Rector - Edward Pilkington (1680-1749)
Edward Pilkington MBQG-V35 was born circa 1680, a more exact date of birth has not yet been determined with sufficient proof by way of sources etc. What is certain is that he was married and had several children; this information has been gleaned from various parish records kept by St. Cuthbert’s church, Halsall and is a lesson in the importance of such records when trying to piece together a person’s life from the late 17th century. In addition, it is vital to see the original source if possible as extra information can be included on documents that are not always transcribed on websites such as Ancestry or Find My Past for example.
Before he was the rector of Halsall, Edward Pilkington was a schoolmaster at Halsall Free Grammar School for 25 years, from 3rd March 1703 until 9th July 1728 (Clergy of the Church of England Database). This school was sited at the back of the church (now the choir vestry) and founded by Edward Halsall in 1593.
It wasn’t until September 1708 that Edward Pilkington was ordained as a deacon and then in May 1711 he was ordained as a priest. His first appointment was that of minister and curate at Altcar – St. Michael’s and All Angels church (that church was destroyed by fire in 1740 and a new church was consecrated in 1747). On 14th July 1725, Edward was appointed curate at Halsall, which involved him working at Melling Chapel as well.
Sadly, his wife Sarah died in 1737; she was buried at St. Cuthbert’s church, Halsall. Six years later, Edward’s son, William passed away at only 17 years of age; he was buried on 24th March 1743. Yet again, we can turn to the parish records to see both these burials in the registers.
Happier news was to follow as Sarah and Edward’s daughter, Ann, married Thomas Watson at St. Cuthbert’s church, Halsall on 3rd February 1745. They went on to have eight children, including two lots of twins; so Edward became a grandfather.
Shortly afterwards, he was appointed rector of Halsall on 10th December 1747. His term in office was rather short-lived unfortunately, as he died in 1749; he was buried at St. Cuthbert’s on 1st December.
