costes and charges to fynd an able prest of good honest convercacon and of good lerninge to synge and saye dyvine service within the sede Churche of Standissh, and to mynystre the Sacraments and Sacramentals to the paryshens ther at all tymes necessarye and requysyte during the said hole yere." Mr. Standish was also to pay all ecclesiastical charges and subsidies, chargeable upon the rectory and church, and to repair "al buildyngs that now ys standyng and repayre the Chauncell of the said Church during the hole yere as nede shall require, at his costs and charges, except yf any fall downe contrary to his wyll or mynde." He is to have haybote and housebote from the rectory woods for such "reparacon and hegynge" as he shall do to the parsonage, but it is to be delivered to him by such person or persons as Richard, bishop of Winchester, shall appoint (Standish Deeds, No. 193). The 12th June, 7 Henry viij. (1576), Thomas Ratclyff gives another lease of the rectory, this time for twenty-one years, to "Robert Standyssh, chaplain, and Ralph Standissh, Esq.," the same provisions as to the spiritual supply, &c., being made (ibid., No. 199). This lease was wrongly dated by Dr. West in his "Abstracts," and consequently by Mr. Earwaker in No. ccxxxiij. On the "xvijth day of the moneth of Septembr, A.D. 1535, I Rauff Standissh, Squier, beyng in perfite and gude mynde and remembraunce, make my testament in maner and forme as followeth." After leaving his soul to God, &c., and desiring that his " body shalbe buried in Standissh Church yarde in such place ther as I shall appoynt hereafter," he continues, "And I giff and bewheth to the new makyng of the said Church xl" (ibid., No. 221). This will, I take to be identical with the one which Dr. West dates as the 18th October, 26 Henry viij. (1534), as the rest of the bequests are the same.

D

The twenty-one years lease of 1506 having expired, "Peter Bradshagh, clerk, parson of the paroch church of Standissh," on the 28th April, 30 Henry viij. (1538), demises to "Alexander Standissh, sqer., and Sir William Bymson, chaplain,' the church, benefice, and parsonage of Standish, with all glebe lands, fruits, offerings, &c., belonging to the same, to hold from the feast of St. Martin in winter next to come, until the same feast in 1539, paying 45 for the term. Standish and Bimson agree with Peter, that he shall have and enjoy during the year at his pleasure, "the stockhay with the wood adjoining to the same; the beire croft and one acre of medow in the Berne medow, with all the holle Edeish of the said Berne medow, parcel of the said glebe lands," for which the rector was to pay them lxixs. viijd. Alexander and William on their part covenant to keep "all the housyngs and byldeyngs belongynge to the foresaid benefice and parsonage," as they "fynde them the day of thair entre ther at the sight of iiij endefferent persons chosen." They also agree that the Reverend Peter "shall have conveniente meite and drynke and lodgeyng for hym and his two servaunts and thair horsez at all tymes during the forsaid terme when he shall cume unto his said parsonage and benefice"; and they are also "to kepe hospitalite in the said parsonage duryng thesaid terme in the hous of God and to releve the pore people." This lease is signed by "Petru Bradshagh, Rectore ecctie de Standyssh et Eccliston" (ibid., No. 223).

One cannot sufficiently regret that Dr. West's "Abstracts" should have been so meagre, and one fears not always correct, as a good many of the Standish charters which he saw in 1771 have now disappeared. The inaccuracy is doubly to be deplored, as Mr. Earwaker, in printing his "Standish Charters" from that MS., has unwittingly perpetuated the errors.

ADDENDUM

While the foregoing paper was being printed Mr. Henry Brierley of Wigan kindly forwarded to the Hon. Secretary a copy of an interesting document bearing on the history of Standish Church. This is here printed by the kind permission of the Rector of Standish. The transcript has been made with much care and exactness by Miss Fanny Wrigley, whose painstaking work is well known to all the members of the Lancashire Parish Register Society.

29 die Octobris Anno R. Rne. Elizabeth 24° [1582] it is agreed as is hereafter expressed and declared by all such persons whose names are hereafter subscribed for and on behalffe of themselves and their tenants and others the inhabitants dwellinge or others havinge any lands or tenements within the Parishe of Standyshe to and with Robert Chernock of Astley in the Countie of Lancaster Esquire vidt.

Imprimis: That whereas the said ROBERT CHERNOCK is contented to take upon himself the charge and oversight of the buildinge and settinge vpp of the CHURCH OF STANDYSH for and on behalf of the holle paryshe accordinge to such proporcon and tyme for the mason work as is agreed vpon and sett downe in a paire of Indentures bearinge date with these presents made betwixt the said ROBERT CHERNOCKE On the one partie and LAWRENCE SHIPWAIE freemason vpon the other partie wherein the said Robert for and in the behalf of the said parishioners doth not only enter into divers daungerous covenants as well for the paymets of such somes of monye as also for the provydinge of all such things necessary for the buildinge thereof as on the said Indentures is more at large expressed but also doth enter into more daungerous bonds for the performance of the said covenants yf the said parishioners should not be willinge to do their duties therin such orderly and semely manner as they have professed.

In consideration whereof the said parties whose

names are subscribed doe promise and agree as well for themselves as in the name and for the holle parishioners afforsaid that they shall from tyme to tyme duringe the buildinge of the Church afforsaid as well themselves pay such somes of monye as is alreadye assessed as also by their good endevour procure their tenents and such as dwell within the said parishe to do the same at such convenient tymes as is alreadye agreed vppon that is to say that every person named within these rentallies herevnto annexed shall pay their houle rents therin conteyned within the terme of three yeares at every quarter of a yere a twelf part of the said rent vntill the holle rent be discharged begyninge at the Feast of St. John Baptist last past as also be readye with their cariags and draughts for the leadinge of stone lyme and all other things necessary for the same vppon reasonable warninge to be geven vnto them or to the surveighers of the towneships wher they doe dwell.

And further they doe promes that yf any of their tenents neighbours or frends within the said paryshe shall either not pay their duties imposed vppon them or not leade or carie stones lyme or other necessaries at such tymes as shall be likewyse reasonablie demaunded of them by the said Robert Chernock or by any other by his appointement that then yf the said Robert Chernock shall by dewe and ordynary meanes call them before the Right Honerable the Earle of Darbye or before my L: Byshopp of Chester or his Chauncelour ther to answere their contemptuous dealings then they shall not be offended therewith but fullie due . . . their consents that they who shall so refuse to doe their duties or shall [not] doe as is afforsaid shall answere their misdeameanours either before the said Erle Darbie or L: Byshopp of Chester or his Chauncelour.

And yf it so happen that eny pson so called before the said Erle or L: Byshopp or the Chauncelour by order of lawe and judgement doe discharge themselfs from payinge or leadinge as ys afforsaid that then as well the said Robert Chernocke shalbe allowed vppon his accoumpts so much as their payments shall amount vnto wherof they shalbe discharged and also that such leadinge and other work as they shall likewyse be so dyscharged of as afforsaid shall be rated and taxed vppon the rest of the paryshioners and all the chargs and expencs layed downe by the said Robert Chernock about the same shalbe allowed vnto him vppon his accoumpt wch the said Robert Chernocke is agreed by these prsents to make at any tyme when he shalbe called vppon by them whose names are herevnto subscribed or by eny three of them at the least to be assembled at the Church of Standysh afforesaid gevinge to the said Robert Chernocke one moneths warninge wher the said Robert Chernock his executors or assignes by sufficient warrant from him the said Robert Chernock shalbe readye to fynysh and discharge the same.