Notes
on the History of Ordsall Parish - 2.e
R.F.
Wilkinson, Rector of Ordsall 1925-1941. From
the pages of Ordsall Parish magazine.
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2)
Description of the Church
e)
Monuments
North Aisle
[Samuel
Bevercotes]
[Image
in Sir
Thomas Stanhope of Shelford: local life in Elizabethan times]
The
most interesting memorial is upon the North Wall of the Nave.
Piercy
records in 1828 that this monument was plentifully covered with whitewash, but
had no inscription. In 1831, when the Church was furnished with new pews, the
monument was moved to the. Ringing Loft in the tower,
where it remained until 1931, when it was restored to its old position. It
is of Nottinghamshire alabaster, and the figure is that of a man in Elizabethan
dress. He wears a doublet with padded sleeves, a white ruffle round his neck,
and a long gown denoting that he belonged to the legal profession.
The
coat of arms shows that he belonged to the long-forgotten family of Bevercotes.
“ Argent a cross patonce argent and
a label gules” impaling Leigh“
Gules a cross engrailed argent, in the
first quarter a lozenge of the second.”
His
name was Samuel Bevercotes, son of Anthony Bevercotes, of Ordsall. He married
Maud Leigh of Shawell, near Rugby. By profession he was a Barrister, and has
been described as a lawyer of good note of the learned counsel of York. He had
two daughters, Anne, born in 1584, and Margaret, in 1588. He was buried on
September 14th, 1603.
In
the index of Notts. Wills at York we find that the administration of his
property was made in the following January.
One
of his daughters married Thomas Cornwallis, who eventually sold the property in
Ordsall to the Countess of Devonshire, and she left it to the Wortley family.
The
Bevercotes family once lived in the village of that name. The hamlet is now
attached to Milton, as their Church fell down about 1650, and the foundations
are now in a garden. Formerly they were Knights, and we find Sir William de
Bevercotes sitting on a jury in 1279. They lived at the Manor House in this
remote village for thirteen generations. Eventually the knighthood died out, and
we find two brothers living about 1500, Thomas and William Bevercotes. Thomas
had a son, Cuthbert, who requested in his will that he might he buried in the
family vaults under the Choir at Bevercotes Church. The last we hear of the
family is in 1622, when a certain John Bevercotes was summoned at Ordsall as a
Popish Recusant, a popular name given to Roman Catholics, when memories of the
Gun Powder Plot were still fresh in people’s minds.
North
Chancel
[John
Pigot]
On
a
brass tablet in Latin; “John Pigot, M.A. One of the SIX preachers of the
Cathedral and Metropolitan Church of Canterbury, Canon of Southwell, and Rector
of this Church, died 21st August, 1727, aged 82. The ashes of Elizabeth, his
wife, are deposited near. She died 4th January, 1718, aged 60. (Translation).”
John
Pigot was Rector (1695—1727). He was the son of Richard Pigot (Head of
Shrewsbury School), and married Elizabeth Elton. His daughter, Elizabeth,
married Rev. George Mason Rector of Ordsall, 1727—1742. His son, Robert, was
Curate to his father at Ordsall in 1720. He was a Sizar of St. Catherine’s
College, Cambridge and was appointed to one of the Special Lecture-ships at
Canterbury, known as the Six Preachers.
[Stephen
Coe]
On
a brass plate in Latin: “Here lies Rev. Stephen Coe, MA., once Rector of this
Church, who gave back his soul to God, April 6th, 1614.”
He
was Rector of Ordsall 1589-l614. Sizar of Christ’s College, Cambridge, l583.
Married Margaret Bellamy, of Laneham, in 1596. In his will (proved at York) he
wished to be buried “in the earth” at Ordsall Church.
[Robert
Coe]
On
a brass plate (formerly on the same floor-stone as the above, in the Chancel):
“Here lieth Interr’d the Body of ye truly just and virtuous Robert Coe, of
Ordsall, Gent., who departed this life for a better, March ye 23rd, in ye year
of our Blessed Lord 1718, and in ye 74th year of his age. As the Life, so the
End.”
He
was the great grandson of the Rector.
