St Giles' Church, Great Longstone, Derbyshire Dales, North-Central England, British Isles [Map]

Longstone Records. Concerning a Perpetual Chantry at Longedon, in the Parish of Bakewell.

In the year 1262, it was agreed between Griffyn son of Wennwen of the one part and all the Parishioners belonging to the Chapel of S. Giles of Great Longdon [Map] that the said Griffin granted for himself and his heirs for ever to the said Parishioners two bovates of land with all their appurtenances in the town and territory of Great Longdon in aid of the maintenance of a Chaplain to celebrate divine service in the same Chapel, that is to say those two bovates of land with all their appurtenances which were taken from the bovates of the homage of the said Griffyn of Great Longdon and which were before assigned by the said Parishioners for the maintenance of that same service. To have and to hold of the said Griffyn and his heirs to the said Parishioners or to any person or persons of the said Parish to whom they shall entrust them for the maintenance of that same service freely quietly well and in peace for ever, saving however to the said Griffyn and his heirs multure of the corn growing on the said two bovates to the extent of one vessel in thirty. Be it known however that if it so happen that the Canons of the mother Church of Lichfield or the ordinaries of the Church of Bakewell shall appropriate to themselves the said two bovates of land and the maintenance of a Chaplain to celebrate divine service in the same Chapel for ever, or if the said Parishioners shall sell to anyone or in any other way alienate the said two bovates, then it shall be lawful to the said Griffyn and his heirs to seize into their own hands the said two bovates and do their will of them just as of their own lordship without any impediment or contradiction of the said Parishioners or of any Pai-ishioner of the said Parish. And that this agreement may be kept firmly and without fraud for ever, the said Griffyn, for himself and his heirs, Thomas le Lewyd of Little Longesdon, Elias son of William of the same, Richard son of Adam of Great Longesdon, William Clerk of the same, Thomas le Bond of the same, Phelip dil Hul of the same, and their heirs, being constituted representatives of the whole Parish, bound themselves and affixed their seals alternately for a testimony to this present writing drawn up in the manner of an instrument. And for this grant the said Parishioners gave to the said GrifPyn seven marks as a fine. Witnesses, William Wyne, William de Esseburne, John de Hollewell, Roger de Scheladon, William de Reyndon, John le Wyne, Nicholas de Wynnefeld, Richard de Hokelowe, Clerk, and others.

Note. "When Archbishop Peckkam (age 32) made his Metropolitan visitation in 1280, it was arranged that the stipend of the Minister of Longstone should for the future be at least five marks, half being paid by the parishioners, and half by the Dean and Chapter. But in 1315, a different arrangement was made by which the Dean and Chapter were only to be called upon to supply six marks to the five Chapelries of Baslow, Longstone, Taddington, Monyash and Beeley. Of this sum, fifteen shillings was set apart for the Minister of Longstone, the Dean and Chapter granting remission of charges for testaments and administrations." Dr. Cox.

Longstone Records. Affixed at the Porch Entrance of Longstone Church [Map], May 1872.

James Thomas Law, Clerk, Master of Arts, Vicar General of The Right Reverend Father in God, George Augustus by Divine permission Lord Bishop of Lichfield and Official Principal of his Episcopal Consistory Court of Lichfield lawfully constituted. To all and singular Clerks and literate persons whomsoever in and throughout the whole Diocese of Lichfield, Greeting:

Whereas it hath been represented unto us on the part and behalf of the Reverend John Palev, Clerk, Master of Arts, the Vicar of the Vicarage of the Parish Church of Saint Giles, Longstone, in the County of Derby, and Diocese of Lichfield, and George Thomas Wright and Edward Smithers the Churchwardens of the same parish. That the Parish Church of Saint Giles, Longstone aforesaid, is in great need of restoration and repair, that the pews, seats, and sitting-places in the said Church are inconveniently arranged, ill-adapted for the purposes of Public Worship, and insufficient for the accommodation of the parishioners and inhabitants of the said parish, and that it is very desirable that the said pews, seats, and sitting-places should be entirely taken down and removed, and open seats erected in lieu thereof. That the said Parish Church has been suiveyed by a competent Architect, and that plans have been prepared by him by which it is proposed to thoroughly restore the said Parish Church both externally and internally, and also to take down and remove the whole of the pews, seats, and sitting-places on the ground floor and in the Chancel of the said Church, and to erect open seats in lieu thereof upon an uniform and more convenient plan capable of affording .increased accominodatioii, to the extent of about forty sittings, for the parishioners, and affording greater facilities for the due observance of Public Worship in the said Parish Church,

And whereas it hath been further represented unto us that at a meeting of the parishioners and inhabitants of the said parish of Longstone in vestry assembled (pursuant to public notice duly given) on Saturday, the Sixth day of April now last past, it nas unanimously resolved that the plan prepared by R. Norman Shaw, of No. 30, Argyll Street, Regent Street, in the City of London, Architect, for the restoration of the Church, should be adopted, and that application he made to the Consistory Court of the Lord Bishop of Lichfield for a Licence or Faculty to authorize the restoration of the said Parish Church being carried out in accordance with the said plan.

