Heysham / Heesam / Heesham / Hegsham / Hesaim / Hesam / Hesham / Heshem / Hessam / Hessein / Hessem / Hissein

[Higher and Lower] Heysham [variant spelling] are mentioned with over a dozen other places in an entry in the Domesday survey [https://opendomesday.org/place/XX0000/higher-and-lower-heysham/] [accessed 3 April 2019]; it mentions neither cleric nor church in it. The Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire (vol. LV, 1905: 180) mention a plain font, "probably early from its solid plainness". Listed in Cox & Harvey (1907) as a baptismal font of the Perpendicular period. The entry for this parish in the Victoria County History (Lancaster, vol. 8, 1914) notes: "The church is of very ancient date and has a good deal of Saxon work remaining in the west end of the nave, and there was more on the north side till it was pulled down at the time of the addition of the north aisle. [...] The font is of red sandstone, octagonal in shape, 2 ft. 4 in. in diameter and quite plain, and may be of 15th-century date or later. The cover is modern, in the Jacobean style." [NB: we have no information on the earlier font of this church]. The VCH [cf. supra] mentions also a very old chapel near and to the west of the parish church: "On the edge of the cliff, some 40 or 50 ft. above sea level, at a point where the coast line makes a sharp turn to the east for a little space, stand the ruins of ST. PATRICK'S CHAPEL. It is an undivided rectangular building, (fn. 3) of early preConquest date [...] The building is unlike the usual Saxon type of church both in plan and detail, and suggests a Celtic influence in keeping with its traditional dedication, but no suggestion as to the exact date of its erection can be offered." The entry for this church in Historic England [Listing NGR: SD4104661649] notes: "Church. C14 and c.1500 with pre-Conquest remains and mid C19 alterations. [...] In the south chancel aisle is a pre-Conquest hogback tombstone, with carved bears biting the ends and with the sides richly decorated with figures mixing Norse mythology and Christian symbolism. It was previously in the churchyard and was moved into the church in 1961. The octagonal sandstone font is probably C16 and has an openwork font cover with an ogee top. Although restored in theC19, its turned balusters appear to be C17.