In Search of Henry Clifton Sorby

A detail of the tomb of Henry Clifton Sorby

During the Heritage Open Days events, held in September 2018, apart from organising my own event at St. Helen’s church in Treeton, I visited a few historic buildings in South Yorkshire, including mediaeval churches in Braithwell and Wath-upon-Dearne. 

A general view of the Hill Top Chapel

One of the places on my list that I didn’t manage to visit was the Hill Top Chapel in Attercliffe, built by Puritans in 1629 in a rural area set outside Sheffield, but which was subsequently engulfed by the industry that grew up in the Lower Don Valley and, like the Old Queen’s Head public house in central Sheffield, has unexpectedly survived the redevelopment that has taken place around it. 

The tomb of Benjamin Huntsman at the Hill Top Chapel

Taking advantage of the continuing fine weather in the last week of September, during which I had visited the Longshaw Estate and Ranmoor, I decided to go and have a quick look at this historic building and explore the churchyard, where Benjamin Huntsman and several members of the Sorby family – which I hoped included Henry Clifton Sorby - were buried. 

The tomb of John Sorby at the Hill Top Chapel

The chapel, which was largely rebuilt in 1909, is a simple structure and when I discovered that Henry Clifton Sorby wasn’t buried here, I just took a few photos of various enormous grave slabs, which would have been supplied from the quarries at Brincliffe Edge and provide fine examples of  and 18th century calligraphy and letter cutting. 

18th century calligraphy and letter cutting

Using my phone to discover that I would need to go to Ecclesall, to find his grave, I headed back into Sheffield to catch the right bus and, within the hour, I was wandering around All Saints churchyard, where I eventually found a relatively simple tomb – formed from pink Peterhead and grey Cornish granites, with a sandstone plinth. 

The tomb of Henry Clifton Sorby

Henry Clifton Sorby was the pioneer of using a microscope to study rocks, which forms the basis of my Glowing Edges Designs artwork project and currently involving the production of some unique Crepe de Chine silk scarves. The design of the tomb doesn’t have much artistic merit, and is much smaller than the Sorby family tombs that I saw at the Hill Top Chapel, but I was just content to be out on yet another very warm and sunny late September afternoon. 

A general view of All Saints church in Ecclesall

Quickly looked at the exterior of the church, which was originally built in gritstone and substantially extended in iron banded Coal Measures sandstone – as well as the interior – before I went down to look at Ecclesall war memorial. From a distance, I thought that its white colour reflected the use of Portland limestone that had been recently cleaned, but I need to take a closer look to confirm this.

Ecclesall war memorial