been described as “an old fashioned high and dry sort
of person”, but his dedication to those in need was in the right place
as we can see from a constant reminder of his generosity in the form of his
Will which is displayed on a large white marble memorial tablet at the eastern
end of the north wall in church. It details his benefactions to Prescot, Liverpool
and Windsor, as follows:
“Near this spot lies interred the
remains of the Revd Samuel Sewell, M.A., for 39 years Vicar of this Parish
who departed this life on the 9th day of February 1815 aged 77 years. Having
left by Will the following legacies, duty free, VIZ;
Towards clothing one hundred poor families of Prescot £100
To each child or scholar attending the Protestant Sunday School at Prescot;
one shilling - £14.14.0d.
Towards establishing a fever ward in Prescot £400
To the Trustees of the Protestant Sunday School in Prescot; the interest whereof
to be applied in small rewards for the encouragement of learning, and in placing
scholars apprentices £800
To the Trustees of the Infirmary at Liverpool £600
To the Trustees of the Blind Asylum at Liverpool £400
To the Provost and Scholars of Kings College, Cambridge, to increase the fund
for purchasing clergy livings for that Society £1,000
To the Clergy Meeting at Warrington £200
Also, Three cottages at the bottom of Prescott Street, Windsor, to be constructed
into alms houses for the poor persons of Windsor and Clewer; Also £600
the interest whereof to be applied weekly towards their support. Also £300
towards the erection or purchase of 4 alms houses in Prescot township for
poor persons belonging thereto. Also £400 the interest whereof to be
applied weekly towards their support. Also, to the York Emanuel at York £600
The above four legacies having become void by the statue of Mortmain, Sir
John Sewell, L.L.D., of Cumberland Street, Portman Square, London. The residuary
legatee, in furtherance of the Testators wishes, caused the same to be carried
into full effect and at his death in 1833, bequeathed £100 to the alms
houses at Prescot and £100 to those at Windsor.
This tablet was erected by desire of the aforesaid Sir John Sewell as a tribute
of respect to his Relative’s great worth and as a memorial to after
generations of his humane and very liberal disposition towards the poor and
of his great desire for promoting the Holy Protestant Religion.”
In addition to his many attributes, the Revd
Samuel Sewell acted as a ‘Surrogate’ for the issuing of marriage
Licences on behalf of the Bishop of the Diocese (Prescot was then in Chester
Diocese) when couples, for various reasons, were unable to wait for the publication
of banns and needed to marry quickly. His signature is to be seen on Bonds
and Allegations relative to the issue of such Licences. The Revd Sewell’s
time at Prescot was during the reign of George III when many famous historical
happenings took place; to name a few - on 4th July just one week prior to
his induction as Vicar on 11th July 1776, the American Declaration of Independence
was declared; 1789-99 the French Revolution took place; 1805 Battle of Trafalgar,
Nelson’s great victory and death 31st October; 1807 Slave Trade abolished
in the British Empire; Revd Sewell died 9th February 1815, and 4 months later
on 18th June 1815, the country celebrated Wellington’s Victory at the
Battle of Waterloo. The Revd Charles George Thomas Driffield was instituted
Vicar just after on 11th July.
On the 21st February 1871, Prescot Local Board renamed many of the streets
in Prescot, and Snig Lane, starting at the bottom of Market Place, down the
hill to Prescot Hall, was renamed Sewell Street in memory of the Revd Samuel
Sewell.
Betty Brown
(Refs: ‘The Sole Society” internet; Prescot Registers 1776-95,
Revd T.M.Steel
The Purification of The Virgin Mary Window
This wonderful window is not as tall vertically
as the other windows in church because it is situated above the south door,
and the top of the wooden inner porch sadly hides the inscription along the
base of it. It is in memory of the Rev. Lewis William Sampson M.A., who was
Vicar of Prescot from July 1849 until his death in 1882. The Rev. Sampson
in 1849 filled the position as Vicar of Prescot, following a previously appointed
candidate in 1848, the Rev. Charles Chapman M.A., committed suicide immediately
after presentation was made and he never came into residence at Prescot. The
Rev. Lewis William Sampson was born in 1808 in Petersham, Surrey. He married
Hannah Beaumont on the 1st July 1850 at Alnwick, Northumberland, just a year
after becoming Vicar of Prescot. He died and was buried on 11th August 1882
at Prescot aged 74 after being 33 years as Vicar. Hannah, his wife, was buried
on the 18th June 1885 aged 77. She was born in Epping, Essex. The couple do
not appear to have had any children.
The memorial window features The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, commonly
called ‘The Purification of Saint Mary the Virgin’. Mary, wearing
a blue cloak lined in pink is standing on the left holding a basket containing
two doves, and Simeon, the central figure, in a rich red and gold cloak holds
baby Jesus in his left arm, his right hand raised in blessing. Anna the prophetess
in a green cloak with hands clasped together in reverence is to the right
of them. According to the Law of Moses, Mary and Joseph observed their Hebrew
Religious customs, one of which was, the firstborn male be taken to the temple
in Jerusalem 40 days after his birth, to be dedicated to God. It was also
the time for the purification of the child’s mother, symbolizing that
time following childbirth when she was blessed and “purified”
after being rendered unclean after childbirth. On this day a gift was given
to the temple by parents. Rich Hebrew families brought a year old lamb for
a burnt offering and a young pigeon or dove, but because Mary and Joseph were
poor, Mary was allowed to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for a
burnt offering for being blessed with a safe delivery and the other for a
sin offering.
Simeon was a righteous and devout, old holy man. It had been revealed to him
by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s
Christ. Simeon had been waiting for this day, and took Jesus in his arms and
praised God saying “Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace,
according to thy word, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou has
prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and
the glory of thy people Israel.” Simeon’s prophetic hymn is called
the “Nunc Dimittis.” Mary and Joseph marvelled at those things
which were spoken of him. Then Simeon blessed them and said unto Mary his
mother, “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many
in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against so that the thoughts
of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
Simeon recognises Jesus as the Messiah but so does Anna the temple prophetess.
She was an old woman aged 84, daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She had been married for only 7 years when her husband died. She more or less
lived in the temple and worshipped night and day, fasting and praying.
The first line of Simeon’s hymn is shown beneath the three figures.
At the top of the window is a gold crown, indicating kingship, and below it
are two winged cherubs. They are mentioned in the Torah which contains the
Law of Moses, which can be seen in the window on the tiled temple floor by
Simeon’s feet. After the temple visit, Mary and Joseph with baby Jesus
returned to their own town of Nazareth. (St.Luke 2. 22-40).
February 2nd is the day for celebrating the Purification of Saint Mary the
Virgin and together with Candlemas - representing Jesus the Light of the World
it is celebrated in our morning service. The choir and clergy process around
the church with lighted candles then stop in front of this special window.
The congregation turn to face it when readings are said to mark the occasion.
The colours and figures are superb on this charming window, so do take note
of it when the above celebration takes place.
(Ref: C. of E. Website; ‘Jesus Walk’
Bible Study Series;
IGI; Prescot Burials)
On the wall of the South aisle is a small tablet
headed with the words ‘BYRON DOLE’. Although a small plaque it
is always of great interest to church visitors who inevitably pause to read
what it says:
“£100 BEQUEATHED BY ELLEN BYRON, DAUGHTER OF JAMES BYRON OF MARKET
PLACE, PRESCOT. THE INTEREST TO BE LAID OUT IN CLOTHING AND DISTRIBUTED YEARLY
ON THE 9TH OCTOBER AMONGST SUCH FIVE OLD SINGLE WOMEN, NATIVES OF PRESCOT,
AS THE VICAR, FOR THE TIME BEING SHOULD CONSIDER MOST DESERVING”.
The death year of Ellen Byron is not given on the tablet, but details from
the Prescot burial records confirm she was buried on the 9th October 1872
aged 66. The baptismal register surprisingly, gives Ellen’s birth date
and month as being the same – the 9th October 1805. It goes without
saying that Ellen‘s request certainly put the Vicar, the Rev. L.W. Sampson
at that time, on the spot in making a fair decision as to which five single
old women, in his opinion, deserved a gift of clothing! No doubt the recipients
of Ellen Byron’s bequest must have been grateful for being given extra
garments before the onset of winter. The Vicar would have been aware of which
elderly single ladies needed warm clothing most and would have been obliged
to give consideration to those in the worst circumstances.
Families mentioned in the “Endowed Charities of Prescot” were
more or less local gentry, successful business people, or tradesmen, hence
their means to be benevolent to those who needed help. Ellen was the daughter
of James and Ellen Byron of Prescot, he was a joiner, but the family was also
involved in a grocery business in Market Place. She was one of five known
children born to James and Ellen Byron, the first child being Mary born 1801,
who married Thomas Traverse of Prescot, he was an Auctioneer, as well being
a printer and stationer, in Market Place. The second child was Robert born
1803, he was married to Ann, and went to live in Bradford, Yorkshire, where
he was a Veterinary Surgeon and they had five children. The benevolent Ellen
was born 1805, followed by Ann in 1808, then Eliza in 1816 who married Robert
Barrow, a Watchmaker of Farnworth, Widnes.
Ellen remained single all her life, and lived in Market place at the family
home until her later years when she moved house to live at number 42, Fall
Lane, now Derby Street. She was living there in 1871 and classed as an ‘Annuitant’
which indicates she was not dependent upon anyone and was able to live by
her own means. She died in 1872, so we can assume that the ‘Byron Dole’
probably became operational in say 1873 after a yearly interest on the £100
invested for the purpose. Ellen’s father James Byron was one of thirty-five
traders, not to mention at least five pubs in Market Place during the early
part of the 19th century.
The Chorley family of Prescot must not be confused
with the Chorley family of Rainhill. The Chorley families of Prescot were
minor gentry and great benefactors to those who needed help and support in
the 18th and 19th centuries within the Parish of Prescot. Four memorial plaques
are set into the north wall of the church, two either side of the wooden porch
near the North door. Three of the plaques each refer to a different ‘John
Chorley’. The earliest dated one reads: “Near this place lie the
remains of JOHN CHORLEY who departed hence on 11th January 1774 in the 69th
year of a life spent in Private Beneficience, General Benevolancy and Benevolent
Publick utility – In each relation, every step he trod, the honest man,
the noblest work of God”. This John Chorley, Gent., was born and baptised
at Prescot on the 29th April 1705, son of Thomas and Susannah Chorley of Prescot.
The baptism of John is one of the earliest Chorley baptisms recorded in the
Prescot Registers. His father Thomas, a Surgeon, was buried on 21st May 1722,
and mother Susannah was buried on 30th March 1763.
The second memorial plaque reads:“Sacred to the memory of **JOHN CHORLEY
who died 21st April 1807 age 66 and of Jane his wife who died 21st June 1798
age 59 years. In whose death the poor, lament the loss of kind benefactors,
and their children, that of the most affectionate parents.” It is not
particularly clear if there was any family connection with the first John
Chorley but this John, a Merchant of Prescot, and his wife Jane, had five
children. Their eldest child, another John was born 12th March, baptised 11th
April 1766; followed by four daughters – Jane born 13th April, baptised
13th May1768; Mary born 21st August, baptised 21st September 1770; Francis
born 20th July, baptised 24th August 1774; and Elizabeth born 7th October,
baptised 5th November 1776.
The third plaque reads: “In sacred memory of JOHN CHORLEY who in every
department of life conscientiously endeavoured to do his duty. He died 2nd
October 1823, in the 58th year of his age. In affectionate respect to his
memory this tablet is erected by his widow.” John, born in 1766, was
the son of John and Jane Chorley on the second plaque. There is no mention
of who his ‘widow’ was, but his four sisters are mentioned on
the 4th plaque which reads: “Sacred to the memory of JANE CHORLEY who
died on 12th March 1825 in the 57th year of her age. Also of MARY CHORLEY
who died 15th July 1837 age 66, and of ELIZABETH CHORLEY who died on 12th
February 1822 in her 46th year. This tablet is erected in affectionate remembrance
of them by their surviving sister FRANCES CHORLEY who died 30th June 1847
age 74.”
In the year 1766, **John Chorley (1741-1807), bought a 16 acre estate ‘near
the Scotch Barn’ for the sum of £1,200 from John Plumbe of Wavertree
Hall, (whose family from the 1640’s owned large parts of land in Whiston).
John Chorley’s purchase was the block of land situated in Boggart Lane,
now known as Vining Road. John built a new house, and Chorley Hall is clearly
shown on old maps. Originally called Scotch Lane, now Scotchbarn Lane, it
continued over Holt Lane (Portico Lane) into Two Butt Lane, and was anciently
known as the Prescot to Sutton Road. ‘Boggart’ Lane means ‘ghost’
lane – it seems that all ancient roads had a ‘ghost’ gliding
around! Although a rough track, Boggart Lane was once a road from Scotchbarn
Lane through to Back Lane (Old Lane) being the road leading to Eccleston;
St. James’ Road didn’t exist then. John Chorley, a successful
business man and sailcloth manufacturer of Prescot bought more land, plus
283 acres, including a farm, formerly part of Plumbes farm. This was Chorley
Farm house and cottages which still in exist in St. James’ Road. (Plumb
Tree Farm lands had been owned by numerous landowners and tenants over the
years). In 1807, John Chorley died and some of the lands were sold. Elizabeth,
his daughter, died in 1822, and after his son John died in 1823, management
of the lands went to Jane, Mary and Frances. All the girls remained single.
The Chorley Hall estate was sold off to John Leigh, who rented it out to various
tenants over the years. It stayed with that family until 1878 when part was
sold to the London & North Western Railway and the Huyton to St. Helens
railway line was laid which changed the layout of Boggart Lane and Back Lane.
The remaining land was sold in 1884 and Chorley Hall was demolished in 1913.
Having no direct relatives Frances Chorley, the last surviving daughter, died
in 1847 and the Chorley lands passed to her solicitor William Pemberton who
inherited. They then passed to his niece Mary Majendie whose son William Francis
Henry inherited them in 1863. Thomas Ward, a farmer of Whiston, purchased
Chorley farm in 1893 and although he rented it out, it continued to be a dairy
farm. In 1928, Wards still owned the farm but sold off a lot of farm lands
for housing and named the Avenues after Ward daughters, i.e., Evelyn Avenue
and Maryville Road. The farm house and few remaining fields were then rented
by the Metcalfe family who later bought them. Old Mr. Metcalfe died in 1966
and his son Ray continued for a couple of years. The last fields were sold
off and Evelyn Avenue School was built. Ray specialised in wrought iron work
and on the death of his mother made a wrought iron flower display stand which
is placed to the right of the altar in church: “In Memory of Connie
Metcalfe 1889-1989 made by her son”. Ray Metcalfe died in 1997
and the farm house was sold.
The Chorley sisters worked unceasingly for charitable purposes and Elizabeth,
by her will of 1820, left money to various charities, including £200
to the poor in Prescot alms houses. Jane by her will of 1824 left £4,000
for charitable purposes, included a school for poor girls – which enabled
the trustees to purchase a vacated Methodist church in Houghton Street for
a School in 1851. It also housed the Sunday School. To this sum was added
£1,400 under the will of Elizabeth. Frances Chorley in 1849 bequeathed
£200 for coals and clothing for the poor. Part of these bequests was
£554 for the Clothing Charity; £1,216 for the Ladies’ Charity,
including many additional gifts, and £4,660 for the school. Money was
left for widows of clergy, and the blind. The Chorley family contributed great
wealth to the “Endowed Charities of the Parish of Prescot” in
the 19th century.
Refs: History Plumb Tree Farm & of Part of Whiston & Eccleston Park, by G. Watkinson B.A; VCH Vol.3. Prescot Charities.
Around the walls of our church are many memorial
plaques dedicated to people who at one time lived in, or had connections with,
the Parish of Prescot. One particular plaque is on the west wall, next to
the ‘Parable of the Sower’ window. The memorial reads: “In
respectful and affectionate remembrance of the many virtues and excellent
qualities of Mary Hughes wife of Michael Hughes Esq., of Sutton Lodge, and
daughter of the late Revd William Johnson of this town. This stone is placed,
an emblem of the simplicity of her manners and the purity of her mind. She
died May 10th 1798 aged 46 years.” A wonderful and loving tribute to
someone who lived over 200 years ago! It is dedicated to Mary, wife of Michael
Hughes, an industrialist, who came to the township of Sutton in 1779. Her
father, the Revd William Johnson is also mentioned, but who were these people?
Mary was born on the 2nd and baptised on 26th February 1750 at Prescot, daughter
of the Revd William Johnson and Elizabeth of Prescot. Revd William Johnson
(1710-1788) married Elizabeth Tatlock, the heiress of Cunscough, at Prescot
on 15th December 1743. Born in Wakefield, he was Vicar of Whalley from 1738-1776.
A man of strong understanding and caustic wit, William was engaged in many
disputes with his parishioners, and also with the Archbishop of Canterbury,
but succeeded in all! He and Elizabeth had six children baptised at Prescot,
namely: Amelia 1744, Elizabeth 1746-66, Alexander 1747, Bellingham 1748, MARY
1750-98, and Susannah 1751. Mrs Elizabeth Johnson died in 1752 and William
eventually retired to Prescot where he died and was buried 4th August 1788.
Revd Johnson lived largely at Prescot, and his daughter Mary, to whom the
memorial plaque is dedicated; she married Michael Hughes (1752-1825) a prominent
Welsh industrialist best known for his role in the copper mining industry.
There were three Michael Hughes of Sutton, the first being Michael Hughes
born 13th May 1752, the youngest of 3 sons born to Hugh Hughes and his wife
Mary, of Lleiniog, near Beaumaris, Anglesey. In September 1779, at the age
of 27, Michael came to the township of Sutton, and lived in a house called
“The Tickles” on the Burtonhead Estate, but soon after he renamed
it “Sutton Lodge.” Along with other businessmen, he contributed
greatly to the development and industrialisation of St. Helens. He married
Mary Johnson on 3rd November 1788 at Prescot - they had only been married
for just over ten years when Mary died in 1798. Michael came to Lancashire
as Controller of a new Smelting Division at Ravenhead, owned by the Parys
Mountain Copper Mine Company, Anglesey. His brother the Revd Edward Hughes
was a partner of Parys Mine Company, and later, Michael became a partner.
Ravenhead was close to a plentiful supply of good quality coal needed in the
smelting operation. Hughes was also manager of Stanley Smelting Company at
Blackbrook, Parr, and he brought a large number of Welsh people to the area.
Apart from many interests in various mining areas, the newly constructed Sankey
canal at Ravenhead caused him to expand with other investments in the way
of barges, or flats, to carry coal and ore to and from Almwch in North Wales
to the smelting works, via Liverpool Bay and the Mersey. Hughes prospered
and from about 1795 began to acquire land, resulting in him possessing all
of the property within and around Sherdley Park. Some, he demolished, but
retained Sherdley Old Hall built about 1671. He became a magistrate in October
1799 and was known as being sympathetic in his handling of difficult cases.
A generous man, he often helped the destitute out of his own pocket and during
the grain shortage of 1800 gave contributions from himself, and on behalf
of the Parys Co., for the relief of Sutton’s poor and under-privileged.
His estates provided much employment for the local community and in 1806 he
served as deputy-lieutenant of Lancashire. Between 1805-6 Michael Hughes built
a new house in Sherdley Park called Sherdley House. Mary had died in 1798
and he married for a second time to Ellen, daughter of John Pemberton, a neighbouring
Sutton landowner, on the 21st January 1808 at Prescot. The couple had six
children, their eldest son and heir Michael Hughes (1810-1886) was baptised
at Prescot on 7th November 1810. He was only 15 years old when his father
died age 73, in May 1825, whilst on a visit to London. Hughes was buried at
Prescot on 11th May, and his wife Ellen managed the family estates - she died
in 1860.
Michael Jnr., (2nd) was educated at Eton and Corpus Christi College, Oxford.
Unlike his industrialist father, he followed a military career and married
Ellinor Mary Campbell in 1859. They spent most of their time in London and
had a son and heir Michael (3rd) James Hughes (1861-1938) who also developed
a military career. A man of old fashioned virtue, he didn’t like electricity
or the telephone but was a great sportsman, supporting Sutton Cricket Club,
breeding race horses and mixed with royalty in his younger days. Michael married
Edith Mary Brewster Macpherson in 1896 in Paris, settling first at Sherdley,
improving the house and estate. Edith, a keen social worker died in 1924 and
a memorial to her is in the graveyard of St. Nicholas, Sutton, given by the
old folk. After Michael James Hughes died in 1938 much of the estates were
sold off and what remained was inherited by Hughes’ nephew Lt. Col.
Michael Hughes-Young, another military member of the family who sold Sherdley
Park to St. Helens Corporation in 1949 and Sherdley House was demolished.
Sherdley Park, the home of the Hughes for 150 years, was used during WWI by
the St. Helens Pals 11th Battalion of the S. Lancs Reg., for drill and exercises.
(Ref.Nat.Library of Wales; LPRS Vol.156 Rev.T.M.Steel; Our Heritage in Sutton & Bold, F.W.Free
THE HUGHES FAMILY NOTE:
Last month’s article about the Hughes family of Sutton resulted in a number of people informing me of further information. Unfortunately I cannot include everything but here are a couple of interesting notes. The estate was known locally as “Hughes Score”. From around 1800 the main track through Sherdley Hall Estate and Park was referred to as the “Score,” or “Hughes Score”. This description is from the old Norse word ‘skor’ meaning a ditch. Another note is that Captain Michael Hughes (1861-1938) was President of the Sutton Harriers and in January 1907 they beat the French teams in Paris after which Captain Hughes hired a wagon and treated the party to a sightseeing tour of the French capital. He was also President of St. Helens Rugby Football Club and Sutton Cricket Club.
As we enter into the church, we take it for granted,
or perhaps do not even appreciate, that the porch entrance through which we
pass is an important part of the architecture. The porches on the north and
south sides of our church are now merely wooden structures inside the building,
but up until a couple of hundred years ago, there would have been stone porches
on the outside. The main entrance, now used by way of the west door, has a
double porch entrance, and is underneath the tower structure. Apart from providing
shelter from the rain, it is a place of meeting and greeting and where the
display of various amounts of information and notices can be seen. Although
we may not even consider the importance of the area, centuries ago, the porch
was a popular place for certain ceremonies – i.e., marriages, storage
place for weapons, and business transactions! Below is a sketch of the church
as it was when re-built in 1610, showing the nave, chancel and south side
aisle. 
Then, the aisles were much narrower than the present ones which were rebuilt
and widened in 1818/9. (The tower and spire of 1729 replaced an old structure
of 1392). This sketch shows the south side of the church and aisle, which
had an outside porch as shown at the bottom left side of the picture. The
porch door can be seen and the artist has drawn a railed table tomb in front
of it. Flying buttresses support the aisle wall between the windows. A choir
vestry was built in1900 on the south side of the chancel where the wooden
door is, to the right of the sketch.
In ancient Saxon times the church door was very important because marriages
took place by the door. The marriage rite was known as “facie ecclesiae”
which means “in the presence of the congregation at the church door.”
In Norman times, and later, when porches were added to church buildings the
ceremonies then took place in the porch. The purpose of this was for the marriage
to be seen by the whole community – the spouses’ consent being
expressed publicly before the parish. The priest married the couple in front
of everybody then brought them inside church up to the altar to bless the
marriage, followed by nuptial mass. The idea of a marriage being conducted
in public was to forestall any future questioning as to its validity. By the
16th century marriages took place inside church.
Ancient porches were furnished with a bench on either side and served the
purpose for the storing of visitors’ weapons before entering church.
It was forbidden to carry weapons into the sanctuary, or into houses in general.
In some churches a special room was built above the porch to store the weapons
and the room was also used by the Priest. In the sketch a small double window
on the south wall can be seen where the apex of the porch roof joins the wall
and this is possibly such a room.
The porch at Prescot was a popular place for business transactions - such
as the payment of fines as imposed during the court leet sessions, payment
of rents and purchase of property. Below are two examples of what took place
in the church porch:
Prescot Court Leet, 27th May 1597: “Margaret Tildesley surrendered for
£10 a messuage or tenement in the occupation of Mary Parker widow, or
her assigns to the use of Anne Hollande of Prescot her heirs and asigns for
ever, for warranty of £10 payable on St. John the Baptist’s day
(24th June) 1600 in the church porch between 1 and 3 pm.”
Prescot Court Leet, 16 June 1598: “A surrender by John Worsley, yeoman,
of the three closes in his own occupation called Crosse Croft, Midles Croft
and Brounes Croft, of estimated area five acres, to the use of Thomas his
brother, for a term of 21 years for warranty of £25.3s.8d. payable by
John Worsley to Thomas Potter of Prescot, mercer, on St. James’ Day,
(25th July) in Prescot church porch between 1 and 4 pm.”
In 1663, after the Civil Wars in England, the Lord’s Prayer and the
Creed were re-painted in the church porch, having been removed in 1641 prior
to the outbreak of the Wars. It is fascinating to think that in addition to
all the foregoing happenings, the porch was where people met, women were ‘churched’,
children played and beggars took refuge from the elements, these are to name
but a few!
Betty Brown
(Ref: Directory of Liturgy & Worship; Ch.Wardens’ A/c’s 1635-63
Rev.T.Steel;
Prescot Records RSLC Vol.89)
THE ANCIENT CUSTOM OF CORPUS CHRISTI
The feast of Corpus Christi, which is Latin
for ‘The Body of Christ’, goes back more than 700 years celebrating
the tradition and belief in the body and blood of Jesus Christ. It is a moveable
feast celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. In England, from at
least the fourteenth century, the Feast of Corpus Christi was held on the
appropriate date when processions would go through the streets headed by the
Blessed Sacrament. The C. of E., after the reformation in the middle of the16th
century, gradually paid less attention to the occasion, but not so in the
Church of Rome, and particularly for those in Europe, it is still an annual
celebration when processions take place. There is no sign of the feast in
The Book of Common Prayer of 1662, but the C. of E. has revived the feast
by including it in the Christian Calendar in Common Worship 2000. Indeed,
at Prescot, on Thursday evening 7th June 2012, the Eucharist was celebrated
for the feast of Corpus Christi.
