William & Emily Briggs

 William, Emily, Alice & Charles Briggs

William Briggs was born in Castle Donington, Leicestershire in 1845. He moved to Melbourne, prospered and eventually lived in Bleak house, Robinson’s Hill where he farmed and was a good judge of both hunting and shire horses.

He married Emily Louis Thacker in 1871. They had a number of children but Emily sadly died in 1877. Their daughter Emily Alice died in 1890 at the age of 21. (see Emily Alice Briggs).

William became an Alderman and was one of the original members of the Derbyshire County Council, on which he served for 21 years. He was also Chairman of the Public Health Committee and a Justice of the Peace for 30 years.

He died in April 1921 aged 75 and in his will asked for a stained glass window to be placed in Melbourne church in memory of his wife and daughter. Sadly, his eldest son Charles William Briggs died in July 1921, 3 months later, and so was also included on the memorial plaque. 

Charles worked for the Chartered Company of Rhodesia and was honourably mentioned in dispatches for overseeing the building of the military road from the Victoria Falls to German East Africa, completing 350 miles in 3 and a half months. He married Katharine Lee Jones, daughter of the Vicar of Ticknall in 1897.

The centre light of the window shows St Hubert, Bishop of Liege, patron saint of hunters, with a stag by his side, with a cross on its antlers. The arms of Canterbury (L) and Southwell (R) are shown on the side lights and beneath them are Jachobed and her son Moses (L) and Amaram, Moses father, and Miriam, Moses sister (R). 

The middle light has the Briggs family arms.including leashed bitterns (wetland birds). A ribbon runs across saying “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee” which comes from Isaiah, 43:2.