The patronage of the church remained In the hands of the de Laci family and passed from them to the King, as Duke of Lancaster.

It remained in royal hands until the reign of Richard III, who in 1483 granted the living of Darton to the Friars of the Priory of St Mary Magdalene at Monk Bretton in exchange for the Forest of Halcombe in Lancashire.

This grant to the Friars seemed to have been ignored by the Act of Resumption passed on the accession of Henry VII in 1485, who for some time kept both the forest and the living.

It is difficult to appreciate that the hermits (anchorites or anchoresses -and they were mainly ladies ) were holed up inside this small building for the remainder of their lives, 'anchored' to serve the church.

The actual font was donated to the new St Thomas’ Church Gawber, and the following record appears in the Baptism Records at St Thomas’ Church dated 30 November 1877: 'The old font which used to stand in the Mother Church of Darton was this day brought to Gawber having been given to the Daughter Church by the following: The Rev Charles Sangster, Vicar of Darton Churchwardens Mr Richard Francis Braithwaite Mr Joseph Fountain Mr Joseph Walker Signed by                            J S Metcalfe Vicar of Gawber’ St Thomas’ parish later raised sufficient funds to buy their own new font and old Norman font was placed in the churchyard, from where it was later stolen.

The marble memorial is set against the blocked up east window in the chapel, a large tablet surmounted by the arms and crest of the family.

Underneath the altar in front of the memorial are five grave slabs (currently beneath the floorboards and hopefully to be exposed under re-ordering plans) which commemorate several members of the family.

The sixteenth century dedication was damaged and lost during the operation but the translation originally read: 'Pray for the good estate of Thomas Tykyll, Prior of Monk Bretton Patron of this church, who caused this window to be made in the year Of our Lord 1526.'

Closer examination of the window depicts five small crosses etched into the stained glass, representing the Five Wounds of Christ.

This was a time when paintings, frescoes, statues, rood screens, stained glass windows and altars were destroyed.

Standing on what appears to be a high rostrum or plinth is a stately figure of a man, flanked by two seated ladies.

The All Saints’ Church or Darton imp is carved on a pier between the nave and the south aisle approximately fifteen feet high-up, in full view.

The 62 steps to the bell chamber are quite challenging, but it is not possible at present for visitors to enjoy from outside the commanding view of the village and beyond.

The friars who completed this building in 1517, and the prior who donated the Mary Magdalene stained glass window in 1526, all became redundant twelve years later, when on the 21st November 1538 Henry VIII's commissioners dissolved the Priory of Monk Bretton.