Under an arch in the north wall of the chancel is an altar tomb, on which lie alabaster effigies of Humphrey Dethick, and his wife Eliza, of Newhall. In front of the tomb are representations of their six children, three sons and three daughters. The father and one son are clothed in plate armour. Above the tomb is a shield bearing the quartered arms of Dethick, Allestree and Meynell; at the east and west ends are shields quartering Longford with Hathersaye, Deincourt and Solney; Dethick impaling Longford, and Meynell impaling Longford.
Many other ancient monuments used to be in the church, but they have been “made away with.” There is a fine old parish chest, seven feet long, in the vestry.
In Vol. VII. of the Derbyshire Archæological Society there are many extracts from the parish records of Hartshorn: under the date 1612, an inventory of the church goods is given, the first item mentioned is “a Co̅m̅uio Cupp of Silver wᵗʰ a plate of silver having Ihon Baptᵈ head vppon it.” This plate was photographed by Mr. Keene, of Derby, and a copy of it, with a descriptive note by Mr. St. John Hope, was published in Vol. VIII. of the Journal. From it we gather the following facts.
The “plate of silver” is a paten of silver-gilt, 5¼ inches in diameter. The rim is quite plain, with the exception of four narrow lines engraved on the extreme edge. The centre has a circular depression, which again contains a slightly sunk sexfoil with the spandrils filled with a rayed leaf ornament. The central device is a Vernicle, (i.e., the face of our Saviour, as transferred to the handkerchief of St. Veronica, and usually called a Vernicle). The churchwardens wrongly described it as the head of St. John the Baptist. Round the head is a nimbus, with rays issuing from it. There are three “hall marks,” two of which, the maker’s name, a Lombardic B in a dotted circle, and a leopard’s head crowned, are remaining; the third, the date letter, is obliterated, so it is impossible to say, with certainty, when it was made, but as this type of paten prevailed between 1450 and 1530, the opinion is that its date is about 1480.
The communion cup bears the London date mark for 1611-12, and the inscription:
Justus fide vivet + J + R + C.
1612.
The letters J. R. C. probably stand for James Royll, Churchwarden, 1612, who, with Denis Hashard, made the inventory at that date.