Repton and its neighbourhood

The neighbourhood of Repton is full of objects of interest for the antiquary, geologist, botanist, or the lover of the picturesque.

Beginning with Repton, with its church, camp, &c., which date back to the 9th century, down to Stretton with its most beautiful 19th century church, the antiquary will find many objects of interest. The geologist will find much to interest him in the gypsum quarries and mines at Chellaston Hill, and the carboniferous limestone quarries at Tickenhall, Calke, and Breedon Hill. In the pages of “Contributions to the Flora of Derbyshire,” by the Rev. W. H. Painter, the botanist will find a list of plants, &c., to be found in the neighbourhood. The lover of the picturesque will find much to please him in the varied scenery of the valley of the Trent, and its numerous tributaries. The views from such points as Askew Hill, Bretby Clump, King’s Newton and Breedon Hill, are scarcely to be equalled in any county of England. The plan adopted in the following descriptions of towns, &c., is to group together those which lie close to one another, so that the visitor may visit them together in his walk or drive. All are within about eight miles of Repton.

ASHBY-DE-LA-ZOUCH.

What reader of “Ivanhoe” does not remember one scene, at least, in that well-known romance, “The Gentle and Joyous Passage of Arms of Ashby,” which has shed such a lasting halo of chivalry over that town? Sir Walter Scott had often stayed with Sir George Beaumont, at Coleorton Hall, and, no doubt, had visited all the places connected with the history of the locality. The Castle of Ashby in which “Prince John held high festival,” as Sir Walter writes, “is not the same building of which the stately ruins still interest the traveller,” but the description given of the field in which the tournament was held, corresponds, in a most minute manner, with the “Tournament Field,” still so called, at the neighbouring village of Smisby, and has for ages been identified with that famous “Passage of Arms.” Eight miles south-east of Repton this very interesting “habitation among the ash trees” is situated.

The first authentic mention we have of it is about the year 1066, when William the Conqueror granted the Manor to Hugh de Grentemaisnel, one of his most valiant captains at the battle of Hastings. In Domesday Book we read of its having a priest and church. Soon afterwards it fell into the hands of Robert de Beaumeis, another Norman, whose successor, Philip, granted “the church of St. Helen of Ashby, with the church of Blackfordby,” &c., &c., to the Abbey of Lilleshall, Salop. Philip de Beaumeis, having no son to succeed him, left his estates to his daughter Adeliza, who married Alan la Zouche, a descendant of the Earls of Brittany. Alan settled at Ashby, and added the family name to it, to distinguish it from the other towns of that name. Alan was succeeded by his son Roger, who was succeeded by his son Alan, the last of the real Zouches, in the male line, who held the Manor of Ashby, he granted it to Sir William Mortimer, a distant relative, who assumed the name, and passed it on to his son Alan, who fought at the battle of Creçy, 1346, and died in that year, he was succeeded by his son Hugh, who died in 1399, leaving no heir, with him the name, finally, became extinct.

The property was held by Sir Hugh Burnett for about twenty years, when James Butler, Earl of Ormond (a Lancastrian noble), by some means or other, obtained possession of the land, he was executed at Newcastle after the battle of Towton Moor in 1461. In that year Edward, Duke of York, became King, and rewarded his partisans with titles and grants of land. Among them was Sir William Hastings, whom he created Baron Hastings of Ashby, &c., Steward of Leicester, and ambassador, with the Earl of Warwick, to treat for peace with Louis XI., King of France, who gave him a pension of 2000 crowns per annum. The first payment was made in gold, which Lord Hastings is said to have received with these words, “Put it here into my sleeve; for other testimonial (receipt) you shall get none: no man shall say that King Edward’s Lord Chamberlain hath been pensioner to the French King.” This may be the origin of the crest of the Hastings’ family, a maunch or sleeve. King Edward also gave him “licence to enclose and impark 3000 acres of land and wood at Ashby-de-la-Zouch,” and to erect and fortify houses, &c., there and elsewhere. In the year 1474 he built Ashby Castle, nine years later the Protector (Richard, Duke of Gloucester) accused him of high treason, and, without trial, had him beheaded on a log of wood on Tower Green. His remains were interred in Windsor Castle, where a splendid monument was erected to his memory.

As we are not writing a history of the Hastings family, we must confine ourselves to those members of that family connected with the history of the place, which for two centuries centred round its castle and church. Ashby Castle was, as we have seen, built by the first Lord Hastings in 1474. It stands on the south side of the town. Judging by its ruins, it must have been indeed a stately pile. Entering from the west we see the remains of the kitchen, with its fire-places, &c.; it had a groined roof, over which were rooms, with another storey over them, access to these was obtained by a spiral staircase in the north-east corner of the kitchen. The west front of this block has been destroyed, so nothing can be written about its chief entrance, its height is about seventy feet, the dimensions of the kitchen are fifty feet long, by twenty-seven broad, and thirty-seven feet high.

