13.—THE MONUMENTS, ETC., IN THE PRIORY CHURCH AND CHURCHYARD.

The only monument in the chancel is a plain tablet of white marble on the south wall, which is thus inscribed:—

"Sacred to the Memory of George Stretton, late of Nottingham, died December 7th, 1833, aged 62 years. Also one son and one daughter, George Burbage Stretton, died March 6th, 1817, aged 17 years; Elizabeth Stretton, died July 6th, 1828, aged 26 years."

There were formerly several floor stones in the chancel to the memory of various members of the Garland family, but these were probably removed to the churchyard with others. The inscriptions on the slabs in the floor of the nave are as follows:—

"Here lieth the body of Ann Chamberlain, Daughter of John and Martha Chamberlain, who departed this life Feby 5th, 1748, aged 26 years."

"Martha Chamberlain, 1753."

"John Chamberlain, 1766."

"William Norris, died March 10th, 1788, aged 75 years."

"John, Son of Thos. Needham, Gent., and Elizabeth his wife, of Sandbach, in Cheshire, died April . . . aged 3 years and . . . months."

There are no other monuments in the church, but various other memorials are to be seen. The east window was erected in 1884 by the Misses C. and A. Wright: "To the Glory of God and in grateful remembrance of the Rev. G. Browne, who has been 43 years Vicar of Lenton. Heb. 13.7 :8."

The window has the further inscription: "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." This is written on a scroll held by four angels. The word "Alleluia" is inscribed on each side, and the sacred monograms. It is a three-light window, and the pictures represent the sick and needy coming to Christ.

The "low-side" window in the south wall of the chancel contains a stained representation of the Good Shepherd, presented by George Ball, Esq., and his son Albert (now Sir Albert Ball).

A new stone font was made and placed in the church at the restoration of 1883. It bears carvings of the Priory Arms, the Arms of S. Ethelred, K. & M., and those of S. Thomas of Hereford; there is also a small carving of a dove descending, reminiscent of the Baptism of Our Lord in the River Jordan by John Baptist.

On May 21st, 1896, a new organ was placed in the church, a recital being given at the opening ceremony by Mr. W. T. Cockerem. This was replaced in 1925 by one of two manuals and 17 stops, at the cost of £360. Electric light was installed in 1929, Miss H. Tucker defraying the cost. The north west corner of the nave is partitioned off as a choir vestry.

The Communion plate consists of a flagon, chalice and paten. These were dedicated to the worship of God, with kneelers and two brass altar vases and 4 alms dishes or salvers, on January 3rd,  1892, at the early celebration. The Communion Set in an oak chest was "Presented to the Priory Church of Lenton To the Glory of God, and in memory of Frederick Sadding Thorpe, by Catherine M. Jallard."

The Eagle Lectern, a representation of the King of Birds, gazing with undimmed vision at the sun, was executed by Mr. Bridgeman, who carried out the work on the west front of Lichfield Cathedral, and is a memorial to the late Miss Charlotte Wright. An oak stand for the reader at the lectern was given in 1898, replacing the stone one, now left unused. The oak pulpit is inscribed as follows:—"This pulpit was erected by Albert Ball, C.C., August, 1901, To the Glory of Almighty God, in memory of George Ball, Father of the Donor, who died March 4th, 1887."

At the same time Mr. Frederick Ball decorated the front of the organ in memory of his father.

The white marble cross over the altar was presented by Nathan Hyde Pownall. The altar service book contains the following inscription:—

"Presented to Lenton Priory Church by the Members of the Choir, in affectionate remembrance of their revered fellow chorister, the late Nathan Hyde Pownall. Advent 1908."

The Prayer Book, on the Clergy desk, contains the following inscription: —

"Lenton Priory Church— Rev. A. H. Watts, Vicar. Rev. C. D. Powell, LL.D., M.A. Rev. W. Clements, M.A., Curates. J. C. Bowmar and A. Ball, Churchwardens. Presented by Oliver Ball, for the Coronation, June 26th,

1902." The Lectern Bible has written in it:—

"Presented for the Lectern of the Priory Church of Old Lenton, in thankful remembrances of benefits received. Hossannah, Ebenezer, Alleluia."

The priory church (interior).

The priory church (interior).

