institutions which existed in Liverpool, in 1775, the places of worship will be first mentioned. The Church of "Our Lady and St. Nicholas," usually called "St. Nicholas' Church," and occasionally "The Old Church," standing on the east side of George's Dock basin, and south side of Chapel-street, was a conspicuous object from the Mersey. It was formerly a chapel under the parish church of Walton-on-the-Hill, usually called Walton, but it is impossible to ascertain the time when it was built; it must, however, have been of very great antiquity. It has been already shown that it stood there in the 29th year of the reign of Edward the Third, (1356,) and it was probably there at a much earlier period. Liverpool remained a part of the parish of Walton-on-the-Hill until 1699, when it was elevated to the rank of an independent parish by virtue of the Act of Parliament of the 10th and 11th of King William the Third, chap. 36. The church was, in 1775, a plain Gothic building without any pretensions to beauty, with a square tower, on which stood a small spire. There was a neat-looking white tavern (Hinde's) then standing in the church yard, close to the tower, and between it and the spot, where the Gothic arch and the steps communicating with the lowest end of Chapel-street now stand. This tavern was of considerable antiquity, commanded an interesting marine prospect, and was at that period much frequented by respectable persons. It remained standing a considerable time after the commencement of the present century. In 1749 the church yard was enlarged on the west side, a space of ground being added, which is distinguishable by being on a lower level than the other parts. (1) Introduction, page 31; and see Appendix, No. VI. The ancient tower of the church had the small spire erected upon it in 1750, which is said to have been an illjudged measure, and one of the causes of a dreadful accident, which will shortly be noticed. There was a peal of six bells in the belfrey, which were ordered in 1724, in lieu of the old bells, and appear to have been first used in 1725.(1) In 1759 or 1760, a battery of fourteen guns (which remained for several years) was formed, for the protection of the town, in the enlarged part of the church yard, opposite the place where George's Dock basin now is, in consequence of apprehensions of an attack from an enterprising French commander, Monsieur Thurot, who was afterwards defeated and killed in action off the Isle of Man, in 1760. In 1774 the church underwent considerable repair,(2) all the exterior parts of the body were completely re-built, and some of the interior parts were much altered. On Sunday morning, the 11th of February, 1810, just as the bells ceased ringing before the commencement of Divine service, the spire gave way at the point where it joined the tower-part of the steeple; brought down with it a portion of the latter, and part of the roof, fell into the church, and destroyed twenty-three persons on the spot, and another died soon afterwards in the Infirmary: three of the sufferers were adults, and the others were female children of the Moorfields Charity School. Several persons had most providential escapes; amongst whom may be mentioned Mrs. Gibson, the wife of Mr. William Gibson, of St. Anne-street, who was in the church at the time; the Rev. H. Roughsedge, the rector, and the Rev. L. Pughe, the officiating (1) History of Liverpool, Anon: printed by J. M'Creery, Houghton-street, Liverpool, in 1795, page 114, the authorship of which has been attributed to an individual of the name of Moss: copies of it were also printed by R. Phillips, Castlestreet, Liverpool, of which one copy is in the Library of the Liverpool Athenæum. (2) Smither's Liverpool, page 24. G minister of the day, both of whom were on the point of entering the church. By the fall of the tower a curious font, with the following inscription, on the upper fillet of the octagon, was destroyed:— Nemo potest cœlum, sed Christo munere fontis nostri scandere.(1) On the face of the pedestal: It seems extraordinary that Peter Lurting, whose name appears inscribed on it as mayor, was not elected until 1663; therefore, if he acted as mayor, in 1644, it could only have been as deputy mayor. (2) In 1815 the present handsome Gothic tower and lanthorn were erected. In early times the image of St. Patrick stood in the church yard, and mariners going to sea used to offer up vows and prayers before it; but, with the decline of an ignorant and superstitious age, the image disappeared. (1) Troughton's Liverpool, page 63 and 75. (2) History of Liverpool, Anon: printed by J. M'Creery, in 1795, page 119. (3) There are some remarkable inscriptions in the church yard, as for example: one on a gravestone to the memory of Richard Blore, or Shore, (the inscription is a little obliterated,) of the date of 1789, lies to the south-westward of the church, and very near the sun-dial: "This Town's a Corporation full of crooked Streets, The rich wou'd alwayes live, the poor must die." Another