1 86 WOODEN EFFIGY AND TOMB, ALL SAINTS CHURCH, DERBY. 



But though this tomb disappeared from the church as a monu- 

 ment, it fortunately was not utterly destroyed. The tomb itself 

 was broken up, but the side with the figures on it was preserved — 

 apparently because the other side and the two ends were not so 

 elaborately carved. The effigy and cadaver also escaped destruc- 

 tion, though they found no place in the new church, being 

 consigned to the damp and dirt of the "town vault," beneath the 

 north aisle, where they lay for over 150 years. 



The carved side of the tomb was kept in the church as a 

 curiosity, but what it was, and whence it came, seems to have 

 been forgotten ; for when the church was visited by Mr. Raw- 

 lins * in 183 1, he found it hanging on the wall beneath the 

 east window of the chancel. He states, however, that it was 

 traditionally said to have formed the apex of the arch over the 

 doorway of the south porch in the old church, though he did 

 not accept this view himself; his opinion being that it had 

 fbrmed the upper part of a door leading into a confessional (!) 

 The figures carved on it he considered to represent St. Paul 

 and the twelve apostles. It was subsequently removed to the 

 front of the consistory seat. 



Some years ago, on reading the description of the monument 

 in Glover's History of Derby, I was led to enquire what had 

 become of it. A visit to the church only resulted in my finding 

 the side of the tomb still affixed to the consistory seat. Of 

 the effigy, nothing was to be seen. Hearing, however, that a 

 " wooden man " lay in the town vault, I visited the place, and 

 there found, not only the effigy, but the cadaver also, in a sadly 

 mutilated and decayed state. I was unable then to take any 

 steps for their removal and preservation, which was somewhat 

 unfortunate, for shortly afterwards, taking advantage of the 

 vault being open during repairs to the church, some evil- 

 minded person stole the head of the effigy, which was loose. 



At the meeting of the Council of the Derbyshire Archaeological 

 and Natural History Society in April, 1879, 1 brought forward 

 the question of the removal of the figures and the restoration 



* Rawlins MS., penes Miss Harrison of Lytham. 