And whereas the said The Reverend John Paley, ClerU, Master of Arts, the Vicar, and George Thomas Wright and Edward Smithers, the Churchwardens of the parish of Longstone afoicsaid, have by their Proctor prayed our License or Faculty to authorize and empower them to restore the said Parish Clunch of Saint Giles, Longstone aforesaid, both externally and internally in accordance with the plan submitted to the Vestry meeting above referred to and now annexed to these presents, to thoroughly restore and repair the roofs of the said Church, to take out the present east window and two south windows in the Chancel of the said Church, and two of the Clerestory Windows, and to put in new windows in lieu thereof, to take down and remove the gallery at present blocking up the Towei arch and a portion of the west end of the Church, and to opea out the said Tower arch, to take down and remove the present pews and sittings on the ground floor and in the Chancel of the said Parish Church, and erect open seats in lieu thereof as shewn in the annexed plan, to build a vestry at the north-cast end of the Church as shewn in the said plan, there being no vestry at present in the said Church, to remove the I'ont, Pulpit, and Reading Desk from their present positions and to replace the same in the positions shewn in the said plan, and generally to do all such acts, matters, and things as may be necessary to be done in carrying out the restoration of the said Parish Church in accordance with the plans and specifications above referred to, —

We therefore, being desirous to comply with the reasonable request of the said The Reverend John Paley, Clerk, the Vicar, and George Thomas Wright and Edward Smithers, the Churchwardens of the parish of Saint Giles, Longstone aforesaid, have decreed this our Citation with Intimation to be issued requiring you or any of you to cite or cause to be cited all and singular the parishioners and mhabitants of the said parish of Longstone in special, and all other persons whomsoever in general having or pretending to have any right title or interest in the said parish or Parish Church of Saint Giles, Longstone aforesaid, or in the Chancel of the said Parish Church, by affixing on the outer door of the said Church for some time these presents, and by leaving there affixed a true copy hereof, — To appear before us, our Surrogate, or some other competent Judge in this behalf, in the Lord Bishop's Consistory Court of Lichfield and place of judicature there, on Tuesday, the Seventh day of May now next ensuing at the usual and accustomed time of hearing causes and doing justice there, then and thereto shew good and sufficient cause, if any of them have or know any, why our Licence or Faculty should not be granted to the said The Reverend John Paley, Clerk, Master of Arts, the Vicar of the parish of Longstone aforesaid, and George Thomas Wright and Edward Smithers, the Churchwardens of the said parish, as hath already been petitioned for on their part and behalf, and further to do and receive as unto law and justice shall appertain. Intimating further unto all and singular the parishioners and inhabitants of the said parish of Longstone aforesaid in special, and unto all other persons whomsoever in general having or pretending to have any right, title, or interest in the premises, to whom it is hereby intimated that if they or some or one of them do not appear at the time and place aforesaid, or appearing do not shew good and sufficient cause concludent in law to the contrary, we (or our Surrogate) do intend to proceed and will proceed to grant our Licence or Faculty to the effect and in manner hereinbefore prayed. It being understood that the expenses of such restoration and alterations are to be entirely defrayed by voluntary contriluitions, And if it shall be necessary in making any of the alterations and improvements as aforesaid, or in erecting the Vestry of the said Parish Church as shewn in the plan hereunto annexed, to remove or disturb any vaults, graves, tombstones, or monuments, due care shall be had thereof, and any bodies or remains there may be found shall he decently re-interred within the Churchyard of the said parish, and the tombstones or monuments replaced in a suitable position. And what you shall do in the premises you are duly to certify to us or our said Surrogate together with these presents.

Dated at Lichfield under the seal of our office this Third day of May, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and Seventy Two.

William Fell, Registrar. Extracted by Hubert Courtney Hodson, Proctor, Lichfield.

Longstone Records. Mural Tablet Ix The Church Nave [St Giles' Church, Great Longstone [Map]].

In Loving Memory of George Furness, C.E., Chevalier of the Crown of Italy. Born in this Parish, October 31, 1820, Died at Roindwood Holse, Willesden, Middlesex, Janary 9, 1900.

George Furness was a younger brother of the well-known and greatly respected Longstone residents, James and John Furness. He was a man of great enterprise and business qualifications which he brought to bear on Engineering Works chiefly on the Continent, by which he acquired wealth, being confessedly a self-made man of which he was justly proud. Living with his family chieflv in London, he frequently visited his birth-place where he had a comfortable residence, now the property of his eldest and only surviving son, Mr. George James Furness, of Roundwood House, Willesden.

In 1902, rather more than two vears after his death, a deplorable and fatal event happened to three members of this family whilst on a boating excursion at Killarney by which Mr. G. J. Furness lost in one day, mother, elder sister and brother. There is at this date no Memorial record of the event on the Willesden family tomb, but the following tribute to the memorv of the victims appeared in the Parish Magazine, June, 1902:

"With great regret we record the removal by a sad accident of three friends well-known to all in Longstone. Mrs. George Furness, Miss Marv Furness, and Mr. M. T. Bladen Furness were amongst the victims of the boating disaster on the Lakes of Killarney in which thirteen lives were lost. The funeral of Mrs. Furness took place at Willesden, on Tuesday, May 27th. Every sympathy is felt for the relatives who have to sustain an unexpected and grievous loss. That loss is felt also at Longstone, where their presence was always welcome. They were fond of their Longstone home and were endeared to their friends by their kind-hearted and amiable dispositions and benevolent characters. In their deaths, not divided, may they have found eternal rest, and may those who loved them find help to endure this overwhelming blow."