Bilborough St Martin

Monuments and Memorials

Chancel

The earliest monument in the church is a marble tablet, now on the south wall of the chancel, to Edmund Helwys who was buried 24 October 1590. He wished to be buried 'in the chancel, or near the pue door, with arms showing his marriage above.' During restoration work on the church in 1833 the tomb was broken up and the surviving inscription was fixed to the north wall of the chancel.

Edmund lived in Broxtowe Hall in the north-east corner of Bilborough parish. His son was Thomas Helwys (c.1575-1616), who helped to set up the first English Baptist Church at Spitalfields in London.

The inscription is in Latin and reads:

Edmunde exiguo residens hel
vise sepulchro extremum do
ceas corporis omnis iter, nata
simul dilecta tibi vi mortis
iniquae Rapta sub hoc tumulo
cum ge[n]itore jacet. Scilicet hic m
orti[s] mos est mortisq[ue] triumph[us]
Grandanos teneris tollere sa[e]pe
simul: aetas flos serus non ru[m]p
unt vincula mortis nata pater
que cadunt, tempore nata prior.

There are three small brass plaques directly below the monument:

Next this Monument
lieth the remains of
Mrs Dorothy Hammond
Daughter of the late
Rev Mr HAMMOND,
Rector of STANTON
in Derbyshire
She departed this
life August the 21
MDCCLXXI
Aged
64 YEARS.

Next to Mrs HAMMOND
lieth the Remains of
her Sister
Mrs FRANCES HARWOOD
Wife of Mr HARWOOD
She departed this
Life 8th December,
MDCCLXXIII
Aged 54 years.

NEXT
to the remains of
MRS FRANCES HARWOOD
lie the remains of
MR WILLM HARWOOD
who departed this Life
February 23rd, 1809,
Aged 78 Years.

There are two mural brass plaques recording the details of grave slabs removed during the restoration of the church in 1887-8.

The plaque to the left of the Helwys monument reads:

Here lieth
the remains of
THOMAS BARBER
Esq:
third son of
Francis Barber
Esq:
he was born at
Greasley
June 11th 1738
and died at
Derby
June 28th 1818.

The marginal inscription around the plaque states:

This Memorial Brass replaces the old stone slab taken up during the restoration of this Church A D 1888

Nave

A plaque on the north section of the west nave wall reads:

Near this place was
interred the body of
ROBERT GRAY
Dr of Physick
who departed this life
the 18th day of June 1708
in the 84th year of his age

Here lyeth the body of
HENERY GODBERE
who died June xxii 1710
being aged 61 years

Here lieth the body of
THOMAS LOWE
who was son to
Lemnel and Elsbeth Lowe
he departed this life
May ye 10th 1732
aged 13 weeks

The marginal inscription around the plaque states:

This Memorial Brass is put in the place of three old stone slabs which were taken up during the restoration of the Church AD 1888