The Crosses in Whalley Churchyard. 73 sentative of an ancient Irish family. The only issue by this marriage was a daughter named Penelope, wife of James, second surviving son of George, Earl of Cholmondeley, who died without issue in 1775. Wardley is now the property of the Earl of Ellesmere. The hall itself is an interesting structure, of the time of Edward VI.; partially surrounded by a moat, and constructed of ornamental timber and plaster, the interstices of the framework being filled with bricks. It is quadrangular in form, with a courtyard in the centre, the entrance being by a covered archway. The principal room has an ornamented wainscot, and a ceiling of fluted oak; in this room is also preserved a coat of arms of the Downes family-sable a hart lodged argent. Wardley Hall has been engraved in Philips's "Old Halls of Lancashire," and in other works. THE CROSSES IN WHALLEY CHURCHYARD. THE parish church at Whalley is one of the most interesting structures in the county. Its foundation dates from the earlier Saxon times, when Northumbria was an independent kingdom, and when York, the ancient Eboracum, still retained its importance as the metropolis of the North. The curious old document entitled the Status de Blackburnshire, preserves an ancient traditional account that the parish of Whalley was little more than a wilderness at the close of the sixth century; that it was remote from the usual centres of population, and almost inaccessible, and that it was " entangled with woods, and overrun with wild beasts." Notwithstanding these difficulties, St Augustine is represented as penetrating into these wilds and converting the inhabitants to Christianity. This record further states that he preached at Whalley, and, as a consequence of his ministry, a parish church was erected, which was dedicated to All Saints, and denominated the "White Church under the Leigh." It was then, also, that the three tall crosses were formed and erected at Whalley in honour of Augustine's mission; and that "after seven centuries these continued to be called the crosses of Augustine." After quoting the Status, Dr Whitaker very justly requires his readers to suspend their assent to "this ancient ecclesiastical story," since the "account is merely abstracted from a monkish manuscript of the fourteenth century." In his opinion there is no evidence whatever, nor even a probability, that St Augustine ever visited Whalley; whilst there is much to show that Paulinus is really the person intended. We know, from the authority of the venerable Bede, that Paulinus, under the auspices of Edwin of Northumbria, his illustrious convert, passed through Deira and Bernicia, preaching the gospel to the inhabitants, and baptizing great numbers of them in the rivers which intersect these provinces. His presence at Dewsbury was attested by an inscription on one of these stately and beautiful Saxon crosses. There is another of these relics at Burnley; and tradition "assigns with one voice" that the three crosses now standing in the churchyard at Whalley were erected to commemorate the same events. The writer of the Status, or some transcriber, must therefore have transferred the labours of Paulinus to Augustine, and thus in some degree has done injustice to the zealous missionary. The "obeliscal form and ornaments of fretwork," which distinguish these crosses, are characteristic of the state of art among the Saxons, Norwegians, and Danes; and the period of their erection The Crosses in Whalley Churchyard. 75 may therefore be placed with much probability about the middle of the seventh century, since Paulinus was banished Northumbria in A.D. 631, "on the death of his royal convert." Bede tells the story of Edwin's conversion with dramatic effect. There is the doubt as to the truth of the Christian doctrines-the hope that the power of the true God will aid him in his troubles, and the resolve that, if he be successful, then he would cast away his idols. Paulinus took advantage of this hesitation, and by confirming the sign of the hand upon Edwin's head, he brought the king to his knees in full determination that he and his should embrace Christianity. Coifi, his chief priest, was the next important convert; and after he had resolved to abandon the worship of Thor and Woden, he encouraged the people to imitate his example and learn from Paulinus. He then mounted the king's war-horse, and defiled the heathen temple at York by casting a spear into the sacred enclosure. He and "all the nobility of the nation, with a large number of the common sort," then "received the faith" and were baptized. Paulinus was appointed Archbishop of York, and soon after set out into the most distant parts of the kingdom, preaching, converting, and baptizing the crowds. who flocked to hear him. When we look upon these weather-worn crosses, we may imagine that we see the venerable Archbishop standing on the banks of the Calder, or at Bishop Leap on the Brun, surrounded by the rude inhabitants of the district, eager to be instructed in the doctrines of the new religion. He is said by Bede to have been "tall of stature, a little stooping, his hair black, his visage meagre, his nose slender and aquiline, his aspect both venerable and majestic." No wonder, then, that his fervid exhortations produced con verts by the thousand-they were awed by his presence as well as convinced by his arguments; and he was powerfully assisted by "James the deacon, a man of zeal and great fame in Christ's Church." It was fortunate that the mistake in the Status should have been investigated by such a competent authority as the historian of Whalley; and there is satisfaction in the thought that tradition has restored to the great" Apostle of the North" the honour of having banished the Paganism of the kingdom of Northumbria, and planted Christianity in its stead. WINWICK CHURCH. THE parish church of Winwick stands near that miracleworking spot where St Oswald, King of the Northumbrians, was killed. The founder had destined a different site for it, but his intention was overruled. Winwick had not then even received its name, the church being one of the earliest erections in the parish. The foundation of the church was laid where the founder had directed; and the close of the first day's labour showed that the workmen had not been idle by the progress made in the building. But the approach of night brought to pass an event which utterly destroyed the repose of the few inhabitants around the spot. A pig was seen running hastily to the site of the new church; and as he ran he was heard to cry or scream aloud, "We-ee-wick, we-ee-wick, we-ee-wick." Then, taking up a stone in his mouth, he carried it up to the spot sanctified by the death of St Oswald, and thus employing himself through the whole night, succeeded in removing all the stones which had been laid by the builders. The founder, feeling himself justly reproved for not having chosen that sacred spot for the site of his church, unhesitatingly yielded to the wise counsel of the pig. Thus the pig not only decided the site of the church, but gave a name to the parish. In support of this tradition, there is the figure of a pig sculptured on the tower of the church, just above the western entrance; and also the following Latin doggrel: "Hic locus Oswalde, quondam placint tibi valde; "This place, O Oswald, formerly pleased thee greatly; Thou wert King of the Northumbrians, and now of the Poles (?); Thou holdest the kingdom in the place called Marcelde" [Macer or Mackerfield]. There are other churches in Lancashire besides Winwick whose sites have been changed by the devil, and he has also built some bridges; that at Kirkby Lonsdale owes much of its beauty to the string of his apron giving way when he was carrying stones in it. The stones may be seen yet in the picturesque groups of rock below the bridge. According to some a priest, according to others the devil, stamped his foot into the church wall at Brindle, to prove the truth of Popery; and George Marsh the martyr did the same at Smithell's Hall, to prove the truth of Protestantism. The footmarks still remain on the wall and the flag. There is great sameness in these traditions, one story doing for several places, except that at Winwick it was as a pig, at Leyland as a cat, and somewhere else as a fish, that Satan played his pranks.-N. ana Q., vi. 71. |