Monument to the Blackwells in Taddington Church, Derbyshire


Part of the marble slab to the Blackwells in Taddington Church

Orate pro aiabus Rici Blackwall de Blackwall et domine
Agnetis uxis sue qui quidem Ricus obiit viii die March
A. dm. M CCCCCV et predicta Agnes obiit .... die .... A.
dmm Millimo CCCCC . . . . quorm aiabus     ppicietur deus.
"Here, too, are memorials of the Blackwalls, of Blackwall in this parish, pointing out that this was the place where that ancient Derbyshire family was formerly interred. On a dark-coloured marble slab, six feet two by twenty inches broad, are brasses to the memory of Richard and Agnes Blackwall and their family, This stone is now fixed against the wall, but it has formerly been placed in a horizontal position on an altar or table tomb. The two principal figures are    very narrow in their proportions, being about two feet in length by six inches in breadth. Richard Blackwall. is represented in the ordinary costume of a civilian gentleman at the commencement of the sixteenth century. He wears a long gown reaching to the foot, which is thrown open in front above the girdle, and also slightly below the girdle, exposing to view the lining of fur. The sleeves are loose with large cuffs, and trimmed with fur. The tight fitting under sleeves are shown, and the doublet is also displayed at the neck. From under the right sleeve hangs down the gypciere, or pouch, which is attached to the girdle. The head is uncovered, and the hair just rests upon the shoulders. From his mouth proceeds a scroll, bearing the words, "Fil dei miserere mei." The costume of the lady is interesting as it represents a conventual dress, She wears a close-fitting hood, which falls round the shoulders. A plaited barbs or wimple hangs far below the chin, and a long mourning mantle is hold across the breast by tasseled cords, which are crossed under the girdle and hang down     to about the knee. ..........   From her mouth proceeds a scroll bearing the words, "Mater dei memento mei." Below the mother are the diminutive figures of five daughtors, all clad in close-fitting dresses, cut low at the neck, and with tight long sleeves. They have long hair, and wear no   head-dress. Six boys, in long gowns like their father's, are below the, effigy of the man. There are four coats of arms on this slab. One of those at the top bears the arms of Blackwall, of Blackwall in the Peak, Arg., a greyhound courant, sab., collared, chequy or and gu., on a chief indented, of the second three bezants.t The second coat at the top is much defaced, and has been clumsily repaired with lead, but enough remains to enable us to say that it bears the arms of Tunsted--Sab., three doves, arg. One of the shields below the figures bears the two coats, already described, impaled; and the other has a chevron between three lozenges. This coat might belong to a large number of families according to the tinctures.
The black-letter inscription reads as follows :- " Orate pro aiabus Rici Blackwall de Blackwall et domine Agnetis uxis sue qui quidem   Ricus obiit viii die March A. dm. M CCCCCV et predicta Agnes obiit .... die .... A. dmm Millimo CCCCC . . . . quorm aiabus ppicietur deus."
This ancient family was settled at Blackwall from an early period. They were on this manor as early as the time of Henry II., but the first of the family whom we know by name as a holder of the manor was Robert de Blackwall, in the 40th year of Henry III. It is related of his son, Sir John Blackwall, that he was smothered at the coronation of Edward II. The sixth from him, in direct descent, was Robert Blackwall, who in the reign of Henry VII., married Isabell, sister of Sir Robert Litton, of Litton. Their son and heir Richard married Agnes, daughter of John Tunsted, whose monument we are now considering. Of the eleven children depicted on the brass we can only learn the names of the four sons who survived their father, Robert, Richard, Thomas, and Ralph plus Wiliam and Hugh. Richard, the second of these sons, married Griselda, daughter and heiress of Bovill of Northampton, and left an only daughter; Thomas, who resided at Shirley, married Anne, daughter of John Blount, of Blount Hall, Stafford, and left two co-heiresses,   Ellen, who became the wife of Thomas Hurt of Ashbourn, and   Anne, who was the second wife of Stephen Eyre of Hassop ; and   Ralph married one of the co-heiresses of Humphrey Stafford of   Eyam. From Robert, the eldest son and heir, was descended   Ralph Blackwall, who married Anne, daughter and heiress of Richard Wendesley, of Wendesley, about the middle of the sixteenth century.   Shortly after the attainder of. Anthony Babington, Dethick Hall   and manor were purchased by Wendesley Blackwall, the son of   Richard. He died in 1634, leaving his estates to his son Sir Thomas Blackwall, who, being a zealous royalist, became greatly impoverished in the civil wars. In the reign of Charles II., his liabilities were estimated at the then very large sum of £180,632 7s. 10d., and he consequently lost the manor of Blackwall, together with the rest of his property".

Cox. J. Charles ( 1843-1919 ), Notes on the Churches of Derbyshire , vol 2 , London : Bemrose and Sons (1877) . p114

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