As you drive along the A6175 from Clay Cross into North Wingfield
the church is immediately ahead of you on the top of Church
Hill. A church was recorded here in the Domesday Survey of
1086, when North Wingfield possessed a priest and a church,
one of just 40 in Derbyshire at that date[1].
The 100 feet high west tower is 15th century, and Perpendicular
in style. Pevsner, writing about British architecture in the
aftermath of the Second World War, rated the tower as the best
piece of the church; he pointed out "the angle buttresses,
two light bell-openings on each side, a frieze of shields above
and then battlements[2]".
The sculpture of the Martyrdom of St. Lawrence, a "defaced
relief" according to Pevsner[2],
was discovered in 1860 when the south aisle was rebuilt[3].
The clerestory windows and the north aisle were repaired
in 1872[3]. We can
see four small clerestory windows on the south side of the
church in the top image.
The path beside the church is now fenced by railings, but
leads to the fifteenth century Blue Bell Inn, today grade II
listed. The inn, beside the north-east angle of the churchyard,
was a former Chantry house. Its link to the Savages of North
Wingfield was recorded in the parish register in 1650/1 – "15
March. Georgius Savage de Chantry House, sepultus fuit"[4]. The
chantry had been founded by Rauf Savage and John Babyngton,
Knight; "the chauntrie of blessed Marie Virgyn in the
chirche of Sainte Elyn of Northwynfeld"[5].
The parish registers from the 17th and early 18th centuries
record several interesting details about the church fabric[4].
For example:
"1633. Upon the first day of August, or thereabouts,
their [sic] was a great clock plum (weight) stolen
out of the steeple, which was eight or nine stone in weight
: some stronge body did steal yt, or else it could not have
been carried away, for I could not lift it with one hand.
... The church was made common, and doors left open alnight
manie times".
"1633. The parish church steiple at North Wingfield
white lymed in September".
"1643. Ye chancell lead was bloane off at ye same time
. . . . winde fortie yardes".
"1718. This is to certifie whom it may concern, yt
in ye year of our Lord 1718, the loft or gallery, in North
Wingfield church was erected by the churchwardens of this
parish, viz.:-John Lillyman, Thomas Clay, Ralph Wass, and
Samuel Harrison, who, with ye unanimous consent of ye parish,
for the defraying of ye charge of so good a work, sold such
seats in ye aforesaid loft, as shall be hereafter mentioned
to these several parties, to them and their heirs for ever".
The hands of St. Lawrence's dianond shaped church clock show
that the building could have been photographed at 10 to 4 in
the afternoon, probably in 1875[4].
However, it was said to have been practically useless
since 1873 and twenty years later Miss Darby, whose father
had been the Rector, set its replacement in motion. By 1910
the clock was described as "one of the Greatest Boons
which the parish possesses" as it was reliable and could
be seen and heard from a considerable distance[6].
What helps date the top picture is a headstone in the
foreground; two of them are easily readable when the image
is enlarged, something which underlines the exceptional quality
of early photographs. The ground in front of the white headstone
for William Whitworth is covered with grass so one can also
assume that he had not just been buried, although a slight
mound is still visible.
1. White headstone:
In / Affectionate Remembrance / of /
WILLIAM WHITWORTH / OF CLAY CROSS / WHO DIED OCT 15TH 1871 /
AGED 54 YEARS
(Text below not transcribed)
2. Gritstone headstone to the left:
In / MEMORY OF / NATHAN FISHER, / WHO DIED MAY 26 1864.
 |
In 1880 the east window in the chancel was filled in
with "rich stained glass"
in memory of the wife of the then Rector, Rev.
G. W. Darby, which he paid for.
This early 20th century view looks across the rectory gardens
to the southern side of the church[7]. |
Tenders were invited for the restoration and reseating of the
church in 1879[8].
It was to be a major renovation, especially as when the floors
in the nave were taken up the pillars of the arcade were found
to be in an alarming state; the arches had to be shored up
and the columns repaired. The exterior of Lady Chapel and tracery
of its east window were also renovated and the oak roofs of
both this chapel and the transept were both replaced and then
covered with lead. Minton tiles were laid in the chancel, and
the oak seats and prayer desks there were new. The interior
was completely transformed80].
Just occasionally there was an an unusual occurrence in the
church. One such was in 1886 when worshippers were said "to
have been thrown into a state of excitement" when
the father of a prospective groom, who was a local musician,
stood up when the banns of his son and the prospective bride
were read out; it was the "first time of asking".
It was reported that he shouted "I am his father, and
I forbid the banns".
The said gentleman was invited into the vestry, and presumably
calmed down, but is not known whether the marriage went ahead[9].
 |
The new Darby clock, with faces on the north and south
sides of the tower, is illuminated.
Not
long after it was installed it was lit at dusk
but by 1897 this had ceased.
However, a plea for it to light up the dark evenings was
acted on by the Rector and
churchwardens
though in February 1900 a snow storm stopped
it working for a few hours. |
The web mistress' earliest Clay ancestors are buried either
in this church or in its graveyard. One of the headstones
in the churchyard, the details of which were sent to the
web mistress some years ago, records the curious fate of
one member of the Clay family as he was laid to rest:
"In / Memory of THOMAS / son of THOMAS
/ and MARY CLAY / who departed / this life December / 16th
1794: in the/ 40th year of his/ AGE [this last is inset,
with verse]
What tho no mornful kindred stand / Around the folemn bier
/ No parents wring the trembling hand / Or shed the tender
tear, / No costly oak adorned with art / My wearr'd limbs
inclofe, / No Friends Unpart a Winding Sheet / To deck my
last repose"[10].
