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Its old church with a sturdy tower and a leaning porch and crazy stone walls inside is 700 feet above sea-level. It looks over the village and the Ecclesbourne valley to miles of lovely country. The churchyard is entered through an 18th century pillared gateway.
The Normans began the church tower, which was finished in the 14th century. They built the doorway through which visitors enter, and a pointed arch was built inside it when the porch was added six centuries ago. They raised the nave arcades with round pillars and boldly carved capitals, but their font came to a tragic end last century when, after being used for a time as a water butt by the chancel, a plumber made a fire under it to melt some lead and split it to pieces.
It was in the hamlet of Blackwall, nearly a mile south-west, that Anthony Blackwall, the distinguished classical scholar, was born in 1664. He was headmaster of Derby School when only 24, and while he was headmaster of Market Bosworth, Samuel Johnson was perhaps his assistant. One of Derbyshire's great schoolmasters, he had many brilliant pupils, one of whom gave him a living in Surrey. He was over 50 when he went to London for ordination, and a young chaplain began questioning him on the Greek Testament. The examination was cut short by the Bishop of London entering and saying to the examiner "Mr Blackwall knows more of the Greek Testament than you or I".
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