About thirty years since the roof of the church was altered and renewed. Notwithstanding the fact that the churchyard has been in constant use for so many centuries very few emblems of antiquity, beyond occasional coins of the Roman era, have ever been discovered in it, and at present, unlike most burial grounds of great age, no specimens of raised letters are to be seen amongst the numerous gravestones, the oldest of which still legible, intimates the resting place of Richard Elston, and has the date 1719. At a short distance, and assisting to flag a side pathway to the south of the church, is another stone, covering the grave of “Richard Brown, of Great Marton, who died the third day of April, 1723”; but neither this nor the foregoing one have any interest beyond their antiquity. The ancient practice of tolling the Curfew-bell is still continued in the winter evenings from the 29th of September to the 10th of March, whilst a pancake bell is rung at 12 o’clock on each Shrove Tuesday.[76] VICARS OF POULTON-LE-FYLDE. IN THE DEANERY OF AMOUNDERNESS AND ARCHDEACONRY OF LANCASTER. ------------+-------------------+---------------------+---------------- Date of | VICARS. | On whose | Cause of Institution.| | Presentation. | vacancy. ------------+-------------------+---------------------+---------------- In 1431 |Wm. de Croukeshagh |Abbot and Convent | | | of Sion | ” 1442 |Richard Brown |Ditto | Before 1519 |William Bretherton |Ditto | In 1552 |Ranulph Woodward |Edward VI. | |Richard Cropper | | ” 1565 |Wm. Wrightington |John Fleetwood, of |Death of Richard | | Penwortham | Cropper ” 1573 |Richard Grenhall |Bridget Fleetwood |Death of William | | and William, her | Wrightington | | son | ” 1582 |Peter Whyte |Edward Fleetwood |Death of Richard | | and William Purston| Grenhall About 1650 |John Sumner | | |George Shaw | | In 1674 |Richard Harrison |Richard Fleetwood, |Death of George | | of Rossall | Shaw ” 1718 |Timothy Hall |Edward Fleetwood, |Death of Richard | | of Rossall | Harrison ” 1726 |Robert Loxham |Ditto[77] |Death of T. Hall ” 1749 |Robert Loxham |Roger Hesketh, of |Resignation of | | Rossall | R. Loxham ” 1770 |Thomas Turner |Exors. of Fleetwood |Death of Robert | | Hesketh, of | Loxham