in the following year in the battle of Culloden. In a letter written by Mr. John Stafford, a well-known attorney, who resided in a house, afterwards called Cumberland House, in Jordangate, we are told: "The Duke of Cumberland did me the honour of taking up his quarters at my house, where he lay three nights, and yesterday morning (13th December) went for Wigan." This attorney was in a terrible flutter at the time these stirring events took place, but his letters, recorded by Earwaker, give a wonderfully vivid account of this episode. In 1882, while alterations were being made in Macclesfield Parish Church, the east jamb of the original south doorway was discovered. The consecration cross was very clearly defined; this dates from the year 1278, when the church was first dedicated by Skoonaw, bishop of St. Asaph. This doorway has been recently restored by the late Sir Arthur Blomfield. At this time the south aisle wall, to the extent of one bay, remained between the south doorway and the Legh Chapel. This wall was of Alderley ashlar and had a plinth; and there was the broken bond in the tower wall, with the rubble-stone lining, showing how far this aisle had extended beyond the doorway. The same indication was revealed in the case of the north aisle. The tower stood detached on three sides in the usual way; there was a square-headed two-light window, similar to the windows in the south aisle at Prestbury; the masons' marks were identical, hence the same masons worked in both churches. Adjoining the Legh Chapel was the original roof-truss of the side aisle, with the wall-plates cut away, showing that the chapel had been extended in width at a later date than the building of the south aisle. That the Legh Chapel was originally limited to the width of the south aisle is evidenced by the west window of the Savage Chapel having been blocked up. The south jamb of this window was exposed to view outside; the remainder was covered by the Legh Chapel extension in 1620. This window is now clearly shown in the Savage Chapel. Under the piers and floor of the church, built in 1740, there were fragments of the former nave piers and arches, and in the roof some of the original timbers had been re-used. In a stable at the "White Bear," in King Edward Street, is a massive beam of oak, presumably removed from the parish church in 1740. It has a double splay on the soffit, stop-chamfered, and a geometrical boss in the centre. It has a camber of about fourteen inches, and it corresponds in length to the width of the original nave of the church, so it was probably the tie-beam of one of the nave principals. It is a matter of some regret that these fragments could not have been reinstated; the responds of the old nave would have given the exact width and height of piers, and the radius of the arches would have been determined by the arch-stones and by the remaining bay of the south aisle. The oriel window, over the west door of the Savage Chapel, is more collegiate than ecclesiastical in design. On examining the window inside, it will be seen that the masons have left a bed-mould in the centre of each opening to receive a mullion; thus it was originally intended to have narrow two-light windows on the three sides-making six lights in all-instead of the three which now appear, when, no doubt, the openings would have had pointed heads, in unison with the other windows. The remains of a primitive stone coffin were discovered, with the characteristic axework peculiar to the period. The further discovery of the remains of the Saxon cross bears out the late Mr. Earwaker's contention as to the existence of a church in Macclesfield in Saxon times. THE HE Dean and Canons of Manchester have in their muniment room a document of considerable interest naming fields, several being still open and cultivated in doles or strips, in and near Manchester, Salford, and Hulme, and the crops they bore in the year 1584. The "book" also extended to Newton and Cleyden (the north-east part of Ancoats), but those parts of the book appear in the History of Newton Chapelry for the Chetham Society. The account shows how the tithe surveyor, on behalf of the warden and fellows of the College of Christ in Manchester, went round those townships, the tithes of which were not leased out to third parties, but were retained in hand, and how in each field the surveyor noted the number of toshers or tosses, sheaves, hattocks, and riders of wheat, barley, oats, beans, and pease, noting them by scores, and reckoning 120, or i.e., six score, according to his system of notation, to the hundred. His spelling is erratic, and his writing is very puzzling in many places. 20 vj The names of persons and places here mentioned usefully supplement information contained in the Records of the Manchester Court Leet and those of the Salford Portmote. A boke [of eight foolscap half sheets stitched down the centre to form a narrow book of sixteen pages], made the xxvjth daie of July, of or vewing corne in Manchester, Salford, [and] Hollme near Manchester, 1584. A Ryder [contains] sheves x; a hatack viii sheves. CORNE VEWED IN MANCHESTER, 1584. 20 Note; in thes boke [six score] to the hondeyreth. vj Mr Strangues, [Strangeways], 71 R$ [Riders] of weat, [iiij to shere, cancelled]. Mr Bagulaie, 118 Rs barley. Glover weido [Widow Glover], 88 qt b. [quarters of barley?] the back ye barne. Wydo Prowdgloue, 42 R$ & a hattack b[arley]. Wyllyam Radclyffe, 62 & 20 tossers. Glouer, 86 barly there in the Akers [St. Ann's Square]. R$ 6. Mr Tettelow, 69 Riders barly. R$ 3. Mr Radclyffe, in a dole ouer agenst Chrester Rothwell [Birlaman for Deansgate in 1565], Ryders barly xxxvijtie [read seven and thirtie]. Mr Radclyffe, in his Lyttell crofte, near Braberst crofte, 20 Ryders & one hattack [iij Riders cancelled] barly. iiij John Radclyfe, in his crofte apon the back of horases [Horrox's], Riders & one hattacks, barlie. 20 viij Rychard Hunt, in the gret fylde [the Great Hulme 20 Meadow?] next Alperd [Alport], xiij & xiij otts [oats] & a hattack. |