"6 Thomas Worthington, a very throng place. "Thomas Walker, Sen'. a very throng place. "8 Thomas Podmore, not throng.

"9 Joseph Barlow, south side stone free."

These few extracts will, we think, be sufficient to convince the reader of the indefatigable exertions of these two curious sextons, to preserve such particulars, as would never have reached our time, had not they curiously, yet unwittingly, noted them down; but we have to lament, that many leaves of their volumes have been ignorantly cut away by wholesale, to light tobacco-pipes by the customers of the Grey Horse public house in Smithy Door, as we have been informed. What interesting matter may have been destroyed we know not; but in one of the volumes there is preserved a much longer account, and more interesting information of the lives of the early wardens, than we have yet seen, except the one which was in the possession of the late Rev. Joshua Brookes, and that we believe to have been a transcript of it, or derived from the same source whence it had been obtained. We shall at present add only one more extract from this singular work: it is in the form of an appeal to the generosity of the congregation, and exhibits great modesty and gratitude in the sexton, when soliciting pecuniary remuneration from them in return for necessary duties performed by him. We presume it was the copy of an annual notice which was given by the parish clerk to the congregation, of the sexton's intention of waiting upon them for a Christmas gift, as a reward for his labours.

"I am to give notis, that Philip Burnell the Sexton, this ensuing week intends to Weit upon you at your house, to receive your accustomed Contributions for sweeping and making cleane yo. Church, if you pleas to consider him hee will thankfully acknowledge it as a gratuity and encouragement to his pains therein."

At the west end of the church, against the wall on each side of the seats appropriated to the municipal officers, are tables inscribed with several benefactions to poor of Manchester, by divers charitable individuals, entitled,

the

Of the numerous benefactors whose names are recorded on these tables, many of them repose within the walls of the church: some of whom monumental stones records their memories; and nearly the whole of their names may be found in the collegiate registers in these records many of them are stated to be benefactors, while others are not noticed as such at all. The sum stated on the tables to have been left annually to the poor by Edward Barlow is L. 7; but in the registers it is there mentioned to be L. 10 per annum. "Buried June 20th, 1677, Edward Barlow of Manchester, Haberdasher, who left Ten pound p. ann. to the poor of Manchester for ever."-Coll. Reg. How this anomaly is to be explained we are somewhat puzzled!

CHAPTER IX.

CHANTRIES IN THE PARISH PART OF THE CHURCH.

ST. GEORGE'S CHANTRY.

THIS chantry is first on the south side of the church, and adjoins to the ancient porch. It was built according to Hollingworth, by one William Galley, some time merchant of Manchester, who died in 1508, and whom he states to have been buried in the midst of it under a small stone. But this chantry is evidently the one stated in the great Ecclesiastical inquisition, taken by order of Henry VIII. in the 27th year of his reign, to have been founded by William Radcliff, and at that time was worth L. 3 per annum, clear of all reprisals, arising from burgages within the vill of Manchester; and that Hugh Bryddoke was the chantry priest there officiating. On the dissolution of the chantries under the regency of Edward VI. a pension of L. 4, 12s. 8d. per annum was allowed to Edward Smyth, priest of St George's chantry.

It appears from the pleadings in the duchy court of Lancaster, that in the 2. Ed. VI. (1547) a Robert Fletcher held lands in Manchester, together with a field called the Acres, which was parcel of the inheritance belonging to the dissolved chantry of St George in Manchester, on which property Ralph Holland and others had been trespassing. And again the following year, we find the said Fletcher disputing with Henry Johnson, the title to a burgage in Manchester and Salford, belonging to the same chantry. This Fletcher had probably then become the lessee of the lands and burgages belonging to this chantry.

When, or at what period, this chantry was alienated from the Radcliff family, we have no information. But, however, by some mode of conveyance, it subsequently passed to the Browns; by which name it has long been denominated, and from whose descendants it was purchased by Samuel Wright, Esq. who afterwards conveyed it to William Hodson, of Driffield, Esq. from whom it was purchased by the churchwardens of Manchester, in April 1815, for the use of the parish, as we have before related.

In Hollingworth's time, the chantry of St George was used for the purpose of preaching the early sermon on Sunday mornings to the parishioners; and that

P Keurden, in his small quarto volume of MSS. p. 619, among his " Inquisitions and Decrees for charitable uses," has preserved the memorandum of a curious document, intended for the establishment of a fund to maintain two "preaching chaplains," and provide candles for "the great candlestic in the church for the deep of winter." But let us set his own words before the reader.

its chiefest ornament was a "statue of St George on horseback," to which he adds, "hanging up his horse, was lately in the saddler's shop." In all probability, it was there exhibited as a sign-board! Before the late alterations, this chantry opened from the south aisle of the nave by a single arch, under which was an elegant oak screen, similar to the one remaining in Stanley's chapel. The whole of the chantry floor is now covered with pews for the free occupancy of the parishioners, except the space taken up by the stairs ascending to the gallery, and an avenue leading to them.

MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTIONS IN THIS CHANTRY.

Against the east wall, adjoining the small window, is a mural monument of marble, having sculptured pilasters at the sides, supporting a cornice and a pediment. On the tablet is inscribed :

Within this Chapel lies interred GAMALIEL LLOYD, Merchant, who died 17th June, 1749, aged 72. His Father GEORGE, (son of GAMALIEL LLOYD of Mattersey, in the county of Nottingham GENT.) died 2 Aug. 1728, in his 78 Year, and lies Buried in the adjoining Churchyard. Their youth was spent in honest industry, to the benefit of the public, as well as to their own pri vate advantage, in age they retired from all other business but that of serving God, and being useful to their neighbours. Go-and do thou likewise.

GEORGE, son of GAMALIEL LLOYD, and of ELIZABETH, daughter of Dr CARTE, in his 69 year, placed this stone 1776.

"Church of Manchester."

“That Isab. Chetha, in lieu of her husband, did give 100 lb to be lay'd out on land, the profits to be given to 2 preaching chaplains, alow'd by the warden, and to the 2 clerks to furnish the great candlestic in the church for the deep of winter, and if no such caplans, to bind poor children prentice."

Ordered, that Jonathã Chadwic, Exc. to Isab., shall in 2 years buy an estate in fee simple, and settle the same in 2 months after, unto Edw. Holbroc of Manch", Esq' nic. Mosley, of Ancoats, Esq', Jo. Hartley, of Strangeways the Younger, W. Jacson, Michael Diconson, Jane, A. Diconson, W. Byron, and their heirs, within 2 y. paying the 100 b. to the churchwardens to purchas as aforesaid, to one to preach each sabath ensuing, and 20s. to buy candles yearly."

The extract bears no date: and, when we first discovered it, we imagined this fund had been appropriated towards the support of the chaplains, who preach the early Sunday morning sermons : but on further research we found that Isabel Chetham, the widow of George Chetham, of Chorlton Row, died and was buried at the Collegiate Church, 26th November 1650, a period long subsequent to the establishment of that service. And also on further inquiry, we were informed that the chaplains derived no emolument from any fund whatever, but merely remunerated for that service from the annual rental arising from the pews in the galleries. How this fund has been disposed of, it is not for us here to inquire.

On an oval tablet of white marble, placed below the above, and now partially covered by a screen, is this:

The above-named George Lloyd, the Son of Gamaliel and Elizabeth, Died the 4th of Decb', 1783, in his 76th year, and lie buried at Swillington, in the West Riding of the County of York.

In the pediment are the arms of LLOYD, Argt three lions dormant in pale sable.
On flat stones in the floor.

The following inscription we copied before the pews were erected :—
Hic Deposuit suoras Exuvitas Johannnis Carte M. D. xxix die Septemb.
Etat. XXXI.

Anno

Dom. MDCLXXXIV.

Et Saræ uxor ejus xxv die Martij.

William Holme, of Manchester, May 1st, 1741, Aged 63. Sarah, his wife, Augt. 21st, 1753, aged 71. Martha, his wife, June 24th, 1719. Mary, his dau. Novr. 11th, 1713. John, his son, March 24th, 1713. Sarah, his dau. April 13th, 1714. James, his son, Dec. 25th, 1715. Henry, his son, Feb. 16th, 1721. Charles, his son, April 28th, 1722. Willm. his son, Sep. 7th, 1736. Thos. his son, Dec. 31st, 1754. Richd. his son, June 14th, 1762. Peter Holme of Liverpool, Esqr. June 18th, 1779, aged 55. Eliz. Hodgson, sister to Peter Holme, Esqr. Novr. 21st, 1790, Aged 66. Jane Bower White, Augt. 27th, 1812, aged 26.-Dorothy, wife of Henry Worrall, Dec. 7th, 1779, aged 49.-Charles Hopkinson, Octr. 13th, 1745, aged 37. Ann, his dau. Janry. 20th, 1739. Robt. his son, July 4th, 1745.-Rich Clowes, July 21st, 1804, aged 70. Esther, his wife, Feby. 20th, 1767, aged 26. Dorothy, his wife, Sepr. 23d, 1823. Margaret, their dau. Apr. 24th, 1765, aged 10 months.

THE CHANTRY OF ST NICHOLAS

Adjoins to, and is situated on, the east side of the last, from which it is now separated by a glazed screen of Gothic work, usurping the place of a more ancient one of carved oak, which stood under the arch that separated the two chantries. It was formerly divided from the south aisle of the nave by two arches, the one considerably larger than the other; each had an oak screen within it, of elegant workmanship, and through a doorway under the smaller arch, was the original entrance from the church. A portion of the screen at the east end jutted into the south aisle, about the space which the front pew now occupies. The front of