In the kitchen are two doorways leading into the “servants hall,” from this two doorways lead into the Great Hall, and from this admission was obtained to a “drawing room.” At the end of this room, a little to the south, is the chapel, lit by four windows, on either side, and an east window. At the west end, over the west door, is a gallery, to which a spiral staircase leads. Adjoining the east end, to the south of it, were rooms for the chaplain. On the south is a courtyard formed by the chapel, chaplain’s rooms, a thick wall, and the Great Tower. This tower must have been an imposing building of, at least, four storeys, with cellar, kitchen, dining hall, drawing room, and sleeping apartments. Its southern half is destroyed, but what is left on the north side—turrets, windows, fire-place, armorial bearings, &c., prove how richly the fabric was sculptured over. Very probably there was a wall from the Great Tower on its west side, like that on its east side, which met a wall built out from the kitchen. The ground plan of the Castle would form a parallelogram with kitchen, servants’ hall, great hall, drawing room, and chapel on the north side, chaplain’s room at the east end, Great Tower, with walls on the south side, and a wall and kitchen at the west end. A subterraneous passage connects the kitchen with the Great Tower.

The chief historical events connected with the Castle are the visit of Mary, Queen of Scots, in November of the year 1569. She was on her way from Tutbury to Coventry. Anne, wife of James I., and Prince Henry were entertained at the Castle in June, 1603, and King James himself paid the Earl a visit in the year 1617. The expenses of this visit were so great, the Earl’s income became seriously diminished, as one of his descendants, Lady Flora, daughter of the 1st Marquis of Hastings wrote, a propos of the visit,

Again in May, 1645, another Stuart was a guest at Ashby. Charles I., flushed with the success of his army at Leicester, spent a short time at the Castle. Fifteen days later, June 14th, he came again, this time a fugitive from the fatal and final battle of Naseby Field. The Royalist garrison yielded Leicester, and marched out, the Governor Hastings (Lord Loughborough) to Ashby, the officers and men to Lichfield. For months the Parliamentary army, under Sir Thomas Fairfax, beseiged the town and castle, which held out bravely for the Royal cause. On the 28th February, 1646, articles of agreement were drawn up, and signed by Lord Loughborough, and Colonel Needham. The articles consisted of eleven “items.” The officers and soldiers were “to march away to Bridgenorth or Worcester, with their horses, arms, and ammunition, bag, and baggage, trumpets sounding, drums beating, colours flying,” &c., or they might “lay down their arms, and have protection to live at home if they please,” “and the works and fortifications of the town and garrison should be sleighted,” “after which the sequestrations of Colonel General Hastings, the Earl of Huntingdon, should be taken off,” or “the Colonel General, with the said gentlemen, could go to Hull or Bristol to have a ship provided to transport them to France or Holland, whither they please.” In 1648 the “sleighting” of the Castle was performed, only too well, by one William Bainbrigg, of Lockington, in the county of Leicester. On the north side of the Castle was a green, on the south a garden, a wall, still existing, surrounded it with towers of brick, with stone facings, used as summer-houses, or “look outs.” On the east of the Castle is a triangular tower, triangular in shape, called the “Mount House,” it is said to be connected with the kitchen by a subterraneous passage. The “Manor House” on the north-east side, occupies the site of a suite of apartments made to accommodate King James I. in the year 1617.

Ashby Church, dedicated to St. Helen, occupies the site of an earlier building, probably Norman. During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries it was rebuilt, and consisted of chancel, nave, north and south aisles, with tower at the west end. During the last twenty-three years nearly £16,000. have been spent in enlarging and restoring it. Now it consists of nave with two aisles on its north and south sides, all the galleries have been removed, and the old pews have been replaced by well-designed oak seats. The choir stalls are placed at the east end of the nave, leaving the chancel unoccupied. Over the altar there is a fine reredos of oak, ascribed to Grinling Gibbons. On the south side of the chancel is the mortuary chapel of the Huntingdon family. A most magnificent tomb of Francis, 2nd Earl of Huntingdon, and his wife Katherine, occupies the centre of it. Every detail of it is well worth a very close inspection. There are also many mural tablets in the chapel.

Within a sculptured recess in the north wall of the church is a finely executed figure of a pilgrim. Lying on his back, the head rests on a cushion, just above the right shoulder a portion of a pilgrim’s hat with scallop-shell is seen. Round the shoulders, and over the breast, is the collar of SS. The figure is clothed with a long cloak, the feet, which rest on a dog, are shod with laced boots with pointed toes. Across the body is a pilgrim’s staff, clasped by the left fore-arm, the hands meet over the breast, pressed together in the attitude of prayer, his scrip, ornamented with scallop-shells, is suspended, diagonally, from his right shoulder. The statue is supposed to be a Hastings, at least the family claim it, and have had their badge—the maunch—sculptured on the wall of the recess. Among other monuments in the church are those to Robert Mundy and his two wives, a very curious one to Mrs. Margery Wright with high-crowned hat, ruffles and ermine muff! and many modern ones. The most curious relic of mediæval days is an old finger pillory, formerly used for the punishment of disorderly-behaved persons in church. It is in front of the screen which separates the nave from the tower. The windows of the church are nearly all of stained glass, and illustrate scenes in the life of our Lord.

