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Greasley church (part 6)

At the west end of the south aisle in the Baptistry over the venerable old Font are the Tables of the Law, together with the Lord’s Prayer and the Creed, presented to the church by Francis Barber in 1764. These incidentally show that the indifferent east window of the chancel, which was taken out in 1897, must have been erected during the restoration of 1832, because the tables, from their height, had then room there without obscuring the light, and were therefore buried behind the Lord’s table, where we found them in 1866. and have at the last restoration in 1896-7 transferred them to the Baptistry.

At the west end of the north aisle, with an obliterated coat of arms, is a monument inscribed :—

Near this Place are deposited the Remains of Gilbert Millington, of Felley Abbey, Esqr., and Sarah his wife. He died the 2nd April, 1703, and she departed this life the 22nd August, 1741. She had issue Gilbert, who died the 14th of May, 1694, aged 14. Elizabeth married Thomas Holden, M.A., Rector of Aston in the County of Derby, and Alathea, their only surviving daughter, Relict of Charles Savile of Methley, in the County of York, Esq., by whom this monument was erected to their memory out of Filial regard and Gratitude in the year 1744.

On the north wall of this aisle is a marble monument :—

In Memory of Anne, The wife of
George Robinson, Esq., and eldest daughter of Thomas Barber, Esqr.,
Who died March 5th. 1824,
Aged 21.

Under the east window of the same aisle is a brass plate inscribed

Sacred to the memory of
Thomas Francis Philip
Hutchinson Barber, of Lambclose House.
He died at Wurtenberg in Germany
3rd April, 1857, aged 79 years.

Near the pulpit in the same aisle is an alabaster tablet commemorating the last Church restoration, bearing the inscription :— To the Glory of God.

Earl Cowper, the Duke of Rutland, and
Messrs. Barber, Walker & Co. defrayed
the costs of the restoration of this Church
A.D. 1896.

The Rev. Rodolph Baron von Hube, Vicar.

M.E. Wild, Wm. George Churchwardens.,

Finally, on the south wall under the tower are two tablets the upper one of which reads

The
Reverend
John Mansell
and Mary his
wife Bequeath’d
the charities
as specified on
the Tablet below,
and which was erected
by L. Rolleston, Esqr.

The Revd. C. Nixon
and A. Jackson Gent.
Trustees.

Underneath this is the tablet containing the founder’s directions how his bequests should be applied

A Schoolmaster or Mistress for teaching Eight poor Children, Boys or Girls, whose Parents belong to the Parish of Greasley the Yearly Salary of 5 0 0

Also Two Shillings and Six-pence on Christmas Day to each of the said poor Children, provided that they shall have regularly attended Church on Sundays and Christmas Day, unless prevented by sickness or lameness ... 1 0 0

Ten Shillings each to Eight poor Women, parishioners of and resident in Greasley aforesaid, at the time of their Lying In... ... 4 0 0

One Shilling per week to Five poor Women, parishioners of and resident in one of the hamlets of Watnall, Moorgreen, Beggarlee, and Newthorpe ...     ...         ...         ...         ... 13 0 0

Two Shillings and Six-pence to each of the said poor Women on Christmas Day, provided they shall have been regular attendants at Greasley Church, unless prevented by sickness or other reasonable excuse ... ... ... 0 12 6

Fifty Shillings to be distributed in Wheaten Bread, on Candlemas Day, to the poor of Greasley aforesaid   ...    ...   ... 2 10 0

£26 2 6

Lastly, underneath the tablet containing the Mansell bequests is a brass plate, which years ago we recovered from some rubbish, and which refers to one who is said to have been buried under the tower, but whose remains were probably removed when the earlier large heating chamber, which is now filled up, was constructed. It is:

“In Memory of Samuel Potter, son of Samuel Potter and Elizabeth his wife, who departed this life the gist day of May 1712, in the 22nd year of his age.”

THE CHURCHYARD.