There are a number of unique customs associated with Corpus Christi originating
from the Middle Ages. Apart from processions, there were fairs where food
and miscellaneous goods could be purchased, as well as entertainment in the
form of colourful characters acting out themes from legend and the Bible,
including St. George and the dragon and David and Goliath etc. However, by
the 18th century, many of these displays were no longer popular with the church.
As early as 1333, during the reign of Edward III, a three day Corpus Christi
Fair was established at Prescot by a Charter which also granted a Monday Market.
This was obtained by the Rector and Lord of the Manor William de Dacre. The
fair took place on the eve, the day and the morrow of Corpus Christi, i.e.,
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday after Trinity Sunday, so one can well imagine
how busy the town would be. No doubt the churchyard was used for the entertainment
because Market Place would have been thronged with local and visiting people!
Also, another important event took place - the Prescot Court - which met annually
on the Friday after Corpus Christi. In the Court Rolls, only on one occasion
in 1510, was it referred to as “Court of the Fair” held before
*John Ogle, Deputy Steward for Thomas, 2nd Earl of Derby, on Friday following
Corpus Christi (31 May) in the 2nd year of Henry VIII’s reign. (This
*John Ogle was the great grandfather of John Ogle whose effigy stands in the
chancel). Before 1591, the term court leet was not in common use and the court,
although it had leet powers, was called “Court with View of Frankpledge”.
When Henry VI in 1445/6 founded King’s College, Cambridge, he granted
to the Provost and Scholars, the Manor of Prescot, with certain privileges,
including leet jurisdiction, which had exceptional powers. This meant that
Prescot manor court became a court leet, no longer subject to the Sheriff’s
court in the Hundred of West Derby and the profits of the court went to the
college instead of to the King. (Court Leet=A court of record held in a manor
before the Lord or his Steward, the officials being a group of selected men
of a township).
Apart from dealing with petty crimes, and giving out fines and punishments,
the court dealt with lands owned by the College. At the court, a list of tenants
and under tenants was presented. The tenants were those who held their copyhold
lands direct from the college. Many were local gentry who sublet their properties
to under tenants. Both tenants and under tenants were expected to attend the
court. Non-attendance at court was frowned upon as, six to fifteen days’
beforehand, notice was given by public proclamation in church or in the market
place. The main task for the jury which consisted of over tenants, along with
the Steward, was the transfer of the copyhold land belonging to the college
from one tenant to another. When a tenant wished to sell his land to another,
the procedure was to surrender the land to the college and the college, through
the court to grant it to the buyer. It was recorded in the court roll and
a copy of that entry given to the new tenant, hence the title copyhold land.
The court officers consisted of Four Men, plus two Constables, two Aletasters,
two Burleymen, two Streetlookers and two Sealers of Leather and after 1577,
a Coroner. (This position continued until 1955 when Mr. W.A. Cross gave up
the office and Prescot came under the Coroner for S.W. Lancashire). The court
was held again in October, after the feast of Michaelmas on 15th September.
During the time of the Commonwealth (1649-1659) many courts were suspended
and no rolls for that period have survived. The court leet resumed during
the time of Charles II in 1660, but by early 18th century it was nothing like
it had been. In 1755 a new town hall was built in Market Place and the court
flourished again. By the 19th century, activities of the court were curtailed
through sweeping changes in local government and the establishment of county
courts. It managed to survive until 1926 when all copyhold tenure was converted
to freehold. After that, although its functions had ceased, the court continued
on the Friday after Corpus Christi, merely as a matter of tradition, electing
officers who had no duties, before proceeding to the Deane’s House Hotel
to partake of the leet dinner provided by the Deputy Steward Mr. W.A. Cross.
The court leet was postponed in 1936, owing to the illness and death of Mr.
Cross’s only son, and it never again resumed. The tradition of an annual
dinner at the Deanes House after a procession of the ‘court officials’
from Cross’s office, passing the church and into Market Place, was re-enacted
in 1993 by the Rev. Tom Steel during the time he was Vicar of Prescot.
(Ref: Prescot Court Leet, Dora Bailey B.A; Prescot Records Vol.89,
Record Soc. of Lancs & Ches.; Prayer Book Soc; & Christian Feast Days
internet)
This beautiful window is on the west wall in
the baptistery. It depicts the ‘Parable of the Sower’ and was
designed by Edward Woore of London (1880-1960) – a stained glass artist.
He was part of a group of artists trained by Christopher Whall, a leading
figure in the Arts and Crafts Movement and had his own studio in Hammersmith
and then Putney. He also designed the Leyland window in the baptistery as
well as the St. George window in the south aisle. Initially, the ‘Parable
of the Sower’ window was installed in 1938, at the east end of the
north aisle but during renovations in the 1950’s it was removed and
reinstalled to its present position. The inscription at the foot of the
window says “To the Glory of God and sacred to the memory of Charles
George Townsend Driffield. This window is erected by his widow Anne Driffield.
Also in memory of their parents Walter Wren and Mary Driffield and William
and Eliza Skairsim”. Charles George Townsend Driffield (born 1860)
was buried on 20th March 1919 at Prescot aged 58; he was the grandson of
Charles George Thomas Driffield, Vicar of Prescot 1815-1848, and his wife
Letitia.
The top part of the window shows a wonderful figure of Jesus standing in
a fishing boat on the Sea of Galilee. He is surrounded by people crowding
round the boat, many men and women, one holding a child, all listening to
Jesus telling them various Parables. A Parable is a story with a meaning,
and in this case Jesus was telling them about ‘the Sower’ (Matthew
13: v.1-9).
The bottom section of the window shows a delightful scene with a team of
white oxen pulling a plough, guided by a ploughman. The sun is shining in
the background. In the foreground is the ‘Sower’ sowing his
seed. Birds, stones, weeds, thistles and even a snake can clearly be seen
on the window. Jesus told a story about what happened to the seeds when
they were sown. Whilst some seed fell on rocky ground, with little soil,
it sprouted quickly then died in the heat of the sun. Some seeds fell on
weeds and thistles which choked the corn, but those which fell on good soil
were well nurtured and produced an excellent crop. In this Parable, the
story means that the seeds which fell on to good soil represent those people
who hear the word, understand it, and accordingly bear fruit, whilst the
other seeds depict people who are choked with greed, ambition and worldly
cares, resulting in worthless lives.
At the very top of the window tracery is a small window which interestingly
shows a scallop shell; such a shell is the emblem of St. James. He was the
son of Zebedee a Galilean fisherman who, with his brother John, was one
of Jesus’ twelve apostles. Tradition has it that James visited Spain
before being beheaded by Herod Agrippa in Palestine 41-44 AD. His body was
later taken to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, now a shrine and pilgrimage
site. In the centre, below the field scene, at the base of the window there
is a huge sheaf of ripe golden corn which has grown well and has been successfully
harvested – signifying a good and wholesome crop.
Let us hope that all who enter into our church and gaze on this superb window
will be fortunate enough to reap seeds which have fallen on good and rich
soil. Amen.
THE ECCLESTON FAMILY OF ECCLESTON
After the Norman Conquest in 1066, some Saxon
lords retained their manors - the Eccleston family being able to hold the
manors of Eccleston and Rainhill. Their pedigree, equalled only by the Bold
family, starts with Hugh Eccleston, Lord of Eccleston, about 1100 and is
one of the longest in Lancashire. The Eccleston coat of arms at the east
end of the nave wall, over the pulpit, is attributed to Edward Eccleston
Esq. (1563-1624) and Mary of Eccleston. Edward was the son of Henry Eccleston
and Margery, a daughter of Ralf Brykenhead of Crowton, Nr. Northwich, Cheshire.
Henry, in 1590, was described as ‘of fair living’ and in ‘some
degree of conformity’ to the queen’s (Eliz. I) ecclesiastical
laws, though ‘in general a note of evil affection in religion’,
being so described because of the family’s continued commitment to
the old faith. Henry’s wife Margery was a known recusant and so was
Mary, his daughter-in-law, the wife of his son and heir Edward. From 1581
it was treason for a priest to say mass and recusants could be fined £20
per month, poor people 1/-d. (10p) for non-attendance at church. Eccleston
Hall, the main place for masses, had been rebuilt in 1567 with a ‘priest’s
hole’ (hiding place) and it is fascinating to imagine the priests
flitting about at night in the moonlight from one manor house to another
to say mass. (Masses were held at the hall until late 1700’s and the
silver chalice used ‘was to be kept there until that happy time that
the catholic religion is restored and mass said in Prescot church, when
it was to be given to that church!’ as recorded by Mrs Eleora Eccleston
1725). Henry died in 1598 holding the manor of Eccleston with 100 messuages
(a dwelling house with outbuildings etc) four windmills, two watermills,
1,000 acres of lands in Eccleston, Rainford, Sutton, Rainhill, Ditton, Skelmersdale,
Lathom, Childwall and Liverpool. His son and heir, Edward, in that year
because of repeated recusancy fines had to sell his manor and lordship of
Rainhill. He had already been sent to prison in the Gatehouse at Westminster
for 16 weeks in 1593, having spent time in the Lancaster gaol before being
bailed out.
The coat of arms for Edward Eccleston show
his initials E E at the top and Mary, his wife’s, M E at the bottom
with a date of 1610. The Shield is impaled = divided. Left side: a Cross
= Representative of the Christian Faith with a Fleurs-de-lis = Faith, Wisdom
and Valour. The Crest above the helmet is a Magpie = Good Omen. The vine-like
mantle around the shield with leaves and tassels = Bountiful. Right side:
the arms of Mary.
The Eccleston family ‘rocked the boat’ insofar as Prescot school
was concerned - in 1557 Henry Eccleston’s father Thomas, had withheld
from the church-wardens the Gilbert Lathum bequest for a free Grammar School.
This was because an Executor of the Will had entrusted Thomas with the monies.
Lathum, in his Will of 1544, had left ‘three skore poundes’
(£60), in part payment of the £140 needed to provide the school-master’s
stipend of £7 per year. Latham died in 1552 and Henry, like his father
Thomas who died in 1558, wanted to establish a school within their own township
of Eccleston resulting in many years of delay before the money was released.
In 1592, a stormy Court Leet session was presided over by the Provost of
King’s College, when it was agreed that the school should be settled
at Prescot (Church St.). Two weeks later, at Knowsley Hall, Lord Derby,
the Provost, Vicar Thomas Meade, many gentry and others, including Mr. Eccleston,
finally decided that a school in Eccleston would have to be a new school
with a new endowment. The idea of a school in Eccleston was revived 10 years
later when James Kenwrick of Rainhill, a retired ecclesiastical judge, gave
a sum of £300 owed to him, as an endowment. Edward Eccleston promised
a further £100 plus an acre of land on Eccleston Hill for a school
and chapel. Edward, a recusant, decided to conform to the established church
and although Kenwrick had died in 1603, the project still remained in abeyance.
Edward died in 1624, the new heir being his son Henry. The project of a
school in Eccleston was revived in 1660 at the Restoration after Commonwealth
Rule, when the Eccleston family reverted to the old faith. Again, court
cases took place concerning the monies. It was not until 1684 when the old
school building known as ‘Seddon’s Cottage’, was erected
on Eccleston Hill. It is the birth place of Richard Seddon 1845-1906 a long
serving Premier of N.Z. A burial ground and chapel were also associated
with this site. Burials are recorded in Prescot Register for Eccleston Hill
mid to late 17th century and, during road widening in 1922, a sandstone
cross was dug up on Eccleston Hill, which now stands at the entrance of
Portico Chapel. The last of the Eccleston line was Captain Thomas Eccleston
(b.1659) who fought at the Battle of the Boyne, Ireland in 1690 in support
of Catholic King James II against King William III (of Orange). He fought
a dual, killing his opponent which affected him greatly so he forsook army
life and became a Jesuit priest, dying in 1743. The estates passed to a
cousin John Gorsuch, who took the name and arms of Eccleston. Having no
issue, they passed to Basil Thomas Scarisbrick who also assumed the name
of Eccleston. A Protestant, Basil gave land in Hackley Moss (Moss Street)
for a new Prescot Grammar School in 1759. His generosity atoned in some
degree for the misdeeds of his predecessors. His grandson, Thomas Eccleston
Scarisbrick, dropped the name Eccleston and returned to Scarisbrick, selling
the Eccleston estates in 1812 to Samuel Taylor of Moston, whose grandson
Samuel rebuilt Eccleston Hall in 1836. He changed the name of the Inn from
the Magpie, the Eccleston’s emblem to the Griffin and built Christ
Church in 1838. His son, another Samuel, in 1892 sold the manor and estate
to Sir Gilbert Greenall of Warrington and later St. Helens Corporation bought
the hall and grounds and became Lords of the Manor of Eccleston.
SIR THOMAS TYLDESLEY OF GT. SANKEY AND WARDLEY
The Tyldesley family was a large and important
one with many branches and, throughout history, had close links with the
Earls of Derby. The family originated in Tyldesley, (now in the Metropolitan
Borough of Wigan) where they can be traced back to the 13th century. They
also held lands at Astley, Shakerley, Myerscough and Wardley Hall, Nr. Worseley.
Advantageous marriages over the years resulted in many estates and manors
being added to their land wealth. After the Reformation in 1534 the entire
family remained recusants. One branch of the family has a coat of arms in
Prescot church, which is on the south aisle wall, being the second from
the east end. It is that of Sir Thomas Tyldesley, 1557-1635, a son of Thurstan
Tyldesley and Margaret, daughter of Sir William Norris of Speke, Kt. The
Tyldesley family produced a number of lawyers over several generations and
Thomas was a man of many achievements, particularly in the world of Law.
He was a member of Staple Inn and trained as a lawyer. In 1577, he became
a member of Gray’s Inn, one of the four Inns of Court in Chancery
Lane, London, where he was admitted as a barrister in 1584. He was also
a Member of Parliament representing Launceston, North Cornwall, from 1586
to 1589. Other important positions Thomas held was Treasurer of Gray’s
Inn in 1588, and double reader and sergeant in 1594. In 1595, he was Justice
of the Peace for the West Derby Hundred. (Initially introduced by the
Saxons, a Hundred was the division of a shire for military, administrative,
and judicial purposes under the common law. Lancashire was divided into
6 ‘hundreds’, the largest was West Derby in the south west of
the county, which covered the ancient ecclesiastical parishes of: Walton,
Sefton, Childwall, Huyton, Halsall, Altcar, N. Meols, Ormskirk, Aughton,
Warrington, Prescot, Leigh, Liverpool, Wigan and Winwick. It is supposed
to imply territory occupied by 100 families, or the space of 100 hides of
land (12,000 acres) but variable, or the capacity of providing 100 soldiers.
Each hundred had its own court similar to a manor court but this was abolished
in 1867 by the County Court Act).
Thomas Tyldesley married Ann, daughter and heiress of Thomas Norreys of
Orford, Nr. Warrington. The marriage brought to the Tyldesley’s the
Orford estates, plus lands and rights in the manors of Ashton, Parr and
Windle, the last two being in the Parish of Prescot. In 1610, the manor
of Great Sankey was granted to Thomas Tyldesley by Sir Thomas Bold. Thomas
and Ann had 5 children: Thomas, Richard, Edward, Elizabeth and Anne. In
1603 Thomas was made King’s Sergeant & Attorney at Lancaster,
and 3 years later, he was Vice Chancellor & Sergeant of the Duchy of
Lancaster. His eldest son followed in his footsteps and was admitted to
Gray’s Inn, in 1605, and his second son Richard followed suit in 1613.
A royal appointment to serve King James I was granted to Thomas Tyldesley
as Yeoman Pricker, an officer or attendant for the stag hounds in the Royal
Hunt in November 1613.
In acknowledgement for all his achievements Thomas was knighted in 1616
and the coat of arms
shows his initials T.T.Ar = Thomas Tyldesley Attorney. The quartered shield
is certainly a busy one: right side: 2nd and 4th quarters being
the Norris family with three stars/mullets = Divine Quality and frets
= Honour & Achievement. A crest above the helmet is a dog =
Vigilance & Loyalty.
left side: Tyldesley arms on the 1st and 3rd quarters - 3 mole
hills (or rush hills) and sheaves of corn = Harvest of hopes secured.
A small crescent in 1st quarter indicates one who has been honoured by the
sovereign.
Above the helmet is the crest, a pelican in her nest feeding young ones
= Piety. The mantle falls around the shield with fastening tassels.
Where two families of importance marry it is necessary to retain the maternal
arms because of conditions of inheritance.
A most courageous member of the Tyldesley family was the son of Thomas’
second cousin Edward Tyldesley of Morley’s Hall, Astley in the parish
of Leigh. He was Sir Thomas Tyldesley (1612-1651) who entered Gray’s
Inn with the intention of following a career in Law but later became a professional
soldier. He faithfully served King Charles I as Lieutenant Colonel at the
Battle of Edgehill, Warwickshire, in 1642, after raising Regiments of Horse,
Foot and Dragoons, fighting alongside Henry Byrom and Captain Henry Ogle.
Sadly, Byrom was killed. Thomas was knighted in 1643 for his notable exploit
at Burton-on-Trent and was made a Brigadier General. He served in all three
of the Civil Wars and never surrendered to the Parliamentarians. Irrepressible
Sir Thomas Tyldesley was killed in action on 25th August 1651 commanding
as Major General under James, 7th Earl of Derby, during the Battle of Wigan
Lane, and is buried in his family chapel at Leigh. Lord Derby, on his way
to execution on 15th October 1651 at Bolton, made a request to visit the
tomb of his close friend and allay Sir Thomas Tyldesley, before he himself
was beheaded, but was refused.
Their original family seat was the manor of
Byrom in the northern part of Lowton, within the Barony of Makerfield. In
1559, Thomas Parr of Parr died and his widow Margaret Parr married John
Byrom of Byrom. William Parr, son and heir of the deceased Thomas married
Katherine, daughter of Thomas Eccleston of Eccleston, and in 1565 she cited
him for divorce, the settlement of which resulted in William Parr having
to sell his estates in Parr, along with other lands, to John Byrom. It all
remained with the Byrom family for about 150 years. The Byrom’s had
made Parr Hall their principle residence by 1570. By so doing, this family
now lived in the ancient Parish of Prescot - Parr being a township within
the Parish - hence the coat of arms of the Byrom family being displayed
in Prescot Church. They are on the south aisle wall, being the third one
from the east end.
As was the usual pattern for local “recusant” gentry - in 1590,
John Byrom was “among the usual commers to church but not a communicant”.
John Byrom died in 1592. His daughter-in-law, Mary, wife of his son and
heir Henry, is listed in the “Lancashire Recusant Roles of 1592/3”
under the township of Parr - “Maria Byrom wife of Henry Byrom”.
It is this Henry and Mary Byrom whose initials appear on the Byrom coat
of arms. Mary was of the Gerard family of Ince, Nr. Wigan. Henry, born in
1562, was heir to his father’s estates in Byrom and Parr when he was
30 years of age, but died in 1613. His son John had died in 1611, so his
grandson, another Henry b. 1608, and eldest son of John inherited the estates.
The coat of arms is interesting: The shield is impaled (divided). Left is
the Byrom chevron = Protection & Faithful Service + 3 hedgehogs = Povident
Provider; on the right, the arms of Mary his wife being the Gerard lion
rampant, ermined and ducally crowned = Strength, Courage and Generosity.
The crest above the helm is a black hedgehog on a wreath of twisted black
and white silk. The mantle, or gold scroll work, emanates from the helmet
and falls about the shield in decorative swirls and twists in a vine like
effect ending with tassels. The initials H B at the top and M B at the bottom
with a date of 1610 complete the Henry and Mary Byrom armorial display.
In October 1642, the Civil Wars in England commenced (1642-51). Henry and
Mary’s grandson Henry Byrom b.1608, was a staunch supporter of King
Charles I, and was killed at the battle of Edgehill in 1642. The Royalist
and Roundhead armies met at Edgehill, southwest of Stratford in Warwickshire,
being the first battle of the Civil Wars. Foot officers present at the siege
in Sir Richard Molyneux’s Regiment included Major Henry Byrom and
Captain Henry Ogle (grandson of John Ogle whose effigy stands in the chancel).
Henry Byrom met his death on 23rd October 1642, and Captain Henry Ogle was
captured.
Three generations later, a terrible spendthrift and wasteful heir came into
possession of the Byrom estates, being Samuel b.1685 known as “Beau”.
By 1710 he was negotiating the sale of the manors of Byrom and Parr plus
other lands. The purchaser of Byrom in Lowton, was Joseph Byrom, a wealthy
Manchester Mercer whose daughter Elizabeth carried it by marriage to her
cousin John Byrom (1692-1763) of Kersal. This John Byrom wrote the Christmas
Carol “Christians Awake”. He was descended from Ralph Byrom
a prosperous wool merchant who went to Manchester from Lowton in 1485. The
manor of Parr was eventually bought by William Clayton of Fulwood, who divided
it equally among his daughters. As for “Beau” Samuel Byrom,
he ended up in the Fleet Prison, London and was still living in destitution
in London in 1739. Ref: VCH Vol.3
FRANCIS WATMOUGH OF MICKLEHEAD
There are seven armorial bearings on the walls
of Prescot church which are in direct relation to the pew allocations for
gentry families within the ancient parish. One in particular, is that of
the Watmough family of Micklehead in Sutton, which is displayed high on
the south side of the nave wall; the head of the Watmough family being styled
as ‘gent’. In the 16th and 17th centuries, local gentry or “peasant
gentry”, with little influence beyond their own holdings, are mentioned
in the church accounts and Prescot Court Records. Many of them had a limited
interest in parish affairs. In 1586, the Vicar, Thomas Mead known as ‘the
reforming vicar’, had complained that: “All our gentlemen are
either obstinate recusants or verie cold professors.” The heads of
these gentry families were almost all recusants, or ‘church papists’
but supported the king in the civil wars. The Parliamentary supporters being
the Bolds of Bold, Brooks of Sankey, Lathoms of Whiston and, after 1646,
the Ogles of Whiston and Roby.
Francis Watmough of Micklehead and his family were the freeholders at Micklehead
Hall, Sutton, later known as St. Michael’s House. The site, where
the house once stood in Micklehead, is near to the A570 St. Helens Linkway
which cuts through it from the roundabout at Rainhill. The baptism of Francis
has not been found but his burial in Prescot records, was on the 17th August
1614, just 4 years after the rebuilding of our church in 1610. He married
Jane, daughter of John Barnes of Bold on the 21st February 1578 at Farnworth
chapel. Jane was baptised there on the 3rd February 1548 and she died in
1625. Francis was the son of Richard Watmough (died 1578) and Constance
Gerard of Ince (died 1586).
The Watmough coat of arms (see right) are unusual and interesting. The white
shield shows three bunches of wheat. In heraldry the wheat, or garb, is
derived from the French ‘garbe’, meaning a sheaf of grain, usually
wheat and is a symbol of plenty and prosperity. Ancient cultures believed
it contained the mystery of life and thus became a sacred emblem of Christianity;
the heads of wheat symbolize the Eucharistic ‘Bread of Life’.
The helmet, above the shield, is that of an esquire/gentleman, on top of
which sits the crest - a leopards head, representing bravery for those who
have performed some bold enterprise. Behind the head is a scimitar, a curved
sword, used by the Turks or Persians - representing conquest of an enemy.
Folds of red material around the shield represent a cape worn by crusaders
to keep the hot sun off their metal armour and helmet, with gold tassels
either side of the shield, being the ends of its fixing cords. Francis’
initials ‘F’ and ‘W’ are shown on the arms which
were granted to him on 17th January 1602 during the reign of Elizabeth I.
Perhaps the Watmough ancestors had fought in the crusades, hence the emblems
shown on the arms.
Francis and Jane’s son and heir was Richard Watmough, baptised in
1580 at Farnworth. He was married to Mary, the daughter of John Hawarden
of Widnes. Richard suffered for his faith and was a convicted recusant,
paying double the subsidy on held land in 1628. He died in September 1652
at the height of the plague outbreak - Mary dying only a few weeks before
him in August. Some of his estate was sold by the Parliamentary authorities
in 1652. The couple had four children their second son, and heir being Lawrence
(1621-82), who is mentioned in the Hearth Tax lists for Sutton. This tax
(cottages excluded) was introduced in England and Wales by the Government
of Charles II in 1662, due twice a year, at Michalemas 29th September, and
Lady Day 25th March. Lawrence of St. Michael’s House, Micklehead,
(see right) is recorded as having 5 hearths for which he had to pay 2/-d
(10p), per year. Obviously, the house was still in possession of the family
as Lawrence was living there at the time. After his death, no Watmoughs
appear in local Parish Records, but branches still lived in parts of Lancashire,
Yorkshire, Shropshire and Kent.
Refs. VCH Vol.3; Prescot Churchwardens A/c’s 1635-63 Rev. T.M. Steel;
Our Heritage in Sutton & Bold; F.W. Free.
The southern half of
the extensive parish of Prescot until the mid 19th century was served by
the chapelry at Farnworth. The chapel is of considerable antiquity and although
now a parish church it was originally a ‘chapel of ease’ to
Prescot. The ancient Parish of Prescot consisted of two parts – the
Prescot Side and the Farnworth Side. Both sides had 4 church wardens each.
Four for the 8 townships on the Prescot side being: Prescot, Whiston &
Rainhill (1), Sutton (1), Eccleston & Rainford (1), Windle & Parr
(1). Four for the 7 townships on the Farnworth side: Bold (1), Cronton &
Cuerdley (1), Ditton, Sankey & Penketh (1), Widnes (1), the latter,
in which Farnworth itself, being a hamlet, was centrally situated within
that township.
