This religious house was founded for Black Canons by Robert Fitzhenry, Lord of Latham of Lathom, in the reign of Richard I. It was formerly the burial-place of the Earls of Derby; but many of the coffins have been removed to their vault in the church at Ormskirk, built by Edward, the third Earl, great grandson of Thomas, first Earl of Derby, who had the honour of crowning Henry VII. at Bosworth Field with the coronet torn from the brows of the slain tyrant.

The main fact of the following tradition may be found in the Calend.  Rotulo.  Patents, fol. 155, art. 13, containing the free pardon granted by Edward III. to the atrocious murderer of Michael de Poininges and Thomas le Clarke, after the rape he had committed on Margaret de la Bech.

At the Dissolution, this priory had a superior, five monks, and forty servants.  The last prior was John Barton, who surrendered the living, and subscribed to the King’s supremacy.  He was surviving as late as the year 1553.

[Illustration:  BURSCOUGH ABBEY.

Drawn by G. Pickering.  Engraved by Edw^d Finden.]

That curious structure, the church at Ormskirk, having two steeples, a tower and spire, contiguous to each other, is briefly glanced at in the tradition.  This circumstance, according to some accounts, was occasioned by the removal of part of the bells from Burscough at the dissolution of the monasteries, when the existing spire steeple was found to be not sufficiently capacious.  The tenor bell, said to have been the third bell, at Burscough, bears some apparent proof of its translation.  Round the circle, below the ear, is the following inscription in black letter, except the initials of the founder:—­

“J.S. * de Burscough * Armig. * et * e * vr. * me fecerunt in honorem Trinitatis * R.B. 1497.”

About half-way down the bell is another date, 1576.

Where each asterisk is marked are the rose, portcullis, and fleur de lis.  Beneath the inscription a neat border is cast, filled up in the centre with the rose, portcullis, and fleur de lis, repeated so as to occupy the whole circumference of the bell.  We have been thus particular in our description, as it may not be uninteresting to pursue this inquiry, connected as it is with some important historical facts, not irrelevant to the subject.

The following remarks may preclude any further observations of our own:—­

“The red rose is well known to have been the favourite emblem of the house of Lancaster, from whom Henry VII. was descended, and through whom he gloried in claiming his title to the throne.