West Bridgford
St Giles

Monuments and Memorials

This list of monuments and memorials starts in the south chapel (the ancient chancel) and follows a clockwise route around the church.

South Chapel

Catherine Waters and Others

There is a plaque on the north wall of the chapel arising from the extension of the church in 1898:

Near here are the remains of
Catherine Waters – widow of the late Rev W. T. Waters
Died Feb 6th 1867 aged 87 years.
Marianne Fothergill

died

 

Sep 6th

 

1868

 

aged

 

82

 

years

John William Bocock

'

 

July 5th

 

1869

 

'

 

14

 

months

Christopher Bocock

'

 

Nov 21st

 

1871

 

'

 

5

 

years

Francis Hallam

'

 

Feb 18th

 

1872

 

'

 

51

 

years

Charles Featherstone Morris

'

 

June 25th

 

1875

 

'

 

10

 

weeks

John Richard

'

 

Mar 4th

 

1877

 

'

 

10

 

months

Sarah Hallam

'

 

July 16th

 

1886

 

'

 

71

 

years

William Derry

'

 

Dec 7th

 

1886

 

'

 

44

 

years

Charles Heard Chasty

'

 

Aug 24th

 

1886

 

'

 

71

 

years

Edgar Morris

'

 

June 27th

 

1889

 

'

 

20

 

months

Jane Melbourne

'

 

Oct 31st

 

1890

 

'

 

68

 

years

Eliza Smith

'

 

Mar 8th

 

1890

 

'

 

43

 

years

Caroline Morris

'

 

Jan 9th

 

1890

 

'

 

46

 

years

Annie Maria Gladish

'

 

Mar 26th

 

1891

 

'

 

26

 

years

Clara Sleath

'

 

Sep 16th

 

1891

 

'

 

35

 

years

Arthur Cook

'

 

Nov 4th

 

1891

 

'

 

20

 

months

Selina Amelia Muir

'

 

Jan 18th

 

1892

 

'

 

39

 

years

William Dent

'

 

May 4th

 

1892

 

'

 

86

 

years

John Lewin Crawmour

'

 

April 1st

 

1892

 

'

 

4

 

months

Sarah Mills Jones

'

 

Jan 8th

 

1895

 

'

 

43

 

years

Simmons

A wall plaque on the north wall records that:

TO THE GLORY OF GOD
AND IN MEMORY OF
TOM & EMILY SIMMONS,
AND THEIR DAUGHTER MARY
THIS SOUTH CHAPEL WAS RESTORED
A.D. 1934.

Partington

The screen on the north side of the chapel records that:

This screen was erected by his Mother
in memory of a dearly loved son.
WILLIAM WOODROFFE PARTINGTON, who died on Oct 15 1921,
aged 39 years. 'He is not dead but, sleepeth.' A.D. 1922

Hargreaves

On the south wall is a plaque, which was granted a faculty in 1956:

+ IN LOVING MEMORY OF
RICHARD HARGREAVES
RECTOR OF THIS PARISH 1904-
1930 HE DIED 15 JUNE 1955 in
HIS 85TH YEAR & IS BURIED
IN THE CHURCHYARD +

Elliott

On the south wall is a plaque:

THE WROUGHT IRON GATES
LEADING FROM STRATFORD ROAD
WERE PROVIDED IN MEMORY OF
GRACE MARY ELLIOTT
BELOVED ST GILES MOTHERS' UNION
ENROLLING MEMBER 1941 – 1961
WHO DIED NOVEMBER 21ST 1962

Alexander Linning

On the south wall is a plaque:

IN LOVING MEMORY OF
THE REVEREND
ALEXANDER LINNING
1919 – 1993
WHO SERVED IN THIS PARISH
1962 – 1993
THE LORD SHALL BE UNTO THEE AN
EVERLASTING LIGHT
AND THY GOD THY GLORY
ISAIAH 60v19

South Aisle

David Shelton

A slate memorial on the north wall to the south aisle has outline engravings of two miners’ safety lamps and reads:

IN LOVING MEMORY OF
DAVID SHELTON
1962 – 1993
A MEMBER OF THIS CHURCH
WHO DIED IN THE BILSTHORPE COLLIERY DISASTER
18 AUGUST 1993
HE LAID DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS

Below it, a small plaque adds:

DAVID SHELTON
TO WHOM THE MEMORIAL ABOVE IS DEDICATED
WAS POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED THE GEORGE CROSS
ON JUNE 30TH 1995
IN RECOGNITION OF THE SACRIFICE HE MADE
IN ATTEMPTING TO SAVE HIS MINERS

In fact, David Shelton was awarded the George Medal rather than the George Cross. He was under-manager at the mine when the tragedy occurred: 'On the 18th August 1993 three men were killed and three were trapped by an extensive underground roof fall. The disaster occurred in a tunnel which was being driven 640 metres underground. In a matter of seconds the roof collapsed over a length of some 46 metres in one large block 14 metres high and some 8,000-9,000 tonnes in weight. There was no certainty at the time that this would be the limit of the fall, and further falls could have been expected. Mr. Shelton was working directly beneath the area of roof that fell. Initially the roof dropped by over half a metre accompanied by the loud noise of splitting shoring timbers. Miners who were working with him and had seen the roof drop, started to run outwards towards the mine shaft to safety. As they did so one grabbed Mr. Shelton to drag him with them. He chose however not to escape, and remained under the dropped roof to warn other miners who were working in the tunnel at the coal face. He would have been well aware that at any moment the roof could collapse completely. He was seen to shine his miners lamp towards them to give a recognised warning signal, and was pointing at the roof. Very shortly afterwards the roof fell in, completely burying him.'

