St
Michael's church dates back to 1628 AD
but there is reason to believe that a place of worship
existed in Hoole as far back as the eleventh century,
if not before. St. Michael’s church is not
a museum but a living church praising the glory
of God for generations past and present and hopefully
also for generations to come.
A
reference made in records during the reign William
the Conqueror states that Rodger de Poictu, in the
year of 1094, granted to the Monastery of St. Martin
of Sees-in Normandy the Priory of St. Mary at Lancaster,
and all the dependant churches chapels and priories
therein, with Hoole being under the direct jurisdiction
of Lancaster Priory.
In
the reign of King John (1199-1216) there is a note
directly appertaining to the chapel at Hoole in
that one “Walter de Hoole was an inquisitor
of the Wapentake of Leylandsir” followed by
the information that in the year 1280, Amory de
Hoole made a grant to “God and St. Mary”
of one acre of land in Much Hoole for the upkeep
and maintenance of the lights in the chapel of Little
Hoole. This means it is reasonable to assume that
a chapel existed in Hoole in the year 1216 AD. At
around 1232-1237, Robert de Vilers gave to Ralph,
the son of Henry de Hoole, 20 acres of land which
Robert’s father had granted to Henry for life
at a rent of 12d. per anum. Ralph gave the land
to the Cistercian monks of Merrivale, and his daughter
Beatrice de Hoole in her widowhood handed over her
land making a total of “up to four score acres”
at the Abbot’s choice. The monks could make
a mill and mill pool, but should they lead the mill
stream through Ralph’s land they were to make
a reasonable exchange for what they might take for
the purpose.
In
the year 1294 the land was granted to Master Adam
de Walton of Ulnes Walton who in turn gave the land
to his son , also called Adam of Hoole. In 1346
, William, the Abbot of Merrivale tried to claim
the land back, but he was unsuccessful.
Although
there is no information regarding the size, shape
, or construction of the mill or the monastery,
what is obvious is the knowledge that the people
of Hoole have worshipped here for 700 years or more.
In
the year 1628 a chapel of ease, coming under the
jurisdiction of Croston Parish church, was built
in the township of Much Hoole by Thomas Stones of
London, and in July 1641 became the Parish church
of Hoole by an act of Parliament duly signed by
King Charles the First.
The
church was dedicated to St. Michael and All Angels
for the townships of Much and Little Hoole, with
a messuage called “Carr House” in Bretherton
being assigned to it. The Patronage was vested in
the builder, and a seventh part of the rent (£53
6s. 8d.) due to the Crown from the rectory of Croston
was to be paid by the rector of Hoole, the Reverend
Robert Fogg, a very zealous Puritan.
The
Reverend Fogg had been Curate at Hoole in 1632 and
again in 1639; Jeremiah Horrocks the astronomer
had been acting for him in 1639 whilst carrying
out his duties as tutor to the children of the Stones
family of Carr House. In the year 1646 Robert Fogg
was “placed” in Bangor Isycoed Rectory
on the expulsion of the Royalist Henry Bridgeman.
This position he lost during the Restoration period
in the year 1660 and was silenced for “Nonconformity”. |