The town of Ashby is well known for its baths. In the year 1822 they were opened, but the great expectations of converting the town into a fashionable health resort have not been realized. The water is not found at Ashby, but is pumped from deep coal pits at Moira, some three miles distant, and conveyed to the baths in tanks specially constructed for that purpose.

Ashby received quite an unusual class of visitors in the year 1804. During the prolonged wars between England and France many thousands of prisoners were landed on our shores. According to Sir Archibald Alison there were no less than 50,000 French prisoners in Great Britain. For the accommodation of “the rank and file” such places as Dartmoor prison were erected, but the officers were quartered in different towns. On Friday, September 26th, 1804, the first detachment, consisting of forty-two officers, arrived in Ashby, other detachments followed, till about two hundred found lodgings there, among them were officers of the army and navy, and about thirty others described as merchants. They lived on excellent terms with the good people of Ashby for ten years, they were allowed liberty to walk a mile in any direction out of the town. Some escaped, and some were exchanged for English officers imprisoned in France.

Canon Denton, Vicar of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, has written a most interesting account of its castle, and this French occupation in “Bygone Leicestershire.” He obtained the information about the latter, from the lips of one of his parishioners (Mrs. Whyman), who lived at the time, and saw them. He also had access to a diary kept by an Ashby physician (Dr. Kirkland). The church registers contain entries of marriages contracted between the officers and residents, also entries of baptisms and burials, which, as the Canon writes, “show, among other things, that the prisoners of war, who were quartered at Ashby, did not allow national prejudices to prevent them forming the closest ties with the inhabitants of the place of their captivity.”

Little more remains to be written about this interesting town. Its Grammar School, founded in 1567 by the Earl of Huntingdon and others, augmented about thirty years after its foundation, by an inhabitant who is said to have lost his way, and was guided to his home by the sound of the church bell. In gratitude for this he conveyed to the trustees of the school certain property on condition that the bells “should be rung for a quarter of an hour at four o’clock in the morning.” This custom was kept up till 1807, when it was discontinued. The property is still known as the “Day Bell Houses.” One of the Headmasters was Dr. Samuel Shaw, son of Thomas Shaw, of Brook End, Repton, blacksmith, and was at Repton School under Dr. Ullock. At the age of 15 Samuel Shaw was admitted as a sizar at St. John’s College, Cambridge. In 1658 he was Rector of Long Whatton, ejected in 1661, and was elected Headmaster of Ashby Grammar School in 1668.

On Thursday, July 24th, 1879, a memorial cross, in design like Queen Eleanor’s cross at Northampton, was unveiled. It bears the following inscription, written by the late Earl of Beaconsfield: “In memory of Edith Maud Countess of Loudoun in her own right, Baroness Botreux, Hungerford, De Moleyns and Hastings, who sprung from an illustrious ancestry herself possessed their noblest qualities, the people of Ashby-de-la-Zouch and the neighbourhood have raised this cross as a tribute of admiration and of love.” The cross was designed by the late Sir Gilbert Scott, R.A., and executed by Messrs. Farmer and Brindley at a cost of £4,500.

BARROW, SWARKESTON, AND STANTON-BY-BRIDGE.

One of our pleasantest walks from Repton is to Barrow, down Brook End, up Monsel Lane, past the (Canons’) Meadow Farm, and, by a field path to the left, to the river Trent, over which there is a ferry, to Twyford village. After passing through Twyford, turn to the right along the road, or by a field path, and the picturesque old village of Barrow will soon be reached. Barrow, most probably, derived its name from a barrow within the parish, which parish includes the villages of Arleston, Sinfin, Stenson and Twyford. Of these villages little can be written, Arleston has some ancient buildings and ruins which belonged to the preceptory of the Knights Templars or Hospitallers. Sinfin is noted only for its moor, on which the Derby races were formerly run. In the year 1804, it was enclosed by Act of Parliament, and divided among the adjoining townships.

Stenson and Twyford were manors belonging to the Ferrars at the time of the Domesday Survey, later on they passed to the Curzons, Findernes, and Harpurs.

The church at Twyford, dedicated to St. Andrew, is a chapelry of, and held by, the Vicars of Barrow. A Norman arch divides the nave from the chancel, the rest of the church is of the Decorated period. It has a tower terminated by an octagonal spire. There are three bells, and a few mural monuments to the Harpur, Vernon, and Bristowe families.

Barrow-on-Trent, as it is usually called, dates back to Norman days, when it had a priest and a church. One portion of the manor formed part of the endowment of the bishopric of Carlisle, the other, and proper manor, including the church, belonged to the ancient family of Bakepuz, one of whom, Robert de Bakepuz, gave the church to the Priory of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Templars, or Hospitallers, who had a preceptory, as we have seen, at Arleston in the parish of Barrow. For a full and interesting account of the connection between Barrow and the Knights, see “Cox’s Churches of Derbyshire,” Vol. IV., pp. 11-19.

