CHAPTER XII . tot (icars of &CobaVt. HE following long list of vicars is very nearly complete from the end of the twelfth century, and probably en- tirely so from the induction of Richard de Perebald in 1302 to the present time . The only possible hiatus since 1302 is between William Asheton in 1483 and Sir Gilbert Haydock in 1522 ; of course the former may have held the living for the intervening time, but it is just as likely that between these dates the name of a vicar is wanting. 1194 Geoffrey the Dean. About 1238 William de Dumplington . About 1250 John de Blackburne . 1302 Richard de Perebald. 1317 Thomas de Boulton. 1350 Ralph de Dewesbury. 1361 Ralph de Trumpyngton. 1369 Roger, son of William de Manchester. 1388 John Fitheler. 1402 John de Salley. 1403 Richard de Twysfeld. 1426 Henry Merland . 1455-6 Richard Salley, alias Smith. 1471 Thomas Brotherton . 1473 John Walton. 1483 William Asheton. 1522 [Earlier?] Sir Gilbert de Haydock. 1554 - - - - Richard Gorstelow. 1 557 - - - - John Hampson. 2 24 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF ROCHDALE . 1561 Richard Midgley. 1 595 Joseph Midgley. I6o6 Richard Kenyon. 1615 Henry Tilson. 1635 Robert Bath. 1662 Henry Pigot. 1722 Samuel Dunster. 1754 Nathaniel Forster. 1757 James Tunstall. 1762 Thomas Wray. 1778 Richard Hind. 1790 Thomas Drake. 1819 William Robert Hay. 1839 J . E. N. Molesworth. 1877 E. C. Maclure. The late Canon Raines left in manuscript an account of the vicars of Rochdale, which has been printed by the Chetham Society ; , from this volume a great portion of the following notices of the vicars has been taken . GEOFFREY THE DEAN, 1194. Geoffrey the dean of Whalley married 2 the daughter of Roger de Lascy, constable of Chester, and held the church of Rochdale on 2nd February, 1194 (and no doubt earlier) as is proved by a charter whereby Roger de Lascy granted the church to the abbey of Stanlawe . About the same time he is again referred to as the dean of Whalley and vicar of St . Chad's, Rochdale, in the deed in which William de Stapylton declared how he swore in the mother church of St . Cedde's whilst touching the relics of the holy saints there preserved and in the presence of the faithful parishioners, that he gave over a tithe of all his lands and of his forest in Sadelword to the mother church of St . Cedde, on condition that the vicar would grant to him that the divine office should be celebrated at his (William de Stapylton's) cost in the chapel of Sadelword ; securing that the mother church should not ' Edited by H . H . Howorth, Esq ., M .P . [Vols . t and 2 of the new series] . ' The Deans of Whalley were then allowed to marry [Status de Blagborneshire, &c .-Hart . MSS ., 1830, 16] . THE VICARS OF ROCHDALE . 225 suffer in any way and that the chaplain who chaunted at Sadelword should be subject to the parson at Rochdale .' This dean of Whalley held' Rochdale under the lord of Pontefract . Whilst he held the vicariate two of his sons acted as incumbents of Rochdale, but there is no positive evidence that either of them was ever actually vicar. Robert the son of Geoffrey appears to have, for a time at least, been incumbent of RochdaaTe. In more than one charter he is called "clericus de Whalley et persona de Rachdale." He granted lands in Spotland to Alexander de Spotland [see p. 75] before the end of the twelfth century,2 and Geoffrey the son of Geoffrey the dean, who married a daughter of Gospatrick de Samlesbury, held a similar position, as by deed he released to the abbey of Stanlawe all his rights in Rochdale Church together with the charter of the abbott and convent and the _confirmation of the bishop. There was also a Geoffrey de Buckley who surrendered one-third of the tithes of Rochdale which he had enjoyed by the permission of the dean ; he also was possibly a priest officiating at the parish church.3 Sometime between 1224 and 1238 Geoffrey the dean resigned into the hands of Alexander Stavenby, bishop of Coventry, the vicariate of Rochdale, whereupon the bishop consolidated and united the vicarage and the rectory, and appropriated the charge to the abbey of Stanlawe, reserving to himself and his successors his pontifical and parochial rights and the right of ordaining the vicar to the said church .4 Thus the monks became the owners of the great tithes and other rectorial rights . WILLIAM DE DUMPLINGTON Cire. 1238. This was the first vicar appointed by the abbots. He was insti- tuted by Alexander de Stavenby, 5 bishop of Coventry and Lichfield .6 His name is attached to deeds contained in the Coucher Book of Whalley as " Willo. vicar. de Rached," " Dominus Willo. vicario de Rach," and from the large number of them it is clear that he held the vicarage for some years. JOHN DE BLACKBURNE cirC. 1250. That he was the successor of William de Dumplington is placed beyond doubt, as he declared whilst swearing on the relics of the saints - Coucher Book of Whalley, pp. 146, 137. 