DARTON PARISH CHURCH of ALL SAINTS
In the Diocese of Wakefield

A collection of inscriptions from Tombstones, Plaques and Memorial Windows
taken 1972-73 By Hilda L Dearnley, Betty Wilkins and Maureen Parker.

This churchyard is still in use and recordings were taken to1850. A few later dates were added of strangers to the Parish, or of local interest. The names were checked in the parish register, where only a few, chiefly infants, were missing. The earliest dates found of these families have been recorded, but unfortunately the earliest register is difficult to read and the names could reach back further than recorded here. The registers date from 1558, but are not continuous until 1578. There are notes added by clergy and also lists of church wardens, overseers of the poor, highway maintenance also the buying and exchanging of pews and repairs to the church. There is a copy of the George Beaumont bequest for maintaining a school at Darton in the 1772-1812 register, with names mentioned in the land and property transactions.

An entry in register - John Heathfield continued here until 1654. Who succeeded him in these unsettled times cannot be traced, but John Waterhouse came in on the King's return. During part of Heathfield's period of office, marriages were celebrated by civil magistrates

Entry 1643 Much blood was shead this year.

Entry 1646 Some names were omitted this year through the clerks negligence, the vicars ignorance and the general disturbance.

Entry by Richard Smethurst -
The incumbent is poorly fed
When his bell rings an egg and t'bed
But the incumbent is rich in his appropriation
When his bell do ring pigg goose and capon.

Micro films of the registers 1558 - 1812 are in the Barnsley Reference Library. Also there are William Bretton's History of Gawber, in which many of these names, their occupations and dwellings are mentioned, also James Dearnley's History of Darton Church, where he was a church warden for many years. The writers are indebted to him for information on tombstones now covered by a wooden floor in the Beaumont Chapel, now known as the Lady Chapel. The Churchyard has been tidied and a number of broken and eroded stones have disappeared. Most of the tablestones had the supports removed about forty years ago. Now all are laid flat. Some small square sandstones are also missing, possibly mistaken for stones fallen from the walls. These had initials and dates and were checked in the registers. Latin was rather faint, sometimes eroded. (Some photographs of the different types of stones will shortly be lodged with the Yorkshire Archaeological Society.) Notes of entries discovered whilst checking names in the registers are to be found below each family inscription. We are deeply indebted to Mr Peet, the vicar of Darton and Mr Vincent, the Vicar of Gawber, for their help and interest in this work. Also for the help given by various members of the Barnsley Archaeological Society.

Editors Note: As yet there is no index to these inscriptions - the original handwritten notebook from which we worked has been organised in alphabetical order, however, where more than one surname appeared on a headstone, the additional surnames should be identifiable in Miss Dearnley's notes on 'names and earliest dates recorded', which will be found below. The numbers found at the start of each entry refer to a geographical plan of the Churchyard. The present location of the map is not known. Miss Dearnley's original notebooks were deposited with the Yorkshire Archaelogical Society, 'Claremont' 23 Clarendon Road, Leeds, where they may be viewed by arrangement with the curator. A Typescript copy of the notebook is deposited in Barnsley Archives & Local Studies Department at Barnsley Central Library. The notebook also contains a collection of the more interesting inscriptions to be found in Gawber Churchyard, however this colllction is not complete. These Gawber inscriptions will be added to these web pages in due course.