When the Order was dissolved in the reign of Henry VIII., the manor and advowson of the vicarage were granted to the family of Beaumont, and remained with them till 1638, since that time the advowson has very frequently changed hands, by sale, or otherwise. In 1638 Daniel Shelmerdine (an O.R.) was chosen and elected by the parishioners, and held the living till he was ejected in 1662. The church, dedicated to St. Wilfred, consists of nave, chancel, north and south aisles, south porch, and tower at the west end. There are now no remains of the Norman church. During the reign of Henry III. (1216-1272), the church was probably rebuilt, and again, in the Decorated and Perpendicular periods, alterations and additions were made. There are monuments in memory of the Bothes, Beaumonts, and Sales.

SWARKESTON.

At the time of the Domesday Survey, Swarkeston (Suerchestune or Sorchestun) was divided between the King and Henry de Ferrers. In the reign of Edward I. it belonged to John de Beke, or Beck, and Robert de Holland. Joan, wife of John de Beck, left it to her son and heir. In the fourteenth century the manor and advowson was purchased by the Rollestons, of Rolleston, in Staffordshire, with whom they remained till about the middle of the sixteenth century when the manor passed into the family of the Finderns. Jane Findern, daughter and heiress of George Findern, conveyed it, by marriage, to Richard Harpur, who built a mansion at Swarkeston. This mansion was fortified, and the bridge defended by earth-works, for the King, by Colonel Hastings in 1642. In January, 1643, Sir John Gell marched against it with Sir George Gresley’s troops, the house was abandoned on their approach, but the defenders of the bridge only yielded after a stubborn defence.

Swarkeston Bridge is the most famous one in Derbyshire, and from end to end measures 1304 yards. The modern part of the bridge, over the river Trent, is about 138 yards, the remainder forms a raised causeway, about eleven or twelve feet wide, with arches, here and there, so that the flood water can escape. The greater part of the bridge is in the parish of Stanton-by-Bridge. There is a legend that the old bridge was erected at the sole cost of two maiden sisters, who lost their lovers when attempting to ford the swollen waters, to pay a visit to their betrothed ones. It is also said that the ladies spent the whole of their fortunes on the bridge, and lived a life of penury ever afterwards.

The earliest mention of the bridge, discovered by the Rev. Charles Kerry, editor of the Derbyshire Archæological Journal, is in the Hundred Rolls, and is as follows: “Inquisition held at Derby on the Feast of S. Hilary, in the Church of S. James, anno 3 Edward I. (Oct. 1, A.D. 1275). The jury reported that the merchants of Melbourne passing over the bridge had for three years withheld passage money and tolls, unjustly and without warrant, to the prejudice of our lord the King and the borough of Derby.”

“The Patent Rolls give three pontages for Swarkeston; viz.:—2nd Pat., 18 Ed. II., m. 31.; 1st Pat., 12 Ed. III., m. 26. This latter was granted to the men of Swarkeston for four years; the collectors of the bridge tolls being Hugo de Calke, and John the son of Adam. Given at Westminster, March 1st, 1338. The 3rd will be found in 3rd Pat., 20 Ed. III., which refers to the ruinous state of the bridge, and appoints John the son of Adam de Melbourne, senior, and John the son of Adam de Melbourne, junior, to receive tolls for the reparation of the bridge for three years. Given at Reading the 28th of December, 1347.” A long list of things to pay toll, and the amount varying from ¼d. to 6d. is given.

Another inquisition held at Newark, Oct. 26th, 1503, refers to the chapel on Swarkeston bridge, and a parcel of meadow land, lying between the bridge and Ingleby, granted to the Priory of Repton for a priest to sing mass in the Chapel, which had not been done for 20 years.

In 1745 “bonnie Prince Charlie,” the Young Pretender, marched from Derby, with his advanced guard, as far as Swarkeston Bridge, but on the 6th of December was compelled, most reluctantly, to commence a retreat to Scotland, which ended in the fatal battle of Culloden Moor.

The village, now chiefly known as a fishing resort, with its church, and posting house, is pleasantly situated on the banks of the Trent. The ancient church was “restored” in 1876, that is to say, it was rebuilt, with the exception of the tower and Harpur chapel. Beneath an arch, to the north of the altar, is a raised tomb on which is fixed a large alabaster slab, on this is carved the effigies of a man and woman, the front of the tomb is divided into four compartments, in the two middle ones are figures of seven sons and seven daughters. Round the margin of the slab is the following inscription:—

“John Rolston Esquire sūtyme lord of Swarkston dysscysyd the iii. day of De̅c̅ber ye yere of our lord MCCCCLxxxij, and Susane hys wyffe dysscysyd the 23ᵈ of De̅c̅ber the yere of our lord MCCCCLX and IV on whose sowlys God have mcy.”

