of Aughton, four miles from Lancaster, and the congregation of Arkholme (separated from the parish church of Melling by the river Lune, "which they cannot pass without danger of life"), may be separated from their respective parishes and united to the congregation and church of Gressingham.

In 1734 a brief was directed to Milnrow Church, near Rochdale, for the collection of money for the restoration of Gressingham Church. It was then restored, and was further altered by Messrs. Paley and Austin in 1862.

So much for the history of the parish, and now for a description of the church itself and its surroundings. It

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is dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, and is in the main in the Perpendicular style of architecture. The most interesting feature of the church is the fine Norman south porch, of which an illustration is given (p. 262), and (for purposes of comparison) two illustrations of a similar doorway in the old church of Overton, near to Heysham and the mouth of the Lune.

Gressingham Church consists of a chancel, a nave of three bays with clerestory, north aisle, and a western

tower. This tower contains one bell, bearing the following inscription: “Gloria in excelsis deo. Thomas Williamson Warden 1740, Luke Ashton, Wiggan".

There is an interesting eighteenth-century pulpit, with an inscription: “R. T. 1714", with a Tudor rose between the two letters. This was given by, or was commemorative of, the Rev. Richard Thompson, one of the Vicars of Gressingham.

The church contains three or four brasses, of which the following is the most interesting :--

"Neare this Pillar

lieth the Body of old Robert
Eskriggee of Eskrigge and
Richard his son and Robert
his grandson Robert
Eskrigge of Winnick Clerk.
fixed me here and Richard
and Robert their heires
now appeare 1696.
Non imagina loquamur sed vivunt."

On the floor of the central aisle is a handsome flat tombstone to one of the Pearsons of Storrs Hall, in this parish; whose representative, Mr. F. Fenwick Pearson, still resides at Storrs Hall, and is the owner of the great tithes of Gressingham.

Over the door on the south side of the church is the portion of a quaint old organ, of diminutive size, which formerly did duty in this country church. The font is plain, and may be ancient. It is placed under the tower at the west end of the church. In the vestry is a fine old oak chest and two old oak chairs.

The south aisle of the church is disfigured by an unsightly modern tomb, to the memory of a member of the Marton family of Capernwray Hall.

By a natural transition we pass from the church to a brief account of some of those who have ministered there.

The earliest curate of Gressingham of whom I can find any trace is John Fawcett, whose will, proved at Richmond in 1590, is preserved at Somerset House; as is also the administration of his successor, James Thornton, who died in 1638. During the Commonwealth period John Syll was the "painful minister", as he is quaintly described in the records of the time. Another Commonwealth minister was Henry Kidson, who died as vicar of the adjoining parish of Claughton. He was succeeded by Richard Thompson, mentioned above, whose will was proved in 1724. To him followed Alexander Bagott, B. A., of Christ's College, Cambridge, who lies interred with his wife and son at the east end of the church of Gressingham, where he ministered for thirty-four years. Close to him lies his successor, Robert Armitstead, also

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incumbent of Claughton. In 1807 John Atkinson, possibly of Clare Hall, Cambridge, became curate, and was followed in 1808 by Richard Davis. He was succeeded by William Nelson, schoolmaster at Kellett, whose tomb is found on the north wall of the church at the east end. He was eighteen years vicar, and was followed in 1838 and 1859 respectively by William Stratton, father and son, both of whom lie buried in the churchyard close to the last vicar, Mr. Maynard, of Trinity College, Dublin, who only died last year, and was succeeded by the present vicar, the Rev. Thomas Mercer.

Among other points of interest in the village and neighbourhood may be mentioned a cell near the vicarage, once the residence of a hermit, retaining the ancient windows. Another striking feature is Mr. Pearson's residence at Storrs Hall, and a curious inscription over the door there in Latin which may be thus interpreted: "It is mine now afterwards of him (probably meaning his son), but afterwards I know not of whom." Other houses of interest are Gowin Hall, Gressingham Hall, the Old Hall, and Eskrigge, all farmhouses well worthy of a visit.

A study of the place-names of the district reveals the following amongst other names: "The Fleets, Lawns House, Biggins, Sandbeds, Borrands (similarly named to the famous Roman fort in Cumberland), The Snab, Kitclow, Overhall, Swinestringes."

Many old families are crowded round in the farm-houses of the neighbourhood, and have lived for generations on the soil, e.g., Pearson, Chippindale, Parker, Waller, Wood, Eskrigge, Johnson, Waters, Croft, Garnett, Fox, Dickonson, Widder, Denny, Chapman, Prickett, Wilson, Storrs, Townson, Tunstall, Burton, and Copeland.

In conclusion, my cordial thanks are due to Messrs. W. O. Roper, F.S.A., Fenwick Pearson, and J. S. Slinger, for much kindly help in the preparation of this paper, and to Councillor Alexander Satterthwaite and Mr. J. B. Briggs, for the photographs of Overton and Gressingham respectively.

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BY J. D. LEADER, F.S.A.

(Read April 18th, 1894. Revised Sept. 1898).

N April 1894, some notes which I had compiled were read before the British Archæological Association on the then recent discovery of a most interesting pig of lead on Tansley Moor, near Matlock, Derbyshire. In the neighbourhood

of Matlock four pigs of the Roman period have been found and recorded. The earliest in date of manufacture was found in 1787 on Matlock Moor, and remained for some years in the possession of a Mr. Molesworth, but its present whereabouts is unknown. We learn the inscription, however, from the fact that four pigs bearing the same inscription were found in 1824, near Pulborough, in Sussex. One of these is in the British Museum, another at Parham Park, Pulborough, and the other two have disappeared. The weight of the Derbyshire example was 173 lbs.; that in the British Museum is 184 lbs. The inscription reads :

TI CL. TR LVT.BR.EX. ARG.

Hübner expands the inscription thus, though he indicates doubt as to the third and fourth words :

Ti(berii) Cl(audii) Tr(ophimi) Lut(udense) Br(itannicum) ex arg(ento).

The next example was found on Cromford Nether. Moor, in the parish of Wirksworth, in 1777, and was preserved by Peter Nightingale, Esq., of Lee, who gave