JO A T O U R
C h u r c h . T h e church has o f late undergone much alteration, bu t two>
o f the antient fide chapels Hill remain : one belonging to the
Mdffies contains nothing but a fmall mural monument, w ith a
very amiable character o f Francis Maffey, E fq ; L o rd o f the ma-
nours o f Rixton and Glajbrook, laft o f the antient family, which
was extinCb with him in 1748 ; bu t in an- oppofite chapel is a
magnificent tomb o f Sir Thomas Boteler and his lady, in a lab aile r:
their effigies lie at top, hand in hand, he in armour, ihe in a remarkable
mitre-ihaped c a p ; round the ficfes are various figures,
fuch as St. Chriftopher, St. George, and'other fuperftitious fculp-
tures. T h e Botelers were o f great antiquity in this p la c e ; the
firft to ok his name from being Butler to Rdrnlf de Gernons, or
Mefchines, Earl o f Chefter. H is pofterity acquired great pof-
feffions in this co u n ty * , and“ one o f them obtained the charters
for markets and fairs- at Warrington, from his Prince Edward I:
Tradition fays, that Sir Thomas, then refident at Beauly houfe,,
near this town, was, with his lady, murdered in the night b y
afiaffins, who crofied the moat in leathern boats to perpetrate their
villainy.
Beneath an arch in the. wall'near this tomb is another, containing
a figure in a long,r.obe, muffled up to the c h in ; the head wrapped
in a fort o f cap, and bound with a neat fillet.
Befides this church is a neat chapel o f e afe,, lately rebuilt, and
many places o f worlhip for Preibyterians, Anabaptifts, Quakers,
Methodifts and Roman Catholics : for in manufacturing places it
often falls out that the common people happily have a difpofition
* Dugdalt's Baronage I. 65 3.
to
I N S C O T L A N D. f | .
to feek the L ord, bu t as unhappily difagree in the means o f rendering
themfelves acceptable to him.
Here is a free-fchool, very confiderably endowed, and made
very refpeCtable by the merits o f the prefent matter. A n academy
has o f late years been eftabliihed in this town, with a view o f
giving an education to youth on the plan o f an univerfity.
T h e manufactures o f this place are very confiderable; formerly Manufactures;
a great quantity o f checks and coarfe linnens were made here, but
o f late years thefe have given way to that o f Polldavies, or fail-
cloth, now carried on with fuch fpirit (in the town and country)
as to fupply near one h a lf o f the navy o f Great-Britain. T h e late
war gave a great rife to this branch, and a fudden improvement to
the town.
T h e making o f pins is another confiderable article o f commerce;
lo ck s , hinges, caft-iron, and other branches o f hardware, are fabricated
here to a great amoun t: very large works for the refining o f
copper, are carried on near the tow n ; and the glafs and fugar
houfes employ many hands. B y means o f all thefe advantages the
town has been doubled within thefe twenty y e a r s ; and is fuppofed
to contain at prefent between eight and nine thoufand inhabitants.
T h e manufactures o f this place are moit readily conveyed
down to Liverpool, b y means o f the Merfey. T h e Ipring-tides
rife at the bridge to the height o f nine feet, and veifels o f feventy
or eighty tuns can lie at Bank-qaay, the port o f the tow n ; where
warehoufes, cranes, and other conveniences for fhipping o f goods
are ereCted. I muit not omit that thirty or forty thoufand bulhels
o f potatoes are annually exported out o f the rich land o f th e e n - P o t a t o e s ,
C 2 virons