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Key to Monuments |
There are about two dozen monuments within the church dating from the 15th to the 20th centuries. Among the more notable are two large memorials in the chancel, originally linked to chantries, to Sir Richard Willoughby (died 1471) and his nephew, Sir Henry Willoughby (died 1528). There are other Willoughby family monuments. There is a modest alabaster tablet to Bridget and Percival Willoughby and the much more ostentatious contemporary monument to Robert Smythson, the Willoughbys' architect. That to the 6th Lord Middleton is by Sir Richard Westmacott.
Two memorials can no longer be seen. One, to the 7th Lord Middleton, is now totally obscured by the organ. A second memorial which cannot now be identified was described by Sir Stephen Glynne in 1867: 'Another tomb on the S side has panneling of late Perp date and a flat open crocketed canopy but is much concealed by more modern monuments'. Perhaps this is the 'alabaster tomb under an arch in the middle of the church to Matilda, wife of Johannis Dabrishecourte' (died 1505) which Thoroton recorded. By 1902 when Fellows was writing this was 'no longer to be seen, but traces of it were found during the 1885 restoration'. Also invisible is the Willoughby vault.
In 1988 it was decided to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the completion of Wollaton Hall by conserving the monument to Robert Smythson in the south aisle. The work was largely funded by the Pilgrim Trust and a programme to conserve many other monuments in the church began which was completed in 2013. Funding came principally from various trusts and latterly the Heritage Lottery Fund, with a contribution from the 12th Lord Middleton.
The following description of the monuments starts above the west door and proceeds in a clockwise direction. In most instances the recording of the inscription is followed by further details.
North Aisle
1.Digby, 7th Baron Middleton (died 1856)
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 Detail |
Monument on the west wall of the nave behind the organ.
+ IN MEMORY OF |
This memorial was formerly on the north wall of the chancel. It was removed to its present position at the restoration of 1885. Since 1970 it has been totally obscured by the organ. It was photographed in 2012 while it was briefly exposed during the restoration of the organ.
2.Henry, Lord Middleton (died 1800)
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 Detail |
Monument on the north wall of the north aisle between the third and fourth windows from the west.
TO THE MEMORY OF
verite sans peur J.BACON, Junr Sculpr LONDON. |
John Bacon Jnr, the son of a more famous sculptor father, is represented by work in St Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.
3.John Edson (died 1855)
Tablet on the pier of the south arcade of the north aisle between the second and third arches.
In memory of  “THOU HAST GIRDED ME WITH PSALM XVIII. 39. |
4.Richard Blakemore (died 1761)
Monument on the north wall of the north aisle between the fourth and fifth windows from the west.
Near this Place lies Inter’d the
And JANE ye Wife of
Also MARY COX Sister to the |
* changed from 1754
Nothing is known of the three people commemorated on this slate tablet. It is given a rustic feel by the off-centre flourishes surrounding each reference to 'age' and by the need to amend the date carved in error.
Chancel
5.Sir Henry Willoughby (died 1548) and his wife, Anna (died 1546)
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 Detail |
Monument (with blackamoor’s head) above the north door of the chancel.
HENRICUS WILLUGHBY ARMIGER, ET ANNA UXOR EIUS ILLE OBIIT IN BELLO CÕTRA REBELLES IN NORFOLCIA 1548
OPTIMIS PARENTIBUS |
[Henry Willughby Knight, and Anna his wife, sister of Henry Grey Duke of Suffolk blissfully fell asleep here in the Lord. He died in the war against the rebels in Norfolk 1548, she passed on in the year of salvation 1546, they raised three children, Thomas, who died without surviving issue, Francis Willughby a golden rider*, and Margaret, wife of Matthew Arundell, soldier. In love and sorrow Francis [their] son put up this monument to [his] most estimable parents 1591]
* or perhaps A RENOWNED HORSEMAN ?
6.Sir Richard Willoughby (died 1471) and his wife, Anne (died 1467)
 Tomb |
 Detail Cadaver |
 Brasses |
 Brass of Sir Richard |
 Brass of Anne |
Inscription in brass on the chamfered edge of the tomb to Sir Richard Willoughby on the north side of the chancel. Square brackets indicate omitted characters and the missing phrase at the end.
