een made (Chapter XIII.) to the Royal fugitive taking advantage of the
hiding-place afford by the "priest's hole" at Moseley Hall where Charles
was loyally secreted by Jesuitic and other priestly adherents, though
they might have pocketed a reward of 10,000 pounds by betraying him--yet
in after years this ungrateful prince had no compunction in signing more
than twenty death warrants against Romanist priests, merely for the crime
of being priests!]

[Picture: Bentley Hall]

To resume our history of Willenhall Church: What was manifestly a
"restored" chapel was in 1727 consecrated by Edward, Lord Bishop of
Coventry and Lichfield, on the same day that Bilston Chapel was
consecrated; but the building could have been scarcely worth the attempt,
as twenty years later it had to be entirely replaced.

On August 14th of the year 1727, the Bishop having first consecrated
Bilston Chapel, in the presence of a large assembly of the local clergy,
which included the Rev. R. Ames and two other prebendaries; the vicars of
Walsall and Dudley; Mr. Tyrer, curate of Tettenhall; Mr. Gibbons,
minister of Codsall; Mr. Varden, rector of Darlaston; Mr. Perry, curate
of Wednesbury; and Mr. Holbrooke, curate of Willenhall; his lordship
proceeded to Willenhall in a coach and four, where the ceremony of
Consecration "in Latine" was repeated upon what was merely a renovated
building. After which Squire Lane, of Bentley, gave a splendid
entertainment in celebration of the event.

A "chappel-yard for the Burial of the Dead," which had been added, was
consecrated at the same time, and, strangely enough--as if the
parishioners of Willenhall were eager to signalise their acquisition of
such a parochial institution as a graveyard--the first interment was made
the selfsame day.

About the middle of the eighteenth century there was a wave of zeal for
church extension, on which we find Wolverhampton carried along rather
freely; for within the short space of ten years, under the auspices of
Dr. Pennistan Booth, the enterprising Dean, the building of four
chapels-of-ease was projected. These daughter churches were:--

1746--Wednesfield (Advowson of which was vested in Walter Gough and his
heirs).

1748--Willenhall.

1753--Bilston.

1755--St. John's (the new building was injured by fire, and not
consecrated till 1760).

From the Registers is gleaned the following issue of a writ to release
sequestration of fees:--