The founding of the ancient chapel was about 1180, originally dedicated
to the Anglo Saxon Saint Wilfred until 1859 when it was re-dedicated to
Saint Luke, and a Parish was created. As early as 1291, the parishioners
on the Farnworth side had repeatedly refused to pay church leyes for the
upkeep of the Mother Church at Prescot, on the grounds that they had their
own chapel at Farnworth to keep in repair. They also wanted to be granted
parochial status. In essence, this side of the Prescot Parish always caused
problems and in the mid 16th century some prosecutions, as well as an affray
in the chapel itself, took place.
Built in red sandstone, the first chapel structure was a long rectangular
shape of late Norman/early English, with no aisles. It was extended in about
1280 when the north aisle was built and in 1360-80 the south aisle and the
Norman tower was added. In 1406, Sir John Bold built a chantry east of the
north aisle, which stood on the site of the present Bold chapel which was
re-built in the 19th century and has stone effigies of members of the Bold
family. Sir John, who died in 1410, prior to his demise, also built a chantry
chapel in Prescot Church, which now serves as the Vicar’s Vestry.
By 1431, Farnworth chapel was in need of repair and Richard Bold was responsible
for repairing the chancel roof. Evidence of this is in the centre bosses
which depict a griffin, an emblem of the Bold family. A chancel arch was
also built at this time. The Bold family, of Anglo Saxon origin, was the
most affluent family in the Parish of Prescot, who did much to maintain
the chapel.
In 1500, the Cuerdley chapel was built for the sole use and accommodation
of the tenants of the township of Cuerdley. This was built by William Smyth,
a ‘local lad’, born in 1460 in the moated mansion of Peel House,
in the village of Farnworth. He attended the University of Oxford and his
studies enabled him to enter into the church, where he made rapid progress.
After holding a number of important positions within the church he was appointed
Bishop of Litchfield & Coventry in 1496 when it was a twin diocese.
In 1508, Brazenose College, Oxford, was founded by Sir Richard Sutton of
Prestbury, Cheshire, and Bishop William Smyth. Anciently, a preference was
given to candidates for its scholarships or fellowships for those who lived
in Cheshire and Lancashire, in particular, from the Parish of Prescot, because
William Smyth had been born in the parish. The Bishop, whose last appointment
was Bishop of Lincoln in 1514, died in 1547 and is buried in Lincoln Cathedral,
also gave an endowment of £350 to found a grammar school in Farnworth.
This was originally housed in the Cuerdley chapel, but went on to use a
variety of locations in later years. The grammar school continued for 400
years when it was closed in 1904. In 1931 Wade Deacon Grammar School was
founded but in 1972 it was changed to the Comprehensive Education System.
In 1719, it fell to Francis Bere, Vicar of Prescot, to dispose of any attempt
by Farnworth chapel to petition the House of Commons for parochial status.
The age old struggle for independence by them continued, leading to a bitter
dispute in 1719. Despite this, the chapel never left C. of E. control.
Full registers survive for the whole period from 1538 and Chapel Wardens’
Accounts from 1679. At a restoration in 1855, the north aisle and Bold chapel
were rebuilt, also a new nave roof and galleries were erected in the five
nave bays on the south side, and west end where the organ was re-sited.
The last major restoration in 1894-5 saw the removal of the galleries and
two new vestries added on the north side of the chancel, and a new organ
was installed. A window was inserted on the west tower wall to let light
into the nave and old box pews were removed. Many wall memorials and funeral
hatchments of the Bold family, plus those of other families, adorn the walls
of the church,
In 1859 after centuries of unrest and trouble, the ‘chapel of ease’
was created a separate parish from the mother church of Prescot. At the
same time, it was re-dedicated from St. Wilfred to St. Luke. The title of
‘Minister-in-Charge’ changed to become Vicar. The Vicars were
presented by the Vicar of Prescot, which remains the same today.
(Refs: History of Farnworth Church, Alan Foster;
VCH, Vol.3: LPRS Vol.149, Rev.T.M.Steel.)
The townships of Great Sankey (Sanki, Sonkey),
together with Penketh lie at the most easterly border of the ancient Parish
of Prescot, which at that time was in the Diocese of Chester, and are situated
on the main Liverpool (A57) to Warrington road, about 2½ miles from
Warrington. From very early times, Sankey had a number of various landowners,
one of the earliest being the Boteler family, Lords of Warrington. When
their estates were sold in 1583 it became the property of the Bold of Bold
family – the new owner being Sir Thomas Bold whose name appears on
a pendant in the roof of the nave of Prescot church, which says: “Thomas
Bold, Knight, 1610”. On the reverse is: “Lady Bridget Bold His
Wyffe”. Sir Thomas Bold in 1610, granted the manor of Sankey to Thomas
Tyldesley and Thomas Orme, the latter resigned his interest in 1613. The
coat of arms of Thomas Tyldesley (1557-1635) is the second from the eastern
end of the south aisle - dating from about 1610. It shows letters at the
foot: ‘T.T. At’ which reflect his position as Attorney General
for the County of Lancaster. He was Lord of the Manor of Gt. Sankey and
Wardley.
Upon his death in 1635, Gt. Sankey passed to Sir Thomas Ireland of Bewsey,
whose family gave the site for the building of a chapel and yard in about
1640. It was built by contributions from the inhabitants of Gt. Sankey and
Penketh. Dedicated to St. Mary, the chapel was built during the reign of
King Charles I, and the Vicar of Prescot appointed the curate. The chapel,
which is 7½ miles from Prescot church, was first used for Presbyterian
worship and in 1646 there was no mention of a minister, only two lay elders.
In 1649 the Rev. Hugh Henshaw called himself the first minister of Sankey
but was ejected under the Act of Uniformity 1662. This was an Act of Parliament
in England, which presented the form of public prayers, administration of
sacraments and other rites of the C. of E., following those in the Book
of Common Prayer. A great many clergy were expelled because they would not
comply, which created the concept of non-conformity. Puritans abolished
many rites of the church during the civil war. They even abolished Christmas!
The Commonwealth Commissioners of 1650 recommended that Sankey be made a
parish but this didn’t happen until over 200 years later.
After the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 under Charles II, the chapel
was still confined to Presbyterian worship, but by 1720, had become in a
bad state of repair when Bishop Gastrell of Chester visited. In 1723 the
Atherton family had inherited the manor and Richard Atherton of Bewsey built
a second chapel in 1728. Having conformed to the Established Church of England,
he handed it over to the Bishop of Chester. The Rev. Thomas Hayward was
appointed curate and he was also headmaster of Boteler Grammar School in
Warrington. The early clergy lived in Warrington as they were masters of
the Boteler Grammar School. The registers commence in 1728, although some
earlier ones are water damaged.
The canal, which winds along beside Sankey Brook, has the credit of being
the first work of its kind in modern England, the formation of the Sankey
Navigation being in 1755. It was a form of transit for a variety of merchandise,
the principal article being coal which was carried to Liverpool, Warrington
and Northwich, from the mines in the parish of Prescot, in particular those
of St. Helens. As the population increased the need for a larger church
was necessary and in 1767/8 the chapel was rebuilt again. On 11th June 1769
it was consecrated and the patronage was invested in Rbt. Gwilym who had
married Richard Atherton’s daughter Elizabeth. It has since descended
to the Powys family - Lord Lilford, being the present patron. In 1867 the
tower became unsafe and was rebuilt in its present form, see photo of St.
Mary’s above.
Eventually, the link with Prescot Parish was severed in 1876 when Gt. Sankey
became a separate parish. Many modifications to the chapel have taken place
over the years. It was closed for 3 months during 2007 for a complete makeover
and further work was done in 2010. A quote from “History of Gt. Sankey”
by historian William Beamont (1889), tells us that many inhabitants went
to Warrington Parish church, some having their children baptised there and
even for burials and the minister from Warrington on occasions came to ‘Sonkey’
to visit the sick and to church their wives!
This daughter chapel to Prescot was at the
furthest point of the 58 sq. miles which made up the ancient Parish of Prescot.
It was a long way to Prescot from Rainford and the country roads were little
more than cart tracks. Although a chapel existed in the 1530’s during
the time of the Reformation (1534), there was no mention of it in the Valor
Ecclesiasticus of 1535, nor in the Inventory of Church Goods of 1552. One
of the first curates recorded was Laurence Roby in 1541. The chapel was
a very poor living and the inhabitants of Rainford had to pay leys to the
mother church of Prescot which left only a small amount of funds to support
a curate and maintain the chapel.
In the 16th century, the two main families in Rainford were the Lathoms
of Mossborough Hall and the Parrs of Haysarm House, both were Catholic and
the maintenance of the chapel fell to these families. As was the common
problem of many Lancashire chapels, Rainford was a decaying building with
a lack of clergy. The situation was not helped by the Vicar of Prescot,
William Whitelock (1558-83), living in Lichfield. Services at Prescot failed
to be reformed by 1573 and Holy Water was still being used at St. Helens
chapel in 1578. Fines for absence (12d.) were not collected by the churchwardens
and a Catholic schoolmaster was able to work freely as were recusant priests,
so Rainford remained Catholic for many years after the Reformation. All
this changed with the arrival of Thomas Mead a devout Puritan – Vicar
of Prescot from 1583 until his death in 1616. (Thomas Mead was instrumental
in the rebuilding of our present church at Prescot in 1610).
Mead began an active persecution of the Lathoms of Mossborough for recusancy.
By 1590 the Lathom family lost control of the chapel, despite there being
no seats in the chancel except those belonging to the ancestors of Henry
Lathom, upon whose ground it is said the chapel was built. In March 1583,
during the reign of Elizabeth I, Henry Lathom went into hiding in Cheshire
and Mossborough Hall was ransacked by the Queen’s officers. They carried
off everything of a sacred nature and Mrs. Lathom, who was in the house,
was treated in a most barbaric manner. The ruffian officers tore open her
dress even to her undergarments in the pretence of examining her person
for sacred medals, rosaries or other pious objects. Mr. Lathom was eventually
captured and imprisoned at Lancaster; in 1592 he was sent to London and
put in the Fleet Prison. After being there for some years, he finally obtained
his release and died at Mossborough on 11th April 1620. His son, Henry the
younger, followed in his father’s footsteps as regards religion and
suffered accordingly, losing two-thirds of his property sequestered for
recusancy, by the time of his death in 1648. The Lathom’s after 1590
no longer used Rainford chapel but they kept seminary priests at Mossborough
Hall, where they had a secret chapel.
From that time on, the curates were of Puritan leanings and, after the restoration
in 1660, the chapel remained in the hands of the Nonconformists. In 1650,
on the chapel yard was a small building where the minister lived in former
times and which also had been used as a school room. A new minister, James
Bradshaw, came to Rainford in 1672 and in October “a new built meeting
house” was licensed. By 1677, baptisms by him were being recorded
in the Prescot Registers. Bradshaw’s own house in Rainford was licensed
as an additional meeting place for Protestant Dissenters. On his death in
1702, following a century and a half, first of Catholicism, then of Puritan
and Nonconformity, the chapel fell into the hands of the established Church
of England under the Vicar of Prescot. The Dissenters left the old chapel
and opened their own in Higher Lane, in 1706. At the chapel, a body of trustees
was appointed with the right of nominating a curate, the Vicar of Prescot
approving. In 1704, Queen Anne’s Bounty of £200 was established
to augment the income of poor benefices which made it possible in the following
years to have repairs, alterations and necessary rebuilding to parts of
the chapel when required. A further £200 was granted in 1768 and £145
in 1864. In the 18th century, the old chapel was a popular place for many
Prescot couples to marry, despite the distance they would have had to travel
to get there. They were eligible to ‘tie the knot’ at Rainford
because it was in Prescot Parish.
Rainford became a district chapelry of Prescot in 1869, Samuel Cavan becoming
the first Vicar. In 1872 the chapel roof fell in and in 1876, when the building
was close on being 200 years old, it was decided that it could no longer
be propped up, nor could it be rebuilt on the same site without removing
graves. Lord Derby donated a site between the smithy and the Golden Lion
Inn (at that time standing approximately where the present church is now).
The foundation stone of “All Saints” Rainford was laid on 1/11/1877
by the Hon. Frederick Arthur Stanley, MP, and consecrated a year later on
1/11/1878. In 1903 the church was completed by a tower. The old chapel,
pictured right, remained in use until the new church was built and dedicated.
This ancient chapel, maintained originally by Mossborough and then by the
people of Rainford, had witnessed the comings and goings of countless ministers
of diverse shades of opinion throughout the generations. The new church
was built by donations from the parishioners, the Earl of Derby and Mr.
Joseph Williams, a non-conformist!
(Ref. VCH: ‘History of Rainford Church’, D.J. Browning B.A., & F.R. Pope).
KING’S COLLEGE CHAPEL, CAMBRIDGE
A recent visit to Cambridge, and a tour of the city, included
a sail in a punt on the river Cam, taking views of some of the colleges.
It was an interesting and enjoyable experience, particularly because our
church and town has held links with King’s College, Cambridge, since
the reign of King Henry VI, in 1441. At that particular time in history,
Prescot was already under royal patronage of the House of Lancaster, which
had been passed to the Crown upon the death of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster
in 1399, through his son, grandson, and great grandson, all kings of England,
namely: Kings Henry IV, Henry V and Henry VI. John of Gaunt had held the
advowson (ownership/right to select a cleric) for the church, and the Manorial
Lordship of Prescot.
Henry VI ruled 1422-1461 and again 1470-1471. He married Margaret of Anjou
at Titchfield Abbey in 1445. Henry VI was a good and gentle man whose interests
were in education and religion rather than governing the country. He suffered
from bouts of mental illness and was usurped and imprisoned by his cousin
Edward of York on two occasions. He died in captivity in the Tower of London
in 1471, where he had been murdered. Henry and Margaret had one son Edward
Prince of Wales who was slain at the Battle of Tewksbury in 1471, 17 days
after his father’s death.
In 1440, Henry VI founded Eton College for boys. The following year in 1441,
he founded the King’s College of ‘St. Mary and St. Nicholas’
for them to continue their education. The foundation stone for the college
chapel was laid by Henry himself when he was aged 19, on Passion Sunday
1441, and the chapel architect was Henry’s master mason Reginald Ely.
It took 100 years for the building to be completed due to the unstable political
climate in that era. The chapel was completed under the patronage of Richard
III and Henry VII. Originally, Henry VI wanted the interior of the chapel
to be decorated simply, but subsequent kings changed the original design.
Built in the perpendicular style, it is the last and finest Gothic building
to be erected in Europe, being 289 feet long, 40 feet wide and 80 feet high
and the fan vaulted ceiling is the largest and finest to be found anywhere.
Henry VIII paid for the stained glass windows (which were removed for safety
during WWII) and the reredos behind the altar is Rubens’ painting
The Adoration of the Magi (1634), which was given to the chapel in 1961.
In 1441, Henry VI needed funds to maintain his new college. Included in
his inherited assets was the large and wealthy parish of Prescot in the
N.W. of England, for which, Henry was Patron & Manorial Lord. The appointed
Rector of Prescot in 1441 was William Booth and for his ‘living’
received tithes from the 15 townships which made up the large Parish of
Prescot. (Tithe: the tenth of the produce of land and stock allotted for
the maintenance of the clergy and other church purposes). Henry made some
changes and appropriated (gave) to the Provost & Fellows of King’s
College the patronage and lordship of Prescot, and appointed a Vicar for
the spiritual service of the parish. The college then received the greater
tithes and the Vicar the lesser tithes. A Vicarage was built in 1448, although
not many Vicars resided there until many years later. The title of ‘Rector’
was no longer used. In 1445, the advowson was transferred to Kings’s
College.
As shown on the south wall of our church, the Vicar of Prescot from 1492
until 1509 was Robert Hacomblen. He relinquished his role here to become
Provost of King’s College from 1509 until his death in 1528. References
are made to him in King’s College Chapel. In an ante chapel, there
is an exhibit (which mentions his link with Prescot), and an illustration
displays Robert as seen on a memorial brass on the south side of the chapel.
He was Provost of the college at the time of the chapel’s part completion
and is depicted dressed in typical academic garb of the middle ages wearing
a surplice and a fur almuce, (a furred hood with long ends hanging down
in front.)
A magnificent wooden rood screen donated by Henry VIII divides the chapel,
and on the east side of it, in the choir, stands a huge bronze lectern dating
back to the early 16th century. A gift of Robert Hacomblen – on one
side it has the four evangelists and on the other, a circle, resembling
a wheel, the centre of which displays the college coat of arms. The letters
of Robert’s surname ‘Hacum – blen’ is divided and
engraved as such, either side of the circle which is bordered with roses,
and on top of the lectern is a small statue of Henry VI founder of the college
(see right). The college coat of arms are shown everywhere around the chapel.
Prescotians are very familiar with them as Prescot adopted the same coat
of arms because of our links with King’s College. They can be seen
on the top right hand side of our chancel arch at Prescot.
The chapel is home to the famous King’s College Choir whose Festival
of Nine Lessons and Carols is broadcast across the world every Christmas
Eve.
ST. HELENS CHAPEL OF EASE TO THE PARISH CHURCH OF PRESCOT
Historically, Prescot had 5 chapels of ease/daughter
chapels to serve its large Parish area. One of them was the chapel of St.
Ellen, situated in the hamlet of Hardshaw-in-Windle, the original seat of
the town, which is now St. Helens - taking its name in the 19th century
from the ancient chapel. The Patent Rolls of 1334 refer to an exchange of
benefices between William the Clerk (minister) in Hardshaw and another person.
This indicates that an ancient chapel existed at Hardshaw, the site of which
is vague, but remnants of a graveyard were found in Bridge Street, St. Helens,
when building work was carried out there in 1940. The chapel was situated
at the junction of the boundaries of four ancient townships of Windle, Parr,
Sutton and Eccleston.
In the survey of 1548 it is returned as a Chantry Chapel. In 1552 the ancient
‘Seynt Elyn Chapell’ is included in the Inventories of Goods
in the Churches and Chapels in Lancashire. The goods owned by chapels in
the area around Prescot church, which then owned bells, chalices, silk vestments,
crosses and candlesticks - St. Elyn’s chapel only had ‘one challis
and a lyttle bell.’ It seems that St. Elyn’s chapel was in a
very poor condition. The Vicar of Prescot originally appointed a curate
in charge but the living was so poor and unimportant that the right of presentation
was allowed to lapse and passed into the hands of a few landed proprietors
in the district. From time to time, after the reformation in 1534, there
was only a ‘reading minister’. In 1558 Thomas Parr of Parr,
bequeathed 10 shillings “to a stock towards funding a priest at St.
Elyns and to the maintenance of God’s divine service there forever…”
In 1592, a Visitation from the Deanery of Warrington (which Prescot Parish
was in at that time) resulted in a very critical report for St. Ellen’s
chapel. It was not known if the curate was licensed or not and John Rutter,
the Reader, had married a couple without calling banns, resulting in him
being excommunicated. Two women were tried at St. Ellen’s chapel in
1602 for witchcraft and sent to Lancaster for trial. On 12th July 1612,
evidence was given against Isobel Roby of Windle in front of Sir Thomas
Gerard. She was sent to Lancaster, and listed with the Pendle and Salmesbury
witches who were all tried and hanged on the same day, 20th August 1612.
Isobel was just a poor old woman but feared locally.
In 1613 the patronage was in the hands of Katherine Domville and her son
James who improved conditions at the chapel in worship and maintenance.
In the same year, Thomas Roughley, a relative of the Domville’s endowed
£100 for a free school to be contained in the chapel. By 1618 the
chapel, being old and decayed, was demolished and a new chapel with a school
was built on the same site. Readers, or lecturers, were appointed under
the Presbyterian system who conducted their type of services. However, the
chapel was not consecrated according to an entry in the Cheshire Diocesan
Registry in 1622. Non-conformist Adam Martindale, born 1623, of Moss Bank,
kept a diary and says he “started the free school at St. Ellen’s
in January 1630 - almost 2 miles from his father’s house, which was
a great way for a little, fat, short legged lad.” He mentions the
chapel where he attended regularly. He describes one of his teachers as
being “an old humdrum curate… both a simpleton and a tippler.”
Another lady teacher taught him Latin and he made good progress with the
subject. From there he went to Rainford school which was not free.
During the time of Commonwealth Rule (1649-1660) the chapel was a Presbyterian
place of worship. The Parliamentary Commissioners in 1650 recommended that
the 4 townships of Hardshaw-within-Windle, Parr, Sutton and the nearest
part of Eccleston, be made a parish but it was not until the mid 19th century
that these towns were made parishes themselves and that of St. Helens didn’t
take place until 1852. After the restoration (to monarchy) in 1660, Protestant
non-conformist occupation of the chapel gained strength and presented a
real challenge to the domination of the parish church which continued until
1710 when it was restored to the Church of England. The last minister to
serve was Rev. James Naylor who was there for 22 years from 1688 to 1710
and it was at his funeral on 12th April 1710 that Henry Matthews preached
the last non-conformist sermon at St. Ellen’s chapel. The dissenters
decided to leave and they built their own churches in the town. St. Ellen’s
was now officially a chapel of ease to the church at Prescot.
The first C. of E. minister was Rev. Theophilus Kelsall and the church registers
for Baptisms began in 1713, Burials 1721 and Marriages 3 years later. In
Prescot Parish Registers non-conformist entries for 1676 - 1687 and 1701
- 1726 include those at “St. Ellen’s Chappell.”
In 1755 the St. Helens canal was cut, the first canal cutting in the country,
which transformed the village of Hardshaw into an industrial town, rapidly
expanding it. Another church was built between 1750 and 1780 but by 1816
more room was needed and the south wall was taken down and the old burial
ground closed and covered to become the new extension of the church which
was re-dedicated to St. Mary. Just a century later in December 1916, the
church was destroyed by fire. Fortunately, the registers were saved. A new
church was built in 1926 and the original dedication to St. Helen was re-established.
From 1916 to 1926 when the town was without a chapel, services were held
in the town hall.
Today we are very familiar with the use of
bells and how they are, or were, used. To name but a few: many of us can
recall the ice-cream bell, school bell, shop door bell and the counter bell
which could be struck to alert the owner. There is the ship’s bell,
cow bell, worn by cows, in some countries, around their necks – not
forgetting the cat bell and Morris Dancers wear bells just below their knees.
Historically, there was the Town Crier ringing his bell – alerting
all to the latest news happenings and the clanging of Big Ben and Westminster
Chimes on radio and TV are familiar sounds. In the book of Exodus ch.28:
v.33-34 a description of a Jewish High Priest’s vestments mention
embroidered “pomegranates and a gold bell” to be sewn between
them, around the hem.
Bells have a long history although they are not as important in our lives
as they used to be. In the past, almost every church had at least one bell
and the use of them for religious purposes is of ancient origin. Early bells
were of very crude form and imperfect sound, gradually developing into their
present perfection. Not only did they call the faithful to prayer and worship,
they helped mark out the time of day in towns and villages before clocks
became available in the home. The bell used for funerals was known as the
‘death knell’, when the bell tolled solemnly after a death or
at a funeral. On happier occasions the bells peal joyfully for weddings
and other services. In old parish churches of England, bells ring in a harmonious
peal, when all are rung at the same time to produce a beautiful volume of
sound, and the effect is delightful, particularly at a distance.
In Christian churches, bells first came into use as early as the year 400
when Paulinus, Bishop of Nola, a place in Campania, in South Italy introduced
them. Their use spread quickly and the church bell was not only used for
calling people to prayer but was rung as a form of communication to alert
the population when danger threatened. (During WW2 in Great Britain, all
church bells were silenced, to ring only if enemy troops invaded). Celtic
missionaries brought bells to Northern Europe and some of these monastic
bells, as used in Celtic Abbeys, are preserved in museums in Scotland and
Ireland. It was not until the 12th century that the use of larger bells
became widespread and churches in the west built
belfries on their churches to house the bells while some churches in Europe,
and the east, built separate towers to house them.
Church bells have the form of a cup-shaped cast metal resonator with a thick
flared rim. Made in various sizes, they have a pivoted metal clapper or
striker that hangs inside from the centre. The bell is suspended at its
apex from a horizontal axle so it can swing from side to side. Tied to a
pulley or lever on the axle is a rope which hangs down to a chamber below
or, in some cases, down to ground level. The bells are rung by the bell
ringer who pulls on the rope, swinging the bell. This causes the clapper
to hit the inside rim of the bell as it swings, making the sound. A bell
such as the ‘ting tang bell,’ may be suspended from a stationary
support and rung by pulling a rope attached to the clapper to one side.
This is used as the ‘five minute call’ bell before church services
are due to start.
In 1291, Prescot had a church tower with bells, and in 1391 money was left
to build a new bell tower. Church wardens’ accounts record in 1521
that 2d was spent on leather for the bell shackles, and in 1559 a broken
bell was taken to Wigan on an ox-cart to be recast. There was an ale stop
at Billinge, and the costs included bread and ale for the Bell Founder and
his men and a new axle and wheels for the cart. What a ‘ring-a-ding-ding’
trip that was! In 1638 the bells were removed and recast at very considerable
expense. Later in 1711, a new ring of six bells was cast, but by 1729 a
new tower and spire had been built and the bells re-hung. In 1845 all were
replaced with a new and heavier ring of 8 bells by C&G Mears of Whitechapel,
London. The new tenor bell in Key F weighed 15 cwt, which caused the old
timber 6 bell frame, after modifications, to weaken. In March 1934, the
bells were retuned and re-hung and turned a quarter of a turn. Over the
years, the tower and spire had become structurally unstable and the bell
frame was considerably weakened, resulting in the bells staying silent from
1960 until 1994. In November 1992, the bells were removed and the tower
and spire renovated. Work on the bells was done by Eyre & Smith Limited
of Melbourne, Derbyshire. Whilst they were being retuned a new steel bell
frame was installed and in August 1994 the bells were returned and re-hung.