Ringing Chamber 

On the south wall are two monuments, which Godfrey noted as being on the north wall of the nave of the old church and, before that, had been in the old chancel. Thus they were presumably moved to the tower during the church extension. The initials M.G. refer to the wife (whose maiden name was Millicent Guy) of the late Captain Andrew Gideon Fisher, formerly of the Honourable East India Company Bombay Artillery. Robert James Fisher was their son.

Millicent Stokes

Underneath
Lie the Remains of
MILLICENT STOKES
Youngest Daughter of the late
Revd John Stokes A.M.
Rector of this Parish
Ob. Novr 5th 1806 Aet 67

In affectionate Regard to her Memory
This Monument is erected
By her adopted Daugfhter
M.G.

(The A.M. after Stokes' name is presumably a misprint for M.A.)

Robert James Fisher

This Tablet
is dedicated by his afflicted Parents
to the Memory of their beloved Child
ROBERT JAMES
only Son of Capt. A.G. FISHER,
 (late of the H.E.I.C. Bombay Artillery),
and MILLICENT his Wife:
born Jany 24th 1812, died Octr 4th 1815:
and is interred underneath
Suffer little Children to come unto me
and forbid them not, for of such
is the Kingdom of GOD.

Tower

Hawerthorpe ?

On the floor of the tower, by the door to the ringing chamber, is a grave cover that was in the ancient chancel until it was moved in 1871. It shows that there was once a brass memorial of a kneeling figure, under which was a rectangular inscription.

It appears to represent a priest in academic dress, with the hood of a university degree at the back. It is speculated that this may be a memorial to a past rector, Thomas de Hawerthorpe, who was instituted in 1369. The rector expressed the wish in his will to be buried in the chancel.

Wragby

Another grave cover, moved from the ancient chancel, is to be found in the north-west corner of the tower and is partly obscured by a safe. It commemorates William Wragby, who was instituted rector in 1437.

See the Archaeology section for further information.

Tower Walls

Ross

On the west face of the pillar on the north side of the tower is a plaque:

THE OAK PANELS ON THE RINGERS' GALLERY
WERE GIVEN IN MEMORY OF
WILLIAM HILTON ROSS
A DEVOTED CHURCHWARDEN
FOR FOURTEEN YEARS  1941 - 1955

The Haven

Biddle

The room known as The Haven was formed from what was previously known as the Biddle Lounge.

THIS LOUNGE WAS PROVIDED
BY
FAMILY, FRIENDS AND PARISHIONERS
IN MEMORY OF
WALTER OSWALD BIDDLE
CHURCHWARDEN 1976-1984

Entrance to George Chapel

Laws

The northern pillar at the entrance to the George Chapel, near to where the organ was once housed, has a plaque:

THIS ORGAN WAS CLEANED
AND RESTORED IN 1978 THE
COST BEING MET BY GENEROUS
PUBLIC AND CONGREGATIONAL
GIVING AND BY A LEGACY
FROM HILDA LAWS,
A FORMER CHORISTER, IN
MEMORY OF HER PARENTS

George Chapel 

Newbold

The present day kitchen in the George Chapel used to house the organ. Underneath the serving hatch is a panel with a shield for St Giles and another with three blackbirds, the letters ONCC and 'Lauda Finem' (praise to the end):

TO THE MEMORY OF
DUDLEY NEWBALL
ORGANIST OF THIS CHURCH
1924 – 1941

Stone Man

The stone man Detail of the effigy

Effigy by the

road, c.1890

The stone man was discovered when excavating a pond in West Bridgford at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The effigy was placed beside a pond near the junction of the Melton and Loughborough roads. Since then it has inspired much speculation as to its origin and even a 29 page poem.

The effigy was brought into the churchyard in 1893 and in 1907 placed in its current position under a fourteenth century arch on the north wall of the George Chapel. The tradition is that the effigy originally came from St Giles' and represents a member of the Lutterell family as founders of the church.

Nave

Cleaver

The pew rail at the front of the nave on the north side records the replacement of the wooden chairs, used since the extension of the church, with upholstered chairs:

IN JULY 2004 THE NAVE AND NORTH AISLE OF THIS CHURCH
WERE FURNISHED WITH CHAIRS
TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN MEMORY OF
CYNTHIA H CLEAVER
1921 – 2003