There has been a church in Matlock since before 1291 when it is mentioned in the Taxation Roll of Pope Nicholas IV. Interestingly, no church is mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1086 though. However, from archaeological remains, it is believed that a church was first built here in the mid-thirteenth century. There is a board inside the front porch which lists the Rectors from 1300 onwards.
The church building has undergone many expansions & renovations over the years. Although the exact date is unknown, the tower was added in the fifteenth century. This is seen as quite an achievement at that time, for a small parish with no wealthy benefactor. There is also evidence that the north & south aisles were enlarged at the beginning of the sixteenth century. A south porch was added in 1636, but its so-dated façade was moved to against the south wall of the tower in 1871, where it can be seen today.
Much of the original medieval structure of the church was lost due to alterations during the eighteenth century, leaving only the tower & chancel arch by 1840. Peter Nightingale, an ancestor of Florence Nightingale, was amongst those involved in the rebuilding of the south aisle in 1760, whilst Sir Richard Arkwright, one of the pioneers of the Industrial Revolution, was responsible for the rebuilding of the north aisle in 1783. These alterations, whilst seen by some to make the building look more like a mill than a church, did significantly increase the capacity of the church, allowing it to hold around 600 people, with reports stating that it was often full!
There were further alterations during the Victorian era. The former chancel was rebuilt in 1859, with the work carried out to the designs of G.H. Stokes, son-in-law to Sir Joseph Paxton. The three-bay nave was rebuilt by 1871 & the Lady Chapel was added to the south of the chancel in 1897.
There are nine bells in the tower, eight of which are rung regularly. The original fifth bell has a broken slider, so is only chimed for services when the other bells are not to be used. The tenor weighs 14cwt & has the inscription, “I unto those that liveth well do toll their welcome passing bell.”
The cache is not located at the given coordinates. These take you to the lychgate on Church Street. To locate the cache, you will need to calculate the coordinates by collecting the answers to the questions below.
The final location can be found at;
N 53' 08.ABC W 001' 33.DEF
A) On the beam of the lychgate above the entrance there is a Latin inscription carved. How many letter Hs are there in total?
B) To the right of the lychgate on Church Street, you can see an old metal SV sign bolted onto the wall at the beginning of a handrail. Add the first two digits together.
C) If you walk a little up Church Street, on the south side of the church there is a large tree with a wooden bench beside it, dedicated to Peter Clay. Using the year in which he was born, subtract the final digit from the third digit.
D) If you enter the churchyard via the gate nearest to this bench & walk down the path, you come to the main entrance of the church. Inside the porch you can see a board with the names of all the Rectors since 1300. Find Thomas Lyllylowe. What is the third digit of the year in which he became Rector?
E) To the right of the porch is another bench with a small plaque. What is the second digit in the first year on the plaque?
F) Next to this bench, up against the wall of the porch, is a large stone plaque dedicated to the Pearson family. Find the date in June 1785 that Mary Pearson died & subtract the first digit from the second digit.
The cache is only a short walk from the church. You are now looking for a small magnetic box. Please employ stealth as two bisons have been taken from GZ. We hope you enjoy your visit to Matlock St. Giles'.
Congratulations to cats-eyes for FTF!
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For full information on how you can expand the Church Micro series by sadexploration please read thePlace your own Church Micro page before you contact him at churchmicro.co.uk
See also the Church Micro Statistics and Home pages for further information about the series.
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