The old timber bell frame is preserved and still in situ. Voluntary assistance
from the Merseyside Bell Restoration Group, local residents and parishioners
helped with the work during this time. The tenor bell is now in the key
of E and weighs 13½ cwt. The old ‘ting tang bell’ showing
a date of 1684 is preserved in the ringing chamber and was replaced with
a new one donated by Mr. & Mrs. Tom Wignall, in memory of her sister
Renee Green. The bells were inaugurated by HRH the Duke of Gloucester at
a special ceremony on 6th December 1994, and re-dedicated by the Archdeacon
of Warrington. We are very fortunate to have a dedicated team of ringers
at Prescot and long may the harmonious peals ring out over the town for
many years to come.
The Early Beginnings of Christianity in Prescot
This year we are celebrating 400 years of the re-building of the present church in 1610, but Christians have occupied the same site for many centuries before that time. The British Isles is especially rich in Christian history - that is where our roots lie and throughout the land, country lanes end in villages with a chapel and towns and cities have a church or a cathedral. So it was with Prescot – the early church ‘situated on high ground near a well' – and the town grew around it. A sixteenth century map of Prescot shows the church with a circular churchyard with a well nearby, which is an indication of Celtic origins.
Christianity came to Britain in the 2nd century AD by Roman soldiers, slaves and traders. In AD 209 the first Christian martyr, Alban, was put to death – from which the place of St. Albans takes its name. In the early 5th century, as Roman influence declined and the legions had been called home to Italy , Christianity gained ground. In the Celtic west, Wales , Cornwall and Ireland it was the Age of Saints, a time of growth for the church. Christianity was probably brought to Prescot by Celtic missionary monks from Ireland , brethren of St. Patrick, St. Colomba, St. Cuthbert and St. Aiden. The west coast of England , with its estuaries and river systems, enabled easy access for monks from Ireland to reach Celtic settlements and they would have sailed up the river Alt, from a place now known as Formby. The missionary monks, attracted to high ground, such as the hill on which our town is situated, was a natural spot for Celtic people to build their dwellings. The Celts on the hill were pagans who worshipped the elements - earth, fire, wind and water, but many soon became converted to Christianity, and their source of water became a holy well dedicated to ‘Our Lady'. The visiting missionaries would approach the local tribe chief for permission to build a small wooden church with an altar by their dwelling huts, and a cross would be erected nearby. Many of the Celts embraced Christianity and became priests which resulted in the hillside area being given the name of ‘Preoscote' by the Anglo Saxons when they arrived, which signifies a ‘Priest's Dwelling.'
At the close of the 6th century in 597, Pope Gregory the Great sent Augustine from Rome to convert the English people. Augustine's mission proved successful in Kent at least, and King Ethelburt of Kent , was baptised into the Faith along with many of his people and he gave land for the Cathedral church - Augustine being the first Archbishop of Canterbury. To crown his limited achievement, Augustine worked towards having a good relationship with other established Christians in Britain – the Celtic Church – but the Celts were not prepared to submit to the Roman branch of the Faith. Augustine died in 604.
In York on Easter Day 627, the Saxon King Edwin was baptised by Paulinius who became the first Archbishop of York. Edwin was the son-in-law of King Ethelburt of who had been converted 30 years before by Augustine, on the same day, Princess Hilda, great niece of Edwin, was also baptised, after which she became a nun and head of the famous monastery at Whitby. It was here in 664 where the Great Synod of church leaders took place. Both Celtic and Southern Christians met to resolve differences in approach and tradition; one was that they each celebrated Easter at a different time. Wilfred, Abbot of Ripon, persuaded the assembly to accept the leadership of the Church of Rome. Whilst some members of the Celtic Church submitted very reluctantly to this idea, others refused and numerous pockets of the Celtic church stayed autonomous for many years after. At the end of the 7th century, to safeguard the Christian church in England, the 7th Archbishop of Canterbury, Theodore, divided the country up into small areas known as parishes which, in turn, were grouped together to form dioceses. Each parish had a priest in charge and each diocese a Bishop. Prescot, because of its firmly established community for religious learning, was made a parish and absorbed in the Diocese of York, then Litchfield, then Chester and in 1880 – Liverpool, when that Diocese was founded.
From the early beginnings of the simple Celtic pattern of Jesus' teaching, to the format of the Church of Rome, continuing with the Reformation in 1534, when Henry 8th became Head of the Church of England, and throughout the Puritan area of the 17th century Commonwealth years, the church has continued to flourish in the town of Prescot . We remember all those Christians who have worshipped on this site for over 1,200 years, in the four churches built here since Saxon times; may many more Christian generations worship within the hallowed walls of the present building of 1610. We pray, with the help of God that this continues forever and ever, Amen.
Index
This window is at the Eastern end of the South
aisle. For a stained glass window, it is very light because of the small
square glass panes that make up the bottom two thirds of the window. Designed
in 1878 by the artist and designer Sir Edward Burne-Jones (1833-1898), there
is no doubt it was made by William Morris & Company in London. The small
glass panes certainly have the William Morris (1834-96) influence with dainty
floral designs in a delicate greenish tinge. Morris was a textile designer,
artist and writer. The top part of the window depicts Christ’s ‘Ascension’
into heaven. He is the central figure with hands raised to heaven, and has
a red halo. He is flanked on either side by an angel in white, and they
hold scrolls with Latin inscriptions on them. The angels have deep pink
wings and blue haloes, all characteristic of Sir Edward Burne-Jones’s
designs. Jones and Morris were associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
founded in 1848 by a group of English painters and poets, who favoured vibrant
and abundant artistic detail, using intense colours. The two artists had
originally, gone to Oxford with the intention of taking Holy Orders but
decided to concentrate on their art work and social reform. Written at the
foot of the window is the inscription: “The Glory of God In Memory
of Elizabeth Lockwood of the Knoll died October 20th 1878 age 78.”
The account of Jesus ascending to heaven (to the right hand of God) was
on the 40th day after his resurrection and is celebrated on the Thursday
10 days before Whit Sunday. Jesus, with his disciples, had gone to the Mount
of Olives (Olivet,) across the Kidron Valley in Jerusalem. Acts Ch.1 v.6-12.
So when they had come together, they asked Him“Lord, will you at this
time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is
not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own
authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon
you and you can be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria
and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said this, as they were
looking on, He was lifted up and a cloud took Him out of their sight. Whilst
they were gazing into heaven as He went, two men (angels) stood by them
in white robes, and said “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking
into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come
in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven.” Then they returned
to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet…..
The window is a memorial to Mrs Elizabeth Lockwood (1800-1878). Her maiden
name was Elizabeth Glaister, born in Kirkby Fleetham, Yorkshire, and baptised
there on 30th March 1800, daughter of Rev. William Glaister. Elizabeth married
William Lockwood (b.1785) on the 28th June 1831 at Kirkby Fleetham. By the
mid 19th century, William Lockwood, born in Easingwold, Yorkshire, had become
Vicar of Kirkby Fleetham, – he was also a Magistrate. They had six
children: Jane 1834, Fanny 1836, Mortimer 1837, William 1840, Laura 1841
and Elizabeth Glaister Lockwood b. 1846 who married William Lees Evans a
Colliery Proprietor, at Prescot on 12th September, 1867. Three windows on
the South side of the church, which have already been written about, i.e.,
the ‘Nativity Window,’ ‘Parable of the Pounds Window’
and the ‘St. George Window’ were all donated by the Evans family.
It is interesting to note that Mary Jane Evans, sister of William Lees Evans,
married William b.1840 the brother of Elizabeth Glaister Lockwood in May
1867 at Prescot.
By 1861 Elizabeth Lockwood had been widowed and had moved from Yorkshire
to Lancashire, and was living with four of her children at Belle View, Huyton.
Ten years later, she had moved to the Knoll, Knowsley Park, Prescot. The
window is a memorial dedicated to her by her family.
Index
During 2010, major alterations took place within our parish
church building. One in particular has been the Children’s Corner,
which has been moved to a more convenient place to accommodate children
during services. It is still in the South aisle but more towards the West
end and is now in a central spot rather than at the East end of that particular
aisle. Over 50 or 60 years ago, when it was safe for churches to be left
open daily, the Corner was a favourite place for the town’s children
to visit. They would come into church, sit reverently, and look at the books
for a while before going on their way. The Children’s Corner was a
gift in 1937 as a Thank Offering for the recovery of a little girl, Cora
Haydon, from a very grave illness. Cora was born in 1932, the daughter of
Mr Arthur and Mrs Rachel (nee Roby) Haydon. In 1936 Cora became seriously
ill but she recovered and the family donated funds for a special gift to
Prescot Church to celebrate their eternal thanks for her complete recovery.
The Rev. Canon J.P.W. Lovett was Vicar at the time and in September 1936,
he wrote in the parish magazine about the gift. Some of the extracts are:
… “I am exceedingly grateful for this generous gift, not only
for its own sake but for the spirit which prompts it. I think a Children’s
Corner should prove a great help towards getting our children to realise
that the Church is their Church as well as the Church of the grown ups,
and fostering in them a real love for the Church and its Lord. … The
first one was in Hawarden Church, Flintshire, … I have often wished
we could have one here… now the opportunity has come in a delightful
way. … A church, especially one of the size of our own, is a large
place for a small person and the average child needs help and encouragement
to use it. A Children’s Corner gives just that help and encouragement.
Moreover, a child likes to have some spot which he or she can call their
own. Such a spot in their Parish Church is a ‘Children’s Corner’,
and not a Children’s Chapel… the church is the Father’s
House and, that being so, there ought to be in it a special spot for the
children who are so dear to Him, a spot which they can use for prayer in
joy and peacefulness, to think their own thoughts and read their own books.
If they do not use it, it will be our fault not theirs. I am sure that in
the years to come we shall grow more and more grateful for this thank offering
for the life of a little child.” The ‘little child’ survived
and grew up to become Mrs Cora Green, who is still alive, and many of our
elderly parishioners remember her.
A Faculty for the Corner was granted on April 28th 1937, and an order was
placed with Messrs. White of Bedford, to install it. It was designed so
that it should be in keeping with the Pulpit and Screen, (the latter has
since been painted black and gilt). The furniture in the Corner consists
of a small round table and three chairs. The table was a gift from the Rev.
Canon and Mrs Lovett in memory of their son Christopher Neville Lovett who
died at the age of 10 months and was buried on the 8th June 1929. The three
small chairs were in memory of a little girl by the name of Margaret Elsie
(Peggy) Welsby, who died of diphtheria at the age of 11 (born 1.5.1924,
died 20.4.1935).
When Jesus was in the region of Judea beyond the river Jordan, children
were brought to him that he might lay His hands on them and pray. The disciples
rebuked the people for doing so, but Jesus in His wisdom blessed the little
children and said “Let the children come to me and do not hinder them,
for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matt.19:13-14). It is
indeed a wonderful asset to our church to have a Children’s Corner.
The new position of the Corner, close to the South Porch, has enabled it
to cover a larger area, thus making more room for the children to move about.
The carpeted floor area is a donation from Mrs Val and Mr Bryan Jones in
memory of Val’s parents Ernest and Eileen Sugden.
(I have been contacted by the Revd. Kenneth Almond (brother of Canon Geoff Almond), who tells me that the house where the little girl Peggy Welsby died was number 9 Beaconsfield Street, Prescot. This was the home of Ken’s wife Hilary Gore and her sister Barbara. Ken and Hilary started their married life at this address. No doubt there will be many who remember Hilary and Barbara living in that house. The three small chairs in the corner are in memory of Peggy who died in 1935. )
(The article in our February magazine about
the Children’s Corner and, its furniture, sparked off many memories
from our parishioners.
Mrs Rene Pierce rang to say she had read the article with great interest.
Rene is the aunt of the little girl Peggy (Margaret) Welsby who died in
1935 and in whose memory the three small chairs are dedicated. Peggy’s
father Thomas Welsby was brother to Rene. He was a church warden and sides
man as well as devoting many hours to all church activities. The Welsby
family lived at the top of Beaconsfield Street, (Warrington Road end) on
the odd numbers side, which had tiny front gardens with wooden fences. The
Church School entrance was further down the street on the same side and
this is the school where Peggy had been a pupil.
Lilly Edwards remembers the occasion of Peggy’s death when Mrs Welsby
invited all the children who were her friends to come into the house and
pay their last respects as she lay ‘asleep’ in her coffin, before
burial. Many children came to visit the house in Beaconsfield Street, and
it was with great awareness to them all that a little child had died after
suffering from a long illness.
Enid Roberts recalls the headmistress of the Church School, Miss Hilda Mary
Patterson, informing the children in morning assembly that Peggy had died
after her illness. It was a sad occasion for all the school and something
which they would never forget.
Peggy had twin sisters, Olive and Mavis. Mavis passed away last year, but
Olive is still alive. Enid sent her a copy of the February magazine containing
the article on the Children’s Corner and Olive replied with her appreciation
and recollections of the many visits she made as a child to the Corner.
Many thanks to those who have contacted me with the much welcome ‘feedback’
on last month’s article.)
Blessings to you all.
I wonder how many of us realise what an important
piece of church architecture the chancel arch is? The chancel arch is that
which separates the chancel (choir and sanctuary) from the nave of the church.
The word “chancel” derives from the French usage of chancel.
This is from a Latin word cancelli meaning “lattice”, which
refers to the Rood Screen that stands immediately in front of the chancel
arch.
Over the centuries many architectural changes in church buildings have taken
place. In very early English Christian churches, the single cell plan style
of building was adopted but in the 7th century a chancel was added which
opened from the nave by the chancel arch and housed the altar. A chancel
is typically raised above the level of the nave where the congregation gathers,
and the chancel at Prescot meets with this requirement, as we have two steps
going up into it from the nave. Anciently, the altar had originally been
at the western end of a church but by Saxon times the present arrangement
had come into being and the altar was replaced at the eastern end of a church.
The chancel was the responsibility of the priest and the nave was the responsibility
of the people. In medieval times, the chancel was used only by the clergy
and their assistants - the rood screen kept others out! The chancel arch
was always elaborately decorated, but as rood screens (placed in front)
became more beautiful in design, the arches became simpler.
Whilst the clean cut lines of our sandstone Gothic chancel arch is now adorned
with only two decorative coats of arms, to the left: the Diocese of Liverpool
and the right: King’s College Cambridge (also Prescot Town’s
Coat of Arms), it has not always been so. Prior to the rebuilding of our
present church in 1610, there is no doubt that the building it replaced
had a chancel arch decorated to match the requirement of the time! Up until
the Reformation in 1534, an architectural element located within the arch
called a tympanum, displayed appropriate ‘Doom’ paintings. A
popular tympanum decoration was the ‘Last Judgment’. A dominant
figure of Christ appeared in the centre of the composition, on His left
was the four Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, sometimes represented
or accompanied by their animal symbols. To the sides were similar figures
of angels and demons. Other paintings were: ‘Final Judgment’,
‘Day of Judgment’ or ‘Day of the Lord’. In Christian
theology, these represented the final and eternal Judgment of God of all
nations, which will take place after the resurrection of the dead and the
second coming of Christ (Rev.20: 12-15). This belief certainly inspired
numerous artistic depictions and many of them were
created in the 14th and 15th centuries. Another belief was, that a ‘Doom’
painting represented where Christ judges souls and sends them to either
Heaven or Hell. They were there to remind Christians of the after-life and
Judgment Day and to help keep them mindful of sinning, by the painting showing
in graphic details the dramatic difference between Heaven and Hell. In some
churches the ‘Doom’, painting was sited on the Western wall,
but by being on the chancel arch itself, it would be constantly in view
of worshipers as they looked towards the Priest during services. After the
Reformation, most frescoes were painted over and replaced with suitable
texts or Royal Arms. These would be the arms of the reigning monarch to
remind churchgoers who the Head of the Church of England was!
Major structural alterations took place at Prescot in 1819, the side aisles
were widened and the chancel arch rebuilt. In 1875, further extensive alterations
took place and high up, above the arch, eleven new replacement stained glass
windows were installed. The apex five being the four Evangelists with our
Saviour as the central figure. The lower six are made up of little trefoil
leaded lights, three to the left and three to the right. To the left: ‘I
H S’ = the first 3 letters of the Greek word for ‘Jesus’;
Figure of a Saint; Cup & Vine (symbolises Christ’s words “I
am the true vine”, grapes and wheat represent the Eucharist). To the
right: Lamb & Banner (symbolising ‘Lamb of God’ with a halo
and cross to indicate the Lord, and carries a banner of Victory); Figure
of a Saint; Dove Descending (symbolising the Holy Spirit).
The existing two coats of arms on the chancel arch were painted on in the
1960’s. They replaced two earlier decorations - symbols of the Monogram
of the name of Jesus ‘I H S’. Before that, at the beginning
of the 20th century and probably dating from the refurbishing in 1875, various
church symbols and designs covered not only the chancel arch but also the
nave walls between the five arches. The area between the lower six trefoil
windows on the chancel arch was painted with a text. During this time, the
chancel walls were decorated just below the ceiling level with these designs
and round the East window and choir windows each had a border of painted
text. The nave of 1610 has seen some changes to the chancel screen(s), but
it is a lot better viewing for congregations now than it was for the parishioners
in the 15th and 16th centuries in the earlier building, who probably had
to face the “crack of doom and all that”!
Early in November, His Royal Highness, The
Duke of Kent, visited our church. During the short service he read a passage
from St. Matthew’s Gospel, Ch.5 v.13-14. Two lines read: “You
are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.”…They
were further quoted by the Revd David Rose in his sermon when he referred
to Prescot church built on a hill with its tower and spire being a significant
beacon of Christian presence which can be seen for miles away, from all
directions. Standing 250 ft. above sea level, the present tower and spire
rising at 150 ft. is a landmark and was observed as such by ships in the
Mersey estuary. A church has been on the hill site for over 1,000 years
but from earliest records, it seems that renovation and rebuilding work
on steeples has been an ‘on-going’ thing!
The earliest known details of a tower and steeple at Prescot, was in the
will of John Fairfax, Rector 1375-93 who left “10 pounds to build
a tower of stone for my church at Prescot”. This tower replaced an
earlier one which in 1291 held bells and was ‘old from antiquity”.
The steeple was unsafe in 1665 and it was pointed and clasped with iron
and repaired extensively again in 1670. It was taken down and completely
rebuilt in 1686-7 at a cost of £330 and again in 1694-1696. By 1717
when the Registrar of the Diocese visited the “large and venerable
pile of Prescot church, he observed ‘the towr or foundacion of the
steeple, shaken into breaches to a dangerous degree’. Yet, little
was done about it and the steeple was still ‘in danger of falling’
in 1719. In 1725, 119 ashlars were brought from Rainhill to make ‘two
battereys at the west side of the steple,’ together with square stones
for ‘arch pieces’. But it was still in a dangerous condition,
and in March 1728 it was demolished with a complete rebuilding of the tower
and spire in 1729. Built in the ‘Renaissance Style’ at a cost
of £455, it was designed by Henry Sephton (1686-1756) a leading mason
and architect in Liverpool.
The tower stands 75 ft. high and the steeple above it is 75 ft. high making
an overall height of 150 ft. On the west side of the tower, beneath the
cornice can be seen the inscription “CONDITUM ANO DOMINI 1729”
– testifying to the rebuilding in that year. However, the spire proved
to be too heavy which caused the tower walls to petal outwards and the spire
was rebuilt in a slimmer style in 1797 after being destroyed by lightning.
Again disaster struck, because in August 1797, another lightning strike
brought the spire crashing down just as two-thirds of the rebuilding had
been completed. Work was restarted and completed in 1798. The building work
was carried out by a local man Richard Holme whose grave in the churchyard
gives details.
The square tower stands 75 ft. high and on each side the round headed two-light
belfry windows are enclosed by pilasters and entablature in the Doric style
- a clock face is in each. Above this is a balustrade – a row of balusters
joined by a rail forming an ornamental parapet to a balcony. At each corner
is a group of 3 characteristic ‘Renaissance Vases’. Above this,
the octagonal spire is divided into 4 sections by prominent mouldings. There
are three tiers which have spire lights and the tip of the spire is topped
by a weather vane in the form of a lion which is an emblem of King’s
College, Cambridge. In 1901 the spire was re-pointed and a new lightning
conductor fitted. The 12 ornamental ‘vases’ which had been resting
on slender necks were found to be top heavy and unsafe. The necks were removed
and the vases replaced on new firm bases 7 inches lower which made them
safer.
At the base of the tower on the north wall, masons’ marks in the stone
can be seen - put there by workmen at the building of the new tower in 1729
as proof of their work. Above the West door into the church is a window
giving light into a storeroom. The room was once the access point to an
organ loft and singers’ gallery at the west end of the nave before
the choir and organ were removed to the chancel in 1875. Above this, is
the bell ringing chamber and above that is the actual bell chamber with
a peal of 8 bells.
In 1986 the top 12 ft. of the spire was removed when serious erosion and
structural damage occurred. When work began in 1991 to build it up again,
a further 13 ft. had to be removed because the original iron clamps became
rusty causing the stone to split. These were replaced with stainless steel
and a new gilded lion weather vane (symbol of KCC) was fitted to the tip
of the spire. The work cost £250,000. His Royal Highness the Duke
of Gloucester visited Prescot church in December 1994 to mark the completion
and renovation work on the tower, spire, and clock and to inaugurate the
re-tuned and re-hung bells on a new steel bellframe. Approaching Prescot
from M57, A57 or A58 and seeing the spire of St. Mary’s gracing the
skyline gives one a sense of pride – that’s my church, set on
a hill, which cannot be hidden
WALL PLAQUE OF THE CASE AND DEANE FAMILY
At the beginning of October, we had a visit from representatives of the Monumental Brass Society to view and note the various brasses we have in our church and they took rubbings of those on the chancel walls. What interested them greatly was the large marble wall plaque with an inlaid brass design on the South West wall, above the area where part of the gallery has just been removed. The plaque nowadays, appears somewhat obscure and dark – this is because it is badly in need of renovation and cleaning. The plaque was designed by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812-1852) who was Great Britain’s foremost Victorian architect and designer of the 19th century. Pugin worked on much of the Victorian detail of the interior of the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben and was an assistant to the architect of those buildings – Sir Charles Barry.
The upper portion of the brass inlay is in the form of a decorative outline border that resembles the shape of a cross with a robed figure standing in the centre, probably a saint. The stem of this design is rising from a stepped base (like that of the Calvary Cross) and has an inscription in Latin which gives the dates of death for George Case in 1836 and his wife Mary in 1835. Either side of the stem is a coat of arms – on the left, the Case family and on the right, the Deane family. George Case, a Merchant, was Lord Mayor of Liverpool in 1781 and Justice of the Peace for the County in 1782. George’s parents - Mr John Case, woollen dealer, and Alice Deane were married at Prescot, on the 31st July 1743. George was born on the 9th December 1747, and the original family home was the Mansion House in Prescot, where an imposing brick Georgian building, with later additions and alterations is now known as the Deanes House Hotel in Church Street.
George’s mother Alice Deane, came from a very old Rainhill family. They held land there in the early 17th century. In the mid 18th century an Edward Deane of Prescot, Attorney at Law, held land in Rainhill and Cronton. Born in 1715, son of George and Catherine Deane of Rainhill, Edward died unmarried and was buried on the 25th July 1754, so his estates passed to his sister Alice Deane born 1718, who married the aforementioned John Case of Prescot, woollen dealer, in 1743. John Case died in 1765 and the estates passed to his only son George who became a Liverpool merchant. George died in 1836, age 88, at Walton, and his wife Mary died in 1835 age 74 also at Walton. The Rainhill and Cronton estate was known as Deanes House farm or estate and in 1844 it was sold to the Willis Family of Halsnead, Whiston. There is a farm called Deanes Farm in Cronton Lane, off Blundell’s Lane in Rainhill.
By 1851, the house in Church Street, Prescot, had become the private residence of the Cross family. Mr. Henry Cross, Solicitor, was one of the sons of that family and the house continued to be the home of his sisters until their demise at the beginning of the 20th century. It is possible that the house, with additions and alterations, was also the 18th century residence of Edward Deane, Attorney at Law, hence the property being called ‘Deanes House’. By 1918 it had been converted into a public house.
George and Mary Case, for whom the wall plaque is a memorial, are also mentioned with other members of their family on an inscribed gravestone beneath the wooden floor of the choir on the south side of the chancel. The stone is badly rubbed in parts:
“John Case………Case father of the children who lie
hereunder died 20th October 1765
………….underneath interred……..George Gregson
Case son of George Case died 7th
September 1832 aged 31 years and was interred at the Parish Church of Walton
on the
Hill in the County of Lancaster. Mary Case wife of George Case died January
16th 1835
Age 74 years. Mary Case daughter of George Case died April 5th 1835 age
43 years.
George Case of Walton on the Hill in the County of Lancaster died November
2nd 1836
Aged 88 years.”
It is hoped that the marble and brass wall plaque can be renovated to its
former glory, which would be another exciting achievement for our 400 years
celebration in 2010.
ARMORIAL
ARMS OF WILLIAM 6th EARL OF DERBY
(1561-1642)
The magnificent Flower Festival displays in
September celebrating the re-building 400 years ago revealed much about
the history of our church and town, and some of the church furnishings are
relative to that period. One in particular is the Armorial Arms at the East
end of the South Wall – those of the Steward of the Manor of Prescot,
- William Stanley the 6th Earl of Derby and his wife Elizabeth de Vere,
daughter of Edward de Vere the 17th Earl of Oxford. The escucheon is very
impressive and the largest of all the arms displayed in church. It bears
an inscription “Diev Et Ma Foy” in archaic French which translated
= ‘God and my Faith’. William b. 1561 was the son of Henry Stanley
4th Earl of Derby and Lady Margaret Clifford who was the grand-daughter
of Henry VIII’s younger sister Mary. In 1594 he married Elizabeth
de Vere (1575-1627) daughter of Edward de Vere 17th Earl of Oxford and Anne
Cecil. Anne’s father was William Cecil, Lord Burghley Secretary of
State and Lord Treasurer to Queen Elizabeth I.