inscription, conveying the same sentiment, but differently expressed, to the memory of James Scallion, who died on the 18th July, 1786, may be found on the south side of the church yard, close to the principal gate : : "This world is a bubble and all full of streets; Colonel Robert Broadneux, or Broadnax, an extraordinary personage, aged 109 years, was interred here. He was a lieutenant in the reign of King Charles the First; colonel of horse, and gentleman of the bedchamber to Oliver Cromwell ; a major and lieutenant-colonel under King William the Third; he retained his memory to the last, but lost his sight a little before his death; which event occurred on the 27th of January, 1727-8. He was born in 1617. His grave is opposite the south door of the church, and not far from the sun-dial. An inscription, much worn but still tolerably legible, on his gravestone, concisely mentions that "Colonel Robert Broadneux died Jany." [the day, if it ever were cut, is now obliterated,] "1727, aged 109 years." (2) Another, to the memory of "Rebecca, wife of William Brown, died on the 27th of July, 1786, aged 80 years" : "Farewell, vain world, I've known enough of thee, One to the memory of Mr. Henry Newsham, who was a member of a club called the Holly and Ivy Club, is remarkable for the conceit of commemorating his club :— "In remembrance of Henry Newsham, wine merchant, who departed this life 14th May, 1800, aged 65 years. "To Hollie and Ivy, Another, to the memory of a medical practitioner, of 1700, which may be seen near the gate of the middle of the south side of the church yard: "Here lyeth the body of Alexander Norres, of Leverpoole, professor of physick and chirurgery, who departed this life the 5th day of July, was buried the 8th, 1700." There are few inscriptions of considerable antiquity in the church yard, but the following, on the south side of the church, are of the 17th century : "Here lieth interred the body of Richard Maule, who departed this life 3rd day of May, Anno Christi 1695." 46 Here lieth intered the body of John Woodward, who departed this life the 2d of March, 1696." "Here lietht Richard Formby, the Son of Gilberd Formby, decesed the 11th of October, 1698." (1) Salmon's Chronological Historian, vol. 2, page 193. (2) In the History of Liverpool, Anon: printed by J. M'Creery in 1795, page From the church register it appears, that at the time of his death he was residing in George-street, Oldhallstreet.") Before the dissolution there were four chantries connected with this church, for prayers or masses for the souls of various persons. The earliest entry in the parish register which has been preserved, is dated in 1661. On the south side, a little to the eastward of an imaginary line, drawn from the south door to the north end of Stringers-alley, (now called Prison-weint,) and about half way between them, is the grave of Timothy Horsfield, who was the first parish-clerk after Liverpool was separated from 130, there is an erroneous statement respecting the inscription on the gravestone; the statement is as follows; "In the church-yard are two inscriptions on flat stones, that may not be thought undeserving notice; the one is near the erect dial, recording the death of Colonel Robert Broadneux, at the age of one hundred and nine, and relates the following singular anecdote: when he was about eighty-three years of age, having been attacked by a slight indisposition, he appeared to have anticipated his decease, and ordered his own coffin, in which, from that period, he generally slept, and had it rubbed and polished in common with the household furniture." It is not necessary to discuss here, whether so improbable an occurrence as that which is alleged to have been so related, ever took place. It is sufficient here to mention, that nothing of the kind is recorded on the gravestone; nor is there space for it, because there are other inscriptions on the same stone, mentioning the interments or deaths of other persons, and not more than a couple of inches intervene between the inscription mentioning the death of the Colonel, and the latter inscriptions. Besides which, the date of one of those interments or deaths is recorded on the stone as having occurred in 1757; consequently, the strange inscription above mentioned could not have been on the stone after that date; and it seems scarcely credible, that if it ever were there, it could have been obliterated, in so short a period as intervened between the death of Colonel Broadnax or Broadneux in 1727 and the year 1757. Under any circumstances, instead of its having been on the stone in 1795, no such alleged inscription can possibly have been there for nearly 100 years past. It seems to have been written in error by the anonymous Author of the History of Liverpool of 1795; an error which has been followed in Baines' Lancashire, vol. 4, page 98. (1) The following is an extract from the Church Register of St. Nicholas : "Burials, Anno Dom. 1727. "January 29: Robert Broadnax, Geo: Str: Gentleman." |