40 THE ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE MONK’S BRIDGE. 
iij. Towles and j. corporas. 
j. lytle hand bell. 
j. lytle sacryng bell. 
ij. crewetts of pewter. 
ij. syrplesses. 
ij. bells were sold in the ij. yere of the Kyngs reign to the 
reparynge of the Monks brydge wch is so farre in 
decay that the township is not able to amend the 
same.” 
Dr. Cox, in his ‘‘ Churches of Derbyshire,” has a note that 
Monk’s Bridge was probably one of the good works of the 
Monks of Tutbury; this we have proved to be wrong, the 
Monks of Burton must be credited with this good work. 
He also says that the second bell now in the steeple with 
Lombardic letters “@we (Maria gracia pfena Dominus 
fecum”’ is most likely the bell that escaped being sold for 
the repairs of the bridge, as stated in the inventory. I 
have examined this bell, the inscription shews it to be 
medieval, the lettering points to its being 13th century 
workmanship, but the Angelic salutation, I believe, is seldom, 
if ever seen, on bells before 14th century. The two others 
have the date upon them, one 1615, and the other 1718. 
Under the arch on the Derbyshire shore, now dry, you will 
notice, there are two supports built to strengthen the first 
rib on the north side (Fig. 2). I believe, though I have no 
documentary evidence, that this may have been one of the 
repairs done by Egginton in 1549; I base this assertion on 
the masonry. The cause of the drop in the rib must have 
arisen from the failure of the abutment foundation through 
weakening by flood; the masonry points to this date, and 
to a lack of funds and unskilful treatment. I have been 
able, by the kindness of the County Surveyor of Derby, 
and also Hughes Hallett, Esq., Clerk to the Magistrates 
of the same county, to inspect the Orders of Session from 
1684, by which time it had become a county bridge. Of 
