St Oswald's Church, Ashbourne
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St Oswald's church is located in Ashbourne, in the county of Derbyshire, England. It is named after Oswald of Northumbria.
Architecturally, it dominates the small town with its 212-foot spire. It was built in the 13th and early 14th centuries on the site of an earlier Saxon church. A norman crypt was also discovered during excavations in 1913. In 1837 to 1840, it was restored by George Gilbert Scott.
Each of its transepts houses a chapel dedicated to leading local families: In the north transept, the Cockaynes and their successors the Boothbys; in the south transept, the Bradbournes. These chapels contain funeral monuments which have contributed greatly to the church's renown.
One in particular stands out: the Boothby monument is an exquisite sculpture made from Carrara (italian) marble in the form of a sleeping child. Carved by Thomas Banks, it represents Penelope Boothby, who died in 1791 at the age of six years (five by some accounts). It is often described as being so lifelike, the child might merely be sleeping. The monument is inscribed with the girl's epitaph: She was in form and intellect most exquisite. The unfortunate Parents ventured their all on this frail Bark. And the wreck was total.
