Vernon Lingard

The Reverend Vernon Lingard was the vicar who was supposed to officiate at the wedding of Albert Tatlock to Alice Pickins in September 1969. He called at No. 1 to ask about the chosen hymns - O Perfect Love and Love Divine - only to find Ena Sharples visiting who said she thought he was too young to have taken holy orders but she had to confess that she was impressed with his knowledge of hymn verses.

Lingard told Albert that he had to go to Preston on the morning of the wedding day in his car, which he called “The Venerable Bede”, and Albert asked him to pick up his equally ancient Aunt Ada Broadbent from where she lived in Eccleston and he reluctantly agreed. However on the day, his faithful car broke down and he and the old lady ended up thumbing lifts from other drives, none of whom stopped for them. Tired of waiting at the church, the wedding party went to the reception where Lingard eventually turned up and offered them a booking for the forthcoming Monday. Alice though had decided that fate had intervened and called off the marriage, going off on the honeymoon to Morecambe alone.