Names and earliest dates recorded

Acton(see Cotton), Alderson, Allott1672, Archer1667, Armitage(see Scorah, Shirt),1646 Armstrong(see Sangster, Cudworth, Hirst), Askew(see White), Atkinson(see Thexton), Audin1597, Bagshaw(see Beaumont), Ball(see Hobson),1629 Bailey(see Thorp), Barber1585, Baron1539, Barrowclough1774, Barton, Bawbell(Bovile in register, see Turner), Beaumont1578, Bedford(see England),1637 Bennett1599, Birkinshaw(see Jepson)1594, Botheroyd(see Wagstaff),1587 Braithwaite(see Hirst, Litherland), Briggs1616, Brown(see Turner),1583 Browne1619, Burdett(see Smethurst)1584, Burkinshaw1609, Burnley Burton1614, Carnelly(see Shaw), Carr1647, Carte,r Challenger, Chapman, Child 1677, Clark164,7 Clarke1599, Cock1656, Colbeck1739, Cooper(see Fisher, Storrs)1755, Cotton1688, Craven(see Drury), Crossley1618, Crowther(see Cooper, Potter),1737 Cudworth1624, Davidson, Dennis1755, Denton(see Wainwright, see notes on Rhodes),1558 Dickinson1594, Dixon(see Webster),1635 Dransfield1591, Drury1629, Dunderdale Dyson(see Dennis),1614 Eaton Elliott(see Waring), Ellis(see Cock)1558, Ellisson1560, England1606, Emmerson(see Hall), Fenton Field1637, Fisher Firth1636, Fletcher1687, Fosdick, Fountain, Fox1637, Garlick(see Green), Gee1710, Gibson1595, Gill1586, Gillott(see Smails)1539, Goddard(see Shillito)1560, Gowing(see Shaw), Grace1750, Greaves1653, Green1638, Greenwood1762, Gunson(see Taylor), Haigh1599, Hall 1637, Hallas(see Burton), Hampshire`possibly1700, Hattersley1635, Haws, Heanley1738, Hemingway(see Sweetenham),1715 Heron(see Dunderdale)1652, Heslop, Higson, Hill(see Smails), Himsworth(see Shillito), Hinchliffe1582, Hirst1643, Hobson(see Ball, Milns,)1582 Hoey(see Shillito), Holden1644, Houghland(see Rhodes),1692, Howcroft1652, Huison(see Ellis),1650 Hutchinson1631, Ibberson1731, Jackson(see Chapman),1690 Jenkinson1559, Jenkinsonn1588, Jepson1591, Johnson1594, Lang Lawton,1728 Ledger1643, Leech, Litherland, Littlewood(see Morton),1587 Longbottom, Mabson1597, Maddison, Manley(see Green), Marsden(see Roberts), Marsh1587, Marshall1644, McMahon, McKenzie, Mellor1716, Micklethwaite(see Taylor, Milns1607, Milnes1627, Milner(see Beaumont)1631, Mitchell1633, Monsieur, Moody, Morton1587, Moxon1655, Naylor(see Moody)1603, Nettleton1578 ,Nevinson(see Denton), Overend1746, Oxley(see Taylor)1598, Parks, Peckett1721, Perkins1658, Peterson(see Denton,) Pickering1656, Pickles, Pidcock(see Fenton), Pinberton(see Drury), Pollard1602, Poole possibly1602, Poppleton1652, Popplewell,1619, Potter, Pritched(see Litherland), Race(see Huison)1771, Ramsbottom, Rhodes(see White),1613 Richardson1734, Rimmington(see Shaw),1650 Roberts1642 ,Robinson(see White)1615, Roebuck1581, Sadler Saile1642, Sanderson(see Gill) Sangster1630, Scholefield1790, Scholey(see Fenton)1638, Scorah1634, Senior1636, Seston(see Rhodes, White), Shaw(see Rhodes)1640, Shepley(see Sangster), Sherwood(see Brown)1645, Shillito, Shirt, Sidebottom, Silvester, Silverwood1600, Skelton(see Hinchliffe), Slater1627, Smales1747, Smethurst(see Pollard), Smith(see Clarke, Cock, Swettenham)1590, Souther(see Heron), Stephenson1652, Stocks(see Green), Storrs1764, Strafford1640, Swaine(see Hobson)1714, Swettenham, Swift1602, Tate1740, Taylor(see Lawton)1586, Thexton Thomas(see Hirst), Thorneley1630, Thorp1734, Thompson(see Ward)1714, Travis(see Cock)1600, Turner(see Strafford)1669, Unwin(see Hemingway)1731, Wade(see Shirt), Wagstaff(see Botheroyd), Wainwright1581 ,Walker1592, Ward1678, Waring(see Ibberson)1752, Webster1582, White1634, Wilber1637, Wilkinson(see Allott)1630, Wilks1680, Wilson1680, Wood(see Gibson, Saile)1583, Woodcock(see Thorp)1633, Wright1731

Snippets from the Parish Register
1672 A stranger, one Willie, from Halifax buried.
1798 A Samuel Roberts, a dissenting minister, was buried Jan 4th.
1729 Elizabeth Gothard, a foreigner was buried.
1810 This year several died of smallpox.
1817 Thomas Beck, boatowner from Thorne, drowned in the Navigation Canal Dec 20th aged 28 years.
1849 George Field of Worsbrough buried Jan 28th aged 32 years. Killed in Darley Main Colliery with 74 more in pit at the same time, Jan 24th.
1850 Joseph Babister killed in Woolley tunnel Nov 4th aged 30 years.
1876 Man uknown found drowned March 13th aged about 50 years.