Mowbreck Hall and The Willows Mowbreck Hall and The Willow

72 Pages·2007·18.1 MB·English

Mowbreck Hall

and

The Willows

A History of
The Catholic Community
in the
Kirkham District
of
Lancashire

F.J. Singleton
First published in 1983
© 1983 The Parish Priest, St. John the Evangelist, Kirkham
Printed in England by
The Catholic Printing Company of Farnworth,
16 Longcauseway, Farnworth, Bolton.

Electronic transcription by CM Wrigley 2007, incorporating minor
typographic amendments. Version 1.0.

“There will never want in England men that will have care of their own
salvation nor such as shall advance other men’s; neither shall this Church
ever fail so long as priests and pastors shall be found for their sheep, rage
man or devil never so much”
Edmund Campion, 1580
Foreword by the Bishop of Lancaster

It is a pleasure and privilege to welcome this splendid History of the parish
of The Willows, Kirkham, written by one who is peculiarly well-equipped
to write it.

The author, Mr. F. J. Singleton, has already written a short History of the
town of Kirkham (published in 1981), and has contributed learned articles to
several historical journals. He is a native of Kirkham and a former
Headmaster of the Catholic Primary School there. Since his retirement he
has searched local, regional and even national records and sources for
information and, as will be noticed, he has amply documented the book;
what is here set down may be taken as fully accurate and factual.

What makes this book specially valuable, too, is that the parish of The
Willows is one of the richest of all parishes in North Lancashire in post-
Reformation Catholic history. There seems never to have been a time when
Mass was not being said or when priests were not residing in some Catholic
house, ministering to the considerable number of Catholics which always
remained here. It is, therefore, greatly to be welcomed that this story has
now been so fully and accurately told.

The fact, too, that the Catholic Printing Company of Farnworth has
undertaken publication is a guarantee that the book will be excellently
produced.

I recommend this book most warmly in the name of the priests and people
of The Willows and predict that it will be very widely read. I congratulate
Mr. Singleton most sincerely on this work. I am sure that all the people of
the parish, and many people elsewhere who are interested in our Catholic
past, will eagerly purchase it and study it.

+ B. C. Foley,
Bishop of Lancaster
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Acknowledgements

I should like to thank first of all His Lordship Bishop Foley who suggested
that I should write this booklet and who has since given me every help and
encouragement. I am also greatly indebted to Monsignor Monaghan who
has organised and made possible its publication. Many other people have
also assisted and I am especially grateful to Monsignor Cookson of Ushaw
and to Father J. Danson of Upholland for information from the seminary
archives and for many valuable comments and suggestions. Canon Bamber
of Dodding Green who is an authority on the martyrs and Father O’Dea of
St. Annes who is familiar with Valladolid have given me the benefit of their
knowledge, and several parishioners have helped with the photographs.
Finally I wish to thank the staffs of the Lancashire County Record Office
and the Harris Reference Library, Preston, for their unfailing courtesy and
assistance.
F.J.S.
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Contents

page

Foreword by the Bishop of Lancaster . . 5
Acknowledgements . . . . 6
Introduction . . . . . 9
The Westby Family at Mowbreck . . . 11
John Westby . . . . . 12
Elizabeth Westby . . . 16
Helen Westby . . . . . 17
Robert Westby . . . . . 18
The Priests at Mowbreck . . . . 21
Father Robert Bannister . . . . 22
Father William Irving . . . . 24
Father Thomas Irving . . . . 31
The Church of St. John the Evangelist . . 32
Father James Swarbrick . . . . 38
Father Frederick Hines . . . . 39
St. Anne’s Church, Westby . . . 39
Correspondence relating to the demolition of
the Old Chapel . . . . 42
St. Joseph’s Church, Wesham . . . 43
Father Francis John Gillow . . . 45
Later Priests at the Willows . . . 49
Burial Grounds at the Willows . . . 53
Club Day . . . . . 56
Postscript . . . . . 59

Appendices

I The Growth of the Catholic Population
in the Kirkham district . . . 61
II Priests at Mowbreck . . . 63
III Benefactors of the Mowbreck Chapel
and the Willows Mission . . 64
IV The Vicars Apostolic and the Hierarchy . 66
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List of Illustrations

page

Kirkham, “The Willows” . . . . Inn. f. cover
Memorial Brass to Father Sherburne . . Frontispiece
Pedigree of the Westby Family . . . 15
Mowbreck Hall, about 1800 . . . 19
Plan of Chapel-House at the Willows, 1865 . . 25
Plan of the Willows in 1840 . . . 28
Interior of the Old Chapel . . . . 29
Memorial to Father William Irving . . . 30
The Old School and School House . . . 30
The Rood Screen . . . . . 33
The Old “Sacred Heart” Altar . . . 34
The Old “Lady Altar” . . . . 34
Father Hines at the opening of the Girls’ School . 41
Provost Hines . . . . . 41
The Presbytery in Monsignor Gillow’s time . . 48
Monsignor Gillow with his Committee about 1920 . 48
Monsignor Gillow, Canon Lowry, Father Alcock,
Canon Parker, Monsignor Eaton, Monsignor Monaghan 51
Provost Hines preparing for the Club Day procession . 57
Club Day procession about 1948 . . . 57
Map of the Fylde . . . . . Inn. b. cover

Abbreviations

L.R.O. = Lancashire Record Office, Preston.
C.R.S. = Catholic Record Society Publications.

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