Hic jacet Ric[ard]us Willughby Armiger qui obiit viio die Octob Anno d[o]m[i]no Jh[es]u X[*]i Millimo CCCColxxio Et Anna ux[or] eius que obiit xxiiio die mensis Julii A[nn]o eiusdem d[omi]ni MoCCCColxviio [quorum animabus propicietur deus Amen] |
[* unidentifiable letter]
[Here lies Richard Willoughby knight who died the seventh day of October in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ 1471 and Anne his wife who died the twenty-third day of the month of July in the year of the same Lord 1467 [on whose souls may God have mercy. Amen]]
Although the Willoughbys had been connected with Wollaton for well over a century by the time of Sir Richard Willoughby, they continued to be buried and commemorated at Willoughby-on-the Wolds until 1471. Sir Richard, who was childless and distrusted his half-brother to honour him appropriately, had this expensive monument erected before his death to form the centre-piece of a chantry chapel. Similar designs in the neighbourhood at Strelley and Clifton must have been the work of the same craftsmen. Brasses depicting him and his wife appear on the table tomb set in an elaborate canopy and beneath is a cadaver.
The original contract for the brasses with James Reames of St Paul’s Churchyard, London, can still be found among the Middleton manuscripts at the University of Nottingham, and is a rare survival. The specification closely matches what can still be seen. The monument was set up while Sir Richard was still alive and the dates of death had to be inserted into the inscription later. The assurance of this memorial is an indication that the family had really arrived in Wollaton.
7.Percy Willoughby (died 1643) and his wife, Bridget (died 1629)
Tablet on south wall of chancel.
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[One tomb in death as erst in life one bed Holds man and wife in double wedlock bound; May He on whom our load of sin was laid Pardon what e'er of sin in them was found. (Translated by Mr John Russell)]
Bridget was the eldest of the seven daughters and heir of Sir Francis Willoughby who bankrupted his family by building Wollaton Hall. There is no known memorial to Francis and this to his daughter and her husband is in telling contrast to those of her ancestors and successors. The reference to 'double wedlock' alludes to the couple's relationship. Bridget's great-aunt, Dorothy Willoughby, had married a Willoughby from Kent, who was no relation of the Wollaton Willoughbys. In due course her grandson, Percival, was married to his second cousin, Bridget, to ensure the continuity of the Willoughby name in Wollaton.
8.Sir Henry Willoughby (died 1528)
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 Detail of the chest tomb |
 The effigies |
 Detail of the cadaver |
Inscription on the tomb of Sir Henry Willoughby on the south side of the chancel:
Hic jacet Henricus Willhughby |
[Here lies Henry Willoughby, knight of King’s body and banneret* and onetime lord of Wollaton, who died on [eleventh] day of May in the year of our Lord 1528, on whose soul may God have mercy].
* Banneret seems to be intended since baronets were not instituted until 83 years after this date.
This tomb is on the same scale as the facing one to Sir Richard Willoughby. Sir Henry (died 1528) was the nephew of Sir Richard and greatly expanded the family's wealth and standing by developing the already existent coal industry in the area. It incorporates effigies of each of his four wives; while he appears life-size they are half-size.
Conservation work in 2010 revealed slight, but visible, evidence of the way in which the whole monument would have been painted. This memorial, which also formed part of a chantry chapel, was possibly freestanding in the now vanished chapel at right angles to its present position.
Beneath the effigies is another cadaver. Churches with more than one cadaver tomb are extremely rare: Wollaton is the only one to have two non-clerical cadavers, whereas Winchester and Salisbury cathedrals have two clerical ones and Exeter cathedral has one clerical and one non-clerical. In addition, Wollaton is the only church to have one isolated and one tiered design. Recent research by Dr Christina Welch of the University of Winchester has suggested that the two cadavers have at some time been transposed.
Although this cadaver lies under Sir Richard, it possibly represents Sir Henry.
9.Henry Willoughby (died 1641) and his wife, Bridget
Monument on the north wall of the former baptistery above Monument 8.
HIC IACET HENRICVS WILLVGHBAEUS |
[HERE LIES HENRY WILLOUGHBY, ESQUIRE, THE FOURTH SON OF PERCIVAL WILLOUGHBY, GENTLEMAN, AND OF THE LADY BRIDGETT, HIS WIFE. A LAWYER, AND ONE OF THE ASSESSORS OF THE INNER TEMPLE, LONDON. HE WAS A MAN MOST COMPETENT, VERY DEVOTED TO LEARNING AND OF OUTSTANDING PIETY AND UPRIGHTNESS; WHO DIED ON 18 SEPTEMBER AGED 48 YEARS IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 1641.]
Conservation work in 2010 revealed sufficient surviving colouring to justify the reinstatement of the rest. The result is a very striking indication of how most memorials of the period would have appeared.
Former Baptistery
10.William Willoughby (died 1670)
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 Detail |
On the south wall of the former baptistery above the door:
THIS MONUMENT IS HERE |
This distant relation of the impecunious seventeenth-century Willoughbys was suitably commemorated for helping to revive their prosperity.