During the lifetime of his father William, Henry the 4th Earl (1531-93),
proved to be an amazing character and adventurer. He was a great traveller
and went abroad for lengthy periods. For 3 years, he stayed in France then
went to Spain where he defeated a Spanish nobleman in single combat which
caused him to leave that country disguised as a friar. He then went on to
Italy, then Egypt where he shot a fierce tiger on the banks of the Nile.
He visited Palestine then Turkey where he was imprisoned for defending Christianity
and the Bible. After his release he went to Russia and spent many months
at the Court of Moscow. Whilst there, an English visitor and doctor told
him that his father Henry the 4th Earl had died in 1593, and his brother
Ferdinando the 5th Earl had died a year later in April 1594. William quickly
returned to England to find all the estates of the earldom had been settled
upon his brother’s daughters under the guardianship of four bishops
and four temporal Lords, who possessed every branch of it to their ward’s
uses and refused to admit his right to any share of it. In his absence,
William had been passed over. A lawsuit followed in reference to all the
late earl’s estates in England and the Isle of Man. This went on for
about 6 years, but Queen Elizabeth I intervened and the ancient seats of
Lathom, Knowsley and all lands and houses etc., in other counties were returned
to the Earl. With regard to the Isle of Man, Ferdinando’s daughters
claimed possession but Earl William agreed to purchase their shares and
interests there.
Earl William had married Elizabeth de Vere in June 1594, by whom he had
three sons and three daughters. The Countess died in 1627 and the following
year William retired to a house on the banks of the River Dee near Chester
where he spent his remaining years and wrote a number of ‘comic plays
for common players’. He died on 29th September 1642 and is laid to
rest at Ormskirk with his noble ancestors. Before retiring to Chester, William
assigned and surrendered all his estates to James his eldest son who became
7th Earl of Derby.
Association with Shakespeare: It was during the time of William’s
father, Henry the 4th Earl (1531-93), that William Shakespeare who was a
member of The Queen’s Players reputedly performed in a play at Knowsley
in 1589 and he is known to have visited frequently. Ferdinando Stanley the
5th Earl (1599-94) was a poet and patron of writers, including Shakespeare.
The Prescot Playhouse was built in approximately 1593, one of the few freestanding
theatres outside of London and probably served the gentry visiting the Earl
of Derby in Knowsley. The building is known to have stood on the site of
the present ‘flat iron building’ at the end of Eccleston Street.
It has been argued that Shakespeare never travelled but based his writings
on the experiences of those who had. An interesting claim associated with
Earl William was that he either singly, or in conjunction with others, wrote
the plays commonly ascribed to Shakespeare - one person in particular, being
his father-in-law Edward de Vere 17th Earl of Oxford (1550-1604). Edward
was an Elizabethan courtier, playwright, poet, sportsman and patron of numerous
writers. He was well travelled and his education included foreign languages,
background of law, and the military. William the 6th Earl of Derby was indeed
a colourful character and it would be well to remember him and other members
of the Stanley family for the strong support and assistance offered to Shakespeare,
not only as a playwright but during his visits to Knowsley and Prescot.
William Shakespeare was born and died in Stratford on Avon 1564-1616.
The use of Flowers in Church
In September, as part of the 400 years celebrations for the re-building of our church in 1610, we are having a ‘Flower Festival'. A team of ladies will create designs using various flowers, mixing colours and varieties to form floral displays and representations of certain historical themes throughout the church's history in Prescot.
These days, apart from Lent, weekly flower displays are an accepted part of church decoration and great emphasis on selected colours and designs are used. Years before flowers were used to decorate the interior of the church for weddings – brides and brides-maids carried bouquets. Also, wreaths and sprays have been a symbol of respect and remembrance at funerals, the flowers being placed on the grave of the departed. After Lent, the church is always decorated for Easter – the favourite flower being the lily. Harvest time, Christmas, and other special occasions see the use of flowers to enhance the interior of the church, but the practice of a weekly flower change has not always been so. Very early photographs of the church at the beginning of the 20 th century do not show any floral arrangements until the 1930's when a row of vases on the altar can be seen displaying flowers. Wrought iron flower display stands in memory of past worshippers have only been dedicated in the latter half of the 20 th century and are now placed in certain areas within the church.
We think of cultivated flowers grown in gardens and a delightful poem by the Manx poet, scholar and theologian, Thomas Edward Brown (1830-1893) creates a peaceful picture:
My GardenA garden is a lovesome thing, Got wot! |
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This poem, which not only reminds us of God's hand in the creation of flowers but of other gardens with trees, fruits, herbs and flowers, especially those mentioned in the Bible. The Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve lived - Eden belongs to the realm of ‘stories with a meaning' and the fertile paradise arose in Mesopotamia . (Genesis 2: v.8-14); The Plain of Sharon on the Mediterranean coast of Israel from Jaffa to Mount Carmel, famous for its fertility and its flowers. (Song of Solomon 2. v.1. “I am a rose of Sharon and a lily of the valleys”. ) A reference was made to King Solomon by Jesus in his ‘Sermon on the Mount to the Multitude' (Matthew 6: v.28/29 …”Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these” ). Then there is the Garden of Gethsemane, with olive groves at the foot of the Mount of Olives - and Mount Carmel (Song of Solomon 7:v5), which is a coastal mountain range in Northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean sea towards the Southeast. The sloped side of the mountain is very fertile with trees, olive groves and flowers.
Very few species of flowers are mentioned in the Bible, although they abound in Israel . Many flowering shrubs are mentioned but there are only three flowers actually mentioned, all in Song of Solomon: the lily, the rose and camphire or henna plant. The latter is a shrub which bears small white or yellow powerfully fragrant flowers. Roses are mentioned many times in the Bible and botanists in Israel agree that a narcissus, crocus, rockrose and oleander were variously referred to as “roses.” Of all the plants in the Bible, the lily is the most famous. Modern scholars believe that at least 5 or 6 kinds of plants are referred to by that name. The iris is one of them and “lilies of the field” were actually the chamomile, a plant with white daisy like flowers. The lilies in the Song of Solomon are regarded now as being a hyacinth with deep blue, fragrant flowers. Also native and discovered growing wild in northern Israel is the white Madonna lily, our traditional symbol of Easter and strongly associated with the Virgin Mary and the Angel Gabriel. The stamens in the Madonna Lily = the fleur de leis in Heraldry. So in September, when we enjoy the handiwork of the flower ladies let us not forget those gardens and places in the Holy Land where 2,000+ years ago, the climate there was different, when it was a land of palm trees where wildflowers were profuse in spring. There are so many varieties of flowers available now and some species used for our Flower Festival could easily have been be cultivated from flowers mentioned in the Bible.
The Marble Vase Font
Every parish church has a font– Prescot is fortunate enough to have two. The ancient sandstone Saxon font in the baptistery, and another one, the type of which is unusual for use in an English church - it is the Italian Marble Vase Font, donated by the Willis family of Halsnead Hall, Whiston, in the 18th century. The marble font is of tazza shape (a shallow vessel) with a fluted bowl on a slender stem. Under the rim of the bowl runs the inscription “The Gift of Daniel Willis of Halsnead Hall, Esqre 1755”, to read it, one has to bend down, and walk around the circular font. It originally stood by the chancel steps, but now stands at the east end of the north aisle. The Willis family gave many gifts to the church and they brought this back after travelling on a classical tour of Italy . Daniel Willis was born in 1689, the son of Martin Willis Esq., and Ellen nee Daniell. Daniel was married to Anne, and died age 74, he was buried in the Parish Church on 4 th November 1763 . Anne died and was buried 22 nd July 1766 age 76. (A marble memorial tablet is on the west wall of the nave). The Willis family came to live on the Halsnead Estate in 1684 when Daniel's grandfather, Thomas Willis, a Liverpool merchant, bought the estate from Edward Ogle, Lord of the Manor of Whiston. In later years, the Willis family came into possession of the Whiston estates also, and were owners until 1929, when they were both sold by auction. The historical building of Halsnead Hall, built in the 17th century stood in Halsnead Park until 1932, part of the park is now a static caravan park. In 1929 the Halsnead estate extended over 1,540 acres and covered parts of the parishes of Whiston, Cronton, Tarbock and Rainhill. The Whiston portion was bounded by Cumber Lane & Foxes Bank Lane in the east, the Tarbock to Cronton Road in the south, part of Windy Arbor Road , Logwood Mill brook, Cross Lane to the west and Shaw Lane to the north.
The marble vase font had only been in use for two years when, in 1757, a certain baby boy was baptised in it, and his sister Sarah, a toddler then, would have been at the christening. The baby, John Philip Kemble, was born on 1 st February 1757 into a family of travelling players, in a lodging house in Hillock Street , ( Kemble St ) the imposing double fronted house had 3 steps up to the door, but sadly, was demolished in the 1970's. (The house was almost opposite the old Library which once stood next to the Zion Church ). John was the second child of Roger and Sarah (‘Sally' Ward) Kemble – Roger was recorded in the Baptismal Register as a ‘comedian'. John was baptised on the 16 th February 1757 , when little Sarah was 18 months old, she was the eldest of 12 children born to Roger & Sarah Kemble. John was educated at Sedgeley Park Catholic Seminary, Nr. Wolverhampton, then at the English College at Douai , to train as a priest, but he left after 4 years to go into the theatre, where he became a talented actor, greatly admired for his Shakespearean roles. He made his debut in September 1783 as Hamlet at the Drury Lane Theatre , London , and was based there for 20 years, during which time he played more than 120 characters. He preferred playing tragedies more than comedies and managed Drury Lane from 1788-1792. He married Briscilla Brereton an actress in 1787 and they appeared on stage together many times. He retired because of an asthmatic condition, first to Toulouse and then in 1817 to Lausanne , Switzerland , where he died on 26 th February 1823 and is buried in the cemetery there. On 21 st February 1871 , many streets in Prescot were renamed and Hillock Street was renamed ‘ Kemble Street ' in memory of this great Shakespearean actor.
John Kemble's sister Sarah was born in Brecon, Wales , on 5 th July 1755 . She too, was an actress and became a most famous ‘tragedienne.' In 1773, aged 17, she married William Siddons an actor and they had 5 children. Sarah Siddons was renowned as being a ‘great beauty' and many famous artists painted her portrait. Sarah died 8 th June 1831 and is buried in Paddington Churchyard, London. There is a statue of her in Westminster Abbey in the chapel of St. Andrew.
The marble vase font is still used and you never know, there could be more famous people out there among the infants whose baptisms have taken place in it.
Index
Prescot's Historic Links with King's College, Cambridge
Questions are always being asked by visitors, and indeed many Prescotians, with regard to the town's historic links with King's College Cambridge. To give a ‘picture' of how this came about, we have to start with known historical facts that occurred after the Norman Conquest in 1066. A list of Rectors and Vicars can be seen on the South wall of the church, the earliest date being 1179. After the Norman Conquest, the lands between the rivers Mersey and Ribble were given to one of William the Conquerer's relatives, Roger of Poitou, who, in return for military support, gave out various manors to Norman overlords. (In some cases Saxon overlords retained their manors, i.e., the Bolds and Ecclestons). The Norman family of Gernet was given 9 manors, one of which was Whiston and with it went the Advowson (the right to select a Cleric) for the parish church of Prescot . The Advowson is first mentioned in 1212 as appurtenant to the Manor of Whiston held by Roger Gernet, the Master Forester of Simmonswood. The manorial rights of Prescot township became vested in the Rector, and at the most southerly side of Prescot, a piece of land was carved out of Whiston for a Prescot Manor house or Rectory to be built, where the appointed Cleric would live. (The remaining office block of what was BICC in Hall Lane , stands on the ancient manor house site.)
At the end of the 13th century, Joan, the daughter of Benedict Gernet married William Dacre of Cumberland and the Advowson came into his possession. In 1375 it passed from the Dacre family to John Neville of Raby, Co. Durham . It then passed to his son Ralph, who married Joan Beaufort, daughter of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster. In 1391 the Duke bought it, which in turn passed into Royal Patronage through his son, grandson and great grandson, namely kings: Henry IV, Henry V and Henry VI. Many important people were appointed to be the Rectors of Prescot and the living was considered to be an excellent one because of the huge parish. It covered 58 sq. miles and 15 townships, therefore, the tithe system brought in a good yield from the townships. (Compulsory since the 10th century, the tithe was a tax of one tenth part of the annual produce of land or labour. It was to support the priest, maintain the church fabric and provide relief for the poor). The parish formed part of the Hundred of West Derby and covered: Prescot, Whiston, Eccleston, Parr, Sutton, Rainford, Rainhill, Windle with Hardshaw, Bold, Cronton, Cuerdley, Ditton, Penketh, Gt. Sankey and Widnes with Appleton . Local legend has it that the ‘Rector of Prescot's horse was shod with silver,' no doubt because of him raking in all the manorial tithes!
The Rectors held the manor of Prescot until 1444, when Henry VI transferred it to the Provost and Scholars of his new college of ‘Our Lady and St. Nicholas,' at Cambridge, commonly known as King's College. The Rectory was appropriated to the College and a permanent Vicarage was established in 1448. In this way the College became Lord of the Manor of Prescot, a title which they still hold to this day. A Vicar was appointed and ever since that time, because the college own the Advowson they appoint a new Vicar whenever the post is vacant. Henry VI also gave to his new college, other manors scattered mainly over eastern and southern England . Prescot Rectory in Lancashire , was the most valuable but most remote of them all. Although other places were graced with an annual visit by the Provost and Bursar, they rarely came to Prescot. The great tithes of the parish went to help maintain the college and the lesser tithes were given to the Vicar. This situation resulted in Prescotians having many grants of privileges, i.e., exemptions from : jury service outside the Manor; jurisdiction of the county coroner; tolls in the markets of Liverpool and elsewhere. Many ale houses appeared, the licences being granted by the town steward. Prescot had its own Court Leet. The town was of great importance to the surrounding countryside, being the ecclesiastical centre and a market town. It made the purchase of property in Prescot worthwhile, so all the local gentry – the Ogles, Bolds, Ecclestons and the like had a voice in local affairs. The day to day running of the town was left to Lord Derby who was appointed to act as Steward of the Manor by authority from King's College and he appointed these same gentlemen to act for him during his frequent absences from the town. Prescot town adopted King's College Coat of Arms which can be seen at the right hand side of the chancel arch. Topping the 150 ft. high tower and spire of the church is a gilded lion weathervane which gleams brightly in the sunlight. It can be seen for miles around and is a unique symbol, very special to Prescotians. This is an emblem of King's College, Cambridge , with which Prescot has had historic links since 1444.
Burying in Woollen Acts
This document was found at the beginning of
the 20th century among old papers in the church chest, and then kept in
the Vestry of Prescot Church . It is in the form of an affidavit, certifying
that the statutory requirement as to burial in woollen cloth had been fulfilled
and it reads as follows:
(Dated 1682 original size 10” x 6½”)
“Willm Lyon of the Parish of Prescott in the
county of Lancaster maketh Oath, that Richard
Lyon lately deceased, was not put in, wound or wrapt
up, or buried in a shirt, shift, sheet or shroud or anything whatsoever
made or mingled with Flax, Hemp, Silk, Hair, Gold or Silver, or other
than what is made of sheeps-wooll only, nor in any coffin lined or faced
with any cloth, stuff, or any other thing whatsoever made or mingled
with Flax, Hemp, Silk, Hair, Gold or Silver, or any other material but
sheep-wooll only, dated the 14th day of June in
the 34th year of the reign of our sovereign Lord Charles the
second by the Grace of God, of England, Scotland, France and Ireland
King Defender of the Faith etc., A.D.1682. Sealed and subscribed by
us who were present and witnesses to the swearing of the above said
Affidavit – Adrian Tucker / Peter Lyon .“I Edwd. Goodall Vicar of Prescott do hereby Certify that the day and year above said, the said Willm Lion came before me and made such Affidavit as the above specified, according to a late Act of Parliament Instituted for burying in Woollen. Witness my hand the day and year first above written. (Signed Edwd. Goodall. )” Note added) “buried at St Ellens and Parish dues 10d to me” |
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The Certificate of Burial in Woollen has an
interesting border: Skull and crossbones, hour glasses and sythes (shades
of the ‘grim reaper' here), picks and shovels, a skeletal figure with a
spike, a coffin, two candlesticks with burning candles and a corpse wrapped
snugly in a woollen shroud. The Acts of 1678 & 1680 were repealed in
1814, although they were increasingly ignored by 1770. (Note: In 1682 St.Ellen's
Chapel was nonconformist and there is no reference to the burial of Richard
Lyon, the subject of the certificate. Burials at St. Helens were not in
every case recorded in the Prescot Register). Richard Lyon must have been
buried somewhere, after all he was clad in the required ‘sheeps woollen'
shroud!
Ref: LPRS Vol.149 1665-1726 Rev. T.M. Steel; HSL&C Vol.89
(1937) Extract by F.A. Bailey.
Prescot church occupies a very ancient site and, because of this fact, from time to time, visitors, local or otherwise, ask if there is a secret tunnel. The enquirer more often than not having heard a legendary ‘tunnel' story passed down over the years. A popular version is about one leading from the church to “Cromwell's Cottage” in Whiston. The ‘Old' Whiston Hall, demolished in 1936, once situated in Pottery Lane, the site of which was to the east of the M57 motorway, was known locally as “Cromwell‘s Cottage”. The building, which resembled a large farm house, and built of grey stone, had an oak door with iron studs. Inside, an oak staircase led up to the bedrooms. A date of 1648 was carved in stone above a fireplace in one of the rooms when, apparently, a renovation of the house took place. On the right of the staircase was a bricked up entrance to an underground passage, reputed to have been about a mile in length and used by Cromwell's solders to gain access to Prescot church during the Civil Wars (1642-51). This would have been most uncomfortable for Infantry carrying pikes and muskets when access could have been gained very quickly above ground by forceful Cavalry on horseback bearing swords and pistols!!
Occupancy of the ‘Old' Whiston Hall during that time was most likely to have been the Ogle family. John Ogle (1558-1612), whose effigy stands in the church chancel, bought the Whiston estates in 1608. John's son, Henry Ogle (1586-1648), took no part in the Civil Wars but his son Cuthbert (1614-70) in 1646, resigned his commission in the Royalist Army and took the National Covenant, thus becoming a parliamentary supporter. So maybe a story about the house and Cuthbert's support for parliament led to the place being remembered as “Cromwell's Cottage” as, no doubt, he would have entertained other Roundhead supporters there. It was during the civil wars that Prescot church, on about three occasions, was used as a billet for prisoners and soldiers, some even stabled their horses inside. As the crow flies, a mile long tunnel from Prescot church would have had to pass under the churchyard, ‘The Wood', and an area we know as the “Old Carrs” (in 18th century a colliery), to reach Whiston Hall in Pottery Lane. Henry Ogle, and his son Cuthbert, owned a number of coal mines in Whiston and it is doubtful whether a passage of that length could have been engineered without encountering mine workings - that is not to say, perhaps there was an underground passage from the house to another source – an escape route by the occupants from Royalist troops perhaps – a feasible explanation of why a passage from the house had existed?
There is also the story of a tunnel from the church into Knowsley Park . The supposed route of this tunnel, passed under Church Street and what is now the car park behind Waterfields, under the St. John's Ambulance building, then High Street, and in a north westerly direction, under Park Road , the Knoll arriving at Riding Hill in Knowsley Park . (The hill is to the left of the Aerial Extreme in the Safari Park). Anciently, a 12th century chapel of St. Leonard of Knowsley stood on the hill, still being in existence in 1398 when Thomas del Ryding became Vicar of Huyton having previously been chaplain of the chapel. Sometimes known as “Ridding Chapel”, remnants of masonry in a circular space was still to be seen on Riding Hill within living memory. From the 15th century, the Earls of Derby had close connections with Prescot and were once Stewards of the Manor for about 200 years! Imagination lends itself to think that during times of unrest perhaps there had been an escape tunnel from the church to the Derby estate! Another plausible story, in connection with the Knowsley tunnel, is that it was used by poachers to gain entrance into Knowsley Park . Hardly an honest use of a church passage, secret or otherwise!
Is there any evidence of tunnels existing in the foundations of the church then? In a corner of the boiler house on the Church Street side, beneath the chancel, in an easterly direction, there is part of a low stone archway, and what looks like a bricked up doorway, but there is no indication of anything leading to it from underground. Whilst the ancient church site lends itself to our imagination of “what might have been” there does not appear to be any mention of tunnels/passages in historical data or literature about the church. However, romantic stories about the legendary tunnels with fascinating, exciting and embroidered details, which are still going strong to this day will, no doubt, continue to be told for years to come! (Refs :‘ Prescot Church Wardens' A/c's., 1635-63, Rev. T.M. Steel; ‘A History of Whiston', W.K . Blinkhorn ; ‘History of Knowsley Church', Mark Carr).
The ‘St. George' Window
This is the third memorial window dedicated to a member of the Evans family and is situated to the left of the list of Rectors/Vicars on the South wall. This colourful, and most interesting window, features a variety of figures. It is by Edward Woore of London and was installed in 1921 to the memory of Lt. Arthur Frederick Evans of the 100th Squadron of the RAF; he died in action, aged 32, on the 30 th October 1918 at Langres, Nr. Nancy, France. Born 1886, in civilian life he was an architect, the son of Arthur Frederick Evans, Colliery Proprietor of Prescot and Emily Mary Driffield, granddaughter of the Rev. Charles George Thomas Driffield, Vicar of Prescot 1815 - 1847.
The upper part consists of 3 panels:
Left: “Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane ”. The garden is the traditional site set among olive groves at the foot of the Mount of Olives , just across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem where Jesus went with his disciples to pray on the night of his betrayal and arrest. The window shows Jesus praying to his Father, when an Angel from Heaven appeared unto him and strengthened him. (Luke 22: 39-46).
Centre: “The Warrior, Faithful and True seated on a white horse - and in righteousness he judges and makes war”. The magnificent white horse is bearing in regal style the majestic figure of Christ the Conqueror. The horse is followed by the armies of Heaven on white horses ... and all His enemies will be destroyed. (Rev. 19: 11-14).
Right: “Christ bearing His cross”. After being tried by Pilate, Jesus is shown bearing his cross on the way to Golgotha , the Aramaic name for the place where Jesus was crucified. The word means ‘skull' and the Latin name Calvaria has the same meaning. (John 19: 13-17). The three figures in the upper panels represent Sacrifice and Victory .
The lower portion shows 3 figures, those of St. Martin , St. Michael and St. George.
To the left: Saint Martin of Tours born c. 316 to pagan parents in Hungary . His father was a Roman military officer and tribune. Martin was taken to, and raised in Pavia , Italy , where he became a Christian. He joined the Roman Imperial army at the age of 15 and was baptised into the Church at the age of 18. Living his faith he refused to have servants wait on him. Martin once encountered a half naked beggar, and with his sword cut his officer's cloak in two and gave half to the beggar - as shown on the window. After leaving military service he became a spiritual student of St. Hilary and in 371 became Bishop of Tours, France, although at times he lived as a hermit. Martin was a brave fighter, knew his obligation to the poor, shared his goods and became regarded as a Military Saint. He died in 397 at Candes, Tours . WWI Armistice fell on St. Martin 's day 11 th November 1918 .
Centre: St. Michael - an archangel - viewed as the field commander of the Army of God. Michael is considered to be the patron saint of police officers, soldiers, paratroopers and fighter pilots. The window shows winged Michael as an angelic warrior fully armed with helmet, lance and sword. He is standing over Satan - represented as a dragon which he pierces with the lance. He is mentioned in the books of Daniel, Jude and, in particular, Revelation 12.7. “... And there was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon …”. In late medieval Christianity, Michael, together with St. George, became the patron saint of chivalry. A chivalric order was founded in 1818, also named for these two saints “The Order of St. Michael and St. George”.
Right: St. George b.c.280 in Cappadocia , Turkey , was a professional soldier and a tribune in the army of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Diocletian, a pagan, was a bitter enemy to the Christians but George fearlessly complained to him for being cruel. For this George was put into prison, tortured and finally beheaded at Nicomedia Nr. Lyddia, in Palestine on 23 rd April 303 AD . He is a Military Saint and often portrayed on horseback with a lance and a dragon beneath his feet symbolizing the devil, which he destroys. This is a representation of George's faith and Christian fortitude for which he was martyred. However, on the window he is standing to the right of St. Michael. St. George is shown holding a lance and a shield which has on it a red cross with a white background. His tabard is also emblazoned with what we know as the ‘Cross of St. George'. George is not only the patron saint of England but of many other countries - his feast day is April 23 rd .
At the foot of the window are 3 Regimental Badges:
Left is the badge of the 89th brigade, 17th Battalion of the Liverpool Pals. It is an ‘Eagle and Child' an emblem of Lord Derby‘s family with the motto ‘ Sans Changer' =‘Without Change'. It was worn by the Pals in recognition of Lord Derby's role in their formation, after approval by King George on 14 th October 1914 .
Centre: Royal Air Force. This dates back to 1912 and features an eagle with outspread wings and head lowered, superimposed on a circle with the motto “Per Ardua ad Astra”= “Through Adversity to the Stars”. It is surmounted with an Imperial Crown.
To the right: A badge of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers showing a Red Dragon within a laurel wreath surmounted with a Sphinx of Egypt.
The foot of the window: To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of Arthur Frederick Evans Lt. 100th Squadron RAF born 30.3.1886, killed at Langres Oct. 30 th 1918 and lies in Charmes Military Cemetery , Nr. Nancy.
The cost of the window was funded by his mother, brother and sisters.
Index
The ‘Parable of the Pounds' Window
This splendid stained glass window, in brilliant and vibrant colours, is the second from the East on the South wall. It is a memorial window dedicated in 1888 to William Lees Evans, a loyal parishioner and churchwarden for 20 years. He was the son of the Rev. Joseph Saville Roberts Evans and his wife Elizabeth Lees Evans, whose memorial window, “The Nativity Window”, is to the left of this one on the south wall. William was born in Saddleworth, Yorkshire in 1833, and died in Prescot on the 21 st October 1887 aged 54. A colliery proprietor, mining surveyor and J.P., he married Elizabeth Glaister Lockwood on the 12 th September 1867 at Prescot church, but they do not appear to have had any issue. They lived in Fazakerley House in High Street.
