WEST KIRBY.

Our journey round the hundred is now rapidly drawing to a close, and passing unnoticed another charming walk, we stop finally at West Kirby.

As I said in my introduction, Christianity must have been planted in this parish many centuries ago, certainly earlier than the Conquest, possibly as early as the fifth century. In the group of

stones preserved in the museum we have the earliest records that exist of the parish. Several of them are of extreme interest, especially the famous hog-backed stone, and have been dated by competent authority as ninth century work. Some remains of the Norman church were visible before the restoration, and the base of a Norman pillar is still in situ.

The tracery of the chancel window is peculiar ; it is said that only one other church in England, that of Shifnal in Staffordshire, possesses a window of a similar pattern. It is a curious coincidence, however, that several such windows are to be seen in different monastic ruins in the south of Ireland. Now St. Bridget, to whom West Kirby church is dedicated, was abbess of Kildare. Needless to say this is merely a coincidence, as St. Bridget flourished about 560, and this style of tracery did not begin to be used till some 800 years later. Still it probably goes to confirm what is already well enough known, the close connection there was in the middle ages between West Kirby and Ireland.

The tower is late perpendicular, and was probably built about the year 1500, and like Bidston and the old Burton tower, it has coats of arms cut in stone over the west door, and as in the case of the two other churches, it is not very apparent to whom all the coats allude. The one on the left is evidently meant for Meols of Meols (a bend between

two lions' faces); but unfortunately the mason has cut a bend sinister instead of a bend dexter. The next is probably Banastre of the Bank. The third is the one that fixes the date of the tower, if it be what it seems, the arms of William Smith, bishop of the diocese (1493-5), the munificent founder of Brazenose College.

In the chancel wall the old priest's door, dating from the 13th century, still remains.

In the chancel is an interesting tomb to the memory of John Van Zoelen, late of Bristol, who was buried here in 1689. He was probably one of the officers under Marshal Schomberg, who, on the 12th August in that year, embarked at Hoylake for Ireland, with an army, to re-conquer Ulster.

In a rare old book (Leigh's Natural History of Lancashire and Cheshire, printed in 1700), the writer mentions that Marshal Schomberg's army was encamped for some time on the flat sands by the sea, "called the Mels" (probably what is now the golf links), and that they obtained abundant water by digging in the sand, "which shows," says Leigh, "that the salt water is filtered by coming through "the sand."

And so our journey ends, perhaps not inappropriately on the sands by the sea shore, with the wondrous past behind us, and the future limitless as the sea before; and our time has not been wasted if we have realized a little more than we are in the habit of doing, how much we owe to that splendid past which is the heritage of every Englishman. And as our lives are but links in a chain, may it be given us so to forge our link that those who come after us may remember us with honour and not with shame.

CHESHIRE IN THE GREAT CIVIL WAR.

By A. M. Robinson, F.R.G.S.

Read 7th November, 1895.

HESHIRE took a prominent part in the great struggle between King and Parliament, and Cheshire men influenced the course of English history more than would be anticipated from the geographical position of the county, or its size or its population. Whilst the King was at York, at the end of May, 1642, with thirty-two peers against forty-two who remained at Westminster, the Houses passed an ordinance for settling the Militia in such hands as they could confide in. The King, however, charged this to be against law, and required none should yield obedience thereto. He issued his Commissions of Array to the respective counties, appointing several persons of quality to array, train, and muster the people. This commission the Houses declared to be unlawful. As Rushworth says, the persons in the counties, acting by these opposite authorities, had many bickerings one with another. The King's proclamation given at York, 20th June, 1642, informed "all our loving subjects "of the lawfulness of our Commissions of Array, "issued into the several counties of our realm of England and dominion of Wales, and com"manding them to obey our commissions therein.

"named." Both Houses of Parliament issued, on

the 1st July, 1642, a long "declaration" to prove the illegality of the King's action. And according to Hallam, the King's Commission of Array, although not strictly conformable to law, was "justi"fiable, as the means of opposing the Parlia"ment's ordinance for the militia, at least equally "illegal." It appears that during June, July, and August of that year, "petitions" against the impending resort to arms were addressed to the King by the county palatine of Lancaster, and by other counties, and were all duly and separately acknowledged by his Majesty's order. Cheshire did not volunteer any such petition, but waited the course of events.

On Monday, August 22nd, 1642, his Majesty left his forces before Coventry and, with some lords and others in company, rode to Leicester, where he dined at the Abbey, the Countess of Devonshire's house. After dinner, again took horse and rode to Nottingham, where was great preparation for setting up his standard that day. The standard was taken out of the castle and carried into the field, a little on the back side of the castle wall. The likeness of the standard was much of the fashion of the city streamers used at the Lord Mayor's Show, having about twenty supporters : on the top of it hangs a flag, the King's arms quartered with a hand pointing to the crown, which stands above with this motto, "Give Cæsar his "due." But efforts by men of light and leading to circumscribe the area of war still continued.

In some counties, as in Yorkshire, Cheshire, and Lancashire, there was an endeavour to make an association of neutrality. Lord Fairfax, Mr. Bellasis, Sir William Savile, and others in Yorkshire sent the heads thereof on the 29th September, 1642, to Parliament, but in vain. Parliament, by

a formal declaration in October, ordered that no such neutrality be observed. And so the eventful struggle proceeded.

A rare and valuable collection of Civil War tracts relating to Cheshire, which has lately been secured for the Birkenhead Free Library, throws a good deal of light on the inner working of events connected with the county. They range from 1642 to 1659.

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No. 1 is a folio broadsheet, printed in London by Edward Husbands and John Frank, and is dated 20 July, 1642, a month before Charles raised the Royal Standard at Nottingham. It is a "Declaration of the Citizens and Inhabitants of "the City of Chester whose names are subscrlbed summoned to appear before his Majesties Commissioners for the Array at the Roodey within the liberties of the said city for their cleer "manifestation of their Allegiance to his Majesty, and duty to "his parliament," and appears to be a well-meant protest against the civil war into which the nation was drifting: pointing out that "in the Cordiall Union of his Majestie and his Parliament "consists the safety glory and the happiness of the Kingdom," &c. No names are in fact attached to the document; but it was "delivered by the Citizens of Chester to His Majesties Commis"sioners for the Writ of Array."

No. 2 is the "Advice and Direction of Both Houses "of Parliament to Sir William Brereton and to the rest of the Deputy Lieutenants for the County of Chester with orders of "the Lords and Commons Assembled in Parliament for the "regulating of those Souldiers that are gon or shall goe under "the Command of His Excellency Robert Earle of Essex Lord "Generall for this Expedition," and was printed in London under date 19 August, 1642, by order of both Houses. Commencing with the argumentative preamble that the King, "Seduced by "Wicked Counsell intends to make War against the Parliament," it proceeds to give in six pages highly practical orders and instruc tions both as to the discipline of the forces, and as to the action to be taken against the "Popish Recusants in Cheshire who did "not confine themselves to their dwellings according to the "Statute in that case provided," &c., &c.

No. 3 is a brief order, printed in London, by order of the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament, on the 2nd September, 1642, "for the Suppressing of Publike Stage Playes throughout the Kingdome during these Calamitous Times."

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