HISTORY OF NORTON. 17 



There are many memorials of the Gills and Bagshawes in the 

 chancel, but as they are affixed to the walls, and in no danger of 

 being effaced, I have not, owing to the limited space at my 

 disposal, here transcribed them. 



In the church-yard is this amusing epitaph on a scythe- 

 smith : — 



My scythe and hammer lies reclined, 



My bellows too has lost their winde, 



My iron is spent, my steel is gone, 



My scythes are set, my work is done, 



My fires extinct, my forge decayed, 



My body in the dust is laid. 



The following, too, is remarkable, to say no more about it : — 



Heaven did thy lovely presaunce want, 

 And therefore did so early thee transplant ; 

 For meaner souls he could delay, 

 Impatient for thine he could not stay. 



Of the older Norton families, the Kirkes, of Greenhill, appear 

 to have been not the least distinguished. Thurstan Kirke, of 

 Greenhill, yeoman, son of Arnold Kirke, of Whitehough, alias 

 Whitehall, Esq., married Frances, daughter of Jerome Blythe, of 

 Greenhill, Esq., by Anna, his wife. Anna Blythe died on the 

 29th of March, 1585, and she is described in the Norton register 

 as " modesta, pia, et beneficieiitissma matrona," A family of nine 

 children sprang from this marriage, the eldest being Gervase 

 Kirke, who was bap'- Ap. 16, 1568. Jerome Blythe was the 

 father of Anthony Blythe, Esq., of Burchet, who, as we have seen 

 above, was buried at night in the chapel of his ancestors. 

 Gervase went to London, and there became a distinguished 

 merchant adventurer. Along with Sir W. Alexander, son of Sir 

 \Y. Alexander, Principal Secretary of State for Scotland, R. 

 Charlton, and W. Berkeley, he obtained His Majesty's license for 

 discovery, fishing, and trade, " on the south side of the river of 

 Canada." He had five sons ; David, (afterwards Sir David), 

 Lewis, (afterwards Sir Lewis), Captain Thomas, John, and 

 Captain James. On the 20th March, 1629, Captains David and 

 Thomas Kirke, factors for the Canada adventures, left Gravesend 

 3 