The window was made by Messrs. Heaton, Butler and Bayne, of London , and installed in May 1888. It depicts the “Parable of the Pounds”. The subject being chosen because, as Canon Mitchell quoted in the Parish magazine of June 1 st 1888 …. “Mr. Evans was always on the lookout for opportunities of doing good, and so able to use them….The most fitting subject to perpetuate the memory of such a busy, useful, unselfish life as that of Mr. Evans, was the ‘Parable of the Pounds'.” (Luke 19:11-28).
It is based on the story Jesus told about the noble man who went to a distant land to be crowned king. Before he left he gave ten servants a pound each and told them to multiply it while he was away. His subjects sent a delegation after him trying to stop him from being crowned king, but he did get crowned. Upon his return, each servant was called upon to show how he had used the king's money. The first said he had made ten pounds and the king rewarded him by giving him ten cities to rule over. The second servant said he had made five pounds and he too was rewarded with five cities to rule. Then a servant who was afraid of the king and felt that the king was a hard man who reaped harvests he had not sewn - produced his pound, but he had not invested it. He had wrapped it in a cloth and hidden it. The king was enraged and took the pound off him and gave it to the one who had earned ten pounds. The king then ordered all those that despised him becoming king and didn't share his intentions of ruling the kingdom, should be killed before him.
The window illustrates this story admirably. The bottom portion shows the nobleman dressed in very fine robes beneath a crimson and gold canopy giving out the pounds before the onset of his journey. A group of eight servants stand near to him and the tops of the heads of the other two can just be seen behind the two to the left of the group. The top portion shows the nobleman after his return - (now a king) again dressed in lustrous apparel and seated on an elaborate throne with all the resplendent trappings, surrounded by the servants to whom he gave the pounds. Of the three figures on the left – the first one kneeling, the second one standing behind, are the ‘good and faithful' servants who had made good returns on their pounds. One of the four figures on the right is a servant holding a cloth within which he had kept his pound (the ‘wicked and selfish' servant) who had not bothered to invest it. Behind him is a man with a spear, and a helmet on his head - perhaps a member of the king's guard who would deal with offenders in the king's domain.
Jesus told this parable to His followers as they were approaching Jerusalem as they believed the Messiah would be a ruling king and that the kingdom would come at once. Jesus wanted them to understand that the kingdom would not be immediate and the parable tells of what people should be doing from the time He leaves them until the time He returns by using their talents and abilities to build His kingdom. Those who do not share an interest in the kingdom and do not share God‘s intentions will not be rewarded. The window was bought by parishioners with voluntary contributions at a cost of £183 17s. 7d. William Lees Evans' wife, Elizabeth Glaister (Lockwood) Evans had the magnificent reredos, behind the altar dedicated in her husband's memory in 1891.
The Nativity Window
Of all the stained glass windows in our church, the one that appeals greatly to children is the most Easterly window on the South side of the nave; the upper portion being “The Infant Saviour in the Stable at Bethlehem”. It shows the Holy babe lying in a manger in the stable, gazed upon adoringly by Joseph who is holding a lamp, Jesus' mother Mary, and three shepherds with crooks, who have come to pay Him homage. In the scene is a girl carrying a tray of refreshment, probably from the inn. The stable is shown as a cave which, according to some historians, is where animals in the Holy Land would have been kept, in those far off days. The lower portion is “The Announcement by the Angel to the Shepherds”. On a fine day, the sun shining through the golden splash of light around the angel, standing on a cloud, makes the window a dazzling and beautiful sight. Three shepherds with their sheep gaze in amazement at the angel and in the background beyond, across the fields, can be seen the little town of Bethlehem, (which is about 5 miles south of Jerusalem). It was in that town where makeshift accommodation, in a stable, served as the birthplace of our Lord. In Luke 2 v. 1-18 the familiar and wonderful story tells us about the scenes which we can see and enjoy in this particular window.
The window is a memorial to the Rev. Joseph Saville Roberts Evans (1801-61), M.A., and Magistrate, and Elizabeth Lees Evans his wife (1806-97). The window dates from 1901 and was funded by their surviving children. This couple were married by Licence at Prescot on the 22 nd September 1830. The officiating minister was the Vicar of Prescot the Rev. Charles George Thomas Driffield, M.A. who served the parish from 1815 until his death in 1847.
At the time of the marriage, Elizabeth Lees had been residing in Whiston. The Lees family originally hailed from Stalybridge in the Parish of Ashton-under-Lyne, as did the Rev. Joseph Saville Roberts Evans. The couple had twelve children. First, they lived at Saddleworth where the two eldest children Ann and William Lees were born. The next two *Thomas and Frances were born at Stalybridge, then Joseph, Elizabeth, Catherine, Mary Jane, Edward and **Arthur Frederick were born at Ashton-under-Lyne. The last two, Sarah and Alfred were born at Prescot, where the family came to settle in about 1847.
A memorial wall plaque in the chancel on the South wall next to the rood screen gives details about Joseph and Elizabeth: “Rev. Joseph Saville Roberts Evans M.A., of Queen's College Oxford, formerly of Stalybridge in the Parish of Ashton-under-Lyne but long resident in this town for many years – an active Magistrate in this and the adjoining counties of York and Chester, died at Hastings 28 th October 1861 aged 60, buried at Hollington. Also Elizabeth Evans died in Dorking, Surrey, 23 rd April 1897 age 91, buried at Hollington,” (Nr. Hastings).
During the lifetime of this family very close links were made through marriage into the families of two Prescot Vicars. Joseph and Elizabeth's son **Arthur Frederick Evans b.1846 (colliery owner of Prescot) married Emily Mary Driffield, granddaughter of the Rev. Charles George Thomas Driffield in 1876. Later, Joseph and Elizabeth's grandson, the Rev. George William Evans b. 1868 (son of *Thomas Evans b.1835, a cotton broker of Prescot), married Frances Lucy Mitchell daughter of Rev. Harry Mitchell, on the 4 th January 1900, at Prescot. Two more windows on the South wall are in memory of other members of the Evans family. Prescot was noted for having had a number of merchants in the town during the 18th and 19th centuries and the Evans family were certainly no exception. Their main home was Fazakerley House, (now a Dental surgery), Fazakerley Street, now High Street. Details of other Evans family windows will follow in future magazines.
Index
The Bold Chantry
The oldest part of our church is the North or ‘Vicar's Vestry'. Four steps up from the chancel floor gives access into the vestry - originally a chantry chapel built in 1410 - wherein vestments are kept and, at one time, parochial meetings were held. From the mid 14th to early 15th centuries, these chapels were built by local lords/gentry. A chantry was a special chapel within a medieval parish church where prayers were said for the repose of the benefactor's soul - and his family - from purgatory. The chantry would have maintained a priest to say masses. The Chantry Commissioners Returns of 1546 and 1548, at Prescot numbered three, namely, two Bold foundations and a Gerard chantry, dedicated to Our Lady, St. Katherine and the Holy Rood (Cross). In 1546 the Court Roll mentions a cottage in Trap Lane (Garden Walk) yielding an annual rent of 4d to the ‘Rood Stock'. Cattle hired out to townsfolk for an annual charge of 12p per beast, was an income for the chantry ‘stock'. In 1548, Edward 6th's Reformers passed a Chantries Act resulting in the suppression of chantries - these being considered ‘heretical', and the funds of the 3 chantry ‘stocks' which maintained the priests were transferred to Prescot Grammar School, founded 1544. (It was usual for a chantry priest to also teach in the local grammar school, probably Latin). At the rebuilding in 1610 only one of the three chantries survived, which now serves as the North vestry and deemed as being built by the Bold of Bold family. They were the most eminent family in the Parish of Prescot itself with an impressive annual income of £1,750. As well as chapels at Farnworth, and in Bold Hall, they had a seat in Prescot church and are commemorated here still by a bench end in the chancel showing the Bold Griffin - a remnant of “Mr. Bold's” seat, once situated at the south of Sir John Bold's chapel.
Two hundred years later, the Bolds still displayed their allegiance to the mother church. On a roof pendant in the nave, in gold lettering is “Sir Thomas Bold – Knight 1610.” His wife Briget's name is on the reverse - daughter of Sir William Norries of Speke. The couple died without issue. Sir Thomas was the illegitimate son of Richard Bold Esq., deceased, who had no issue by his wife but he, being Richard's natural son, held the Manor of Bold by conveyance. Thomas died on 3 rd September 1612 and his possessions passed through to his late uncle William's son Richard Bold aged 23. The old Bold Hall and estate exceeded 31,000 acres, which Richard rebuilt in 1616, a lovely building complete with moat. A new hall built in 1730 was demolished in 1936. Richard's coat of arms are displayed at the eastern end of the north aisle, above the Aumbry and bears a date of 1610 on top with his initials ‘R B' at the base. He married Anna daughter of Peter Legh of Lyme on 3 rd January 1612 at Farnworth. He died 6 th February 1635 aged 47. The white shield shows a black Griffin. ( Griffin = a mythological animal with the body, hind legs & tail of a lion, & head, ears, wings & fore claws of an eagle). The helmet above the shield is that of an esquire/gentleman, above which sits the Bold crest – a Griffin head with 2 wings displayed in gold. Folds of red material around the shield represent a cape worn by crusaders to keep the hot sun off their metal armour and helmet. Gold tassels either side of the shield being the ends of its fixing cord.
Next year we celebrate the 400th anniversary
of our present church,
but let us not forget the old Bold chantry/vestry,
which is even 200 years older!
The Leyland Window
The Leyland Window:-Quite recently, the Leyland window, facing North in the baptistery, has been the subject of interest to a number of people who have connections with the name ‘ Leyland '. It is indeed a beautiful window, designed by Edward A. Woore (known as ‘ Davie ') of London (1880-1960). The inscription at the bottom of the window reads:
“IN MEMORY OF JOHN & ELIZABETH LEYLAND
AND THEIR
SON JOHN, CHURCHWARDEN 1923-1934 AND SUPERINTENDENT
OF PRESCOT PARISH CHURCH SUNDAY SCHOOL 1918-1934.”
John Leyland, Churchwarden and Sunday School Superintendent of the Boys' Sunday School died in March 1936 aged 73. He left a bequest to the church “…the sum of £750 for a stained glass window in the Baptistery in memory of my parents…..” (John & Elizabeth Leyland). However, it seems that John's family decided to include his name also on the memorial window for his dedicated work to the Church and Sunday School. After John's death a Faculty for the window was granted on 28 th April 1937 . Almost 2 years after he had passed on, the window was dedicated on Sunday 27 th March 1938 .
The youngest of four children born to John and Elizabeth Leyland, John never married and lived with his sister Elizabeth, also unmarried, at 19 Atherton Street , Prescot. Until the age of 30 he was a watchmaker and by 1900 he became a bookkeeper at the Gas Works, Prescot. There were other families by the name of Leyland living in Prescot, but the Leyland window was donated entirely by John. He had two brothers: 1) Henry married to Martha Brownbill who, by 1901, had 6 children: Elizabeth, John, Thomas, Mary, Annie & Harry: and 2) Thomas William, but little is known about him. John's grandparents were Thomas and Elizabeth Leyland (master clockmaker) and his great grandparents were William & Alice Leyland (plumber and glazier).
Directly beneath this, the top 3 panels show Jesus in the temple with his disciples and young children with their mothers. They had brought their infants to him so he might touch them. The disciples rebuked the mothers for doing so, but Jesus was
much displeased and said to them “Suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for such is the Kingdom of God ”. Mark 10 v.13-14.
The bottom left panel shows St. Andrew with a child who is carrying 5 loaves and 2 fishes. Jesus had gone over the sea of Galilee followed by a great multitude of people, about 5,000. He told his disciples to feed them but they said: “Two hundred penny worth of bread is not enough”. One of the disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saw a lad carrying 5 loaves and 2 fishes and brought him to Jesus who blessed them and told his disciples to distribute the loaves and fishes to the crowd. This they did. After all had eaten Jesus told them to gather the leftover fragments and they filled 12 baskets. The crowd marvelled at the miracle they had seen. John 6: v. 1-14.
The bottom middle panel shows St. Christopher the one time Catholic patron saint of travellers. He is shown carrying the Christ child over a river. Legend says he was a Canaanite warrior called Reprobus who, in the 3rd century, became a Christian and was renamed Christopher which means “Christ Carrier”. He is depicted as a tall, strong, bearded man with a staff who wades across a river carrying a child on his shoulders. As he waded across, the child steadily increased in weight and was almost impossible to bear. When he asked the babe why he weighed so much, the child replied that he carried the world's sins upon his shoulders. The child was revealed as being Jesus Christ. On reaching the other side of the river, the staff used by the saint was miraculously transformed into a living tree, and Christopher became the patron saint of travellers. He was martyred for being a Christian. The Vatican de-canonized him in 1969 during a purge of certain ‘saints'.
The bottom right panel shows St. Elizabeth of Hungary , patron saint of Bakers, hence she carries loaves of bread in her folded gown as seen on the window, with a small child at her feet eating bread. Elizabeth was born in 1207 A.D., daughter of King Alexander II and Queen Gertrude of Hungary . She married Lewis son of Herman of Hesse, and devoted her time to prayer and works of charity, attending the poor and sick. In 1225 Germany was hit by famine and Elizabeth used treasury money to feed the poor. Her husband Lewis died young and his family turned her out of the castle leaving her destitute. Eventually, through help given to Elizabeth by the church, her dowry was returned to her and it was converted to the use of the poor, especially children. She died in 1231 at the age of 24.
When in church, do find time to observe the Leyland Window, which is a very pleasing one, and a fitting tribute to John Leyland who, for 11 years, served as a churchwarden and 16 years as Superintendent of the Boys' Sunday School.
Altar Rails
Altar Rails:- The altar is the most sacred part of the church and it is here where we come during the Holy Communion Service. It stands behind the rails and that area is called the Sanctuary . With the destruction of rood screens during the Reformation it was necessary to find an alternative protection for the altar from irreverent treatment by people and marauding dogs. So, in early Elizabethan days, altar rails were introduced. In some churches a dog whip, or a pair of tongs, was used to remove dogs and it is almost certain that Prescot had a dog whip for this purpose – probably brandished by one of the churchwardens when necessary – on the dogs that is, not the communicants! In a lot of churches, the rails stretch right across the chancel but because of the large parish Prescot church once covered, and congregations, the rails are staggered to accommodate more people at a time when they kneel for communion. At Prescot, the rails are returned westward in the middle of their length, giving kneeling space for communicants on three sides. Rails are mainly made from wood, but in some churches, 18th century rails are made from wrought iron. Prior to the fitting of the altar rails, which we are familiar with now at Prescot, the church had had a new set of 17th century rails made in 1635/6 by John Rigby of Wigan . Rigby made the other chancel furniture in black oak consisting of the poor box and 13 stalls with tip up seats (misericords) of which 11 remain, and the choir benches that bear a date of 1636 on the bench ends. This was all part of an ambitious programme of repairs and improvements during the time of Charles I. Altar rails were not implemented by William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury (1573-1645) as is sometimes thought, but he certainly encouraged their use to prevent the altar from being moved into the body of the church as demanded by the Puritans. Not long after Rigby's rails were installed, rumblings of unrest before the Commonwealth period of Oliver Cromwell, caused these new rails to be removed by a House of Commons order for their removal in September 1641 along with other church valuables. Prescot swiftly complied with this ruling in October 1641. By 1642 the Civil War was underway and Prescot was one of the 6 Royalist Garrisons. A regiment of 600 men was in the town and prisoners were kept inside the church 3 times. One can imagine what went on inside the church building during these troubled times and we can well appreciate the damage that must have inevitably been done to its interior. After Cromwell's death in 1658 and his son Richard's inability to keep law and order, negotiations went ahead for Charles II to be restored to the English throne. Amidst great rejoicing in the land, this resulted in the restoration of Anglicanism in 1660-62. Subsequent years saw the return of some of Prescot's church furnishings that had been removed in 1641. Whether or not the rails made by John of Rigby of Wigan had been lost, or more than likely destroyed, they were replaced by a new set of communion rails. These 17th century black oak, ring turned rails, were carved by Peter Marsh, a local joiner and positioned around the altar in 1664 where they have been in situ for well over 300 years. They match very well the earlier black oak chancel furniture made by John Rigby 30 years before. The rails are something that we at Prescot can enjoy and appreciate. More so when we think about how many hundreds of communicants have knelt to take communion at the rails not to mention all the clergy who have stood on the other side to administer the holy sacrament.
The Ancient Font at Prescot:- The Ancient Font in the Baptistery is the oldest item in the church though its base is modern. In 1850 it was given to St. Bartholomew's at Roby when that church was built and where it was used until 1874. It was then put out in the churchyard, later to be rescued and returned to its rightful home – St. Mary's at Prescot. The eventual return of the antiquity was for a very special reason. In 1891, Canon Harry Mitchell wrote in the Parish Notes for July ….. “The Ancient Font used in Prescot Church for a thousand years has been found. I have searched for it ever since I came to Prescot and have at last discovered it in the churchyard at Roby. The Vicar of Roby is good enough to renounce any claim he may have upon it in favour of its original owners, the parishioners of Prescot, and it will accordingly be restored to our Parish Church . It is by far the oldest relic now existing of the first church built on the Preste-cote hill, and I cannot understand how Prescot Church folk ever allowed it to be taken away. It is no work of art, being simply a block of sandstone roughly shaped and hollowed out, but the sacred use of which it has been put for so many hundred years ought surely to have made it a precious thing to those whose forefathers and upwards of thirty generations have been baptised in it. The Italian Vase Font, marble though it be, which at present blocks up the entrance to our Chancel, is not a Font according to the requirements of the Church of England.” (In 1891 the marble font was situated in front of the Chancel steps). Canon Harry Mitchell M.A., was Vicar of Prescot from 1886-1919. He died on 10 th November 1933 in Teignmouth, and Canon Mitchell's daughters, in his memory, restored the ancient font to Prescot in 1935. A new lid was carved for the re-dedication in 1935. The original lid had long been lost or broken but evidence of lid fitments can be clearly seen on the top rim where hinges and fastenings had once been. In 1236, a decree by Edmund Rich, the Archbishop of Canterbury, ordered that all fonts had to have lids on them to stop the pilfering of holy water which was used as a form of medication to treat boils, pimples and other minor skin infections. The Italian Vase Font was a gift given by Daniel Willis of Halsnead Hall, Whiston, in 1755. In 1757 a famous person was baptised in this particular font. He was John Philip Kemble born 1 st February and baptised on 16 th February 1757 , son of Sarah and Roger Kemble. The Kemble family at the time was with a troupe of travelling players and Roger is recorded as being a comedian. John Philip was born in a lodging house in Hillock Street , which was later re-named in 1871 as Kemble Street in his honour because he became a famous actor and playwright. Canon Harry Mitchell 1847-1933 and Mrs Frances Jane (Shipton) Mitchell 1851-1904 are both buried in Prescot Church yard. The gravestone is of pink smooth granite and situated on the right hand side opposite a path leading to the War Memorial.
Armorial Crests Above The Chancel Arch
Armorial Crests Above The Chancel Arch:- The two crests painted high up on the chancel arch are indeed interesting. From ancient times, warriors and rulers had adopted personal and tribal symbols. Jews, Greeks and Romans had definite and well established symbols. The main impetus of the Crusades which drew together knights from various countries to fight for the Holy Land needed identification for groups and individuals in battle and it was in the 12 th century that heraldry developed very quickly, By the 14 th century cities, towns, master craftsmen's guilds, colleges, countries, societies etc., etc., all had their own coat of arms. The shield on the left of the chancel arch is of the Diocese of Liverpool, founded in 1880. The first Bishop John Charles Ryle was appointed and installed in St. Peter's Church, the pro-cathedral in Church Street , Liverpool . Before that, Prescot had been in the Diocese of Litchfield, and from 1540 in the Diocese of Chester, the latter for some 340 years. The Diocese is the chief territorial unit of administration in the church, governed by a bishop and is sub-divided into parishes. In 1901, the second Bishop of Liverpool, Francis James Chavasse decided to build a Cathedral Church of Christ, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, which commenced in 1904, King Edward 7 th laying the foundation stone. It was completed in October 1978 and Queen Elizabeth II attended the service to mark the completion of the largest Cathedral in Britain . The Arms of the Diocese of Liverpool were granted in 1882. On it, at the top left on a blue back-ground is the open Bible to show that the basis of all Christian teaching in the Diocese was to be spiritual and was emblazoned with the superscription, “ Thy Word is Truth” albeit the letters are too small to be observed by the congregation at Prescot. The top right on a red background is a galleon which represents the maritime origins of the City of Liverpool . The lower part of the shield shows an eagle, the king of birds and part of the original seal of Liverpool going back to the time of King John in 1207 when he required a port for the conquest of Ireland . He granted letters patent to Liverpool , and the town adopted the corporate seal, the eagle of St. John , the patron saint of King John. During the Civil wars when Liverpool was under siege in 1644, the original seal was lost. In 1655 a second seal was made but due to the shortcomings of the design, the bird took on a cormorant appearance which later became the mythical ‘liver bird'. The Diocese eagle has a halo round its head depicting the Eagle of St. John. In the bird's right claw is an inkhorn (a tube for holding ink) which is a symbol of St. John's vision when he wrote the book of Revelation on the Island of Patmos . The shield on the right of the chancel arch is of the College of Our Lady & St. Nicholas, Cambridge , known as King's College, with which Prescot has connections. In 1140 the Lords of the Manor of Whiston, the Gernets, held the advowson of Prescot church (right to select a cleric) and profited from the rich tithes the large parish brought in. It passed by marriage to the Dacre family who sold it to the Neville family in Co. Durham, from whom it passed to John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster in 1391. It became a royal possession when it descended down to John's son, grandson and great grandson King Henry 6 th. who built King's College, Cambridge in 1444. To help fund the college (from the Parish tithes) he gave them the Manor and Rectory of Prescot and appointed a Vicar to run the Parish. Since that time, Prescot has been under the patronage of the College and the town adopted the College coat of arms. The town also had its own Court Leet. This was superseded by Prescot Local Government Board formed in 1867, which became the Prescot Urban District Council in 1895. The town continued to use the College Coat of Arms. The symbols on the shield are: Top left on a blue background, a gold fleur-de-lis = flower of the lily, a special emblem of the Virgin Mary. At the top right on a red background it a golden passant guardant lion, for strength and valour. This golden lion is also seen on the weather vane at the top of the steeple – visible for miles around especially on a sunny day! The lower part of the shield shows three silver roses which, according to some historians, have connections with King Edward I. King Henry 6 th builder of the College was of the House of Lancaster for which a red rose is the symbol. In Heraldry, roses symbolise England as well as: comfort, generosity and discretion. The Prescot coat of arms in the form of a badge set in a Rococo frame, and used to hang over the door of the old town hall in market place before it was demolished, can now be seen hanging over the door of No.8 Vicarage Place.
Many old churches would have had an Aumbry which is a cupboard about 1 ft. square and a place for storing sacred altar vessels, books, linen, holy oils used for sacramental rites and the Chrysmatory ( a small vessel) for containing holy oil. Some-times holy oil was used for anointing very sick people.
Most often built into the thickness of the walls, it is usually situated in the north wall of a church in the chancel or near to the altar in the sanctuary. In medieval times, relics were often housed in it. Relics being any personal part of a reputed saint, i.e., a souvenir held in reverence as an incentive to faith and piety. The Aumbry was also used with a locked door for the reservation of the blessed sacrament.
This method of keeping the consecrated elements of bread and wine has been revived in the C. of E.. during the last 100 years and the door and surround of the Aumbry sometimes can have elaborate decoration. There does not seem to have been one at Prescot, at least not in this present building.
The Aumbry at Prescot is quite ‘new' and can be seen set into the North wall at the Eastern end of the North aisle. Designed by a local Prescotian, Mr. Robin McGhie, it is in memory of Mrs Margaret Rowlands 1912-1999, who was a dedicated member of our congregation for many years. Most people will remember Mrs Rowlands, wife of the late Mr Arthur Rowlands. She is the mother of Margaret Rose wife of the Rev. David Rose, members of our church.
Our Aumbry has two doors, the inner door is a locked one. The outer door has a very pleasing design of an oval on a background of golden rays of light depicting the Trinity. Within the oval, a further representation is shown with the word ‘Alleluia' (Praise the Lord) appearing three times. They can be seen placed above and either side of a chalice - a communion cup which holds wine. Immediately above the chalice is a small circle representing the host (the consecrated bread of the Eucharist), which is a thin circular wafer of unleavened bread. Written on the wafer is the monogram IHS = the first three letters of the Greek word for Jesus.
Only the reserved consecrated elements of bread and wine are now kept in the Aumbry. They are used by our clergy and lay assistants/visitors when visiting those in hospital, the housebound or people in homes for the elderly/nursing homes, who wish to take communion. Also if the clergy is requested during the night to take communion to someone who is very sick, the consecrated elements are readily available in the Aumbry.
Situated on the wall to the right of the Aumbry is a lamp with a white light. When lit and left burning it indicates that the reserved sacrament is present in the Aumbry. In C. of E. churches it is usually a white light, whilst in the RC churches the lamp could have a red light.
Those of us who partake of the elements – the bread and wine - every Sunday or on such other occasions, appreciate it being a representation of our Lord's Last Supper. It is good to know that our housebound friends and others too infirm or ill to attend, can also have the benefit of the sacrament which is now kept in an appropriate place within our church. Until the gift of the Aumbry was given, it had to be housed in other places. Having known Mrs Margaret Rowlands, she is most likely up there in the heavenly heights, smiling and nodding in approval that a memorial to her is regularly being used in a most reverent and useful way!
