Staveley History Society

Staveley Parish Church

Staveley Hall and Church lie at the heart of Staveley's rich history and a brief history and archive images of the Church of St. john the Baptist are currently being compiled by the Staveley History Society.

In the interim, an excerpt from The Gentleman's Magazine, 1820 for your entertainment:

The church, which is built in form of a parallelogram, contains an ichnographical site of about 45 yards by 12. It consists of a nave, chancel, and one side-aisle. The tower, which appears to have been built in 1681, contains eight exceedingly musical bells. The tenor, weighing 18 cwt. 3 qrs. 22 lbs., was given by the present rector, and the peal were opened when the present Duke of Devonshire attained the age of twenty-one. His Grace is patron of the church, which is dedicated to St. John the Baptist. The body has lately been newly paved, a gallery built, and the whole interior beautified, containing at present as neat and comfortable accommodation for public worship as any village church in the kingdom.

The following monuments and inscriptions are to be seen :-

In a niche in the north wall of the chancel, on a brass, with two large figures and seven boys and as many girls in a praying attitude, are these words :

"Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis; O mater Dei, memento mei."

The inscription :

Here under fote lieth the bodys of Peyrs Freychwell, and Maude his wyf, and sume time squire unto the noble and excellent prince King Henry the vi. and Lorde and Patrone of this chirche, which Peyrs deceasyd the xxv day of Marche, the yere of our Lorde, M. D. DE. On whose souls Jh'u, have mercy. Amen.

On a large decaying marble tomb, close by the above, containing the arms of Freschville with various quarterings and a brass plate on the top, representing an armed warrior, standing with his hands clasped in a praying posture, with the words :

" * * * Trinitas un' deus miserere nobis. Deus mittere esto * * peccatum."

On a brass border there only remained the following :

" * * * Amabus Petri Frechwell, d'ni. * * * Derb. Armig'i qui obiit [a space never filled] die mensi [ditto] anno Domini Mill'mo CCCC. [ditto] et Matilde uxoris ejus. Quorum animabus propicietur Deus. Amen."

On a massy marble monument the following :

"Here lieth the mortal parte of the Right Honourable John Lord ffrescheville, Baron of Staveley, Governor of York, and descended from the antient and noble ffamilies of the ffreschevilles, Barons of Crich, and of the Musards, Barons of Staveley, who departed this life, Mar. 31, anno D'ni 1682, aged 76 years. Anne Charlotte, Lady ffrescheville, in memory of her deerest lord and husband, caused 's monument to be erected."

On a gilded board there is a memorial of a former wife of this John, who was a daughter of Francis Nicolls, Esq., of Ampthill, co. Bedford. She died April l0th, 1629, aged only eighteen years. There are various other memorials of the Freschvilles.

A beautiful altar-tomb, with a recumbent figure of a lady and infant, thus inscribed :

"Here lyes the mortal part of Christian Lady St. John, late wife of Charles Lord St. John, Baron of Bazinge, and daughter of John Freschvi1le, Esq., who in memory of his dearest childe, caused these stones to be laid together. She died in childbed, the 22d of July, 1653. Her infant, John Pawlet, surviving his mother seven dayes, lyes here interred with her."

A marble slab on the north wall records the death, virtues, and marriages of his wives, and his own death, of the Rev. James Gisbourne, M.A., Prebendary of Durham, and forty-three years rector of his church; he died September 7th, 1759, aged 70.

On a mural tablet over the communion table :

"Within these rails is interred the body of James Gisborne, the oldest surviving son of the late Rev. James Gisborne, a member of the Irish House of Common Lieutenant-general and Governor of Charlmont in Ireland. He married Mary Anne Boyd, daughter and co-heiress of Charles Boyd, Esq. of the kingdom Ireland. He left issue one son and three daughters, &c. &c. , "

Adjacent there is a marble tablet to the "memory of Catherine, wife of the Rev. Fletcher Dixon, of Staveley Hall, and vicar of Duffield, in this county." She was daughter of the above James Gisborne. The Rev. F. Dixon, LL.D., died at Staveley Hall January 5th, 1819, aged 75. He was a man beloved and esteemed by all who knew him, and his death has left a blank in the charitable distributions of the village which its inhabitants will long regret. ... [Some epitaphs are given here which we omit.]

