beautified on each side with strong square dentelled pillars, mounted by two urns; which give additional effect to the mansion-house. The whole area is walled in, and pallisaded at the the top, branching out from each side of the gateway. There are. various out-offices, and a large yard, together with gardens behind the house, very extensive, all walled in. This house forms the Earl of Derby's residence during the races and guild. Persons are duly appointed to live within it, in order to keep it clean, and prepare the apartments when the family pay a visit upon the above. and other occasions.

The first of this family created an earl, was in the year 1485, named Thomas Stanley, Earl of Derby, and built Greenhaugh castle,* near Garstang. The puritanic rage of Oliver Cromwell and his adherents was directed with redoubled violence against this once fair but extensive baronial castle, whilst he and the rest were loitering in these parts of Lancashire. It had been suffered to remain in a decayed state for a great number of years previous.

The present Earl is the Lord Lieutenant of the County Palatine of Lancaster, and a more worthy nobleman could not be found to fill that important office. The arms of this noble and ancient family are thus:-Quarterly first and fourth pearl, on a bend sapphire, three bucks' heads cabossed, topaz, for Stanley. Second and third ruby, three men's legs armed proper, conjoined in fess, at the upper part of the thigh, flexed in triangle, garnished and spurred gold, for the Isle of Man. Crest, on a cap of maintenance, an eagle and child, with wings expanded, topaz, preying upon an infant in its cradle, proper. Supporters, on the dexter side a griphon, on the sinister a buck, both gold, each having a ducal collar and a chain sapphire. Motto, "Sans Changer."

The Preston Chronicle of October 7th, 1820, states the following act of munificence." We are much gratified to hear that the Right Hon. the Earl of Derby, Lord Lieutenant of this County, has been pleased to make the following liberal donations to various

• Greenhaugh castle was a strong hold, consisting of two majestic towers to the front, and an arched gateway, with a draw-bridge, and moat, and was the baronial castle of Thomas Stanley, in the days of Henry the 7th, who gave to this said Thomas Stanley (Earl of Derby,) certain lands originally possessed by certain outlawed nobility of this county. They had made several forcible attacks upon this castle, with intention to destroy him, but all to no effect; he by his peaceable demeanour stemmed all these feuds, and brought many of these his inveterate enemies to be his greatest friends and supporters.

charitable institutions in this town, on occasion of his grandson, the Hon. E. G. Stanley, attaining the age of twenty-one :-To the Dispensary £50., National school £50., Methodist school £25., Catholic school £25., Ladies' Charity £25.

The following document it is hoped will be acceptable to the reader, on account of its bearing ancient date:

"Thomas Lord Stanley, who died in 1504, the 19th of Henry the 7th, by his will bearing date July 28th, and the probate thereof, the 9th of November following, and therein bearing the title of Earl of Derby, Lord Stanley, Lord of Man, and Great Constable of England, bequeathed his body to be interred in the north isle of the priory of Burscough, (near Lathom, in com, Lanc.) of his ancestors' foundation; where the bodies of his father, and others of his ancestors, lay buried. And whereas he had given to the said priory and convent great gifts in money, jewels, and ornaments; he nevertheless bequeaths thereto £20. to this intent, that the said prior and convent be bound by their deed, sealed with their common seal, to him and his heirs, to cause one of their canons thereof duly to say mass in the said chapel, for his soul, and for the soul of his lady, now his wife, after her decease, and for Elinor, late his wife, and for the souls of his father, mother, ancestors, children, brethren, and sisters; and for the soul of William, late Marquess of Berkley; also for the souls of those who died in his or his father's service, or that should die in his service, and for the souls of all those he had anywise offended, and for all christian souls for evermore. And at every mass, before the lavatorie, audibly to say, for the souls he appointed by name, and all others in general, "De profundis clamavi,” and such oraisons and collects as are used to be said therewith. That he further wills, that a priest be provided to say mass, for a year, in the churches of Winwick and Warrington, especially for the souls of those he had anywise offended, and all christian souls. To the Bishop of Man £40., to the abbey of Whalley £20., to the abbey of Cockersand £10., to the making of Garstang bridge £20., to the purchasing of the rent and toll of Warrington bridge 300 marks, that no more tollage, or farm, be there asked; and that Sir Geoffrey Trafford, and Henry Ryley, Esq. be supervisors, to see the same well, truly, and duly performed," &c. &c.—See Baronet tage, by Collins, vol. 2, p. 75.

FRANCISCAN CONVENT.

"Here oft at midnight, rous'd from sleep profound,
Have pious monks their matins sung,

While cavern'd walls prolong'd the lingering sound,
And breathless echoes round the cloister rung."

"The Grey Friars convent of Preston villa, (in the custody of Worcester,) was erected under the auspices of Edward Earl of Lancaster, son to Henry the third of England, on the ides of March, A. D. 1221, during the pontificate of Honorius the third. Their founder, St. Francis,* of Assissium, in the province of Umbria; and were divided into conventuals, who admitted some mitigations into their rule; and observantines, who practised a stricter observance of it. The companions of this institute were sent from Coventry. Thus despising the vanities of this world, have made choice of this way of life, approved of by holy church; and after the example of their divine master, and his apostles, they hope and trust in God, to sow the seeds of the divine word, amongst the people residing in the villa of Preston, in Agmounderness, in Lancashire."

