20 THE CHURCH AND VILLAGE OF MONYASH. 



end of the south aisle are some mural tablets to the 

 Palfreyman family, 1774-1826. 



Against the east wall of the north transept rests the some- 

 what dilapidated large Royal Arms of George II., dated 1742, 

 fairly well painted on panel. It is much to be desired that 

 these arms should be re-hung in the church. There is an 

 excellent place for them over the low arch into the tower. 



During the Churchwarden era this church became much 

 degraded. The roofs of chancel, aisles, and nave were all flat 

 and plastered. One of the best features of the costly restora- 

 tion of 1886-8 was the renewal of open roofs throughout the 

 building. This restoration, which was chiefly accomplished 

 through the munificence of Archdeacon Balston, cost between 

 _;/^3,ooo and ^4,000. The church was re-opened by the Bishop 

 of Southwell on May 9th, 1888. 



On the south side of the churchyard, near to the porch, is 

 an exceptionally well-grown and vigorous yew tree. The 

 trunk, in its early life, divided into two, about two feet from 

 the ground, but there is only a slight division between the 

 parts. At a height of 4 ft. 6 in. from the ground the girth 

 is 14 ft. 7 in. ; the stretch of the boughs, from east to west, 

 is 51 ft. The Monyash yew is only surpassed in interest 

 among those of Derbyshire by the very ancient yew of Darley 

 Dale churchyard, and by the fine example in Doveridge church- 

 yard in the south of the county. 



The beauty of the churchyard of this exposed village is 

 much enhanced by the environment of tall, well-grown lime 

 trees which surround it on the north, east, and west sides. 

 The absence of this great fence on the south side is accounted 

 for by the fact that at the time of their planting the chief 

 residence or hall of Monyash immediately adjoined that side 

 of the churchyard. A confident and old tradition in the parish 

 assigns the planting of these limes to Rev. Robert Lomas, who 

 met with such an untimely end in 1776. 



The registers at Monyash begin in the year 1701, but the 

 transcripts at Lichfield go back to the year 1672.1 There are 



1 Dr. Cox's Catalogue of the Lichfield Muniments (i886), p. 84. 