North Aisle
[Jeremy
Halfhide]
“Near
this place lieth interren the Body of Jer: Halfhide, gnt. (eldest son of Hen:
Halfhide by Martha, his second wife), who died belov’d & lamented on the
27th day of November. In the
|
year
|
of his age 68
of our Lord. 1727. |
Marble
Tablets.
Robert
Moody, Esq. March 29,
1841. Aged 88 years.
Jane
Moody (Daughter of
George Mason, Esq., of Eaton and Elizabeth his wife) April 19, 1840. Aged 82
years.
Rev.
Robert Moody, Rector of Beckingham,
Lincolnshire, Feb. 2, 1 837. Aged 54 years
William
Mason, Esq., Late of
Duke St., Manchester Square, London. Eldest son of William Mason, Esq., of
Welham, and Jane his wife, Born July 17, 1784, died October 22, 1836.
Rev.
George Mason,
M.A., second son of William and Jane Mason who died at Cuckney in this country
(where he was also interred) Oct. 25, 1857. Aged 64 years.
William
Mason, Esq., of Welham,
died 21,. Sept., 1803. Jane his wife died 12 Feb., 1823.
Walter
Wharmby, Esq., died 26
January, 1854. Aged 22 years. His father was a Superintendent in Her Majesty’s
Customs at Liverpool.
South Aisle
[Henry
Halfhide]
“Henry
Halfhide, aged about 66, died March ye 26 Ano Dmi 89, & buried in the North
Quire nere his wife Margaret who died ye 4th of March 1658 by who had 3
Daughters Mary: Sara: & Bridget all deceased.
By
Martha his second wife had 4
Sonnes & 4 Daughters Jer: Will: Martha: Rebecca: Jes: Eliz: Hen: &
Ann: of which Will: & Rebecha: Dead. Christus Resurrexit.”
[Richard Brownlow]
“Near this place lies Inter’d the Body of Mr. Richard
Brownlow, of Thrumpton, in this parish, who departed this life the 31st day of
January, Anno Dom. 1706, in the 69th year of his age.”
“Near lieth the Body of Mis Anne Turnell, Widow dawter
and only child of Mr. Richd. Brownlow, of Thrumpton, in this parish, who
departed this life Nov. the 6th, 1727, in the 65th year of her age.”
[William Denman]
Thoroton, in his History of Notts., records that
there was a monument in the Church to Rev William Denman, Rector (1550-1587).
The inscription was in Latin, and we give a translation of it:-
I
was a Squire’s son, my mother was heiress of a Knight,
My
name is Denman, I was a Master of Arts.
Rector
of Ordsall in Mary’s reign removed,
Queen
Elizabeth restored me to my flock;
And
I thereupon worked that Retford should reap the fruits of my labour,
If
any are zealous to make progress in Religion,
Ordsall
knows I built houses for the poor.
Beneath
this pile, I now am lying dead.
Ah!
no, not dead, I live beyond in bliss,
Earth
holds my corpse, in heaven my spirit dwells.
This Rector was deprived of his living in Queen Mary’s
reign in 1556, because he was married and was one of the clergy of the Reformed
Church.
He was restored in 1559 at the Royal Visitation of the
Northern province, and was Rector until his death. He was buried in the Church on November 14th, 1587.
He was the son on Nicholas Denman and Anne sister of Sir
John Hercy, of Grove. The took his
M.A. degree at St. John’s, Cambridge, in 1551.
[Sir John de Bolingbroke]
Piercy records in his MSS. That there was a large memorial
stone to Sir John de Bolingbroke in the Church about seventy years ago.
This Knight made his will at Headon in 1351, and desired to
be buried in Ordsall Church. We
find him engaged in a legal action to recover the Manor of Ordsall in 1330.
His will has been published by the Surtees Society, and we give a short
extract:-
“To Gregory, Parson of Hedon, 5 marks, to Thomas de
Ordsale Chaplain Xs. Executors:-
Gregory and Isobel wife of Robert de Wastneys.
To the Poor £X. Wax candles
to be burnt round his coffin. £20
to Thomas and Robert, his sons. To
Robert de Wastneys 5 marks. To
Alice nurse to his son John 6/8. remainder
of Estate to Isabel, and he ordered that his Executors do carry out their
duties, ‘having the Lord before their eyes.’ ”
The Wastneys lived at the Old Hall, Headon, which was
pulled down a century ago. Apparently
Isabel was the daughter of Sir John, and he died at her house, and was buried in
the Church at Ordsall, where he owned part of his estate.
