REPORT OP THE MEETINGS POR 1899 61 



One of our treasures is the bell slung in a comparatively 

 old belfry. It bears the inscription : " 1609, Soli Deo 

 Gloria Joan Burgensis me fecit " — nigh 300 years ago. I 

 claim for it that, for power and tone, it is the finest country 

 church bell I have heard, and that is not saying little. 

 Proudly would my venerable bellringer have tolled his idol 

 to-day, but Charles has gone where all good beadles go. 



In lifting the lobby floor that runs east and west, we 

 disinterred a number of human bones, afterwards of course 

 preserved elsewhere. Who would have the right of sepulture 

 there other than the heritors ? Perhaps some of the heroes 

 of Ancrum Moor, who fought in 1645, were thus honoured. 

 If so, I hope our own " fair maid Lilliard " also had this 

 homage paid to her (brave lass!) stumps and all! 



There are two inscriptions, both sacred, on spiral stones, 

 one in Hebrew on the south wall, and one in Latin above 

 the north window. I will translate them for my clerical 

 companions. Hehreiv — -Psalm lxxxix. 15: — "Blessed are the 

 people that know the joyful sound, Selah." 1724 — Psalm 

 xcv. 7 : — " come let us worship and bow down." This 

 was during Gabriel Wilson's ministry. Latin — " Jesus only 

 is our safety." How it came there originally I know not. 

 To my ever generous heritors I owe the addition of the 

 north aisle and the renovation of the interior, as well as 

 the three harmonious large windows, which I do not despair 

 of filling in with commemorative Scripture pieces. 



We have a few interesting tombstones, singularly devoid, 

 however, of graveyard humour, which time and weather and 

 thoughtless pedestrians have grievously obliterated. I have, 

 of course, had careful copies made long ago. So far as 

 we can decipher, the oldest is of date 1642. 



Communion tokens have now become a thing of the past, 

 and therefore of much interest. Our earliest bear date 

 1700. I possess only one. [N.B. — Importunate collectors 

 take note.] The communion cups were a gift last year 

 from Miss Thomson, daughter of my predecessor, whose 

 incumbency lasted 54 years. Incidentally and modestly let 

 me tell that we were the very first in the county to 

 introduce instrumental music, and that as far back as 1873 

 — a bold, but never regretted, innovation. 



