THE LONG AND INTERESTING HISTORY
OF FORTON'S CHURCHES
The name 'Shireshead' is a very ancient one which may derive
from the location of the first church at the apex of gently rising ground.
This first building was recorded in 1520, but it was probably erected before
that. In the book Northward by Anthony Hewitson, it is said to have had "a
more curious or fluctuating career than any other building of the kind in the
North". It was occupied for a time in the 17th century by a group
of Nonconformists who are said to have been horsewhipped out of the church during
Sunday worship by the Duchess of Hamilton. The minister of these worshippers,
the Rev. Eleazor Aray, then took charge of the new Independent Chapel,
built under the Five Mile Act in 1707. Shireshead St Paul's was built
in 1805 on the site of the 1520 church, and Shireshead acquired the status of
a parish in 1858. St Paul's is still standing, surrounded by a well-maintained
graveyard, even though it was replaced for services in 1889 by a new building,
St James's, which is in a more convenient location.
The interesting history of the Independent Chapel is covered in some detail in Northward. The Rev. Eleazor Aray was its minister from 1707 until his death in 1729, and was much-loved. In the early part of the 18th century it had one of the largest congregations of its kind in the north of England. It is now the United Reformed Church, and until recently was also used by the Roman Catholics for Mass every Sunday.
The Methodist Church in Hollins Lane was built in 1822, paid for by George Fishwick, the owner of a mill in nearby Scorton. He had taken the decision himself to hold outdoor classes on Sundays for the children of the very poor community in the lane, and a building was needed for the work to continue in the winter.
There are two locally produced small books which should be read by anyone interested in church history in the north of England: Shireshead 1520 - 1987: Picture of a Parish by E. Mary Higman (contact Harold Towse on 01524-791729), and Hollins Lane: 175 Years of Village Methodism by Ann Thomson (contact Margaret Mansfield on 01524-791338).
The following account is from
Our Country Churches
& Chapels by
Anthony Hewitson, published in 1872. He was writing about the Independent Chapel
(now the URC) in Garstang, but the information about Forton URC and Shireshead
Old Church is entertaining:
About 60 years ago a great portion of the congregation [i.e. at Garstang] consisted
of farmers living in Barnacre, under the Duke of Hamilton, who, to a considerable
extent, colonised this part of the country with Scotch people, most of whom
were originally Presbyterians. At this time the Rev. Mr. Grimshaw was the minister
of Garstang Independent Chapel. He preached at Forton on a Sunday morning, and
at Garstang in the afternoon and evening. It may be worth while remarking that
there is now, as there was in Mr. Grimshaw’s time, an Independent Chapel at
Forton. It is an old place, and was built in 1707, when the Independents were
turned out of their chapel at Shireshead. It is said that the Independents built
the chapel at Shireshead upon a piece of land, considered to be valueless, belonging
to the Duke of Hamilton; that one Sunday the Duchess of Hamilton went to the
building with a horse whip in her hand, and ordered them out; and that in consequence
of the land on which it stood being the property of her family, they deemed
it wise to leave the place. Their chapel was afterwards turned into an Episcopal
church, and there is now a church of that character here. It is only a small
place, and we know nothing about it special except this— that its music was
once conducted by a rather curious individual. He was a butcher, living at Dolphinholme,
and it is said that one Sunday, whilst he was trying a new tune, the choir broke
down; that he afterwards tried two or three times to get them to sing it, but
failed signally; that the minister, noticing the inability of the choir to sing
the tune, and by way of easing matters, said “Let us pray,” whereupon the butcher
turned sharply round and said, “Pray be d——d; I know we can do it.”