'Do., pp. 294-7. 3 Do., 142. < Do., p . 143. $Alexander Stavenby became Bishop 14th April, 1224, and died ante December, 1238. 6 Coucher Book of Whalley, p . 145. 29 2 2 6 HISTORY OF THE PARISH OF ROCHDALE. that he would not claim from the abbots of Stanlawe as vicar of "Rached " anything but the land attached to the church which was duly marked out and which "Dominus Will'mus. his predecessor" had, to- gether with five marks of silver, to be paid annually which were reserved to the church by William de Cornhull, formerly bishop of Coventry and Lichfield, together with the tithes of the corn grown on his own land and of cattle fed on the same . , The last clause as Dr. Whitaker suggests, doubtless means that the glebe, when held by the vicar, was to be exempt from payment of tithe .2 Like the last vicar he was a frequent witness to the grants of land to the abbey of Stan- lawe, as was also his brother Adam . Neither the exact date of this vicar's appointment nor of his death or resignation is known, but he was either here for many years or there was a vicar of whom we have no record, or William de Dumplington may have held the living for a longer period than has been assumed . RICIIARD DE PEREBALD, 1302--1317 . He was instituted 9th December, 1302, on the nomination of the abbot and convent of Whalley .3 In 1306 he was fined twenty shillings for hunting and killing deer in Sowerbyshire [Errington Parkj.4 Nothing more is known of this vicar except that he died the Tuesday next before the exaltation of the cross [14th September], 1317 . THOMAS DE BOULTON, 1 3 1 7-1 349. His institution is recorded at Lichfield, 8 Kal . November, 1317, on the death of the last vicar . The name of " Dominus Thomas de Boulton" often appears as a witness to deeds of this period . In 1330 Roger Northburgh, bishop of Lichfield and Coventry, held an ordin- ation in the Rochdale Church .5 At the Preston Assizes Thomas the son of Adam de Turnage was charged with stealing at Butterworth two of this vicar's oxen worth ten shillings each .6 He died on the feast of St. Matthew the Apostle [21st September], 1349. 7 ' Coucher Book of Whalley, p . 144. - Hit. of whalley, ii ., 416. 3 Lichfield Reg. 4 Watson's Hist of Halifax, p . 74 . The name is given as Roger instead of Richard. s Lichfield Reg, 'Ass . Roll Lane . 7 Owing to an error in the Register of Lichfield, Whitaker and Raines both inserted the name of Simon de Cestria as vicar in 1319 . THE VICARS OF ROCHDALE . 227 RALPH DE DEWESBURY, 1350-1360. He was instituted 1 tth June, 1350, and either died or resigned .before the 8th December, 136o. RALPH DE TRUMPYNGTON, 1361-1369. On the nomination of the abbot he was presented to the living 9th January, 1361 . The date but not the cause of the vacancy is re- corded. On the 4th July, 1364, he had granted two years leave of absence, he being " a deacon" and holding the office of "penitentiary ." Giles and Roger de Trumpyngton both appear as attesting witnesses to grants from Henry and John de Lascy.l He resigned the living 28th December, 1369. ROGER THE SON OF WILLIAM DE MANCHESTER, 1369-1388. Was appointed in February, 1369, on the resignation of the previous vicar.2 Amongst the deeds of Agecroft Hall is an "inspeximus" of the record of a trial at Lancaster between John, duke of Lancaster, and Robert de Holland from which it appears that in 1388, Robert de Holland and others assaulted the reapers of the vicar whilst reaping the corn and prevented their continuing their work, and that at the same time they went to the . vill of Castleton armed with bows and arrows, and there broke the windows of the vicarage and drove the vicar from his house, so that neither the vicar nor his servants dare return until they had paid a fine of two marks. In this deed the vicar is called Roger del Lache.3 He is also so styled in two or three other deeds of about the same date .4 He left Rochdale on his appointment to the rectory of Radcliffe in Lancashire 18th November, 1388 . JOHN FITIIELEK, 1388-1402. He was appointed on the resignation of the last vicar 18th Novem- ber, 1388.