The Bells and clock
For the third church Taylors of Loughborough cast a peal of eight bells in 1890. The
old peal of six bells, which had come from Leeds Parish Church, were taken by
Taylors in part payment, and their metal used in the new peal. The weights and
inscriptions on the bells are given below.
Bell Cwt Qtr Lb Inscription
Treble 5 0 7 To God the Father
2 5 1 15 To God the Son
3 6 0 14 To god the Spirit
4 7 0 18 Three in One
5 9 1 25 Be honour praised
6 10 2 7 And glory given
7 14 1 4 By all on Earth
Tenor 20 1 0 And all in heaven
The tower also contains a clock presented by Sir Arthur Lawson in 1890. Made by
William Potts of Leeds, it has three illuminated faces and still works by weights and
a pendulum. An automatic electric winding motor was installed in 1951 thus saving
the Churchwardens the job of winding it up! Although the clock has a quarter chime
mechanism, this has been disabled for several decades after complaints from nearby
residents. The clock does still chime the hours.
A second (smaller) clock by Potts, given by the company to the church when it was
dedicated, hangs in the Choir Vestry.
The Churchyard
In the churchyard are reminders of some of the people who lived in the district in the
18th and 19th centuries: the Wood family gave their names to Wood Lane where the
present St Michael's School now stands (the road was formerly known as Oil Mill
Lane); Benjamine Parkinson, a stone mason, who died in 1827; Ambrose Heath of
Kirkstall Forge who died in 1825; John Leach who taught
Latin and Greek at Leeds Grammar School who died in 1799. There are also a
builder from Burley, a Plumber 'of this village', a Wheelwright and James Crossley,
Innkeeper at the Skyrack (whose sons were called Lot and Abram).
There are the graves of children such as Caroline Prince aged 4 with its touching
verse, and of William Holdsworth who died aged 3 with angel heads and 'His life is
like the morning Rose that withers with the bloom' on his tombstone. Most
unusual is that of Thomas Haste which has an engraving of Noah's Ark and a
suitable verse to go with it.
Parishioners are no longer buried in the churchyard and it is kept as a green space
around the church with a well-kept garden at the front and more natural areas behind
the church, with bird boxes and untended areas providing a habitat for local wildlife.