By the time this article has been printed, our choir will have visited King's College Chapel, Cambridge . We shall also be in the season of Lent and approaching Easter Sunday, which was a very special time for our church choir in the year 1900. The choir, ever since it had been located in the chancel after moving from the singers' gallery at the western end of the church in 1879, had no suitable place for hats, coats and umbrellas. Up until 1900, they had never worn any uniform or robes of any kind. (The singer's gallery, accessed from the church tower, was walled over in 1879 and covered in white stucco plaster work. It is now painted - the tracery silver and the roses red).
In January 1899, Canon Mitchell decided it was high time that a vestry be built to provide facilities for the choir. Plans were drawn up and the Authorities at King's College Cambridge, approved the plans which the Vicar and Churchwardens had submitted to them. An appeal for contributions for the building was launched and on Tuesday 14 th March 1899, the first step towards raising the money took place in the form of a classical concert in the Parish Room, which raised £5 2s 4d, enabling the opening of an account into which subscriptions could be paid, at Parr's Bank, Church Street. (The building is now Prescot Museum ). On 6 th April, at a Vestry Meeting, plans and estimates were submitted for approval. Two tenders were received for the proposed choir vestry and Messrs. S. & A. Taylor's bid was the lowest at £199 0s 0d. This didn't include the cost of a safe for the large number of ancient and modern Registers belonging to the church, covering 3 centuries. The new vestry was to serve two purposes, one for the choir use and the other for the safe keeping of Registers and Tithe Maps. (Prescot Parish Registers are now at Lancashire Record Office, Preston .)
On 26 th September 1899 , a Faculty for the erection of a choir vestry to be built on the south side of the chancel was submitted to the Chancellor of the Diocese, and a subscription list was opened. By this time, the funds had reached £80 3s 4d Canon Mitchell had hoped that the building would be completed for use at the Christmas services, but hard frosts in December put a stop to the building being finished. At this point, £150 0s 0d more was needed. Eventually the vestry was completed and Canon Mitchell wrote in the March 1900, Parish Magazine – “It has long been a source of regret to many of our congregation that no uniform should be worn by those who lead the voice of common praise in the ancient chancel of our House of God. Our Reformers ordered the surplice to be used, not only by the clergy but also by all the lads and young men at the services in the College Chapels at Cambridge and Oxford . They also ordered them for singers in the Cathedrals. Of late, Parish churches have been steadily following out this example, and we in Prescot are almost the last to adopt the change.” Archdeacon Madden dedicated the new Vestry on the 4 th April 1900 . The choir wore the cassock and surplice for the first time at the dedication, and again on Easter Sunday 15 th April 1900 , and thereafter. The first Vestry Meeting was held in the new choir vestry on Thursday 19 th April. By May 1900, donations amounted to £148 13s 3d, so to raise money to clear the deficit a bazaar was held in November, when the choir stall raised £50 0s 2d which more or less cleared the monies outstanding.
The choir vestments are kept in the Vestry, i.e., Cassocks = plain long sleeved ankle length robes; Surplices = white linen, wide sleeved blouse like shirts which are worn over the cassocks. Our choir mistress Edna's surplice has split sleeves, a necessity when conducting the choir. At Prescot the choir cassocks are maroon, a colour that was introduced in the early 1950's and the boys wore white neck ruffs. Before then, the cassocks were purple, and the boys had stiff white collars with purple bow ties. Choir ladies in those days wore motar-board hats - as in academic dress - a cap with a stiff square top, in purple to match their cassocks. Nowadays, it is accepted as the norm to have ladies and young girls in a church choir, but this has not always been so.
In the medieval era, boys' choirs were popular because many of the better class schools were associated with the church and boys were trained for this purpose. The chapels at Oxford and Cambridge had choirs, so had Cathedrals and eventually all major churches included choristers. By the end of the 19th century most parish churches had a choir. Today we are fortunate to have a dedicated band of choristers with Edna as their leader, accompanied of course by Tim our organist. They are a necessary part of our church services and delight us with their renditions of sacred hymns and songs
The Church Chest:- Many churches today possess an old chest. In years gone by all churches were compelled by law to have one and in 1188, Henry II ordered all churches to use a chest in order to collect funds for the Crusades. In 1287 the Synod of Exeter commanded each church to have a chest for books, vestments, and to hold alms for the poor and the Crusades. ‘Saladin Tithe' was a land tax to help the cause for the Third Crusade in the Holy Land . It was collected in the churches in the presence of the parish priest until it was amassed in Salisbury all £6,000 of it. During the Reformation (1534) when parish registers were instigated in 1538, chests were once again required. Parish registers of baptisms, marriages and burials were first produced under the provisions of Henry VIII's Vicar General - Thomas Cromwell's mandate of 1538. The parish clerk entered details from notes, or memory, quite regularly. Early records, usually on paper and unbound, have not always survived and it was not until 1597 that the church injunction forced incumbents to use parchments bound in book form and to send a fair copy of entries annually to the Diocesan Registry. From 1754 marriage entries are in a separate book on printed forms. Baptisms and burials appear on standard forms after 1813. Hence the church was to acquire a chest with locks and keys where a register book could be stored safely. In addition to parish registers, chests were used to store money, accounts, wills, relics, vestments, or documents, plate and other valuables. The use of the right timber was important and, in the main, it was oak that was very strong. Some chests have interesting iron locks and bindings. More than one lock was used, each having a separate key kept by a different person, therefore each person had to be present before the chest could be opened. Church chests took on various forms and some very ancient dug-out chests still survive. They are squared up tree trunks, hollowed out by hand with an adze. The thick lids have clever iron locks. By contrast, some chests are covered with geometric carvings. The solid and heavy chest at Prescot is probably 16 th century. It is a boarded chest, made of large planks with the back and front nailed on to two ends with large iron nails. The two ends are extended below the bottom to form legs. These were necessary to keep it off the damp church floor. Iron straps strengthen the sides, back, front and lid and there are five strong iron locks. One for the Vicar and four for the churchwardens. The chest stands against the east wall of the south aisle. There is evidence that the chest has been repaired at some time. In the churchwardens' accounts *(1637-64) for c.1644 there is an entry which says, “paid for mynding the chest in the vestry – ls. 8d.” When the use of a wall safe came into being, the registers were no longer kept in the ancient chest. It is quite an inconspicuous piece of furniture and therefore, something that many people do not even notice! The chest is part of our church's heritage and at Prescot we must value it as there are certainly not many churches (except very old parish churches), for quite a few miles around, which possess one! The church chest is not to be confused with the Prescot Town Chest of 1597 – a fine looking chest with iron straps – which was taken to King's College, Cambridge in 1912 and returned in 1992 where it is housed in Prescot Museum . Ref: Prescot Church wardens' Accounts 1637-1664: Rev. T.M.Steel (RSLC)
The office of a churchwarden is a temporal office and he/she is fundamentally an officer of the parish. The churchwarden is the Bishop's representative and is appointed by the Bishop in response to the vote of the Annual Church Meeting. Those elected are part time volunteers, generally responsible for the day to day functioning of the church and are first and foremost parish officers and as such, are guardians of the Parish Church , its properties and funds.
The position of churchwarden is one of the oldest in the country. The ancient office goes back to the 12 th century, long before the reformation, to exercise certain informal secular functions in addition to their ecclesiastical responsibilities. By the 17 th century these duties had increased and they were responsible for the proper administration of civil affairs, care of the sick, relief of poverty together with the keeping of law and order which fell largely on church authorities.
The wardens were, and still are, the chief liaison persons between the parish and the incumbent and the chief administrative assistants of the parish. They work together with the incumbent and PCC and are responsible for all aspects of parish life. Not only must they work with and support the incumbent but at the same time, they must be available for any moans, groans, complaints, suggestions and comments from the congregation!
Prescot is somewhat unusual in having four wardens. By a curious survival, four churchwardens are still appointed at Prescot. Originally,within the ancient parish, they represented the fifteen different townships of the “Prescot side,” and the “Farnworth side” an arrangement which lasted up until the break up of the old parish which began in the mid 19 th century.
Because the office of Churchwarden held a respected position, a tradition dating from early times entitled them to carry a stave or wand. Used on special church occasions, such as processions etc., this gave recognition to their importance within the parish.
There may have been such staves in existence at Prescot in years gone by but in 1925 Prescot Church was presented with 4 Churchwardens' Staves by Mr. Richard H. Whitaker. Richard was a member of a well known local family who were Nurserymen and Market Gardeners at the Nursery in Knowsley Park Lane . He lived in a large house known as “Wollaton” in the Knoll.
The 4 staves (or wands) are clipped to the backs of the pews at the west end of the central aisle in the nave and the backs of the pews on the north and south aisles. They give dignity to the ancient and highly responsible office, only used on special occasions, such as processions, important church services and sometimes the funeral of a warden. They are made of light polished oak surmounted by a brass Maltese Cross, engraved on one side with a Madonna Lily and the name of the church. The Arms of the Manor of Prescot is on the reverse.
Wardens' staves were originally sharp pointed sticks which were used to prod people and/or dogs and were known as ‘prodders' in the 1600's. Insofar as the wardens were concerned, they were a ‘very handy thing to have' when dealing with rough churchgoers or maybe drunks who came into church or churchyard with the intent of causing disruption during services! As recently as a few years ago, one of the existing staves was used to deter an intruder in church. In the skirmish, the stave was damaged and has since been repaired.
At Prescot, as in past years, we are indeed fortunate to have four efficient churchwardens who work tirelessly carrying out numerous tasks to help and assist our Vicar and Clergy in the smooth running of the parish church. Should any members of the congregation misbehave however, it is possible that a warden – who is there to exercise law and order - may arm themselves with one of the available staves and give the offender a sharp ‘prod'! (The Vicar and Clergy had better watch out too!)
Most of us accept the fact that the churchyard is something that has always been there from time immemorial, but its origins and history is most interesting. A churchyard is the burial ground round a church maintained by the incumbent and churchwardens. The cemetery (consecrated 1935) is a burying ground owned and maintained by the local Council (now Borough of Knowsley). The original churchyard at Prescot was circular which indicates Celtic origins. The north side has long gone. In 1898, Church Street was widened and a memorial stone shows that 42 bodies were removed and re-interred at the Manchester Road end. The gates and churchyard wall, together with gravestones either side of the north door in Church Street , were removed by 1970. The memorials now form paving stones around the open aspect of the church. The remaining south side has a long pathway lined either side by lime trees which, from spring until autumn, provide a wonderful and delightful green canopy over the sloping path.
Historically, Prescot is known as “the church on the hill” - the first highest point from Liverpool in an easterly direction and, like all pre-conquest churches, “situated on high ground near a well,” the source of which has long since disappeared. The church spire dominates the skyline and no matter from which direction Prescot is approached, it can be seen rising majestically as a backdrop. Churches and churchyards in this geographical position are more than probably on land originally used for some kind of pagan ceremony. Eventual acceptance of Christianity saw such sites purified, the ground area being used as a place for building a church with a burial area.
In AD752 churchyards were established around churches. A bishop consecrated the ground, its four cardinal points being marked by wooden crosses, he would make a rough circular tour of consecration. A stone cross would have been erected known as a preaching or teaching cross and for most of the middle ages this cross would be the only monument to all buried in the area. Churches were built to the north of any central churchyard cross, the largest area, being to the south, where the sun shone for most of the day. The sun rises in the east, deemed to be the place of God's throne, and in this direction the head of the deceased is placed when interred. Man was deemed to live in the west whilst the north is where the evil spirits lurk; strangers, criminals, suicides, stillborn and unbaptised babies were (until 18th century) buried on that side, where the sun's rays do not linger.
In the middle ages, apart from the church, the churchyard was the most important place in a village or town. Even before the Conquest, in times of trouble people fled to the churchyard with their animals and possessions. The consecrated area around the church was considered inviolate from early times. The Civil War in 1642 was to prove the exception. At Prescot the churchyard cross was broken and soldiers were billeted in the church, at least three times, and horses exercised in the churchyard.
The churchyard was busy at most times. Strolling players enacted their miracle plays and musicians performed. On market days vendors and pedlars would spread their wares on the tops of the hollow table tombs. In 1927 it was observed that a grey ghostly figure drifted around the churchyard. A brave volunteer kept watch one night and did see the ‘apparition', which turned out to be a tramp who had been sleeping in a broken hollow table tomb every night! There were a number of these tombs to the south of the church where the war memorial now stands. The tops of them, since 1970, act as paving stones around the south side of the church together with other interesting flat stones which tell something of the deceased. Business was transacted in church porches, and so it was at Prescot in the south porch before 1818, in that year the north and south aisles were demolished and widened.
Lych gates were also a feature of the churchyard. ‘Lych' is a Saxon word meaning “corpse”. The Lych gate was a simple open structure with a roof, where the coffin would be rested and met by the incumbent before burial. There were two at Prescot, one off Butcher's Nook in Market place (removed 1804) - the other, (on a painting in the north vestry) in Church Street opposite the road leading into the bus station.
In 1787 the Vicar, Samuel Sewell, ruled that ‘the corpse of every person to be interred …shall be brought thither…. from 25 Mar. to 29 Sept. before the hour of 6 in the afternoon or from 29 Sept. to 25 Mar. before the hour of 4 in the afternoon or the interment of the corpse would be deferred to the day after.' (If any funeral party arrived late, did they take the body back home or leave it in church?).
All churches had a sundial to tell the times for services. They would be mounted on the south side of the tower or standing in the churchyard. Our sundial c.1730, replaced an earlier one, and is now in the Garden of Remembrance - where ashes are buried after cremation. It once stood opposite the west door of the church before the meeting room was built. Near to the sundial is perhaps the oldest existing memorial stone - that of Thomas Hatton, mason, age 42, buried 1677, with family members.
Memorials come in all shapes and sizes, and in a variety of stone. Some flat 18th century stones show cherubs and doves, while vertical lancet top Victorian ones have leaves and flowers. In 19th century tea caddy tombstones were fashionable which had an urn or bowl ornament on the top. A couple of these still exist and an obelisk type surrounded by a 3' metal spiked fence dates to 1870. Coffin like styles with crosses on top were a typical 20th century choice and there is a sundial memorial for an Atherton family, but no date. Many 18th century inscriptions are eroded and worn, depending upon the sort of stone used. The hardest wearing is granite, which comes in all colours, sandstone, marble, limestone and slate. Scrolls and various other shapes can be picked out amongst the remaining graves, many under mounds of leaves - families to tend them long gone. All denominations are buried in the churchyard, the place where past generations sleep.
God Bless them all.
A Credence Table is a small side table made of wood or marble, which is used during the celebration of the Eucharist. It is situated in the sanctuary of a Christian church. The credence table at Prescot is quite small, and is mounted on the black oak Jacobean panelling on the East wall, at the left hand side of the altar. It has a border about 4” deep showing a pleasing carved design of a grapevine. This is very appropriate because the fruit of the vine is used for making wine, one of the elements used to celebrate Holy Communion. (This wooden carved vine border is made from what was part of an earlier reredos at Prescot, date unknown.) Because our credence table is very small, when in use at the communion service, a false top is laid across it. This is covered with a fine linen cloth.
The word ‘credence' means belief and trust. It comes from the Latin word credendum = a thing to be believed; an act of faith. This sums up exactly what a Christian does during the celebration of the Eucharist when he/she partakes of the bread and wine representing the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ – a firm faith in the belief that He lived, was crucified and died and that He rose again and ascended into heaven.
Before the Eucharist starts, implements to be used are placed on the credence table. These are: a Host box containing extra wafers, cruets - two small vessels to contain water and wine, 3 chalices, 2 for the wine, and 1 for reserve, a paten to hold the celebrant's wafer and a bowl.
Special linens, which pertain to the Eucharist, are also placed on the credence table: the lavabo towel, the purificator and the pall (a small stiffened square covered in white linen), which is used to place on the chalice to keep dust and insects from falling in. Other chalice cloths, made from finer fabric, in the liturgical colour of the day to match the pulpit drop, book marks, altar front and vestment of the celebrant are: the chalice veil - to cover the chalice; the burse - a stiff folder about 12” square which holds a folded square white linen cloth called the corporal. The burse is used to carry the corporal to and from the altar.
Once the table has been prepared by our Verger, Mrs Jessie Dissado, she pours wine into the flagon (a jug like vessel with a handle and a lid), and places the Host (wafers) in the ciborium – similar to a chalice but with a dome shaped cover. These are then taken to the back of the church and placed on a small table until the Offertory when two members of the congregation are invited to take them up to the altar for consecration.
After the Eucharist Prayers, when the celebrant and people receive communion, he uses a white linen cloth called a purificator to wipe the chalice after each communicant partakes. Any remaining elements left in the chalices and ciborium are totally consumed by the celebrant. During the final hymn, the purificator is used to wipe the chalices and ciborium after oblutions, which follow communion. The chalice is covered with the pall, over which goes the chalice veil, on top of which is placed the burse with the corporal cloth inside. The vessels and linen are then returned to the credence table. After the Eucharist, and the server removes the vessels, the small credence table displays a brass Latin or Passion Cross; it has a long upright that is mounted on a circular base. The cross is a memorial to the eldest son of Canon Henry Ellis who was Vicar at Prescot from 1957 to 1962. A sad tragedy happened when his son, who was in the Royal Navy, was killed in an accident in February 1958. An inscription around the rim of the cross base says “ To the Glory of God and in loving memory of Lieutenant Michael Lawrence Ellis R.N. 1935-1958.” Also on the credence table is a brass bookstand supporting a red leather backed Service Lectionary ‘The Book of Gospels'. The cover shows in gilt, emblems of the four apostles: Matthew - a winged man, Mark – a winged lion, Luke – a winged ox, John – a winged eagle. The book is in memory of Eileen Lillian Hewitt (nee Rose) and her husband Joseph Hewitt. It is fascinating to know that prior to us partaking Holy Communion, there has been a serious and ritualistic preparation of the Host and wine. Sitting in the nave of the church, we are quite a distance away from the sanctuary and perhaps some of us might never have even noticed the servers going about their duties before and after consecration of the elements. Although we value very much being able to share along with others the celebration of the Eucharist, I wonder how many of us observe what is on the credence table and the altar as we approach the sanctuary and kneel at the communion rail? Have a look next time you take Holy Communion. I am indebted to our Head Server, Alan Williams, for his kind help and advice in preparing this article. Thanks Alan.
John Ogle, Gent , 1555-1612:- Our most dedicated parishioner never misses a service at Prescot Parish Church – he is present at them all. His name is John Ogle, sometimes inadvertently referred to as “John Ogilvy”!! Church goers at Prescot have gazed upon the life size effigy of John Ogle, set into the North side of the chancel wall, for nearly 400 years. Attired in simple early 17th century dress, the plaster figure, believed to have been formerly recumbent in earlier years, is in an upright position, albeit with what looks like a replacement pair of feet! No doubt the original feet having been damaged at some time or other – maybe during the civil wars of 1640's when the church was occupied by members of the roundhead military forces who damaged much of church furnishings. Behind the figure is the Ogle family motto: Veritas Vincit = Truth Conquers. The distinguished Ogle family originated in Northumberland, where they are documented in the 13th century. A branch of this family settled in Whiston in the early 15th century. A wealthy family, the Ogles were hereditary stewards of the Manor of Prescot and were stewards to Lord Derby for over 200 years. John Ogle, born in 1555/58, bought Halsnead Estate in 1608 and Whiston Manor from Sir Thomas Bold in the same year, and was Lord of the Manor of Whiston. John was married to Elizabeth daughter of Thomas Standish of Duxbury, Lancashire . The 1590 Religious Returns stated that “he goes to church but is not a communicant.” This indicates that John was a recusant (refuser) and didn't take communion in the Anglican Church. He certainly was not on his own as a large number of other people in Prescot didn't either. After Henry 8th became Head of the Church of England, they didn't attend ‘mass' when it was changed over to ‘communion'. By 1602-04, many had been obliged to conform to the Anglican rites. Maybe John Ogle did, as at that time Prescot was fortunate enough to have a very forceful Vicar, Thomas Mead, and, as the church fell into a dreadful state of repair, this Vicar roped in all the ‘recusants' and under the leadership of John Ogle, had part of the church rebuilt in the form of a fine 96 foot long nave with it's magnificent black and white Jacobean roof both of which can be seen today. The cost was £300 with John Ogle being the main contributor. John's family arms are the second set on the South wall of the nave with the date of 1610. He produced the Ogle Rolls in 1602 - family genealogy and other documents relative to Prescot. He also gave the sanctuary chair to the church in 1610 at the rebuilding and to also to mark the occasion of his son Henry's marriage to Elizabeth Whitby at Chester on 17 th July 1609 . John's name is on the front of the chair and the Vicar's name, Thomas Mead, is on the back. In 1632 his son, Henry Ogle, had the lease for Prescot Hall estate with its coalmines and also had lands in Whiston, Huyton and Roby. Henry married twice and had 22 children. John's other son was Colonel John Ogle who distinguished himself at the battle of Nieuport in 1623, and whose portrait is owned by Prescot church. He died without issue in 1640. John Ogle senior died and was buried on the 12 th September 1612 . Some sources say he was buried outside the church whilst others say he was buried inside. He may have lived in Whiston Hall (now demolished) that was situated in the vicinity of Whiston Lane/Pottery Lane . Records for the occupants of Whiston Hall are scant but he probably did live there at some time. By the mid 18th century the Ogle's seemed to have moved away from Prescot, as the family name no longer appears in the Parish Church registers. John remains with us, although he still doesn't take communion!
The Lectern:-The lectern is a reading desk in churches from which Scripture lessons from the Bible are read in public worship. From the lectern hangs bookmarks for the Bible in specific liturgical colours, which are changed during various times and seasons of the church's calendar. There are two types of lectern, figure and desk. Figures are generally made of brass or wood but desks are made from wood and occasionally of stone. In the 15th century, lecterns were usually the desk type but by the 16th and 17th centuries brass lecterns were made. Nearly all were in the shape of an eagle or pelican with outstretched wings upon which the Bible rests. The bird often stands on a ball which represents the world, while the Bible on the bird's back symbolises the Gospel being carried on its' wings to the four corners of the earth. Many churches have a 19th century lectern, mostly Victorian, made and presented as a celebration piece or memorial to someone. The lectern, being a moveable piece of church furniture, needed a strong base to keep it balanced, especially whilst supporting a heavy Bible. In 1539 King Henry VIII ordered that a Bible be placed in every parish church and that it should be in English. Because English Bibles were so rare, they were in danger of being stolen and in the 16th century were either chained to the lectern or kept in a locked Bible box for safety. Prescot got its first English Bible in 1540, by which time most churches had one. It was a new and exciting thing for the people to hear stories read from the Bible, spoken in a language that they understood. Prior to the Reformation the priest read from the Bible in Latin, which of course was not understood by most of the congregation. Before the Reformation in 1534, lecterns were placed in the chancel but after the Reformation they were moved to the nave. The present lectern in Prescot church was dedicated in 1897 as a celebration piece, purchased to mark the occasion of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee – her 60th year as our reigning monarch. It is a wooden lectern in the shape of an eagle and its bird form is beautifully carved and shaped. This lectern was first placed in front of the chancel steps in a central position. Before siting it there, it was necessary to remove the marble font that occupied this position and transfer it to the ancient and usual place for a font, by the North door. A photograph taken in 1909 shows the lectern still standing in front of the chancel steps but by 1921 it had been moved to its present position perhaps when the Rood Screen was dedicated in that year.
Mosaics either side of the East Window"
Mosaics either side of the East Window:- Looking at either side of the East window in our church we cannot fail to appreciate the two beautiful mosaics illustrating the delightful pictures made in that form, i.e., small pieces of glass, slate, metal or stone to form these panels. Although our present church building has been built for 400 years, the mosaics have only been hanging there for just over 80 years. In 1925, the church underwent a substantial redecorating programme, and a ‘modern' electric light system, plus other additions, one of which was: “Two panels to be placed, one at each side of the East window at a cost of £150 for the two.” These new panels replaced two old panels that had hung there probably since the re-building of the church in 1610. They were the “Lord's Prayer” and the “Ten Commandments”, being huge black panels with gilt lettering. These particular panels are still stored in the church tower where they have been since 1925. It is hoped, in the future, they can be restored and re-hung again in another part of the building as they are conducive to our church's historical heritage. It is not unusual today to see these same style text panels still hanging in chancels of rural churches throughout the country. It was more or less part of the ecclesiastical conditions after the Reformation in 1535 when ”images, shrines, and monuments of idolatry” were removed and wall paintings covered with whitewash. They were replaced with the Royal Coat of Arms and text panels such as those that once adorned either side of the East window at Prescot. The mosaic to the left of the window is “ The Good Shepherd” . There are many paintings with the same title but this particular image is a charming portrayal of Jesus in his role as our Good Shepherd gently holding a lamb. Jesus also has a shepherd's crook and is stood in a sheep fold. This indicates that we are all his lambs - he knows, loves and cares for each and every one of us. The crook is to bring us back if we stray and all strays are brought back safely into the fold. The scriptural basis for this idea is to be found in The Gospel According to St. John 10: v.11-16. To the right of the window is that of “ The Light of the World” . This is taken from an allegorical painting by William Holman Hunt (1827-1910) painted c.1853-4, and represents the figure of Jesus knocking on a door. In front of the door there are overgrown plants as though the door has never been opened, symbolic of the human towards the end of his life that now hangs in St. Paul 's Cathedral, London . Hunt was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood Movement c.1838, who protested against academic art of their time and advocated a return to the style of the Italian painters prior to Raphael (1483-1520), avoiding heavy shadows and painted on lighter backgrounds with brighter colours. We are indeed fortunate at Prescot to be in possession of these beautiful mosaics. Many churches have paintings hanging on the walls, but it is not very often that mosaics are part of the church furniture.
