This Place of Worship was founded in 1812, and we understand it is still open.
Kelly's Directory of 1895 describes Elton as a parish, 3½ miles from Darley Dale station on the Ambergate and Manchester section of the Midland railway, 1 mile north-west from Winster, 6 south from Bakewell and 6 west from Matlock.
Elton was one of the chapelries of Youlgrave, given, with that church, to the abbey of Leicester in the reign of Henry II. by Robert Colle, and the chapel is described, after the Reformation, as a building with three aisles, 3 bells, and having a right to bury and administer the sacraments, at which time the chapelwardens and others obtained leave to delve in the chapel-yard for ore, pledging themselves under a bond of £400 to apply the proceeds to the chapel.
In 1805, 1808 and 1816, applications were made for briefs for its rebuilding, the spire having fallen in 1800 and the remainder of the structure being insecure. The work, begun in 1812, was completed for the sum of £1,227 14s. 5½d. when the present church of All Saints, formerly dedicated to St Margaret, was erected on the site of the ancient church. It is a plain oblong structure, consisting of nave, south porch and a low western tower containing 3 bells, the 1st and 2nd dated 1603 and 1637 respectively; the 3rd, a much older bell, has the letters H.D. in ornate characters, and is inscribed "Jesus be our spede".
The return to the Religious Census of 1851 (HO 129/449/2/2/6) for "All Saints - Church of an ancient Chapelry" in the Parish of Youlgrave, Township of Elton" recorded an estimated congregation on March 30th of 96 in the afternoon, with 25 Sunday Scholars, with no services held in the morning or evening. It was completed by J.F. Garrett B.A., "Perpl. Curate", of "Elton Parsonage, Nr. Matlock". He described the rebuilding in a similar manner to Kelly, to the effect that "Elton Chapel was rebuilt in 1808 upon the ancient foundation, by the Inhabitants", at a cost of £1500, raised by [Late?] Briefs & private subscriptions.
Inside the Church, there is (according to Kelly) a memorial window to Mary, the wife of the Rev. John F. Garratt [sic] B.A. erected by the inhabitants.
The font is a facsimile of the Norman original, removed hence to Youlgrave, and was executed by the direction of Mr. Thornhill, then lord of this manor, the authorities of Youlgrave having refused to restore the ancient font. In the grounds are portions of the ancient structure, including an Early English capital, a fragment of a Decorated shaft and the fine base of a large cross. The register dates from 1690.
The history is continued in Kelly's Directory of 1932, which records that 2 bells were added in 1907, when 2 that were cracked were restored; and that a further memorial window was erected in 1920, to the eleven men of the parish who fell in the Great War, 1914-1918. The living (in 1932) was a rectory, in the gift of the parochial church council, and had been held since 1928 by the Rev. Frederick John Boston M.A. of Oxford University.
According to Derbyshire Record Office's catalogue of Church of England Registers, Elton became a separate parish in 1866. It also mentions that its registers have been damaged by fire, and "some are only fragmentary". The earliest register they hold, beginning in 1734, "includes scattered baptism and burial entries 1691-1739".
All Saints Church, Elton shown on a Google Map.
Information last updated on 14 Jan 2015 at 14:27.
This Report was created 18 Apr 2019 - 23:24:55 BST from information held in the Derbyshire section of the Places of Worship Database. This was last updated on 6 Feb 2019 at 15:49.