On the south side of the chancel is the Harpur mortuary chapel. In it are two large raised tombs, each supporting a pair of recumbent effigies. One tomb is that of “Richard Harpur one of the justyces of the Comen Benche at Westminster and Jane the wife, sister and heyre of and unto Thomas Fynderne of Fynderne Esquyer. Cogita mori.”

The other tomb bears beautifully-carved effigies of Sir John Harpur and his first wife. Over the tomb, on a tablet, is this inscription:—“In piam posteritatis memoriam et spem certam futuræ resurrectionis monumentum hoc struxit Johannes Harpur Miles Filius Richardi Harpur armigeri justiciarii de Banco Regio. Cui uxorem ducenti Isabellam filiam Georgii Pierpont militis, Deus amplam et fœlicem dedit filios filiasque duodecium quorum nomina scutis infra præponuntur, Mortem obiit septᵒ die Octobris Anno Domini 1627.” In front of the tomb, kneeling at a double prayer desk, are the figures of seven sons, and five daughters.

STANTON-BY-BRIDGE.

Pleasantly situated on the high ground overlooking the valley of the Trent is the village of Stanton-by-Bridge (Swarkeston). The De Stantons were lords of the manor for many generations. In the reign of Edward III., John Frances of Tickenhall married Margaret, daughter and heiress of John de Stanton, so the manor passed to the Frances family, and remained with them till an heiress of that house married Sir Thomas Burdett, Bart., of Bramcote, Warwickshire. About this time the manor was divided between the Burdetts and Harpurs, each, in turn, appointing to the living. Now it is in the sole patronage of the Harpur-Crewe family.

The church, dedicated to St. Michael, is a small one, about 60 feet long, and consists of nave, chancel, north aisle, south porch with a bell turret on the west gable. The chancel arch, a plain semi-circular one, is considered to be Saxon, and the south doorway, ornamented with chevron, or zizag, and billet mouldings, is of the Norman period, not later than Stephen’s reign. There are several remains of incised sepulchral slabs, and also slabs of alabaster bearing incised effigies of the Sacheverell and Francis families. During a restoration in 1865, some of the older slabs were discovered, and were placed as they are now.

About a mile south of Stanton is a farmhouse called St. Bride’s, supposed to be once a grange chapel of Burton Abbey. Built into its walls are many remains of Norman work, and in the yard are stone coffins, and other fragments of worked stone.

BRETBY AND HARTSHORN.

Three miles south of Repton is the village of Bretby. Like most of the land round, it used to belong to the Earls of Chester, from them it passed into the hands of the Segraves, who possessed, among other manors and estates, Coton-in-the-Elms, Rosliston, Linton, and Repton.

In 1300 John de Segrave received a license to castellate his mansion at Bretby. Soon after it passed, with the manor, into the families of the Mowbrays, Dukes of Norfolk, and, through one of the co-heiresses of that family, to the Berkeleys, who, in 1585, sold it to Sir Thomas Stanhope, grandfather of Philip, 1st Earl of Chesterfield, and now, by descent, it belongs to the Earl of Carnarvon.

It is not known when the castle was pulled down, but most probably in the days of Philip, 1st Earl of Chesterfield (1585-1656), who built a mansion on the present site, within the park. The old castle stood on the land to the south-west of the church, the grass covered mounds indicate the foundations of a very strong fortress, consisting of two courts.

The stones of the castle were probably used in the building of the mansion in the park, which must have been a grand place, built “in the midst of a large park, well wooded, and stored with several kinds of deer, and exotic beasts; several fine avenues of trees leading to the house, which is of stone, though not of modern architecture, very regular, convenient, and noble, with a very curious chapel, (designed in the Grecian (Ionic) style, by Inigo Jones), very good outbuildings. The gardens, after the plan of Versailles, in the old grand style, with terraces, leaden images of wild beasts, fountains, labyrinths, groves, greenhouses, grottoes, aviaries, &c., &c.,” the park, with its chain of fishponds, and fine timber, must have presented a scene of unsurpassed natural beauty. Amidst such surroundings, an open-air masque, written by Sir Aston Cokayne, was “presented at Bretbie in Derbyshire on Twelfth Night, 1639,” before the Earl and Countess and a great company. The masque is printed in “Glover’s History of Derbyshire,” Vol. II., part I., p 184.

In November, 1642, during the Civil War, the house, which had been fortified by the Earl, witnessed another scene. Four hundred foot, with a party of dragoons and two sacres, under the command of Major Molanus, were sent to Bretby by Sir John Gell. They compelled the Earl, and his garrison of 40 musketeers and 60 horse, to abandon the house, and fly towards Lichfield. “Then the Countess was asked by the victorious officers to give 2s. 6d. to each soldier, to save the house from plunder, but she said she had not so much in the house; they proposed 40 marks as a composition, to which she returned the same answer; they then offered to advance it to her, but she declared she would not give them a penny; then the soldiers plundered the house, but the officers saved her own chamber, with all her goods.” (Sir John Gell’s M.S. Narrative).