When the Church was being restored in 1876—1877, portions of two altar
tombs were found beneath the floor of the Church. Upon one of them was the lower part of the figure of a Knight
in armour with some words in Norman— French plainly visible, “ICI (here)
GIST (lies) DE HERCY. . GROVE-” The other was the figure of a lady with a wimple, and only two
words, “Hic jàcet”
(Here lies) could he read upon it, It was a great pity that these were covered
up and they are probably beneath the floor-boards now. The Hercy family were
lords of Grove for centuries and patrons of Ordsall Church 1300—1550, while
Laurence Hercy was Rector of Ordsall 1322—1364.
There is also part of an elaborate cross, which probably once formed the
lid of a stone coffin, in which one of the Rectors was buried.
[Elizabeth
Coe]
On a brass tablet.
Here
resteth the body of the truly pious and virtuous Elizabeth, daughter of Mr.
Thomas Fluellin of Whitchureh in Salop late wife of Stephen Coe of this parish
who had issue by her said husband fower sons and fower daughters.
She exchanged this life for a better the 21st of May 1653 being aged 42
yeares and five
months.
When I awake I am still with Thee,”
He
was a grandson of the Rector of Ordsall.
The Coe
family mentioned above were resident in Ordsall for four generations, more than
100 years. Stephen Coe came to Ordsall as Rector in 1859 [error –
1589], and his great great grandson Christopher sold his property at Ordsall in
1727 and went to live at Edwinstowe. The Rector purchased 2 house and 114 acres
of land in [
],
and his great grandson
Robert in 1682 conveyed 2 houses 1 cottage, 2 closes, a barn, 70 acres and a
sheep-walk in Great Morton to Henry Halfhide for the sum of £290.
[John Johnson]
On a brass tablet.
“Here lyeth the body of John
Johnson who dyed October 30, 1680, and was buried Nov. ye first in 43 yeare of
his ago. He was the son of Stephen Johnson of Ordsall and Anne his wife and
married Katharine the daughter of William Brownelow of Ossington by whom he
had issue one son Stephen deceased and one daughter Elizabeth surviving aged
11 yeares.
[Catherine
Johnson]
“Here
lyeth the body of Catharine Johnson wife of John Johnson here intrrd, who dyed
the 30 August A.D. 1716.
I
have fought a good fioght, [sic]
I
have finished my course.”
John
Johnson gave the sixth bell in 1661, and his name is upon it. Probably he was
Church Warden at that time when so many Churches were being restored. Miss
Elizabeth Johnson gave the old Silver Chalice to the Church.
We
give the spelling of the words as they are in Church.
Anne
Mason of Eaton, died 8
Jan., 1795.
Catherine
Mason of Eaton, died
15 May, 1807.
George
Mason, Esq., of
Eaton, died 29 June, 1809.
The
Mason family are very well known in the district where they have lived for more
than three centuries. Edmund Mason, whose father lived at Egmanton Hail, was
Rector of Ordsall 1614— 1631. Another of the family Rev. George Mason was
Rector 1727—1743. Their family vault was formerly under the Vestry and there
are several tombstones outside the North Aisle.
Robert
Moody lived in E. Retford and was a County Magistrate. He married Jane Mason and
their only son was Rev. Robert Moody of Beckingham. She was grand daughter of
Rev. Edmund Mason, and sister of William Mason of Welham.
William
Mason was a lawyer who resided in London. He was Learned Steward of E. Retford
1819—1827 “when he resigned in consequence of the serious quarrels which
were at that period so prevalent in the old Corporation.”
Rev.
George Mason was an active member of the bench at the Retford Sessions. In 1831
he was Rector of Whitwell, and he was Chaplain to the Duke of Portland. He was
Chairman of the Worksop Poor Law Board.
These
two were both sons of William Mason, who was formerly Steward at Osberton and
retired to Welham. He married Jane Cleaver, who died at Amcotts House, Retford
in 1823.
Anne and
Catherine Mason were sisters of William Mason of Welham. They lived with their
brother at Eaton, and all three were unmarried. He was a County Magistrate and
Chairman of the Retford Quarter Sessions.
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