In addition to a painting of the Priory Arms, and photographs of the Priory Church, there is in the nave a reprint of the oldest surviving record of Lenton Priory. It is headed: "Lenton Priory Eight Hundred Years Ago," and reads: —

"The facsimile which accompanies this article is, no doubt, the oldest surviving record of Lenton Priory, the foundation charter existing only in the form of late copies. It is reproduced from a recent publication of Messers Champion (Paris), entitled 'Rouleau mortuaire du B. Vital, Abbe de Savigni' Edition phototypique, avec introduction par L. Delisle.

In early times (writes Mr. A. Stapleton), what were called mortuary rolls were sent round from great abbeys on the occasion of the death of an abbot, to ask the prayers of all other abbeys in friendly relation with it. It was the custom for each abbey visited to add to the roll a list of its own deceased, for the purpose of exchanging prayers and other spiritual benefits. The bearer of the above roll, in the course of his peregrinations, visited no less than 200 monasteries, 70 of which were in England, including that of Lenton, the most important in Nottinghamshire. In Lenton Priory, about the year 1120, was written the passage referred to above, to be sent across the channel and, strangely, to return in facsimile after the lapse of nearly eight centuries. The following is the translation of the facsimile: —

'Title of the Church of the Holy Trinity of Nottingham. May his soul and the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen. Pray for Hugh, prior; Lambert, prior; Walter, monk; Ulric, monk; Ralph, monk; William, monk; Robert, monk; Walter, monk; and others.' Brief and formal though it be, the manuscript is of high interest from the circumstance that its date is probably less than 40 years subsequent to Domesday Book, and possibly no more than a dozen years later than the foundation of Lenton Priory. It is, indeed, questionable whether any earlier specimen of undoubted Notts, caligraphy is extant to-day. Furthermore, it furnishes the names of two previously unchronicled priors (most likely the first two appointed), not to mention the half-dozen brethren concerning whom this is, no doubt, the sole surviving record. One further point calls for notice, inasmuch as the name of Lenton does not transpire in the record—the somewhat misleading allusion being to the 'Church of the Holy Trinity of Nottingham.' This circumstance caused a recent reviewer to fall into the error of asserting that the roll brings to light a Nottingham foundation not mentioned in 'Dugdale.' It is, however, easy to understand that the contemporary obscurity of the village of Lenton naturally led to the Priory being in its earlier years ordinarily associated with the county borough on the confines of which it stood, and which, moreover, it spiritually dominated. That such was actually the case is proved by the adoption of two early 12th century grants of Wigston Church to this monastery, which are in later years confirmed to Lenton Priory. These several early allusions to the 'Church of the Holy Trinity of Nottingham' indirectly solve the mystery that puzzled our local historians, Thoroton and Deering, in the form of a reference to the 'Monks of Nottingham' in the Pipe Roll of 1130-1. I am indebted to the kindness of Mr. Theodore Craib, of the Public Record Office, as well for the above translation as for assistance in connection with the facsimile. Reprinted from The Nottingham Guardian, February 8th, 1911."

There is a well-painted Jacobean board, bearing the Royal Arms, over the arch dividing the chancel from the nave. In the vestry there hangs a picture, painted on wood, the reverse side of which may be used for a hymn number board. Mr. Clement F. Pitman, the Curator of the Castle Museum, says of this: "This is a painting on three panels, of King David (possibly King Alfred or Lear). It is very poor painting and drawing and worse design. Poor as is the painting, however, its style suggests an amateur working from a figure to be found in a German print (of some religious subject) related to the period Overbeck to Hoffman." It was probably therefore painted by a parishioner and presented to the church, to be used as a hymn board (or converted to this use at a later time), about 100 years ago.

A List of the Priors, Vicars and Churchwardens connected with the old parish church may be seen in the nave.

The erection of tombstones in churchyards was not a common practice prior to about the middle of the 17th century. The earliest remaining in the churchyard are dated about this time.

The vaults of the Wright and of the Stretton families are here, but there are no monuments that call for special mention, except perhaps, one that stands by the west wall of the churchyard, opposite the Wright's vault, and near to the entrance to the Priory Hall.

This headstone is wonderfully decorated with drums, flags, cannon, French horns, bugles, and other emblems of the militia, and bears the inscription:—

"Sacred to the memory of John Aspin, late Rough Rider in the Royal Regiment of Horse Guards, who after serving his King and Country faithfully seven years and eight months, fell a victim to the King of Terrour, on the 10th Day of December, 1800, in the 29th year of his age."

" No Routes nor Riots molest, Safe in this hallowed around, I'll wait 'till Christ shall call the blest, By the last Trumpet's sound."