And now, standing in the old churchyard at the top of the steep hill, we look with pride at the graceful fourteenth century House of God, rejoicing that men left such beauty in stone to mark their devotion. The quiet peace of antiquity steals out into the porch to welcome all who would enter for quiet prayer, and meditation on the former men and women who worshipped here.
One cannot visualise the past by architecture alone, the human element is needed - the sturdy yeomen of olden days with their wives and bairns, the gentry in velvet, and the humble men who could not read and write, but knew God sent the rain and sun to enrich the land they tilled. The veteran bowmen, remembering Agincourt perhaps, knew the church before their leader. Sir Robert Eyre restored it to its present form. For that is another old tradition - the company of local men who followed Sir Nicholas Eyre and his son Robert to fight with Henry V on the famous field of St. Crispin's Day. The Records Office have
failed to give an actual proof, but the story is repeated in most Peakland books coupled with the incorrect statement that Sir Robert 'built Hathersage Church'.
Here I must refer you once more to our indisputable authority. Dr. Cox,who states that the style of architecture predominating is clearly 100 years earlier, mid-fourteenth century - the Decorated period. The earliest mention of a church occurs towards the close of the reign of Henry I about the year 1130; Richard Basset in conjunction with his wife Maud, founded the Priory of Launde in Leicestershire and endowed it with the advowsons of no less than seventeen churches, one being Hathersage. No church was mentioned in Domesday, but the Manor of 'Hereseige' was held by Lavenot and Levric with two caracutes of land. There is land for two ploughs. To this manor belong four berewicks; Banford, Herct (Upper Hurst), half Offertune and two parts of Middlestone. In it there are two caracutes of land. Land for two ploughs. There are eight villeins and two bordars have ploughs; woodland fit for pannage in places, two leagues in length and two leagues in breadth. In King Edward's time it was worth 60 shillings, now 30 shillings'.
The list of Parish Priests goes back to 1281 when one named William held office as Rector. After John Beresford in 1395, they became Vicars, the first being John Roife in 1422. Thurstan Eyre held the living in 1442. In all there were 18 Rectors and 25 Vicars. The Parliamentary Commissioners of 1653 gave their report that - 'Hathersitch is a vicarage and a parish of large extent', and they suggested that the 'hamlets of Bamford, Outsetts, Baucks, Booths and Over Padley should continue part of the parish'. The tithes then amounted to £10 per annum.
About 100 years ago, a widescale restoration took place which preserved much of the original early Decorated and later Perpendicular stonework, but which to some extent changed the general character of the building. The architect was William Butterfield who raised the pitch of the roof and the level of the chancel floor, retaining the parapets of the Nave and Aisles, ornamented with crocketted pinnacles. He restored the windows in the Decorated style with the exception of the West window in the Tower which retains its original perpendicular stonework.
The above was extracted from 'Let These Stones Live' by Martin F.H. Hulbert, with the kind permission of St. Michael and All Angels church, Hathersage.