THE OLD - Old Wirral.com

THE OLD CHURCHES OF WIRRAL
of the pilgrims who came to view these
sacred deposits. Chapels, therefore,
came to be built on to the church for this
purpose, though there were gradations in
sanctity so that not every saint was
deemed worthy of an altar. But of the
various chapels thus erected those dedicated
to the Blessed Virgin always took
pre-eminence, and in the greater churches
where the service of the Blessed Virgin
grew in splendour, the Lady Chapels
came to be of great size and importance.
So also in parish churches there came to
be added Lady Chapels, a custom surviving
to-day in several Wirral churches. It
is to be noted in this connection that the
side chapel in Heswall is dedicated to St.
Peter.
Another annexe to many churches con-
sisted of chantries where masses were said
for the dead. Thus the organ chamber
at Woodchurch appears to be a converted
when the cell of St. Hildeburgh
chantry ;
on Hilbre Island was abandoned, the last
monk was drafted to West Kirby as
chantry priest ; and there is abundant
evidence that the church at Lower Bebington
was provided with chantries.
Intra-mural burial was, of course, com-
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