11.Henry, 6th Baron Middleton (died 1852)
Monument on the west wall of the former baptistery:
SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF WESTMACOTT R.A. LONDON |
This memorial, 'with a fine romantic sentiment' according to Pevsner, is by Sir Richard Westmacott (1775-1856), one of the leading sculptors of the period. It was originally sited above the north door of the chancel.
12.Tablet on the west wall of the baptistery below Monument 11:
THIS CHAPEL WAS BUILT IN 1886 |
The Revd H C Russell, the son-in-law of the 8th Lord Middleton, was responsible for the comprehensive restoration and enhancement of the church over almost half a century.
13.Marjorie Russell (died 1960), Olive Birkin (died 1960) and Sheila Russell (died 1951)
Tablet on the west wall of the former baptistery below Monument 12:
IN MEMORY OF |
During World War II Sheila Russell was elected a churchwarden, almost certainly the first woman to fill this post in Wollaton.
South Aisle
14.Robert Smythson (died 1614)
Monument between the first and second windows from the east of the south aisle.
HERE LYETH YE BODY OF MR |
This memorial, which was formerly on the south wall of the nave near the present pulpit, marks the death and burial in Wollaton of the designer of Wollaton Hall, Longleat, Hardwick Hall and other Elizabethan houses. His description as 'architector' hints at the tentative appearance of architecture as a profession. Smythson began life as a stonemason and nothing could demonstrate more clearly the transition from the medieval to the early modern world than this bold and original monument. Before this time few in Smythson's position would have had a memorial, certainly not within a church. Even more striking is the absence of any commemoration of his patron and employer, Sir Francis Willoughby. It was therefore fitting that the programme of conserving the church's monuments began in 1988 with Smythson.
15.Henry Hetley Pearson (died 1941)
Monument between the second and third windows from the east of the south aisle:
In Thankfulness to GOD and |
16.Basil John Pearson (died 1944)
A separate tablet immediately beneath Monument 15:
A MEMORIAL TO |
The two brothers above were both sons of Noel Gervase Pearson, managing director of the Beeston Boiler Company and a worshipper in the church. Basil was aged 20 when he was killed on 10 September 1944. Both were buried in Belgium. The revestry (see Archaeology) was built in 1946 as a memorial, but survived only until 1970 when it was superseded by a larger extension.
Nave
17.The Rev George Sanders (died 1838)
Monument on the south wall of the nave east of the archway to the south aisle:
SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF ALSO TO THE MEMORY OF CATHERINE HIS WIFE WHO DIED |
18.Catherine Sanders (died 1844)
Tablet immediately below Monument 17:
CATHERINE DAUGHTER OF THE ABOVE |
19.John Nickleson Martin (died 1830)
Monument on the south wall of the nave to the west of the archway to the south aisle:
THIS TABLET IS RAISED IN MOST “BLESSED ARE THE DEAD WHICH DIE IN THE LORD ALSO ALSO OF “BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART FOR THEY SHALL SEE GOD” ALSO OF “WHOSOEVER LIVETH AND BELIEVETH IN ME SHALL NEVER DIE” AND ALSO OF
THEIR VAULT IS UNDER THE COMMUNION TABLE |
In Carlisle Cathedral there is a much more elaborate memorial to Christopher Hutchinson which refers in the same terms to his burial at Wollaton.
20.The Rev Francis Haythorn (died 1848)
Tablet on the south wall of the nave to the right of Monument 21:
Sacred to the Memory of |
21.Thomas Man (died 1690)
Tablet on the north wall of the nave between the third and fourth arches from the west:
NEAR UNTO THIS PLACE |
This delightful tablet preserves the memory of Thomas Man who was better known in Wollaton, where he died at the age of about 35, as the tutor of Thomas Willoughby, later 1st Lord Middleton.
Miscellaneous tablets
Tablet on the west wall of the tower:
IN THANKSGIVING FOR THE J.A.BANKS J.ADKIN |
Tablet on the south wall of the inner lobby of the north-west extension:
| The extensions and enhancements to this church, made possible by the generosity of many, were dedicated by the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham, the Rt Revd George Cassidy, on Sunday 1 February 2009 |
Tablet on the north side of the chancel (below Monument 8):
| THE CHOIR STALLS WERE GIVEN IN LOVING MEMORY OF ERNEST SCOTT THORPE 1905-1969 |
Tablet on the south wall of the nave below Monument 20:
THIS CHURCH WAS RESTORED AND BEAUTIFIED
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