The gravestone of this rather sad epitaph may be of a later
date than the death and burial, but it is said that Thomas
was buried in his shroud. One source has said that his coffin
was seized by a creditor, someone who lived in the house next
door to the White Hart pub. His parents were still alive and
would have been able to pay for the burial, so it does lend
credence to the possible reason for the lack of a coffin. An
article in "The Derbyshire Gatherer" (1880)
implied that he was committed to the ground in a bacon chest,
but this version of events should perhaps be treated with caution
as there are several mistakes in the recording and it is not
unreasonable to suppose that the story may have also been elaborated[11].
Inside the church:
Rev. Cox first described North Wingfield's old font
in 1875:
"We find, beneath a spout of the north aisle, the old
massive font. On the occasion of our visits it was full of
water, and was being used as a wash hand bason by the lads
of the church school in their dinner hour. From the systematic
way in which they went to work - soap even not being absent
- it was obvious that this was the purpose to which it is
generally applied. It is passing strange how the inhabitants
of North Winfield have for so long suffered this ancient
font to be defiled. In that rude bowl their forefathers have
been christened eight hundred years". ... The font is
of rude early construction, the base being channelled in
flutings, and the whole of one block of coarse gritstone.
... The present font is an ugly octagon construction, quite
out of keeping with the church, and bearing the date 1662[4]".
Cox later recorded that the children "barbarously
treated" several early effigies of the Deincourts when,
in addition to they times they were washing their hands,
they were being educated at the day school held in the north
chancel chapel[3].
Several generations of the web mistress's direct Clay ancestors
would have been baptised in both the older and the newer
fonts. |
|
Cox on the blocked up North window:
"At the east end of the north aisle is a Norman window,
now blocked up which, if it was opened, would communicate
with the chapel beyond, on the north side of the chancel.
This is of the late Norman period, approaching the transition
to the next style, and the arch is not perfectly semi-circular.
It is enriched with some clear cut mouldings of the tooth
or four leaf pattern, and the capitals of the side pillars
are well worthy of attention, as they are a most unusual
design, and might, if taken by themselves, be attributed
even to the Saxon period. Its date, however, appears to
be about the middle of the twelfth century, early in the
reign of Henry II[4]".
In a later work, the same author described the design of
this window as exceptional[3].
Pevsner, in 1953, thought this was the most interesting
piece in the church[2]. |
A number of plaques inside the church commemorate members of
the Clay family and their spouses or parents. By the south
door is a striking monument to John and Mary Brailsford,
who both passed away in 1714; the inscriptions are side by
side, on two panels between three columns that rest on brackets.
Above the columns is a pediment. John was
the son of John Brailsford, later of Staveley, whereas Mary
was the daughter and eldest child of Francis Clay and is
the 6x great aunt of the web mistress. One Mary's brothers
moved to Shirland.
"At / the foot of this / lyeth interr'd / the body of
/ MARY the wife of / JOHN BRAILSFORD / late of Conygreen /
who departed this / life Septembr 2d / 1714./Anno Ætatis
72."
"At / the foot of this / lyeth Interr'd / the body of
JOHN BRAILSFORD / late of Conygreen / who departed this life
July ye 27th / 1714. / Anno Ætatis 82."
Other Derbyshire churches where the Clay family worshipped,
were christened, married, buried or otherwise associated with,
can be seen by clicking on the images below:
|
References:
[1] Cox, J Charles (1875) "Notes
on the Churches of Derbyshire, Vol I, Hundred of Scarsdale",
Chesterfield: Palmer and Edmunds, London: Bemrose and Sons,
10 Paternoster Buildings; and Derby. Cox referred to the
village and its church as North Winfield at this time.
[2] Pevsner, Nikolaus (1953), "The
Buildings of England, Derbyshire", Penguin Books.
[3] Cox, John Charles, (1915, 2nd
edition, revised), "Derbyshire" - Illustrated
by J. Charles Wall, Methuen & Co., London. By this time
he referred to the village as North Wingfield.
[4] Cox (1875, above) provides more
examples about the church fabric from the parish register than
are quoted above; the 1633 quote is incomplete here and I have
not included those from 1634 and 1650. Thomas Clay, mentioned
in 1718, is not a direct ancestor, but is / was related and
is my 2nd cousin 7 times removed. See
Shirland for a little more about the Clay family.
Please note that the parish registers commenced in 1567, although
not all records are readable.
[5] Cox (1875, above) quotes from
Add. MSS 5152. The foundation charter that was in the British
Museum is dated 4 Feb 1488. He also mentions both the rectory
and the chantry being mentioned in the Valor
Ecclesiasticus, 27 Henry VIII (also called the King's Book[s])
when Richardus Gwent was the Rector.
[6] "Derbyshire Courier",
12 February 1910.
[7] "Derbyshire
Times", 18 December 1880. The Restoration of North
Wingfield Church.
[8] "ibid.", 23 July
1879. North Wingfield Church
[9] The "Derby Mercury",
2 June 1886 and "Derbyshire Times", 5 June
1886. Forbidding the Banns.
[10] The MI came from two sources:
a photo from Mrs. G. Leighton and a transcript from Mrs. L.
Phillips, both members of the of the North Wingfield Family
History Group. With thanks to both of them for being so generous
with their time. Thomas is the web mistress' 4th cousin
5 times removed.
[11] Andrews, William (ed) "The
Derbyshire Gatherer", 1880 from Mrs. G. Leighton.
Also see, elsewhere on this web site:
 North
Wingfield, Kelly's 1891 Directory. There is more about
the church.
Derbyshire's
Parishes, 1811 includes a short piece about North Wingfield.
Our Genealogy includes an image of the crest my Clay family used. It
is the same crest.
|