Tyack’s Lore and Legends of the Church contain some interesting anecdotes connected with churchyard watchings and their object. Whether the same was the object here we know not, nor do we know whether it was a regular custom here, or for what reason; but of one churchyard watching at Greasley we have information. It took place many years ago, and the parties engaged in it shall be nameless. One of them, whom we knew well died years ago; but the other, a very intelligent and much respected old man, is still with us. We will name the parties A and B. In his younger days A was given to innocent practical jokes; but B had a strain of fears of the supernatural in his composition, and unlike as the two were in their temperament and disposition, they were coupled together to watch the Greasley churchyard in a certain night. Said B to A when they had proceeded some little distance toward the churchyard, “Hark thee, A, I don’t owe nob’dy nothink, and I has done nob’dy no harm, but if anythink happen to we to-night, God have mercy on me soul.” “Nonsense, B,” chuckled A, “come on, it’s time we should be there.” On they trudged, B hanging a little behind until he felt he must tell A again that he owes nob’dy nothink, &c., but being both good-humouredly scolded by A as well as ‘encouraged, the two went on until they came to the Moorgreen stile of the footway leading through the fields to the churchyard. There B halted once more, and more solemnly than before reasserted his character of owing nob’dy nothink, nor having done nob’dy no wrong, and that God may have mercy on his soul if anythink happened to them that night. A stepped over the stile, and being used to B’s lagging a little behind, walked on, but after having walked some little distance looked round for his companion, when, lo! B had fairly bolted. We do not know whether he had seen anything, but we have seen him often and felt that we could credit what had been related to us, especially the first part of B’s protestations.

It does not appear that there was at Greasley, as in some churchyards of olden times, an objection to burials on the north side of the church. To the contrary, both on the north and south side of thç church, and the west as well, the churchyard was well filled with graves.

Perhaps one remarkable circumstance may deserve to be noted here about some burials near the north side of the chancel. When the new heating chamber was being excavated for there (at the before last church restoration) the workmen came upon a number of human remains, which were carefully uncovered, and each of them proved the remains of a man of uncommon stature—a number of giant brothers one might say, which were all buried in that special corner. We had the remains carefully collected in a large coffin, which we got made for that purpose, and the remains were reverently re-interred as near the place where they had been found as conveniently could be.

The Churchyard of Greasley was originally a very small one, and one might wonder how it sufficed for centuries. But the explanation is not far to seek. The Kimberley dead were not buried here until 1443, but were interred in the ancient Kimberley Churchyard, in which locality human remains have frequently been brought to the surface by the agriculturist. But even then Greasley had but a small God’s acre for the large parish. We must, however, consider that the population was small. If the list of names which we find at the beginning of the Parish Register for 1600 is that of the householders of the whole parish then the marvel is not by far so great; but independently of that, as long as burials (as was the rule) continued to be in woollen, and not in coffins, the ground was not filling up so fast, and the decay was far more rapid, so that the ground was much earlier ready again for interments than otherwise could have been. The original limits of the Greasley Churchyard were southward as far as where the large elm tree stands; eastward no further than our Churchwalk; westward to the present boundary wall; and northward as far as the boundary of the old Vicarage grounds. There was a thick holly fence separating the Vicarage kitchen garden from the Churchwalk, which was then called Black Lane, and it is said (whether true or not we know not) that suicides used to be buried under that lane. The first Churchyard extension was southward, the second from the Churchwalk eastward, and the last, in our own time, northward to the Nottingham Road. It will take about ten years more before the new ground will be filled up. Meanwhile much care is being taken to have all graves in the new ground made so deep that the families to whom they belong may for some time be able to continue burying there, even after the Churchyard should become officially closed for other burials.

As in many other old churchyards, ours could not be expected to be without some carvings of death’s heads and cross bones and an hourglass. We meet with that here both on a headstone and also on one of the four brass plates of a tomb.

There are several large tombs in our Churchyard, the panel of one of which has an inscription which illustrates in a measure how rhymes were at times forced. It reads :—“ Sacred to the Memory of Charles Maltby, who died Jan. 3rd, 1821, aged 90 years

“With successful industry he passed through life, Attached to his children, his friends and his wife, And reached the advanced age of 90 you see, Having lived an example of economy.”

