| £ | 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 Bankehousse, 12s. 11d.; Frekkylton cum Ranklysse, 7s. 3d.; Bylsborrow cum Carleton, 13s. 0d.; Warton, Goosenargh & Kyllermargh, £1 1s. 8d. | 34 | 15 | 6 |
| 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.[210] This event must have taken place anterior to the establishment 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.[211] 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 situated at the east end, and the others at the sides. The main entrance was protected by a porch. From the scanty description preserved of the general features of this antique specimen of ecclesiastical architecture, it has been conjectured that its origin might be traced back to the time of Henry VIII. Within the erection the seats, which were of black oak, ornamented with scrolls, were arranged in four rows, two running down the centre and one down each side, whilst the north side of a small chancel was set apart for the choristers. The pulpit was fixed against the south wall; and the Cliftons possessed an old canopied seat, the precise station of which cannot be ascertained.
On the demolition of this church in 1770, its successor arose with a somewhat more pretentious exterior, having a low tower abutting the west extremity. The interior of the latter structure contained several objects of interest, amongst which may be noticed two tables fastened to the wall and inscribed as under:—
FIRST TABLE.
“Charities to Lytham church.
“1765.
“The honourable Countess Dowager Gower, one hundred and fifty pounds. Governors of Queen Anne’s Bounty, two hundred pounds.
“1768.
“Ryheads in Goosnargh, purchased with the above four hundred pounds. Thomas Clifton, Esq., added seven pounds per annum, to be paid of Bamber’s estate in Layton, to the old stipend of twenty pounds per annum. Governors of Queen Anne’s Bounty purchased six acres and three perches of land with the above two hundred pounds, from Barker’s estate; it adjoins Ryheads.
“1770.