PARISH CHURCH OF WEAVERHAM

and many arc the quaint stories which could be told of tlie doings of those and later days which would perhaps shock our modern ideas of what is decent and orderly in the services of the church. I may perhaps be forgiven if I relate one true account : During the vicariate of the Rev. G. Spencer Stanhope, the old gentleman, who was very eccentric and absent-minded, would often change the appointed hymn and give out one the tune of which was not on the barrel. The organist, who at the time happened to be my father, Baylcy Bcbbington, would then announce from the front of the gallery the hymn which the organ was prepared to play. On other occasions, if the vicar thought the singing was too slow, he would swing his arm round to imitate the turning of the handle of the organ and call out loudly, " A bit quicker, Baylcy ; a bit quicker" !

By reference to the plan it will be seen diat die earlier church consisted of tower, nave, and two chapels, that on the south side being the Crowton Hall chapel and that on the north side the Hefferston Grange chapel. In the bishop's chancel the communion rails attract attention.⁶ These were removed from the church at the restoration in 1877 and used at Hefferston Grange as a balustrade to the staircase. When the Grange was purchased by Mr. Frankenburg of Salford, in 1909, he generously acceded to a request made by the writer and Mr. W. Bancroft (a warden) and restored the rails to the church. When refixing them I found an inscription which stated that the rails had been " made out of ye olde ones and put up here in the year of our Lord 1709." A search of the records verified this, for it was found that the vicar was summoned to Chester to say why he had not " ompailed the Communion" (1708). The following entry occurs in the accounts :—

1709. Payde to joyner and smith for ompailing the Communion £3 4s. id.

' See F. II Crossley, Cheshire Church Furniture in the last vol. of these Transactions, liii, 105 and 108.