"The Chauntrie in the paroche Church of Kirkeham.
"Thomas Prymbet preyst Incumbent there of the foundation of the antecessors of S^r Thomas Clifton, knight, to celebrate there for their sowles and all crysten sowles.
"The same is at the altar of our lady w^thin the paroche church of Kirkham, and the said Incumbent doth celebrate there accordinglie."
Sum totall of the rentall £6 0s. 11d.,
"Whereof—
"Payde to Sir Henry ffarington, knight, as farmour to the kynge, our Sovereigne lord, of Penwarden fee, for chief rente goynge forthe of the lands in ffryklyngton, by yere 4d.
"Payde to the Kinges Majestie, to the handes of the receyvour of his late Monasteyre of Vale Royall, goynge forthe of the burgages in Kirkeham, by yere, in Christenmes and Mydsomur, 7s. 6d.
"Sum of the reprises 7s 10d.
"And so remayneth £5 13s. 1d.
This chantry was in existence in 1452, for in that year, when
the abbot and convent of Vale Royal presented Dom. Edmund
Layche to the vicarage, the archdeacon instructed John Clarke,
the chaplain of the chantry, to induct him.[1] Thomas Prymbett,
the officiating priest, was sixty years of age in 1548, and at that
date the town and parish of Kirkham contained 1700 "houselinge
people." Five years later Thomas Prymbett received a pension of
£5.[1] His death occurred in 1564.
At the dissolution of monasteries, the chantry of Kirkham church was mulcted in an annual rent of 6s. 2d., which was ordered to be paid to the receiver of the Duchy. A lease of the lands appertaining to the chantry was granted to Lawrence Pembroke for a term of sixteen years.
In 1291 the living of Kirkham church was estimated in the Valor of Pope Nicholas at £160 per annum, but at the dissolution aforesaid it was valued at no more than £21 1s. 0-1/2d. per annum.
In 1586 the advowson of the church was leased to James Smith, yeoman, of Kirkham; and in 1591 it was granted for a period of twenty-one years by the authorities of Christ Church, Oxford, to John Sharpies, of Freckleton.[2]
Within the church are several inscriptions, the oldest and most curious of which is to be seen on a stone forming part of the
