SIR BERTINE ENTWISEL.

IN Roby's "Traditions of Lancashire" is given "the ballad of Sir Bertine, the famous Lancashire knight, who was killed at St Alban's, fighting for the glorious Red Rose of Lancashire." A marble tablet to his memory, erected by a descendant in the parish church of St Chad, Rochdale, states that he was Viscount and Baron of Brybeke in Normandy, and sometime bailiff of Constantin; that he distinguished himself in arms in the service of his sovereigns Henry V. and Henry VI., more particularly at Agincourt; and that he was killed at the first battle of St Alban's, "fighting on King Henry VI. party, 28th May 1455. On whose sowl Jesu have mercy." The story goes, that being summoned by Henry VI., to aid him against his foes, he went at the head of a body of his retainers, men-at-arms, spears and lances, to join the King, notwithstanding the entreaties of his wife and daughter that he would stay at home. In his absence the ladies were startled by various evil omens; the great bell of the hall tolled without human hands; fingers tapped outside the casements; heavy footsteps, as of an armed man, were heard upon the stairs and in the chambers; and these evil auguries received their solution in an aged man appearing at the hall on the third day, bearing the bloody signet ring of Sir Bertine, and telling his wretched widow that he was slain in battle, and buried in the Priory of St Alban's.

"The brave Sir Bertine Entwisel

Hath donned his coat of steel,
And left his hall, his stately home,
To fight for England's weal.

"To fight for England's weal, I trow,
And good King Harry's right;
His loyal heart was warm and true,
His sword and buckler bright.

"That sword, once felt the craven foe,
Its hilt was black with gore ;
And many a mother's son did rue
His might at Agincourt.

"And now he stately steps his hall-
'A summons from the King?

My armour bright, my casque and plume,
My sword and buckler bring.

"Blow, warder, blow; thy horn is shrill;
My liegemen hither call;

For I must away to the south countrie,
And spears and lances all.'

"Oh, go not to the south countrie!'
His lady weeping said;

'Oh, go not to the battle-field,

For I dreamed of the waters red!'

“Oh, go not to the south countrie,'
Cried out his daughter dear;
'Oh, go not to the bloody fight,

For I dreamed of the waters clear !'

"Sir Bertine raised his dark vizor,
And he kissed his fond lady;
'I must away to the wars and fight,
For our King in jeopardy!'

"The lady gat her to the tower,

She clomb the battlement;

She watched and greet, while thro' the woods The glittering falchions went.

"The wind was high, the storm grew loud,
Fierce rose the billowy sea;

When from Sir Bertine's lordly tower
The bell boomed heavily.

"Upon the rattling casement still

The beating rain fell fast,

When creeping fingers, wandering thrice,
Across that window passed.

"O mother dear! what means that sound
Upon the lattice nigh?'

'Tis but the cold, cold arrowy sleet,
That hurtles in the sky.'

"The blast was still-a pause more dread
Ne'er terror felt-when, lo!
An armed footstep on the stair
Clanked heavily and slow.

"Up flew the latch and tirling pin ;
Wide swung the grated door;
Then came a solemn, stately tread
Upon the quaking floor!

"A shudder through the building ran,

A chill and icy blast;

A moan, as tho' in agony

Some viewless spirit passed.

""O mother dear, my heart is froze,
My limbs are stark and cold :'
Her mother spake not, for again
That turret-bell hath tolled.

"Three days passed by; at eventide
There came an aged man ;

He bent him low before the dame,
His wrinkled cheek was wan,

"Now speak, thou evil messenger,
Thy biddings show to me.'
That aged man nor look vouchsafed,
Nor ever a word spake he.

"What bringest thou?' the lady said,
'I charge thee by the rood.'

He drew a signet from his hand;
'Twas speckled o'er with blood.

"Thy husband's grave is wide and deep;
In St Alban's Priory

His body lies; but on his soul
Christ Jesu have mercy!'"

GENERAL FAIRFAX BURIED IN ASHTON CHURCH.

IN one of his MS. vols. in Chetham's Library, Thomas Barrett, the Manchester antiquary, says :-" They have long had a tradition at Ashton-under-Lyne, that in the chancel of the church, the famous General Fairfax lies buried. How this came about I am at a loss to account for, unless done through privacy, to preserve his corpse from the ill-usage of his enemies, and that it was thus secreted through the means of Colonel Dukinfield, who served in the same cause with Fairfax in the Parliamentary army. Dukinfield Hall lies very near Ashton."

GORTON, REDDISH, AND THE NICKER DITCH.

ACCORDING to a tradition noted in Greswell's MS. collections for a history of Manchester-" The inhabitants of Manchester are said to have behaved themselves valiantly against the Danes when they landed about A.d. 869." Whitaker says, "The house upon the Gore Brook challenged the denomination of Gore-ton." An old MS. formerly in the possession of the Rev. Joshua Brookes, A.M., chaplain of the College Church, Manchester, gives

Gorton, Reddish, and Nicker Ditch.

27

the following tradition :-"There is now to be seen in Denton, Gorton, Birch, &c., a ditch called Nicko or Micko, which (tradition says) was made in one night, from Ashton Moss to Ouse [Hough's] Moss; such a number of men being appointed as to cast up each the length of himself, in order to entrench themselves from the Danes, then invading England. The land on one side the ditch is called 'Danes' to this day, and the place in Gorton called 'Winding Hill' is said to take its name from the Briton's winding or going round to drive off the Danes. The township of Reddish (anciently written and still locally pronounced by the peasantry, Red-ditch), adjoining to Gorton and Denton, is said to take its name from the water in this ditch after the engagement being red." Such are the older traditions. Mr John Higson, of Droylsden, who has given considerable attention to the subject, supplies us with the existing traditions of the neighbourhood. He says that the above appears substantially correct (ie., to agree with current tradition), except as to the hill in Gorton, which old residents call "Winning Hill," and the name is so written in old title-deeds. The tradition is, that the great battle was "won" here, and that the name was given to commemorate the happy event, which unbound the necks of the Saxons from the thraldom of the Danes. During the battle the brook running through Gorton (by traditional etymology Goretown or the Blood-town) is said to have been filled with human gore, and was thence styled "Gore Brook," which name it has certainly borne five centuries and a half. The vale running from Gorton to Audenshaw is "the Dane Wood." There are also "the Danes" in Gorton ; "Dane Head" and "Dane Shut" in Audenshaw. The two former are supposed to have been occupied by these invaders prior to the final conflict; and, after that en