Page:History of the Fylde of Lancashire (IA historyoffyldeof00portiala).pdf/444

 1606 the knight transferred his rights and lands in Lytham to Sir Cuthbert Clifton, in exchange for certain estates on the opposite side of the river Ribble. John Talbot Clifton, esq., of Lytham Hall, a descendant of the latter gentleman, is the present lord of the manor. Reverting to the Benedictine cell it is seen from an ecclesiastical valuation, taken in the reign of Henry VIII., probably about the time of the Reformation, that the annual income of the institution was derived from the following sources:—

"Cella de Lethum in com' Lancastr' Rad'us Blaxton prior Ibd'm

£ s. d. Situ celle pdce cum pt' pastur' & terr' arabilib 3 p annu               8  8 0

Redd' & firmis in divs' villis viz—villa de Lethum, £21 11s. 0d.;   } Esthowme, £3 7s. 0d.; Medholm, £7 2s. 8d.; Pilhowes cum Banke-*housse,} 12s. 11d.; Frekkylton cum Ranklysse, 7s. 3d.; Bylsborrow             } 34 15 6 cum Carleton, 13s. 0d.; Warton, Goosenargh & Kyllermargh, £1 1s. 8d. }                                                                       -                                       Total                           £43  3 6"

It is evident from the wording of the foundation-charter of the cell of Lytham that a church existed there at that date, and Reginald of Durham affirms that the grand-father of Richard Fitz Roger pulled down the original church of Lytham, which had been built of shingle, and erected another of stone, dedicating it to St. Cuthbert. This event must have taken place anterior to the establisment of the Benedictines in the locality, and is possibly related by the Durham ecclesiastic as a brief account of the stone church standing there when the grant of lands, etc., was made to his monastery by Fitz Roger. Amongst the number of historical fragments collected by Gregson is a notice to the effect that Thomas de Thweng was rector of the church of Lytham in 22 Edward III. (1349), and founded a chantry of twelve in the parish church "to pray for the good estate of himself and Henry, Lord Perci, and for the souls of their ancestors." Thomas de Thweng was descended from Lucy, granddaughter of Helewise, the eldest sister of William de Lancaster, and in 1374, very likely the year of his death, held the manor of Garstang. The edifice existing until 1770, when another church, also dedicated to St. Cuthbert, was erected on its site, was a low building, constructed of cobble stones, the walls being more than a yard in thickness and penetrated by five windows, one of which was