The original order of St. Francis was divided into two parts; one, the conventuals; the other of the observantines. These conventuals date their origin from the time of Elias of Cortona, successor in office to St. Francis. He first introduced relaxation into their rules, and permitted the possession of rents and foun-dations. These privileges were sanctioned by succeeding generals, and even by the consent of popes; so after a certain space of time this department of the society acquired considerable property. The observantines, on the contrary, steady to the strictness of their institute, repressed all such innovations, and lived according to their primitive simplicity, subsisting upon the alms they begged from all charitable christians. They were held in great esteem by the people, who by their bequests generally left more or less to houses of this rule. They generally had the immediate care of the bodies of illustrious personages, in their cemeteries, and were employed in • It must be observed that St. Francis was living during this time. At first experience soon discovered that many spiritual, as well as many temporal evils attended mendicity in this order; in consequence of this, many of the Franciscan establishments began to acquire permanent property. This the church first permitted, and afterwards counte nanced. The council of Trent confined mendicity to the observantine friars.

The rules followed by

writing their last wills and testarnents.

them were extremely rigid, indeed they were

Social friends,

Attun'd to happy unison of soul;

To whose exalting eye a fairer world,

Of which the vulgar never had a glimpse,

Displays its charms; whose minds are richly fraught

With philosophic stores, superior light;

And in whose breast, enthusiastic, burns

Virtue, the sons of interest deem romance."

We may truly add, that such convents as these maintained the poor; there being in those times no national provision made for them, as is the case in our days; no poor lys, no overseers; no, such men were not known in those remote times. It must be allowed that a considerable part of monastic property returned, in one shape or other, to the public, or to the representatives of their benefactors. Thus the public were essentially benefitted by their duty of hospitality. This obliged all monasteries to receive and entertain benefactors, and their heirs, and all their followers. In the present state of society, the practice of this hospitality appears in the light of a festivity; not so in the times of which we are speaking, it was then always considered as a serious duty, imposing more te than is now imagined. The children of the poor and necessitous were instructed at these places, in the practice of religion and morality. A school was as regular an appendage to these religious houses, as a church.

This Grey Friars' house, situate on the north west side of the town, when in its splendour and glory, would have accommodated the proudest monarch; was built in a style of the richest gothic magnificence, enclosing within its walls apartments for upwards of five hundred monks. The demolition, in 1539, was so complete, that little remains, excepting some outward walls, pointed window mouldings, and gothic arched doorways. One end of this building may still be seen facing southwards, which is supported by strong stone buttresses, of a reddish hue. Fronting the canal, immediately over Thomas Singleton's dwelling, a specimen exhibits itself of antique window casing, filled up with brickwork. The extent, number, and intricacy of the, subterraneous vaults, were such as to afford retreat for lawless banditti. There were also orangeries and greenhouses, surrounded by a number of

separate parterres, or islands, decorated with statuary and columns brought from afar. But all is now destroyed, and the stranger only learns from the sorrowful tale, that our ancestors had taste and discernment in their day, perhaps equal to many who now exist at the present time.

Leland says, "that Preston monastery was built in the soil of a person named Preston, dwelling in the town. A brother, or son of his confirmed the grant of the site of the house, and one of these two was created honorary Viscount of Gormanstown, in the county of Meath, in Ireland.* Moreover divers of the Hollands, Prestons, Daltons, and Shireburns, gentlemen, were interred here. But the original and chief founder of this convent was Edward, Earl of Lancaster,† son to King Henry the third, who lived in 1284. Sir Robert Holland, that accused Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, of treason, was a great benefactor to this convent. The patron saint to this friarage, was St. Francis."

There was a time when more of its remains were extant; when the wind whistled through its broken arches, and the owl hooted from its shattered towers; when the ivy twined round its broken columns, and the foxglove hung its blossoms about the

* The Antiquities of Furness, Thurloe's State Papers, and the Journals to the House of Commons, state that the Prestons, of Preston, Holker, the Manor, Levens, and Preston Patrick, Sussex, and Gormanstown, are all one common stock; their arms may be seen over the door of Frith-hall, near Cartmel, and are casually used by them, with sometimes a crescent for difference; they are allied to the following noble families, in consequence of intermarriages, viz. the Stanleys, Cliffords, Howards, Molyneuxs, Throgmortons, Fitzherberts, Gages, Newburghs, Wentworths, Tildesleys, Stricklands, Hoghtons, Southwells, Bradshaighs, Lowthers, Russels, Herberts, Pastons, Standishs, Smythes, Asshetons, Laytons, Lethoms, Tunstalls, Morices, Calwyns, Dunbars, Westbys, Andertons, Ludlows, Bardseys, Curwens, Kirkbys, Downs, Fairfaxs, Careys, Sheldons, Blounts. Their coat armour is thus-Argent, two bars, gules, on a canton of the last, a cinquefoil on the first. George Preston, Esq. gave to Cartmel church a new altar piece, in the year 1640, and ornamented the choir with a curious carved partition, representing the passion of Christ. The lands of John Preston, Esq. of Furness, were, by order of parliament, forcibly taken possession of, by commissioners appointed for that purpose, and himself stigmatised as a papist and delinquent, June 17th, 1651.-See Journal to the House of Commons. Sir James Preston fled out of this county, October 12th, 1683, and went over to France; took up his head quarters at Carcasone, in Languedoc, and had under his immediate command 1,000 horse, and foot soldiers. On the 19th of November, the same year, he, with the Marquess de Hockincourt, raised the siege of Rosa, in Catalonia. moreover fought with great valour at Milan, on the 24th of October, 1654.-Vide Thurloe's State Papers.

He

↑ Vide Dugdale's Baronetage, vol. 1, p. 154; Leland's Itinerary, vol. 4, p. 1, 12; and in Stevens, vol. 1, p. 154.