History of the Fife Pitcairns

278 THE FIFE PITCAIRNS.
Vicars of Eccles.
No complete list of the Vicars exists. The earliest we
find mentioned, in a deed of Richard le Rymour, is one
John, whose surname is not given, but who is therein
stated to be Vicar of Eccles in 1284. Another, in 7th
Henry V. (1420), was Richard Heywood. The list in
Baines's ' Lancashire ' begins with the sixteenth century.
The earliest name in it is Thomas Wright, who was prob-
ably Vicar in the closing years of the fifteenth century.
On the 31st Dec. 1504, Thomas Holgate was instituted.
Thomas Bowker succeeded him. On Dec. 29th, 1542, Geo.
Wereall. June 20th, 1559, Edward Pendleton. Dec. 7th,
1576, Thomas Williamson. May 20th, 1606, John White.
Jan. 9th, 1610, John Jones was instituted, and he was
succeeded, in 1657, by Edward or Edmund Jones, who
was ejected in 1662. In 1663 Robert Hartley was Vicar.
The next named is Thomas Isherwood or Usherwood, who
was instituted July 27th, 1671. He died on the 17th
February 1678. Aug. 24th, 1678, Thos. Hall was insti-
tuted. Jan. 10th, 1721, Thos. Chaddock, on Hall's death.
Jan. 8th, 1724, Thos. Bell. July 22nd, 1726, Thomas
Vaughan. March gth, 1747, Benjamin Nicholls. June
3rd, 1765, Cudworth Poole. Dec. 27th, 1768, John Crook-
hall. Oct. 31st, 1792, John Clowes. April 19th, 1818,
Thos. Blackburne, M.A. 1837, Wm. Marsden, B.D. Feb.
1861, Jas. Pelham Pitcairn, M.A., Rural Dean, Hon. Canon
of Manchester. 1893, The Hon. Arthur Templeton Lyttel-
ton, afterwards Bishop of Southampton. And, lastly, the
Rev. Mr Cremer. Since 1678, every Vicar has succeeded
on the death of his predecessor.
Connected with the tithes of Eccles, there is a singular
tradition to the effect that in the reign of Henry VIII.,
or in that of his successor (Edward VI.), these tithes be-
came the subject of a bet on a cock-fight, and were won
from Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, by Sir J. Anderton of Ince
(more properly of Lydiate) in this county. According to