Mr. Thomas Pickford late Minister of Edall (Edale, Derb.) "Hic Henricus Skeyns eruditus Dispensator Evangelii Christi; pacificus Pastor hujus Ecclesiæ; Amator gregis cujus interitus magnum dolorem ei attulit. Prindpi Patriæque fidelis. 1662." Susan wife of William Greene of Elmhurst, senr., who died 1672. Jonathan, son of John and Sarah Taylor of Cawthorne, 1722, 27 years. William Smith, Tanner, of Elmhirst, 1759. Mary Wood, daughter of Godfrey Norton of Cawthorne Lanes, 1719. Several memorials of the Woffendens of Norcroft, from 1688.
The Belfry
is now reached by its proper door from the Tower, instead of only by the little outside porch and doorway erected about 1815, the entrance being shown as at present on a Plan of 1811, but not in the parchment one of 1816. The steps, which were nearly worn away, have been repaired. The Bells are six in number, the upper three being added by Mr. and Mrs. Stanhope in 1859 and bearing the founders' name, "Taylor and Co. of Loughborough, Founders, 1859." The tenor bell is 8½ cwt. and is inscribed "1620. Fili Dei, miserere mei" ("Son of God, have mercy on me"). The fifth bell has no date, only the letters "IHS" many times repeated. The letters on the fourth bell are in ancient character, MICHAELIS. It may be noticed that in the Foundation Charter of St. Mary's Chantry it is said to be in the "Chapel of St. Michael" at Cawthorne. The whole peal was first rung at 8 a.m. on Oct. 6th, 1859, by the Silkstone Bell-ringers, who were then instructing the first set of Cawthorne Ringers. Until within the last few years, it was customary to ring a bell here at 6 or 7 in the morning, at noon, and at 7 or 8 in the evening; the old "Shriving Bell," (from the Saxon shrive, to confess) but better known now as the "Pancake Bell," is still rung at eleven on Shrove Tuesday.
It may be mentioned that Bells appear to have been first used in the Christian Church about the fifth century, though the tradition which ascribes their introduction to Paulinus is of doubtful authenticity. To this legend however they owe their mediæval names of Nola and Campana (hence the Italian campanile for bell-tower),
