Atherton / Aderton / Chowbent

The Victoria County History (Lancaster, vol. 3, 1907) notes; "The parochial chapel of St. John the Baptist at Chowbent was a small brick edifice erected in 1645 by John Atherton, esq., and his tenants, the one erecting the chancel, the others the body of the chapel. [...] The present church, the third to be erected upon the site, was consecrated in 1879, and is now described as the parish church of St. John the Baptist in Atherton." The VCH (ibid.) names James Smith as the incumbent ca, 1648. The present font is modern, perhaps of the date of the late-19th century building here; a polygonal basin with a confusing array of traditional decorations on it (Tudor roses, square flowers, trefoiled windows, crenellation, Ogee motifs, etc.) [NB: we have no information on the font of the mid-17th century parochial chapel here].