In the year 1780, the young Earl “was persuaded ‘by an artful steward,’ to pull down this splendid mansion and chapel, as being in a dangerous state of decay, though it was afterwards proved to have been very substantial.” The gardens also suffered a like fate. Fortunately the fine cedar of Lebanon, planted in February 1676-7, on the east side of the house, escaped destruction. It is considered to be the oldest in the kingdom, and still flourishes, braced together by iron chains, and is the chief object of admiration to visitors to Bretby and its park. The present house was begun by the 5th Earl, who died in 1815, when the building operations ceased. The architect was Sir Geoffrey Wyatville, assisted by Mr. Martin, the Earl’s architect. A ground plan of the house is printed on page 187 of “Glover’s History of Derbyshire,” Vol. II., signed by W. Martin, architect and builder, September, 1828. When completed it will form a four-sided building, with a courtyard within it.

The church of Bretby, or rather the chapel, for it is one of the seven chapelries of Repton, was rebuilt in the year 1877, in the place of a very old building, built in the thirteenth century. It occupies the old site with the addition of an aisle, which forms a large pew for the noble owners, and a vestry, both on the north side. The village consists of a few scattered houses. To the east of the park is Bretby mill, on a small stream; which, rising in the Pistern hills, runs in a northerly direction, through Repton, till it joins the river Trent.

HARTSHORN.

About four miles south of Repton is the ancient village of Hartshorn, which at the time of the Domesday Survey belonged to Henry de Ferrers. Later on the Priory of Repton had lands, a moiety of a park, and the important right of free warren over the manor. According to the list of patrons of the living, various families succeeded to the manor, among whom are mentioned the de la Wards, Meynells, Dethicks, the Earls of Shrewsbury, and the Earls of Chesterfield. One of the rectors was Stebbing-Shawe, jun., (an O.R.,) editor of the Topographer, and historian of Staffordshire. The church, which is well placed on the higher part, with the rectory on the east side of it, forms a very pleasing object from a distance, a closer inspection reveals the fact that, at the restoration of 1835, when the nave of the church was rebuilt, cast iron windows, imitating Perpendicular tracery, were inserted! The east window of the chancel, of two lights, belongs to the Decorated period. The embattled tower is a fair specimen of the Perpendicular period, and contains a ring of five bells. Three of them were placed there during the time of Stebbing-Shawe, sen. The other two are of pre-Reformation date, and bear well lettered inscriptions: “Hec Campana Beata Trinitate Sancta Fiat,” and “Ave Maria Gracia Plena Dominus Tecum.”

Under an arch in the north wall of the chancel is an altar tomb, on which lie alabaster effigies of Humphrey Dethick, and his wife Eliza, of Newhall. In front of the tomb are representations of their six children, three sons and three daughters. The father and one son are clothed in plate armour. Above the tomb is a shield bearing the quartered arms of Dethick, Allestree and Meynell; at the east and west ends are shields quartering Longford with Hathersaye, Deincourt and Solney; Dethick impaling Longford, and Meynell impaling Longford.

Many other ancient monuments used to be in the church, but they have been “made away with.” There is a fine old parish chest, seven feet long, in the vestry.

In Vol. VII. of the Derbyshire Archæological Society there are many extracts from the parish records of Hartshorn: under the date 1612, an inventory of the church goods is given, the first item mentioned is “a Co̅m̅uio Cupp of Silver wᵗʰ a plate of silver having Ihon Baptᵈ head vppon it.” This plate was photographed by Mr. Keene, of Derby, and a copy of it, with a descriptive note by Mr. St. John Hope, was published in Vol. VIII. of the Journal. From it we gather the following facts.

The “plate of silver” is a paten of silver-gilt, 5¼ inches in diameter. The rim is quite plain, with the exception of four narrow lines engraved on the extreme edge. The centre has a circular depression, which again contains a slightly sunk sexfoil with the spandrils filled with a rayed leaf ornament. The central device is a Vernicle, (i.e., the face of our Saviour, as transferred to the handkerchief of St. Veronica, and usually called a Vernicle). The churchwardens wrongly described it as the head of St. John the Baptist. Round the head is a nimbus, with rays issuing from it. There are three “hall marks,” two of which, the maker’s name, a Lombardic B in a dotted circle, and a leopard’s head crowned, are remaining; the third, the date letter, is obliterated, so it is impossible to say, with certainty, when it was made, but as this type of paten prevailed between 1450 and 1530, the opinion is that its date is about 1480.

The communion cup bears the London date mark for 1611-12, and the inscription:

The letters J. R. C. probably stand for James Royll, Churchwarden, 1612, who, with Denis Hashard, made the inventory at that date.

EGGINTON, STRETTON, AND TUTBURY.

