Page:The History of the Church & Manor of Wigan part 2.djvu/80

Rh having been formerly in the possession of the priory or monastery of Upholland. And there are in several townships prescriptions or modusses for small portions of land therein, all which were recognized and taken into consideration at the time of the commutation of tithes in the year 1839.

Having thus given the history of the suit corn mill, and the prescriptions for the great tithes of Upholland, Dalton, and Ince, which are all now left of them to the church, I return to Dr. Bridgeman's earlier days as bishop.

At this time the churches throughout the diocese had fallen into a sad state of decay, and we are told that he was greatly instrumental in getting them restored. He seems to have begun with his own, which was then in a somewhat dilapidated condition. On 9th March, 1619-20, he tells us that he agreed with the masons Edleston, Grimshaw, Hindly, and others, to build up the great east window and wall and the rest of the masons' work for so much of the chancel as belonged to the parson, and they covenanted to do all his masons' work for three score and ten pounds, which he paid them, and gave them an additional gratuity of £5. It belonged to Sir Peter Leigh, knight, and Roger Bradshaw, Esq., who owned the chancel aisles, to be at half the charge with the parson for the pillars and arches that divided these side aisles or chapels from the chancel, and they were not yet ready to undertake it.

The following record in the Wigan Leger seems to denote the beginning of a better understanding between the parson and the burgesses of the town. On 2nd May, 1620, "old William Ford, alderman, There were at this time, among the principal inhabitants of Wigan, two distinct families bearing the names of Ford or Forth, who were not related to each other, represented by Mr. William Ford of Swinley, and by alderman William Ford or Forth, respectively. On 8th September, 1620, Robert Forth of Wigan, with his uncle Ralph Forth, came to the bishop, who had given an order that there should not be more than three peals rung at any burial, desiring him to allow more ringing for his brother, Hugh Forth, who was now dead, and the bishop, not wishing to interfere with a general order, refused a greater number of peals, but gave permission that they should be rung for a longer time. On the same day old William Ford, called the goodman of Swinley, and Michael Ford, pewterer, of Scoles, came to him and, alleging that neither the said Hugh Forth, now dead (who was lately mayor of Wigan), nor any of his ancestors, were of kin to the Fords of Swinley, that the first ancestor of the said Hugh Forth who came to dwell in Wigan was William Forth, the grandfather of William Forth now living, and desired that he would not allow the said Hugh Forth to be buried in their usual burial place in the church, near to where the Font stands, for that it belonged to the Fords and not the Forths, and the first Forth was suffered to be buried there by the licence of the Fords of Swinley, because of the nearness of the names. It appears, however, that Hugh Forth was eventually buried there, and his relatives were allowed to take up a long stone which had been lately removed to near the south door, which they desired to set over his grave, because this stone had the name of his ancestor, with a pot cut thereon, as a token of his occupation, which was that of a potter, the said Hugh being also a potter. and his two sons, Robert and Hugh, and the two