into the design of vine leaves and grapes. Traces of old hinges indicate the existence of an earlier door, but this has disappeared, and is replaced by a panel door of modern workmanship.

A classical structure in oak, covering the east wall and rising above the level of the window sill, represents the outcome of the bequest of Mrs. Ann Molyneux, in 1729, for the erection of an altar"piece." This instance of good intentions and disastrous results, although a fair example of the taste of its period, yet utterly incongruous with its surroundings, appears to have received further ornamentation in 1820, when a gilded representation of the Host, surrounded by rays, was affixed to the centre panel; and a certain Mr. Loyen, according to the wardens' accounts, received £14, " for a new "carpet and fixing the Glory." This classical altarpiece bears a strong resemblance to the one in the University Church of S. Mary-the-Virgin, Oxford.

The bench-ends in both chancel and nave form one of the most remarkable features of the building. In the chancel, those attached to both the "decani" and "cantori" stalls bear the initials I.M. with a twisted cord or "ceinture" between them. If these letters stand for James Molyneux, they fix the date of the stalls at about the concluding years of the fifteenth century. The bench-ends on the south side of the nave and in the south aisle severally display each a letter of an elaborately designed alphabet, wanting, however, w, x, and z. The "poppy-heads" of the whole are of bold. design, and the carving on the ends shows the work of a skilful hand. The vine, the pomegranate, the rose, and the lily, the latter sometimes crowned, are favourite subjects frequently repeated. The grotesque element, rarely absent in such work, finds expression in the chancel in the figures of an owl

attacked by two smaller birds; in two strange figures beneath a crown or canopy each playing upon a pipe; in the figure of a feeding goat, over which a second is taking a flying leap; while a goat, a griffin, an unicorn, and an eagle "displayed" are also represented. A curious example of a figure-subject occurs on a bench-end now near the door in the south aisle, on which a man or youth brandishing a scimitar is represented as seated upon a dromedary. The "points" of the animal could hardly have been so accurately rendered had not the carver

a living specimen, and the temptation to connect his work with an entry in A Cavalier's Note-Book is strong. "A man," writes William Blundell, of Crosby, "who shewed a dromedary "in most parts of England, told me (1662) that "he found more profit thereby in Lancashire than "in any other county." On the stall-ends of a seat. appropriated to the wardens are carved the lion and the unicorn, and a shepherd's or pastoral crook crossed by a spear or goad. The material is old, but has been put together in its present form at a recent date. "The linen pattern" on the panels is another indication that the date of the seating is to be placed in the fifteenth century.

In the north aisle several of the bench-ends bear representations of the instruments of the Passion, the pillar of scourging, on which a cock is conspicuous, the nails, hammer, and pincers, crown of thorns, and reed and spear. Two bench-ends at the east end of this aisle are somewhat enigmatical. On one appears a mitre, and beneath it either a chalice or a covered cup. The latter was a device of the Mascy family, and the name of James Molyneux, as a witness, appears on a Mascy deed of 1501. The other bench-end has upon it a head and shoulders, the face bearing somewhat of the expression of the usual representations of our

G

Lord. The head is covered by a peculiarly formed plumed cap, and the shoulders are protected, apparently by a breastplate. Beneath are two objects, variously described as caps, as corn, or as flames. The intention of the designer of the whole is by no means obvious. Two isolated seats remain in the south aisle; the remainder were possibly removed at the introduction of the square pews. Two others have at some time been placed in the north chapel, one of which, facing a substantial desk, has had its "linen pattern" panels reversed, and conceals a massive seat of earlier date. Fragments of bench-ends, of far smaller dimensions and of totally different patterns, have been found among the timbers of the roof of the clock-room. A portion of one of these bench-ends is now in the north chapel.

The roof of the porch probably furnishes an indication of the general character of the roof of the whole church, but as the timbers of the nave, chancel, and aisles are hidden by boarding, its real nature is uncertain. The roof of the south aisle has evidently undergone alteration, as holes intended for beams are bricked-up in the south arcade. In 1754, £9 Is. was expended on "timber "for the Portal "-probably the inner porch. In 1801, the wardens' accounts record, "letting" and "finishing the new roof," and William Parr received £199 for "completing the new roof." How or where this sum was expended is uncertain. It may refer to the deal boarding, which is now all that meets the eye.

CHURCH FURNITURE, ETC.

Many matters, ranging from the communion. plate to the bells, may be conveniently noticed under the head of the furniture of the church. The church plate consists of a paten, 8 inches in