St Giles' Church is a

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

parish church in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

. A church in Elkesleigh or Elchersleigh is mentioned in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

. It was dedicated to All Saints or All Hallows, as confirmed in wills of parishioners from the 15th and 16th centuries. The shift to a dedication to St Giles was probably initiated at some point in the first half of the 19th century: White’s Directory cites the church as St Giles for the first time in 1844, though there are still later references to All Hallows. The building is in the

decorated gothic English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed ar ...

style and made from local limestone. The church consists of a nave, north aisle, chancel, and an embattled west tower with pinnacles. New pews were installed in 1845, and at the same time some parts of the church were partly rebuilt. Memorials include: * Catherine Sharpe, 1764, by Ant. Ince. South chancel * Edward and John Buckles, Mansfield. North chancel

Bells

There are three bells in the tower. They are dedicated in Latin:
1) missi de celis habeao nomen gabrielis
2) hec pro laude pie resonat campana marie
3) nomen sanctorum hec campana olocum misspelling; possibly "o locum"?br /> Evidence suggests that they were cast by the mid-15th century, and the founder is unknown. The first bell, ‘Gabriel’, weighs 4 cwt (about 450 lbs) and is 26¼ inches in diameter. ‘Mary’ is heavier, with a total weight of 5 cwt (about 560 lbs) and a 29 inch diameter. 'All Saints' icis 6 cwt (about 670 lbs) and has a diameter of 32¼ inches. Owing to the precarious state of the wooden supports for the bells, the peal is considered unringable. These bells are one of only two peals in Nottinghamshire that date from before the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

, the other being at the

Church of St John of Beverley, Scarrington The Church of St John of Beverley is a 13th-century parish church of the Church of England, in the village of Scarrington, Nottinghamshire. It has been Grade I listed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. History The medi ...

, possibly by the same founder. In addition to their age and dedication, the bells are significant in their tuning, which lies between the beginning of a modern major and minor scale.

References

External links

Website for St Giles, part of the Parish of Idle and Sands, Retford
with photographs
Southwell & Nottingham Church History Project, University of Nottingham. "Elkesley: St Giles"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elkesley, Saint Giles Church of England church buildings in Nottinghamshire Grade I listed churches in Nottinghamshire Bassetlaw District

Bells

See also

References

External links