At the making of the Domesday Survey, the manor of Egginton was held by Geoffrey Alselin, and had a priest and a church. The Alselins’ estates passed, through an heiress, into the family of Bardulfs. Under them the manor was held by Ralph Fitz-Germund, whose son William Fitz-Ralph, Seneschall of Normandy, and founder of Dale-Abbey, gave it to William de Grendon, his nephew. In exchange for Stanley, near Dale-Abbey, William’s wife gave it, as a marriage portion of her daughter, Margaret, to Robert Fitz-Walkelin, one of whose daughters married Sir John Chandos. At the death of his descendant, another Sir John Chandos, one moiety of the manor passed to his niece Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Lawton, and wife of Sir Peter de la Pole, one of the Knights of the Shire in 1400, from whom it descended to the Chandos-Poles of Radbourne. Another daughter of Robert Walkelin, Ermentrude, married Sir William de Stafford, whose son, Robert, left it to five co-heiresses, and so their moiety became divided into many shares, which were re-united, by purchase, by the family of Lathbury. A co-heiress of Lathbury brought her moiety to Robert Leigh, of Whitfield, Cheshire. In the reign of James I., the estate passed to Anne, daughter of Sir Henry Leigh of Egginton, who married Simon Every, Esq., of Chard, Somersetshire, created 1st Baronet in 1641, ancestor of the present owner, a minor, the 11th Baronet.

As the manor of Egginton was divided into two moieties, so was the rectory. Dr. Charles Cox thus writes, “Early in the reign of Henry III., the two moieties of the rectory were respectively conveyed to the newly-founded abbey of Dale by Amalric de Gasci and Geoffrey de Musters.” In consequence of this division there were two rectors. The abbots of Dale-Abbey continued to present till the year 1344, meanwhile the lords of the manor laid claim to it, and, from that time down to 1712, a series of law-suits were carried on, the result of which is that at the present time the patronage is in five parts; two turns belonging to the Everys, two to the Poles, and one to the Leighs. An account of the various claimants, &c., and a list of the rectors, will be found in Cox’s Derbyshire Churches, Vol. IV. The church, dedicated to St. Wilfred, consists of chancel, nave, aisles, and low west tower. At various times the church has been added to, but it chiefly belongs to the Decorated period, the tower is Perpendicular, as are some of the windows. In the south wall of the south aisle are two recesses, one contains an effigy of a lady, holding a heart in her hand, supposed to be Elizabeth, co-heiress of Stafford, wife of William Tymmore. On the walls, and floor of the chancel are memorial stones, and monuments of the Everys, and several rectors.

There are three bells, bearing the following inscriptions:

The 2nd bell is supposed to be the only one left when the others were sold for the repairing of Monks’ Bridge. The third bell is of the same date, and bears the same inscription as the 2nd bell in Repton Church.

The old Egginton Hall, the seat of the Every family, was destroyed by fire in the year 1736, and was rebuilt by Sir Edward Every, Bart., from designs by Wyatt. In the Hall there are five splendid pieces of tapestry, made at Gobelin’s, in Paris, by order of Sir Henry Every, who died in 1709, before the order was completed. Four exhibit emblematic devices of the four elements, earth, air, fire and water, and armorial bearings, in each compartment.

Earth is represented by Ceres (Demeter) in her chariot in a garden, with fountains in the background. By the side of the chariot stands her daughter Persephone, wearing a mural crown. Lions and other wild beasts occupy the foreground, the bordering is composed of fruit and flowers.

Air is represented by Jupiter and Juno throned on the clouds. Boreas blowing up a storm in the background, birds, storks, pelicans, &c., occupy the foreground.

Fire is represented by Vulcan working at his forge, attended by Venus and Cupid, at the back is a cave with a furnace in its recesses. Weapons, and instruments of metal form a bordering.

Water is represented by Neptune and Amphitrite, in a chariot drawn by sea-horses. The bordering is composed of seaweed, shells, coral, &c.

The fifth hanging has a representation of Venus, with a little Cupid standing before her, and has a pretty bordering of flowers, landscapes, and medallions bearing symbolical emblems, coats-of-arms, adorn the sides of the hanging. Le Brun, the famous director of paneling at the Gobelin’s, is supposed to have designed the tapestry. For many years the hangings were locked up in “a great chest at Hodges’s, the coachmaker, in Chandos Street,” where they remained till 1750, thus escaping the fire of 1736, they were set up about the year 1760. In March, 1644, there was an engagement on Egginton Heath, between the Royalists and Parliamentarians, when both sides claimed the victory.

STRETTON.

Stretton is a little village about 3½ miles from Repton. Its name is derived from the Latin strata, a street, and as the old Roman Icknield Street passes close to it no doubt that had something to do with its name. Within the last two years it has become noted to all who take an interest in churches, and works of art. Following the good example of his partners Bass and Ratcliff, and other successful brewers, John Gretton, father of the M.P. for South Derbyshire, has built a most beautiful church in his native village.

It consists of nave with aisles, central tower over the choir, and chancel. The east end of the south aisle is separated from it by an arch and a stone screen, with wrought iron gates, and forms a small chapel.