There is an interesting tomb eastward from the chancel which we cannot omit mentioning. The large stone slab which covers the tomb has a line lengthwise drawn on it, on the respective sides of which are the words

Benjamin Drawater's tomb in Greasley Churchyard (Photo: A Nicholson, 2004).

“Underneath lies interred the mortal remains of Benj. Drawater, Gentleman, of Mansfield, late of Eastwood, who suddenly departed this life on the 2nd of June, 1818, in the 68th year of his age. In his professional duty he had accompanied the great circumnavigator, Cook, in the years 1772— 1775. His virtues were commendable and exemplary, and were highly esteemed by friends and relations and his surviving family. He was a pious and good Christian. He lived respected and died lamented”

On the other side of the line the Doctor’s wife is commemorated, i.e. :— “Underneath lies interred the remains of Dorothy Drawater, relict of the late Benj. Drawater, who departed this life at Nottingham on the 20th of May, 1818, aged 61 years.’

Another tomb betokens the resting place of the late Rev. John Hides and his wife, whose memorial tablet is in the chancel as we described it there.

The Barber family have several tombs here, under the oldest of which a vault must exist because of the several burials which (to judge from the brasses) will have taken place there. The tomb has four brasses.

1. Here lieth the body of Sarah, the wife of John Barber, who departed this life the 3rd day of March, 1710, in the 39th year of her age.

2. Here lyeth the Bodies of Mary and Elizabeth Barber, daughters of Francis and Elizabeth Barber. Mary departed this life ye 14th day of Jany., 1739, aged 5 months, and Elizabeth died Jan. ye 7th, 1744, aged 11 years.

Below these is engraved the cross bones, a death’s head and an hourglass.

3. Here lieth the Body of Sarah Raynor, Widdow, Daughter of Francis and Elizabeth Barber, who departed this life Apl. zith, 1769, aged 36 years.

4. Underneath this stone lies the remains of Hannah, the wife of Thomas F. P. H. Barber of Lambclose House. She died the 2nd March, 1844, aged 59 years.

Also of Eliza, daughter of Thomas F. P. H. Barber, and wife of Francis Read Grammer. She died at Langton Hall, 26th of January, 1845, aged 35 years.

Also of Lucy, daughter of Francis Read and Eliza Grammer. She died at Watnall, 8th February, 1853, aged 13 years.

A red granite ledger tomb has on one side: “In loving Memory of Thomas Barber of Lamb-close House, Greasley, Notts., who died Jan. 10th, 1874, aged 68.

Redeemed with the precious blood of Christ.”

The other side has :—

“Also in loving Memory of Elizabeth, the beloved
wife of Thomas Barber, who died June 24th, 1885.
Saved by grace through faith.”

On a marble tomb over a brick vault, on one side :—

“In loving Memory of Lavinia Bertha, the beloved wife of Thomas Barber, Jun., who died at Hempshill, near Nottingham, February 2nd, 1870, aged 25 years.”

On the other side :—

“In loving Memory of Thomas Barber of Lambclose House (late of Hempshill), born December 28th, 1843, died December 8th, 1893”

Next to this marble tomb is a grey granite cross, at the head of another brick vault, where lie buried two dear young children, who both lost their lives by accidents, i.e.

“Here rests in God, Kenneth Forbes, second son of Thomas Barber of Lambclose House, April 23rd, 1890, aged 12½ years.

Also his little sister, Cecily, August 12th, 1892, aged 6 years and 4 months.

What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter.”

There are several large tombs of the Flint family, and a red granite one of the late R. Harrison of the Grange. The Farnworths and the Rogers family have also memorials here, as well as the family of Mr. Gge. Harrison, the Yeomans, the Gelsthorps, and many others too numerous to mentiorn The Rolleston family, since their vault in the Church has been sealed up, have a new family vault in the churchyard sufficient for eight burials.

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