Page:History of the Fylde of Lancashire (IA historyoffyldeof00portiala).pdf/64

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Rigby, Edward, of Layton and Burgh, esq.
Veale, John, of Mythorp, esq.
Butler, Henry, of Out-Rawcliffe, esq.
Parker, William, of Bradkirk, esq.
Westby, John, of Mowbreck, esq.
Kirkby, William, of Upper Rawcliffe, esq.
Singleton, George, of Staining, esq.
Hesketh, William, of Little Poulton, esq.
Stanley, Thomas, of Great Eccleston, esq.
Warren, ——, of Plumpton, esq.
White, Nicholas, of Great Eccleston, gent.
Rogerly, George, of Lytham, gent.
Banister, William, of Carleton, gent.
Sharples John, of Freckleton, gent.

The dress of the priests previous to the Protestant Reformation is thus described by Harrison:—"They went either in divers colours like plaiers, or in garments of light hew, as yellow, red, greene, etc., with their shoes piked, their haire crisped, and their girdles armed with silver; their shoes, spurs, bridles, etc., buckled with like mettall; their apparell chiefly of silke, and richlie furred, their cappes laced and buttoned with gold; so that to meet a priest in those days, was to beholde a peacocke that spreadeth his taile when he danseth before the henne." "The manners and customs of the inhabitants of Lancashire," writes John de Brentford, "are similar to those of the neighbouring counties except that the people eat with two pronged forks[1]; the men are masculine, and in general well made, they ride and hunt the same as in the most southern parts, but not with that grace, owing to the whip being carried in the left hand; the women are most handsome, their eyes brown, black, hazel, blue, or grey; their noses, if not inclined to the aquiline, are mostly of the Grecian form, which gives a most beautiful archness to the countenance, such indeed as is not easy to be described, their fascinating manners have long procured them the name of Lancashire witches." Leyland in his "Itinerary" says:—"The dress of the men chiefly consists of woollen garments, while the women wear those of silk, linen, or stuff. Their usual colours are those of

  1. Table forks were introduced into England from Italy at the close of the Tudor dynasty; previously the people of all ranks used their fingers for the purposes to which we now apply a fork. A kind of fork was used as far back as the Anglo-Saxon times, but only to serve articles from the dish.