The east end of the north aisle is used as an organ chamber, with vestries for the clergy and choir behind it.

A cross, bearing an appropriate inscription, marks the site of the former church, a little to the south of the present one. No expense was spared in the construction of the church, and the greatest praise is due to the founder, architect, (Mr. J. T. Micklethwaite), builder, (Mr. Halliday of Stamford), and all concerned in the erection of one of the finest village churches in England.

Where everything is so well done, it may seem unnecessary to call attention to anything in particular, but the unusual beauty of design and material of the font, (Frostely marble,) surmounted by its ornate canopy of oak, the splendidly carved chancel screen, surmounted by a cross of exceptional size and beauty, (the work of Mr. J. E. Knox, of Kennington), the stone screen of the little south chapel, the reredos, of marble and alabaster, in the chancel, the oak seats in the nave, the choir stalls, the organ case and pulpit, the pavement of the choir and sanctuary, and the furniture generally call for more than a passing glance. In the chancel are three stained glass windows, symbolizing our Lord in His glory, &c., by Sir William Richmond. The tapestry in the chancel was designed by the late William Morris. The roof of the chancel is decorated with angels playing and singing “Gloria in excelsis,” the nave roof is also painted from designs by Mr. Charles Powell, of London.

TUTBURY.

Sir Oswald Mosley, in his History of the Castle, Priory, and Town of Tutbury, suggests that the name is derived from Tuisco, a Saxon idol. At the Norman Conquest the town and castle were granted to Hugh de Abrincis, who held them for a time till he acquired the estates, &c., of the Earls of Chester, when the King conferred Tutbury on Henry de Ferrariis or Ferrers, who was one of the commissioners appointed to make the Domesday Survey. He rebuilt and extended the Castle, and founded the Priory.

His descendant, Robert de Ferrers, joined Leicester in a rebellion against King Henry III., which ended in Robert being fined £50,000. Unable to pay so large a sum, he forfeited his estates to the King, who granted them to his son Edmund, 1st Earl of Lancaster. Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, was attainted and beheaded after the battle at Boroughbridge, A.D. 1322. Tutbury Castle fell into a state of ruin, and remained so till John of Gaunt, 4th son of Edward III., rebuilt it. The only parts of this castle now remaining, are the gateway, and the apartments on the north side which were occupied by Mary, Queen of Scots, from January to December, 1585. Her son, James I., often visited the Castle, “not,” as Sir Oswald writes, “to indulge melancholy reflections, but to gratify an occasional delight which he took in the diversion of hunting. His feelings were not much affected when he surveyed the late abode of his unfortunate mother, for extreme sensibility was not one of his foibles.”

King Charles I. also paid several visits to it, and in 1642 the Castle was garrisoned for him, and placed under the command of Lord Loughborough. After many privations, the garrison, at last, yielded up the Castle on April 20th, 1646. By a vote on the 19th of July, 1647, the House of Commons ordered that “it should forthwith be rendered untenable.” Its walls enclose a space of about three acres. On the elevated mound, at its west side, the Julius Tower used to stand, now its site is occupied by an artificial ruin. A deep moat or foss surrounds three sides. Within the walls was a chapel, dedicated to St. Peter, the site of which cannot now be found.

The Priory of Tutbury was founded by Henry de Ferrers, A.D. 1080, and occupied the north side of the present church, which belonged to it. On the 14th of September, 1538, it was surrendered into the hands of King Henry VIII., when its revenue was valued at £242. 15s. 3d. All the Priory buildings were pulled down, with the exception of the magnificent Norman nave and west end doorway of the Priory church, which now form the present parish church.

The town is situated on the west bank of the river Dove, which used to drive several corn and cotton spinning mills.

To John of Gaunt, Tutbury owed two of its ancient institutions, viz.:—The Minstrel’s Court and Bull Baiting. The Minstrel’s Court was held every year on the day after the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, being the 16th of August, to elect a king of the minstrels, to try those who had been guilty of misdemeanours during the year, and grant licences for the coming year. Various, very curious customs were observed, which will be found in “The Book of Days,” Vol. II., p. 224. The old horn, bearing the arms of John of Gaunt, impaled with Ferrers arms, on a girdle of black silk, adorned with buckles of silver, is now in the possession of the Bagshawes of Ford Hall, Chapel-en-le-Frith.

The Bull Baiting is supposed to have been introduced, in imitation of the Spanish bull-fights, by John of Gaunt, who assumed the title of King of Castile and Leon, in right of his wife. A bull was granted by the Prior of Tutbury, the poor beast’s horns were sawn off, his ears and tail cut off, and his nose filled with pepper. Then the minstrels rushed after the maddened beast, and if they could cut off a portion of hair or skin before it crossed the river Dove, it belonged to the Minstrels, if it escaped it was returned to the Prior. The proceedings led to very great rows, and many returned home with broken heads, &c. In 1778 the Duke of Devonshire abolished the whole proceedings.