Repton Churchyard
| Lychgate | Quiet Garden | CB Fry | Samuel Marshall | War Memorial | War Graves |
The Lych Gate
The Lych Gate is dedicated to the memory of the Rev'd A.F.E. Forman (1850 - 1905), for 30 years a master at Repton School. A plaque inside the church records: "He linked together the school & the parish by the sunshine of his presence and the readiness of his service. Home-centred and public spirited. He was a wise counsellor and a faithful friend, a loyal citizen and a true English gentleman." The gates themselves were replaced in 2001.
To the left of the lych gate, the hawthorn tree is one of two planted to celebrate the Jubilee of H.M. King George V, while the flowering cherry and rose trees in the middle of the churchyard commemorate the coronation of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II.
The Quiet Garden
To the rear of the west door, a small Quiet Garden was opened in 2012. Designed by Wendy Longden, it includes two seating areas surrounded by shrubs, perennials and bulbs that provide different seasons of interest, and is set against the backdrop of a beautiful old yew tree. It is a quiet place to sit and rest, read or pray, or simply to be aware of God's presence. By arrangement with the vicar, it can be also used by small groups for prayer and meditation, to create art and poetry and to reflect upon Christian traditions and inheritance.
C.B. Fry
This lovely old churchyard is the final home of many whose name and reputation live after them, but none so renowned as Charles Burgess Fry, the star sportsman of his generation, whose multi-faceted talents have never been equalled. He was the ultimate all-rounder, representing England at two sports and equalling the world record in another. His fame even led to his being offered the Throne of Albania. To read of his life and astonishing achievements, follow the link.
Samuel Marshall
When Samuel Marshall of Repton was robbed and murdered near Willington, aged twenty-one, on 4th February 1786, Mr. Watkins, a master at Repton School, wrote the following epitaph for his tombstone:
By murd'rous hand my thread of life was broke; Dreadful the hour, and terrible the stroke. Repent, thou wicked spoiler of my youth, Behold me here! Consider parents both! |
See from thy bloody hand what woes arise! While calls for vengeance pierce the lofty skies: Thou too must suffer, though thou scape the laws, For God is just and will avenge my cause. |
But the assassin did 'scape the laws'; he was never caught.
War Memorial
|
On 1st November 1917, All Saints’ Day, a War Memorial in the porch of St Wystan’s Church was dedicated by the Bishop of Derby, after its unveiling by Mrs. G.F. Fisher, the wife of Geoffrey Fisher, then Headmaster of Repton School and subsequently Archbishop of Canterbury.
Although this was a year before the end of the war, the casualties had been so high that a memorial was urgently needed. The cost was raised by public subscription. Roughly half the parish contributed. It was not until 1999 that a memorial to the 49 villagers who lost their lives in the two world wars was erected by the lychgate as a central part of events in Repton to mark the Millennium. Made of Derbyshire stone from a quarry near Wingerworth, it was unveiled on Remembrance Sunday, 14th November. Click the picture to read the names of those commemorated. |
|
War Graves
When by 1934, the old churchyard was full, it was extended with a piece of glebe land at the north end of the vicarage garden. Here, a small area is dedicated to 16 young men who lost their lives during World War II. Many were pilots in the Royal Air Force stationed at Burnaston Aerodrome, where now the Toyota factory stands. Those who knew them remembered them as "jolly young men who had everything to live for". Many were billeted at the Mitre House at Repton School. Romances flowed from the weekly Friday night dances in the British Legion hut and more than one marriage followed.
To view inscriptions on the headstones and to read any information that we have, click the links below. If you can add to or correct it, please
| WS Barton | AR Edwards | GHJ Evans | SJ Graham |
| GH Grantham | RE Hall | AJ Hawksworth | EJ Hurst |
| AJ McL Keay | CW Kelsey-Wilkinson | T Owen-Jones | VH Saunders |
| WJ Scudamore | JH Smedley | LCP Stanynought | JA MacD Teacher |