Interior Tour of St. Michael and All Angels Church, Croston- November 2018

Sometimes it works out that you end up in a certain place at the right time. This was the case the week that visited the village of Croston in November. I was happy to discover that St. Michael and All Angels church was having an open house and I would be able to see the inside and talk to someone who knew the history of the parish.

Why is this church so important to our family history? Our surname began as de Croston (from Croston). The Village of Croston is thought to have been named after the Cross that was erected in the center of town for preaching before the church was built.

There are many events in English history and politics; the most significant of which was the Reformation, that effected and influenced the lives of the Croston family that lived here, nearby and all the way to County Cork, Ireland.

The Reformation or the Protestant Reformation in England began in the 16th century and ended in 1648 at the conclusion of The Thirty Years War. The Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church. Henry VIII became the first King to be the head of the new Church of England.

During the Reformation many icons and imagery were stripped from the churches. This included crosses, statues, stained glass, and other ornamented items. St. Michaels' appearance was greatly effected by this change.

Before the Reformation in 1460, a Johnannes (John) de Croston was a Monk at Walley Abbey Lancashire. During the Reformation the abbeys were dismantled.

During the Reformation you could be persecuted or have your land taken away if you did not worship in the church regularly. This was the case of one Henry Croston, a convicted recusant who had some of his land confiscated in and around Croston.

Just after the Reformation; in the mid to late 1600's several Crostons appear as Reverends, Clerks, and Victors of the new church and loyalists to the crown.

Within the history of the family are stories of both sides of this religious transition and social divide.
No matter the time period; pre or post Reformation, this church and others in the surrounding area are where our ancestors celebrated new life, were married and mourned the passing of loved ones.

Below is the cross that now stands in Croston. The original cross was removed during the Reformation. A water pumping station was added to the ancient cross base. Later; in the 20th  century, a new cross was restored to the old site. To enter the churchyard you walk past the cross down a short cobblestone street lined on either side by houses.

I arrived shortly after the doors opened and was met by a friendly face; a gentleman of 84 years who offered to give me a tour. He asked me where I was from, I told him I was American- from the Boston area and that my surname was Croston. I gave a brief explanation of how my family came to America from Ireland and before that they were from Lancashire  (proven though Y-DNA testing)

I was not the first person to come to the church with a similar story. He pointed to the guest book and there was a Croston who left a note not long ago, he was there visiting the village and wanted to learn more about his family history.

My tour guide said that he seemed to remember his wife had a Croston somewhere in her family tree. His own family moved to Croston when he was a child- his father was the gardener at Croston Hall.

He told me of a time when he would walk the streets in the village and recognize every face, and know most people by name. Today much has changed- as it has almost everywhere.

This once was the main church for old Croston Parish. The parish was larger than it is today it included much of the surrounding area including Bretherton, Mawdesley and Chorley and more.

The oldest part of the church dates from the 13th century, but most of the stone work is 15th century. The structure was built in the layout that was traditional for the Catholic Church. As all churches in England just before the Reformation were Catholic.

In the picture above; to the left is the main entrance and the clock tower. The blue door that you see dates back to the 16th century. Straight ahead is the old school. To the right behind the benches and some of the walkway are stone. Many of the stones are the old gravestones that once stood in the churchyard.

The village is prone to flooding from rainwater and the overflow of the River Yarrow that runs just behind the old school. Over the years and most recently in 2015 the church itself has flooded and that caused damage to the interior and churchyard. If you search Youtube for "Croston Floods" you can see video footage of the  most recent flood. 

Between mother nature, time and wartime the church has been repaired and renovated many times over. Inside the church the furnishings and windows have changed since the 1600's or earlier, when most of our ancestors worshiped here, but much of the structure remains the same.

Tiny door that leads to the bell and clock tower.

Baptismal Basin. The original was removed during the reformation. The one above includes that date 1663; the year it was added to the church.

Like the exterior walkways, some of the floor stones are repurposed gravestones.

 

Pews were not used in our ancestors time. During the service everyone would stand. These later added pews were often sponsored by the families who used them during services. Several benches in the church are inscribed with the name of the family that owned the pews; including the Farrington family. The Farringtons owned much land in Croston. In the 1800's there was a Croston-Farrington marriage. This couple; Thomas Croston and Ann Farrington owned a farm about a mile away from the church; in Bretherton.

Nook for washing holy cups and vessels..

Any original stained glass would have been removed during the Reformation. Most of the stained glass work now in the church probably dates back to Victorian times

 

This is the gravestone of James Pilkington a past Rector of the church. According to the Crostons of Croston family tree there was a Croston- Pilkington marriage in the 1500's. All of the Heath Charnock/ Rivington/ Blackburn family seem to come from this marriage. So this James Pilkington was possibly a distant cousin to some of us.

Back in the 1600's and earlier it was more common to bury the dead inside the church- under the floor. The richer you were the closer you could afford to be buried to the alter.

It's likely that most of our ancient ancestors from the 13th-17th century were buried inside the church. Later family: 18-19th century would have been interred in the churchyard and new graveyard.

View of the Church from the Alter looking toward the bell tower.

Old wood ceiling vault.

I found this list of the past clergy of the Parish of Croston interesting. My tour guide remarked that the oldest names on the list were probably not entirely correct. That someone might have filled in the blanks with a guess.

I think that may be true. I relate it to the old Crostons of Croston tree that has been published in a few old history of Lancashire books, in which I've found quite a few errors.

Documents from that time are scarce and incomplete so it's hard to know for sure who was who.

Why did I find it interesting? The two names at the top: Luilph or Ludolph and Nicolas are the two names at the top of the Crostons of Croston family tree.

What does that mean? Were the men at the top of our tree the same men that are listed on the sign on the church wall? Its better not to jump to conclusions. It's possible they were simply common names of the time. But also its possible that these are just the first names that appear in the historical documents as having been from Croston (Lulpho de Croston and Nicolas de Croston) and no one knows for sure how they do or do not fit into the family. Someone probably made a guess and we may never know the answer.

Old stone work at the base of the column.

Now we are back outside. This is the rear of the church. to the left and right are some horizontal old gravestones. At one time there would have been many gravestones filling this area. Several Croston extended family members were interred in this section.

This is the area next to the main entrance, now used for parking.

Some old gravestones that once stood in the graveyard, now lean against the wall.

 

 Behind the old school is a path that leads over the river to the new graveyard; shown above.

Bridge over the River Yarrow, leading back to the churchyard.

Croston Old School. The original school was founded in 1382. The school was refounded in 1660. I have found some old documents which mention William Croston, a man who took part in the agreement to refound the school. You may notice the sign at the top seems to date from the same time period of the sign of the old Croston Almshouse, mentioned in my previous post.

 

The above picture is the  the road that leads from the church yard back to the Cross statue and the center of the village.

After the church tour I walked to the tea room around the corner on Grape Lane; Thyme on the Yarrow, where I had the best scone I've ever had in my life. I should have taken a picture but I ate it all up before I thought of it.

Later I visited the Lancashire Archives in Preston, where I photographed 80 or so old wills and other documents to transcribe back at home. I wasn't sure how much information I would find here, outside of getting a feel for the place and putting the facts I've gathered into a context. But I'm thrilled to tell you that what I have found is tremendously helpful and will move the research along in some places where it was previously stalled. The visit was both enjoyable and informative, I couldn't have asked for more than that.