This churchyard is still in use and recordings were taken to 1850. 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.

Editor's 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 collection is not complete. The Gawber inscriptions will be added to these web pages in due course.

Names and earliest dates recorded

Acton (see Cotton), Alderson, Allott 1672, Archer 1667, Armitage (see Scorah, Shirt) 1646, Armstrong (see Sangster, Cudworth, Hirst), Askew (see White), Atkinson (see Thexton), Audin 1597, Bagshaw (see Beaumont), Ball (see Hobson) 1629, Bailey( see Thorp), Barber 1585, Baron 1539, Barrowclough 1774, Barton, Bawbell (Bovile in register, see Turner), Beaumont 1578, Bedford (see England) 1637, Bennett 1599, Birkinshaw (see Jepson) 1594, Botheroyd (see Wagstaff) 1587, Braithwaite (see Hirst, Litherland), Briggs 1616, Brown (see Turner) 1583, Browne1619, Burdett (see Smethurst) 1584, Burkinshaw 1609, Burnley, Burton 1614, Carnelly( see Shaw), Carr1647, Carter Challenger, Chapman, Child 1677, Clark 1647, Clarke 1599, Cock 1656, Colbeck 1739, Cooper (see Fisher, Storrs)1755, Cotton 1688, Craven (see Drury), Crossley 1618, Crowther (see Cooper, Potter) 1737, Cudworth 1624, Davidson, Dennis 1755, Denton (see Wainwright, see notes on Rhodes) 1558, Dickinson 1594, Dixon (see Webster)1635, Dransfield 1591, Drury 1629, Dunderdale Dyson (see Dennis) 1614, Eaton Elliott (see Waring), Ellis (see Cock) 1558, Ellisson 1560, England 1606, Emmerson (see Hall), Fenton Field 1637, Fisher Firth 1636, Fletcher 1687, Fosdick, Fountain, Fox 1637, Garlick (see Green), Gee 1710, Gibson 1595, Gill 1586, Gillott (see Smails) 1539, Goddard (see Shillito) 1560, Gowing (see Shaw), Grace 1750, Greaves 1653, Green 1638, Greenwood 1762, Gunson (see Taylor), Haigh 1599, Hall 1637, Hallas (see Burton), Hampshire`possibly 1700, Hattersley 1635, Haws, Heanley 1738, Hemingway (see Sweetenham) 1715, Heron (see Dunderdale) 1652, Heslop, Higson, Hill (see Smails), Himsworth (see Shillito), Hinchliffe1582, Hirst 1643, Hobson (see Ball, Milns) 1582, Hoey (see Shillito), Holden 1644, Houghland (see Rhodes) 1692, Howcroft 1652, Huison (see Ellis),1650 Hutchinson 1631, Ibberson 1731, Jackson (see Chapman) 1690, Jenkinson 1559, Jenkinsonn 1588, Jepson 1591, Johnson 1594, Lang Lawton 1728, Ledger 1643, Leech, Litherland, Littlewood (see Morton) 1587, Longbottom, Mabson 1597, Maddison, Manley (see Green), Marsden (see Roberts), Marsh,1587, Marshall,1644, McMahon, McKenzie, Mellor 1716, Micklethwaite (see Taylor, Milns) 1607, Milnes 1627, Milner (see Beaumont) 1631, Mitchell 1633, Monsieur, Moody, Morton 1587, Moxon 1655, Naylor (see Moody) 1603, Nettleton 1578 ,Nevinson (see Denton), Overend 1746, Oxley (see Taylor) 1598, Parks, Peckett 1721, Perkins 1658, Peterson (see Denton) Pickering 1656, Pickles, Pidcock (see Fenton), Pinberton (see Drury), Pollard 1602, Poole possibly 1602, Poppleton 1652, Popplewell 1619, Potter, Pritched (see Litherland), Race (see Huison) 1771, Ramsbottom, Rhodes (see White) 1613 Richardson 1734, Rimmington(see Shaw),1650 Roberts1642, Robinson (see White) 1615, Roebuck 1581, Sadler Saile 1642, Sanderson (see Gill) Sangster 1630, Scholefield 1790, Scholey (see Fenton) 1638, Scorah 1634, Senior 1636, Seston (see Rhodes, White), Shaw (see Rhodes) 1640, Shepley (see Sangster), Sherwood (see Brown) 1645, Shillito, Shirt, Sidebottom, Silvester, Silverwood 1600, Skelton (see Hinchliffe), Slater 1627, Smales 1747, Smethurst (see Pollard), Smith (see Clarke, Cock, Swettenham) 1590, Souther (see Heron), Stephenson 1652, Stocks (see Green), Storrs 1764, Strafford 1640, Swaine (see Hobson) 1714, Swettenham, Swift 1602, Tate 1740, Taylor (see Lawton) 1586, Thexton Thomas (see Hirst), Thorneley 1630, Thorp 1734, Thompson (see Ward) 1714, Travis (see Cock) 1600, Turner (see Strafford) 1669, Unwin (see Hemingway) 1731, Wade (see Shirt), Wagstaff (see Botheroyd), Wainwright 1581 ,Walker 1592, Ward 1678, Waring (see Ibberson) 1752, Webster 1582, White 1634, Wilber 1637, Wilkinson (see Allott) 1630, Wilks 1680, Wilson 1680, Wood (see Gibson, Saile) 1583, Woodcock (see Thorp) 1633, Wright 1731

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 unknown found drowned March 13th aged about 50 years.