The Nave:- The spacious and lofty 96-foot long nave is a most striking feature of our church. It was built in the style of the Post Reformation with side aisles and singers' gallery at the west end. The magnificent black oak beamed roof is one of the best in the county of Lancashire . 11 roof trusses of alternatively hammer and tie beams support it. The brackets of the hammer beams, and the braces under the tie beams, are finely carved. On the first brackets either side of the roof (from the chancel arch) there are inscriptions; on the left, painted in gilt, is the name of “Thomas Bold, Knight” 1610, whilst on the reverse of this bracket is “LadiBrigit Bold, his Wyffe”. Sir Thomas Bold of Bold was a knight in 1610 when the church was rebuilt and he was married to Brigit Norris daughter of Sir William Norries of Speke Hall. The first bracket terminal on the right has an armorial carving depicting the arms of John Ogle Esq., it has to be pointed out to be seen because of the black oak wood. John Ogle, Lord of the Manor of Whiston, was one of the main contributors to the rebuilding of the church in 1610. Curved braces connecting it with the wall pieces and keeping the rafters fast support the tie beams. The bosses, in the centre of each plain tie beam, each have a different design. The centre of the roof is made up of a long run of plain black oak stretching the length of the Nave, and the roof rafters are of effective design, enhanced by the white plastering between, which forms the black and white ceiling. The design, like the fine carving on the brackets and braces, which rest on sandstone corbels, are in the Tudor style of decoration. In the middle strip of the ceiling are two large round holes, they were probably made when a huge 3-tier brass chandelier hung there in the 18th century. A sketch, in the vestry, shows a massive chandelier hanging from the ceiling which no doubt held a large number of candles to light the nave. Ox blood was used to obtain the rich blackness of the oak wood. When the church was rebuilt in 1610, James I was king and although from his time, (1603-25) fittings became known as ‘Jacobean', the roof in our church is in the Tudor style. The term ‘Jacobean' comes from the Latin origin of the name James meaning Jacobus. The sandstone octagonal pillars, supporting north and south arcades of five bays have plainly moulded capitals of one chamfered order. They represent perpendicular Gothic in its last phase. The five bays have broad, pointed arches, and the clerestory windows above them are in the Tudor-style of mullioned windows. [Clerestory means clear storey that gives light into the nave]. The present clerestory windows were re-glazed in 1871, as were the 11 small lancet windows over the chancel arch. Apparently, these were installed ‘back to front' by an apprentice but were later put right. The chancel arch was rebuilt in 1818 as was the fabric of the chancel and the chancel roof, which although not old, follows the Tudor work in its detail. The side aisles were widened at the same time and the present lancet windows replaced rectangular ones. The nave walls used to be painted with church symbols, the patterns for which, when looking at various photographs, changed over the years. During the mid 20th century the walls were painted over in plain colour wash and the two coats of arms, which we now see on the chancel arch, were painted on. All churches have seating but this was not always so. During early medieval services people either stood or knelt. It was only if you belonged to a ‘well heeled' family that you could have a seat! Prescot had pews installed in 1611 and pew allocation for gentry families had their armorial bearings on the walls above their pews. Some of these are shown on the nave walls whilst others are placed around aisle walls. In the 18th century people starting paying for seats and, after the church was re-pewed in 1879, a notice issued by churchwardens in 1889 stated that ‘Sittings unoccupied at the commencement of the 5 minutes bell shall be treated as free and unappropriated”! At the west end, the lovely plaster stucco work with silver tracery and red roses, a symbol of the Virgin Mary, cover what was once an organ loft and singers' gallery. Once a leading feature of church life, the fashion was to remove the whole lot and place it in the chancel. This took place in 1879 at Prescot. Every old church is unique with the atmosphere of devotion of people over many years. Although a great many changes have taken place since 1610, it is not just a showpiece but it is our privilege to use it and preserve it for posterity and also fulfil the true purpose of human life to love, serve and praise the Lord.
Prescot Parish Church WWI War Memorial
Prescot Parish Church WWI War Memorial:- Before and after Remembrance Sunday in November, there have been a number of enquiries about the names recorded on the Parish Church WWI War Memorial. The names are by no means obvious to those who are unaware of where they can be seen in church. It is amazing how many Prescotians, born in the 1920's onwards, who “have been told by family” about ancestors/relatives' names being “in church” but have never seen them. They know the names are on the Town War Memorial in the churchyard, but are not sure where to find them inside Church.
They are on the Rood Screen, a memorial to the fallen in WWI. The screen was dedicated by the Bishop of Liverpool, Francis James Chavasse on St. George's Day, Saturday 23 rd April 1921 . It was funded by voluntary subscriptions from the people of Prescot and friends at a cost of £942. 7s. 8d. Behind the screen the names are carved on eight small light oak panels, set into the back of the return stalls at the chancel steps. There are four panels on each side. The names on the panels are:
Left Side: |
||||
Ackers J. |
Burrows H. |
Conlin J. |
Ellison R.H. |
Gilgannon J.T. |
Airey J.F. |
Burrows T. |
Coulson W. |
Evans A.F. |
Gleave T.R. |
Allen H. |
Byron H. (S.L.) |
Corns J. |
Evans E. |
Gordon J. |
Avison A.D. |
Byron H. (KORL) |
Cowell J. |
Ferrisey J. |
Green B.C. |
Ashcorft F. |
Byron Harry |
Critchley C. |
Fillingham G. |
Green Hy. |
Baines H. |
Carney R. |
Critchley M. |
Finney A.H. |
Green R. |
Beardmore N. |
Caffrey C. |
Critchley Wm. |
Finney E. |
Greenall R. |
Beesley J. |
Carroll J. |
Cropper H. |
Finney F. |
Grogan J. |
Beesley W. |
Case W.F. |
Cullen D |
Finney T.E. |
Gregory H. |
Beadle J. |
Case Wm. |
Cundell T.R. |
Fisher P. |
Hall Wm. |
Berry C. |
Caslin T. |
Cunningham A. |
Forshaw J.E. |
Harding J. |
Birchall J. |
Chadwick T. |
Davies A.H. |
Foster H. |
Hayes F. |
Bishop T.H. |
Chesworth F. |
Davies Thos. |
Foster Wm. |
Hayes I.E. |
Boyer H.L. |
Chesworth H. |
Donnelly F. |
Fowley E.V. |
Hayes S.T. |
Bray J. |
Chorley Jas. |
Donohue W. |
Fowler J. |
Hitchcock F.H. |
Bridge J. |
Chorley J. |
Doward J. |
Fowler T. |
Hind H.H. |
Briscoe T. |
Clements J.M. |
Eccleston Wm. |
France R.A. |
Hollihead F. |
Brookes F. |
Cofield J.E. |
Edwards W. |
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Right Side: |
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Hopwood T.H. |
Lyon Wm. |
Pickavance J. |
Roberts D.F. |
Waine E. |
Hornby W.H. |
Maloney Jn. |
Platt F. |
Sharkey J. |
Waine Wm.F. |
Hornby Wm. |
Maloney Jos. |
Platt J. |
Sherwood A.J. |
Walton J. |
Hulme Wm. |
MacDonald J. |
Prescott J.R. |
Smith T. |
Watkinson A. |
Hyde W. |
Melia E.J. |
Prescott T.P. |
Stanley R.B. |
Whitaker H.C. |
Inman H.G. |
Moore W. |
Prescott W.H. |
Stead Jno. |
Webb R. |
Jaundrill W. |
Moss Jn. |
Prescott T. |
Stott I. |
White W. |
Johnson A.W. |
Morris J. |
Preston A.J. |
Stott J.W. |
Williams B. |
Jones J. |
Mutch R. |
Preston T.S. |
Taylor A. |
Williams I. |
Jolson F. |
Neve E. |
Qualters M. |
Taylor B. |
Wood H.E. |
King J. |
Nulty J. |
Richman J.C. |
Taylor J.W. |
Worth E. |
Kirkby A.J. |
Orton J. |
Range W.H. |
Thomas J. |
Wycherley Wm.W. |
Lea H. |
Orrett J.S. |
Robinson W.H. |
Travis G. |
Yates G. |
Leather W. |
Parkin F. |
Robinson W. |
Travis Jos. |
Yates J. |
Larkin T. |
Parkin Jos. |
Rooney Wm. |
Valentine J.R. |
Yates T. |
Leyland H. |
Parkin G. |
Rowed C.H. |
Vidler Wm. |
Middleton C.E. |
Lloyd T. |
Pemberton R.S. |
Roughley T. |
Waine J. |
Warbrick J. |
Lyon J. |
Pemberton T.W. |
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The names, submitted by Canon Lovett, to be engraved on the oak panels behind the proposed Chancel Screen were printed in the Parish Church Monthly Magazine of August 1920 and I very much doubt if they have ever been included in any Monthly Magazine since. I hope this list will be helpful to those who may wish to come along to see the names of their loved ones. However, if the name of someone known to you is not on the panels, and who did sadly perish in the Great War, it must be remembered that the names were carved some eighty-seven years ago when the administration of this fine memorial was in the hands of past church officials. There is an excellent website for the Prescot Church War Memorial Page for WWI and WWII on the internet. It gives details of some of those brave men who gave their lives for their God, King and Country.
The Pulpit:- The Pulpit is a raised enclosed platform from which the preacher gives the sermon. Every church today has a pulpit but this was not so in the Middle Ages. Instead the altar steps were used and occasionally the rood loft. Sermons were preached outside of the church on some occasions. There is only one reference to pulpits in the Bible: “Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood.” (Nehemiah, ch. VIII, v.4). Wooden and stone pulpits began to be a feature of churches in the 15th century. They were carved with tracery and sometimes elaborately decorated with figures. A tester or sounding board, fitted with an hourglass and stands, so that sermons could be timed, would surmount the actual pulpit - sermons in those days could be very long! Even today some old pulpits still have canopies or sounding boards so that the preacher's voice is carried more easily to the far end of the church - a good idea, long before the advent of ear trumpets, deaf aides and later on microphones! It was usual for the pulpit to have several sides, i.e., hexagonal or octagonal. Some stood on wooden stems while others stood on stone platforms. Christian churches throughout the world have pulpits of various shapes and sizes, some of which are very simple and plain whilst others are richly adorned and embellished with many forms of elaborate decoration. A canon of 1603 ordered that all churches should possess a pulpit. Sometimes it would stand against the first pier west of the chancel screen, either on the north or south side, but restorers loved to move them back against the screen. In an area where the congregations were large, such as at Prescot, the size and style of pulpits could vary. (Prescot in the 16th and 17th centuries would have had a huge pulpit because by 1584 it had become a centre for preaching exercises. By the 1630's Puritan influence had long made preaching and lecturing an important issue and the pulpit had become the real focus of attention in most churches. Often the big pulpits impaired the view of the chancel and seating was arranged for this purpose. The churchwardens' accounts for 1643-4 show that a new cover was bought for the pulpit cushion, and the pulpit was lowered in the same year. In 1656-78 new hinges were fitted on to the pulpit door and the whole thing was re-varnished.) Ref.Prescot Church Wardens' A/c's. 1635-63, Rev. T.M.Steel.A curate from the Ancient chapel at Toxteth, by the name of Richard Mather who was born in 1596 in Lowton, preached a weekly lecture at Prescot. He was known to have preached the puritan ethic before being silenced in 1633 for non-conformity, by the Church of England. Reluctantly, Mather left England in 1635 for New England , Massachusetts , and became the leading scholar of American Puritanism. He died in Boston in 1669. No doubt the hallowed interior of Prescot church had heard ‘hell fire and brimstone' being preached by Mather from the pulpit of the day! (The famous Cotton Mather (1663-1728) a hot American puritan preacher was the grandson of Richard Mather. He lived and died in Boston , Massachusetts ). When galleries were erected in churches in the 18th and early 19th centuries to provide extra seating for large congregations, 3 decker pulpits were the fashion. In them, the preacher used the top part, the reader the next part while the clerk sat in the lowest part. It was necessary to have such a high piece of furniture so that people sitting in the galleries could hear the preacher's voice. Prescot had galleries erected in 1818 and, at the same time, the side aisles were widened. The galleries hung between the sandstone pillars, underneath the arches, and protruded over the side aisles. A pencil sketch in the vestry shows the galleries and a massive 2 or 3-tier pulpit standing in the nave. The date of the sketch is unknown but it was drawn between 1818 and 1879. By 1879 the galleries, which had been erected to accommodate large congregations, were no longer required. All the 15 towns and villages in the vast ancient parish of Prescot by then had their own parish churches. The parish church of St. Mary 's just served Prescot town so the galleries were removed in 1879. In this same year, the huge pulpit and old pews were replaced with the pews and pulpit, which are in use today. Made of oak, the pulpit is hexagonal and the sides are covered in delicate perpendicular tracery to match the lancet windows. It stands on a neat stone stem and has wooden steps leading to the enclosed platform. On the top rim of the pulpit is a stand from which sermon notes can be read, and from where the appropriate liturgical colours hang, called the “pulpit fall”. Just one thing is missing – the hourglass! No less than 10 Vicars have preached from this late 19th century pulpit, some imposing, some feared, and many loved, plus numerous curates, visiting clergy, chaplains from other churches including King's College, Cambridge, and also bishops who would have been present at confirmation services and other special services throughout the years. May the focal point of our church continue to be used for many, many years to come and may all those who climb the steps to the platform to preach, be blessed with words so to inspire our congregation towards a closer living with Christ.
The Reredos:- a wall or screen at the back of the altar or communion table, often of a highly decorative character and an architectural feature in many churches. The reredos is usually in the form of a screen detached from the wall below the East window or extreme end of the church, adorned with niches, statues, rich tapestries or religious paintings. Many cathedrals have extremely ornate reredoses in tabernacle work with figures of saints and angels in the niches. In the 11 th and 2 centuries, the reredos was usually a screen of gold, silver, wood, marble, stone or alabaster. Many stone reredoses were destroyed during the Reformation. They depicted such things as the Passion of Christ, the life of the Virgin Mary and figures of the Apostles, etc. At Prescot, the beautiful reredos designed by Mr. C.E.Kemp, and carved by Mr. Gilbert, R.A., was presented to the church in 1891 by Mrs Elizabeth Glaister Evans in memory of her husband William Lees Evans. Mr Evans was a colliery owner and both he and Mrs Evans came from Yorkshire . They lived in High Street, Prescot. The reredos is a very fine example of a black and gilt wooden screen. It blends well with its more ancient surroundings. The centre panel depicts the Crucifixion with Jesus on the cross, his mother Mary in blue on the left and St. John in red on the right. Four O.T. prophets, two either side of the centre panel complete the main effect of the reredos. The left panel shows Esias (Isiah) and Jeremiah whilst the right panel shows Zacharias and Michaeus. St. John the Divine, (6 A.D.-101 A.D.) Evangelist and Apostle of Charity was a Galilean fisherman, son of Zebedee, and brother of James. He was first, a disciple of John the Baptist, then later one of the 12 apostles of Jesus. John alone remained near Jesus at the foot of the cross at Calvary with Mary and other pious women. Jesus regarded him as “the beloved disciple” mentioned in the last supper and at the cross and to whom he entrusted his mother Mary's safe keeping after his death. (John 19: 25-27). John took Mary into his care and they moved to Ephesus in Asia Minor ( Turkey ) where they both eventually died. Esias – Greek form of Isiah. He was a prophet of the 8 th century B.C. and lived through the reigns of four kings of Judah . A supreme prophet who told of an ideal ruler who was to come, a son of David, a Prince of Peace. The book of Isiah is the longest among the prophet books of the O.T. and one of the greatest. Jeremiah was a great prophet of the 7 th century B.C. He lived in Anathoth, close to Jerusalem . He began to prophesy in the reign of King Josiah of Judah c. 626 B.C. His life was bound up in the fate of Jerusalem over which he wept and foretold about the defeat by the Babyloneans. This happened during the reign of the last Hebrew king Zedekiah in 586 B.C. when they surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, (Ref. Psalm 137): Jeremiah prophesied they would return to Judah , which they did when Babylon was defeated by Cyrus king of the Persians in c.525 B.C. Cyrus set the exiles free to return home, allowing the Jews to rebuild their temple. Zachariah was one of the twelve minor prophets of the Hebrew scriptures. He was concerned about the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem and had vivid dreams of what the ideal city would be like,where God would dwell in its midst. Michaeus was a prophet of the second half of the 8 th century B.C. He came from the fertile lowland of Judah and spoke out against the oppression of the poor by the rich. He prophesied that Samaria and Jerusalem would be destroyed (which happened in 722 B.C.and 586 B.C. respectively). It is indeed a splendid reredos at Prescot with the well chosen prophetic figures whose writings tell us of the ancient and turbulent history of the Hebrews. Also the scene of Jesus' death on the cross with Mary and John present. In our church, the screen is not just a fancy item to look at when we take communion but a solemn reminder of why we are there, to share in a celebration of the sacrifice Jesus made to save us all.
The Rood Screen:-The Chancel Screen at St. Mary's was dedicated on St. George's Day 23 rd April 1921 . The Screen, made of oak is a memorial to those Prescotians who fell in the First World War. The panelling at the west ends of the choir stalls show the names of the men of the parish who had fallen in the Great War. In 1998 the screen was painted black to match the chancel furniture, with gilt edging and lettering. The lettering being: To the only wise God our Saviour be glory and majesty, dominion and power both now and ever . The cross or Holy Rood in the middle of the screen with crosslets on the 3 arms was attractively gilded and also the monogram i h s = the first three letters of the Greek word for Jesus, which can clearly be seen in the centre of the cross arms. This was not the first screen to be erected at Prescot as various sources mention that others certainly existed, but for what purpose did a chancel screen have in church architecture? It seem that historically, the chancel was the responsibility of the priest and nave was the responsibility of the people, so to divide them both, a screen was placed across the chancel arch – the chancel screen. In medieval times a figure of Christ's cross and often of the crucifix would be placed on a beam above the screen across the chancel. The supporting beam being the Rood beam. Prior to the Reformation the Rood (a Saxon word for the Cross of Christ) was the focal point of the church. The Rood being the great crucifix that stood on the beam or hung in the chancel arch. However, the Rood needed cleaning and the light that hung before it also demanded attention, so a loft was built beneath it. This stretched across the nave and was known as the rood loft. This loft was sometimes also used as a music gallery with a small organ and musicians on it. The lofts were above the chancel screen, usually structurally connected with it, in which case the chancel screen was called a Rood Screen. The rood lofts were reached either by ladders or stairs. Many were destroyed during the time of the young King Edward 6 th , son of Henry 8 th , and also in Elizabethan times and after that, during the Civil Wars of the 1640's. At Prescot, reformers removed the Rood screen about 1563. A replacement structure in black oak was erected in 1636 to support a small organ. The Puritans destroyed the organ in the 1640's. It is not know how long the screen survived but some time afterwards there came a screen that is shown on a pencil drawing. This illustration, done sometime after 1818 when the side aisles were widened and wooden galleries were fitted between the nave arches, but before 1879 when the galleries were removed. The sketch is described by a curate at Prescot (1902-05), the Rev. F.G. Patterson, M.A., as having four massive black oak uprights rising 19 feet from the base. In the two end divisions were 6 circular pillars (3 either side) with beautifully moulded plinths and caps supporting a moulded lintel of black oak. There is no evidence of a cross being supported by the screen. A lot of refurbishment was carried out in 1879 and maybe this screen was removed then. Photographs of the church interior, taken at the turn of the 20 th century, show no evidence of any screen, except for a rod projecting from halfway up each of the two sandstone pillars supporting the chancel arch. The rods both had a finial at the ends that lined up with the choir stalls. They could hardly be called a ‘Rood Screen'. So in 1921, Prescot saw the return of the Rood Screen and a very attractive one it is, without being too obtrusive in design. It has no doors or gates to shut out the congregation from the priest's domain as those screens did in the 16 th century. Maybe that is why the reformers pulled the early screen down?
A Verger being caretaker, attendant, preparing for all services including communion, changing liturgical colours, keeping the parish registers updated etc., having a knowledge of the church history, to name but a few of the responsibilities. She was always delighted to explain what her job as Verger was and to tell a story about the special emblem of office which she would proudly carry on certain occasions. This was the Verger's Mace - a virge -the ceremonial rod which a Verger carries. It comes from the Latin word virga meaning a staff, rod or mace.
The Verger's Mace at Prescot has an important connection with the Consecration of Liverpool Cathedral which took place on 19 th July 1924 . Prescot Deanery (one of twelve which made up the Diocese of Liverpool) had been asked to supply a Verger for the Consecration Service. Mr William Ashcroft was, at that time, the Verger and he had to carry a ‘mace'. Whether or not Prescot possessed a Verger's mace up until then is anybody's guess, but it was decided to purchase one for the occasion, which could be used in future at special events. The new mace cost £3. 3s. 0d. A mace is the Verger's emblem of authority and a new one was specially made and suitably inscribed for the occasion for which it was bought. The mace is a black staff approximately 3 ft. long surmounted with a silver collar tipped with an oval, pointed at the top. One side is engraved in the centre with a single Madonna lily, with the words – either side of the flower – St Mary's on the left and Prescot on the right. On the reverse side it is engraved horizontally with the inscription Liverpool Cathedral Consecrated July 19 th 1924 .
The office of Verger has its roots in the early days of the Church of England's history. Historically, they were responsible for the order and upkeep of the house of worship, including the care of the church buildings, its furnishings and sacred relics, preparations for liturgy, conduct of the laity, and grave-digging responsibilities! In those early days when the Verger was escorting a personage, the virge/mace might have been needed to keep back animals or an over enthusiastic crowd. It is doubtful whether Jessie, during her 30 years as Verger, ever had to put the mace to such use!
We do hope in the future that Norine Jones enjoys being our Verger and we look forward to seeing her carrying the Prescot mace, and clad in the Verger's black gown which is usually worn on special occasions.
Royal Arms in Churches:- The custom of putting royal arms in churches was introduced by Henry VIII after the Reformation in 1534, and are often found in older parish churches painted on walls, or panels as frescoes, or worked in stained glass or embroidery. Royal Coats of Arms of the Tudor, Stuart and Hanoverian monarchs can be found in many churches from the reign of Henry VIII until the time of Queen Victoria and have been a common feature of church decoration. Before that, in mediaeval times, the west wall of a church was frequently adorned by a painting of the 'Last Judgement' or sometimes known as the "Doom Painting". Depending upon the artist and style of the painting, it depicted Christ the Judge in heaven, the good nearest to him surrounded by angels and beneath his feet those doomed to hell plagued by skeleton figures. This was to warn the departing congregation of the necessity of paying heed to what they had been taught and professed and prayed for in their worship! In cases where no such painting was available, a crucifix served to remind them of the tremendous sacrifice by which their salvation had been won and warned them in the words of the New Testament "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation?" (Hebrews 2, v3). During the Reformation period when the C. of E. broke away from the Church of Rome, and the superstitious misuse of images and pictures were discontinued or painted over, these were replaced with arms of the Tudor monarchs. The Royal Arms were used to mark the king's authority and after Henry VIII became supreme head of the C. of E. they began to appear in churches by 1544, representing the close connection between the monarch and the church. A Royal Order of 1561 in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, instructed that all churches display a Royal Coat of Arms to symbolize the fact that the monarch was head of the C. of E. and to be placed over the chancel arch. Most commonly, surviving coats of arms date from after the Restoration in 1660 when Charles II came to the throne after 11 years of Commonwealth rule. At Charles' restoration an Act was passed by Parliament making Vicars and churchwardens liable to legal penalties if the arms were not shown and it became compulsory to display Royal Arms. At Prescot the first church furnishings to be renewed at Prescot were the king's arms and font stone. *In 1661 Churchwardens' Accounts: “Paid for hanginge upp the kinges armes and setting upp the font stone £0. 5. 0d.” Throughout the centuries, at Prescot, no doubt there would have been the reigning monarch's appropriate royal coats of arms displayed and we are fortunate to have one which has survived. It is that of George III and is now positioned on the South wall just left of the South porch door. Stored away for many years, this painting last year, was cleaned, restored and reframed, the cost being defrayed by the ladies 'Guided Tours' group. George III (1738-1820) came to the throne in 1760. He ruled for 60 years and died in 1820. A monarch, who quite unlike his Hanoverian forbears, loved England and was nicknamed 'Farmer George'. He had a strong religious faith and encouraged the starting up of Sunday Schools. His later years were badly troubled with ill health. In Great Britain, George III used the official style "George the Third, by the Grace of God, King of Gt. Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith etc." This particular coat of arms of George III was painted between 1760 ARMS of George III (when he became monarch) and 1800. In simple terms - the arms being 1 st Quarter for England and Scotland, the 2nd Quarter for France, 3rd Quarter for Ireland and the 4 th Quarter reflected the monarch's domains in Hanover. Supporting the Arms on the church painting: On the left the English Lion and on the right the Scottish Unicorn topped by a crown. The Royal Garter encircles the Arms as from the time of Edward Ill. Also on the painting beneath the Arms is the motto: Dieu-et mon-droit = "God and my right." When the Act of Union in 1801 united the Kingdoms of Gt. Britain & Ireland, George III dropped the ancient claim to the French throne. This caused the Royal Arms to change, thus removing the French quartering which can be seen at the top right hand side of the Arms. The quartering is Azure (blue) with three fleurs-de-lys in Or (gold). (The Union with Ireland continued until 1921 when, after great unrest in Ireland, the Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed giving Southern Ireland home rule. The U.K. was renamed the United Kingdom of Gt. Britain & Northern Ireland). However, it seems that Prescot continued to use George III's original coat of arms and didn't obtain a replacement. As part of our church's rich heritage, we can now enjoy viewing the arms since it has been put on display. Royal Arms are not be confused with Funeral Hatchments as seen in some churches. They are lozenged-shaped frames with the coat of arms painted on canvas of a deceased person. The hatchment was usually hung on the front of the deceased's house after his funeral for twelve months and then moved to the inside of the church where he worshipped, where he was patron, or where he had his estates. There are no hatchments at Prescot.Prescot Churchwardens' Accounts 1635-63 Rev.T.M.Steel (RSLC)