A headstone in the churchyard commemorates the name and death of Robert Sampson, the not altogether " mute, inglorious Milton," and laureate of the village, and although, Mr. Urban, his fame may not have reached any of your readers, I can assure them and you that he really was "famous once for verse," as various churchyards can testify, where his works may probably outlive those of many who have figured more splendidly in wire-wove paper and gilt and lettered binding. He was a wandering dealer in earthenware by his trade, well known, and woe to the reputation of the luckless wight who happened to provoke the lampooning propensity of our poet. Some bitter tetrastic was sure to haunt him from the mouths of the rustics wherever he went. I apologize for this trifling. His epitaph is as follows [omitted].

On a blue slate at the east end of the church is inscription :

" To the memory of Mr. Richard Robinson, son of the Rev. James Robinson of Knuttsford in Cheshire, and Schoolmaster at Netherthorpe, in this parish. Endowed with uncommon abilities, he exerted them for fifty years in the duties of his School, with a diligence and assiduity still more to be admired; and although in an humble station, might be regarded as a very bright example of primeval integrity of life. He gave by his last will eighteen pounds a year to the Hospital at Woodthorp ; besides other very considerable legacies ; and died a bachelor, May 21, 1777, in the 70th year of his age."

The present rector is the Rev. Francis. Gisborne, M.A., son of the before-mentioned J. Gisborne, late rector of Staveley, and is, I believe, cousin to the excellent and valuable author, T. Gisborne, of Yoxall Lodge, co. Stafford. His brother was the late Dr. Gisborne, of Romely Hall, in this county, and physician to his Majesty. ...
He was born at Staveley, and received the rudiments of his education at Netherthorp School, under the before-mentioned R. Robinson, who left Mr. Gisborne the bulk of his fortune. From hence he went to Peter House, Cambridge, when the collegians, by their mimicry of Gray's effeminate manner, had driven him from his college. The bard readily gave up his rooms to Mr. Gisborne,* who was always a grave man, and even then stood aloof from this indiscretion of his companions.

Few villages have been more fortunate in the charitable dispositions of its opulent inhabitants than Staveley, doles, alms, and eleemosynary gifts being constant and frequent. There are several tables of benefactions in the church, which are a constant memorial and incentive to the families of the benefactors to emulate the charity of their predecessors.

There is a brass plate in the body of the church, of which the following is a copy:

"Memorie Sacrum. anno Dom. 1677. Whereas the right worshipful Sir Peter Freschville, Knt. and others of the parish of Staveley, in the county of Derby, did, by their Deed indented, dated anno 1610, out of their charitable disposic'ons give the sum of forty pounds, the use whereof to be employed for the putting forth of poor children of the poor inhabitants of the said parish to be bound apprentices to honest trades and occupac'ons : Therefore, we whose names are inscribed, out of the like charitable inclination, have given the several sums here under written, as well for an addition to the forementioned pious purpose of binding apprentices to good trades, as for a yearly distribution of monies to be dealt amongst the poor inhitants of the said parish, &c."

Then follows the names of sixty-four donors of various sums, to be applied as the preamble sets forth.
There is an hospital at Woodthorp for four poor aged men and the same number of poor women, and a reader, which was built by Sir Peter Freschville, and endowed by his last will, each of the said nine persons to receive £4 per annum at quarterly payments, chargeable on lands in Netherthorp and Woodthorp. In 1777 Richard Robinson, schoolmaster, gave £18 a year to this foundation, which, with other additions, produces £8 per annum for each person.

There is a free Grammar School at Netherthorp which has been endowed at several times. In 1572 Margaret Freschville gave £8 per annum; in 1599 Francis Sitwell, of Netherthorp, gent., gave £6 per annum; in 1742 Lord James Cavendish gave £6 per annum. These sums, with augmentations, produce a competent salary for a classical master. The abilities of the before-mentioned Mr. Robinson drew him many pupils, for whose benefit he exerted himself with unremitting zeal, and realized a considerable fortune. There is, I believe, at present one scholar on the foundation!

* He is the person, I believe, who gave the munificent donation of £22,000 as mentioned in a late number of your magazine, to St. Peter's College.

(ref: The Gentleman's Magazine Library, 1731-1868)

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