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THE THOROTON SOCIETY.

FIRST ANNUAL MEETING.

THE HE First Summer Excursion of the Thoroton Society commenced upon Tuesday, 27th July, 1897. The members journeying from Nottingham, Newark, and other places met at Bingham, on that day, at 10 a.m., and were taken in brakes to Car Colston. There were present the Rev. A. J. L. Dobbin, B.A. (Chairman of the Excursion Committee), the Rev. T. W. Swann, M.A. (Orston), the Rev. J. H. Heath, M.A., and Mrs. Heath (Flintham), Mrs. Staunton, and Mr. Staunton, junr. (of Staunton), Mrs. Milward (East Bridgford), Mr. Henry Hall (Nottingham), the Rev. E. P. Weatherell, M.A. (East Bridgford), Mr. W. B. and Mrs. Thorpe (Lenton House), Mr. John Thorpe and Miss Thorpe, Mr. E. M. Kidd (Nottingham), Professor Frank Granger, D.Litt. (University College), Mr. James Ward (Nottingham), Mr. J. P. Briscoe, F.R.H.S., Mr. John T. Godfrey, Mr. W. Stevenson (of Hull), the Rev. R. Jowett Burton (Darley Abbey), Mr. W. R. Gleave (West Bridgford), Mr. Joseph Burton, Mr. T. K. Gordon, Mr. Hugh Browne and Miss Browne, Mr. and Mrs. William Foster (Nottingham), Mr. Montagu Hall (Whatton), Mrs. Standish and Miss Alexander (Scarrington), Mr. S. Page, Mr. Percy J. Cropper (Nottingham), Mr. G. G. Napier, M.A., Mr. Robert Mellors, Mr. F. R. Pickerill, Mr. J. Smith (West Bridgford), Mr. W. Gleave, A.R.I.B.A., Mr. and Mrs. C. Hawley Torr, Miss Squires (Nottingham), Mrs. and the Misses Phelps (Scarrington), Mr. Henry Ashwell, J.P., and Mrs. Ashwell (Nottingham), Mr. T. M. Blagg (Newark), Mr. Cornelius Brown, F.R.S.L., Rev. John Standish, B.A. (Scarrington), and Mr. W. P. W. Phillimore, M.A., B.C.L. (London), Hon. Secretaries, and others.

At Car Colston Church the members were received by the Vicar, the Rev. A. E. Auchinleck. The Church of St. Mary has a nave of four bays, early English, a decorated chancel of great beauty, of the same character as that at Woodborough, and containing a fine East window of exceptional size, and sedilia for three decorated with pinnacle work; a square embattled tower, with shaftless arch and unusual stone roof, the lower portion being early English, the rest perpendicular in style; clerestory on south side, early English or perhaps Norman font. The lock on the south doorway bears the date and initials 1674, W.B., T.W. There is a seventeenth century brass to Gregory Henson, placed now at the west end of the north aisle. The Henson tablet is above a bluish tombstone marked G.H., under an oblong indentation into which the brass above was clearly originally fitted.

The vaulted stone roof, and the florid windows of the chancel suggest continental influence of the flamboyant type, a rare feature in English Churches.

Great interest was taken in the stone coffin of Dr. Thoroton himself, which stands at the west end of the north aisle in what is at present a curtained vestry. Cut in the floor of the coffin, and not to be seen without lifting the lid, is the following inscription :

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THE NEW YRK PUBLIC LIBRARY

ABTOR, LENOX AND
TILCEN FOUNDATIONS

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This was six years before his death, and by his will, dated October 30th, 1678, Dr. Thoroton desired to be buried in the stone coffin at Car Colston, which he had prepared for that purpose. His last wish was duly fulfilled, but there is a slight discrepancy as to date. The Church register says 23rd November, 1678, the coffin itself November 21st. For upwards of 160 years Dr. Thoroton's body rested unviolated in its oaken and stone chests, but in 1845, while the chancel was undergoing repair, the stone coffin was discovered not far from the surface of the ground, and opened. In 1863 it was again taken up and placed in the Church. Of its first disturbance we have a record given by Andrew Esdaile, in his book on "Bingham" and neighbourhood, published in 1851. He states on page 33 "he [Dr. Thoroton] lays (sic) at the bottom in a strong stone coffin; the step in the chancel door is over it, his skull and teeth, and a little earth remain; it was brought to light by repairing the chancel, in 1845." We also have the following verbatim testimony of an eye-witness, Louisa Locking, of Screveton :

"I was not a big girl, but perfectly remember we were in school, but all came out when chains were put round the stone coffin to raise it. All present-children and all-took hold of the chains to pull, in order to raise it. It was pulled up like a dirty stone box. When we came out of school at Old Mr. Marriott's father, Mr.

dinner time we went to look.

Martin, and some others, including Schoolmaster Mr. Leaf, then raised the lid with an iron bar. I saw Martin take out the skull and saw the teeth. Marriott picked up a bone and some hair. I saw rotten wood and fragments of clothing, which fell to dust, and stood further off when the skull appeared. The skull was put into a shop near. It got to Mr. Girardot's

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