Introduction
The first written evidence of a church at Norton is from 1180. The church was then dedicated to St. Nicholas. The old building, probably Saxon, was replaced in the Fifteenth Century. In about 1609 the dedication was changed to St. Bartholomew, an apostle, considered more suitable in Puritan times to St. Nicholas, a pope who died in 867. Many dedications changed at this time.
The church of 1737 forms the western end of the present building. The building was doubled in size when the eastern half was added in 1915.

The Font
To the right of the door is a stone font. This is probably the oldest object in the building. It has seven sides, representing the seven sacrements of the Medival Church. In 1643 Parliament ordered that such fonts be destroyed or thrown out. Our font lay buried in the churchyard for over two hundred years. It was restored to its proper place in 1882.
In the alcove behind the font is a painting of a Virgin and Child. It was painted in 1990 by a local artist, Maurice Curwen.

The Coat of Arms
The Royal Arms began to appear in churches in 1547, on the accession of Edward VI. They were made compulsory after the Restoration of Charles II in 1660. The arms were to be amended at each accession, but the practise was not maintained. By the end of the 19th Century most had been removed. Out Coat of Arms was found in the coal-hole and re-erected in 1949.

The Chest
In 1538 it was ordered that every parson must enter in a book every wedding, christening and burial in his parish. The parish was to provide a 'sure coffer' with two locks, the parson having custody of one key, the wardens the other. In 1598 it was ordered that there be three locks, with the wardens each having a key. The books were to be entered after Sunday service in the presence of the wardens.
The chest is the original 'sure coffer' of 1538. It is no longer used. More recent church books are kept in the church safe. Older books are at the Diocesan Library.

The Memorial Chapel
The stone tablet on the wall lists the 46 men of this parish who fell in the Great War. THe Book of Names in the oak case lists the men killed in the Second World War. All the names, together with one who died in Korea, are read out aloud every Remembrance Sunday.

The Eagle Lectern
The ornate lectern was made and presented in 1935 by a local joiner, Sidney Turner, a descendant of a former incumbant, Daniel Turner. Why an eagle? In the King James Bible, Revelation 8:13 we read of an 'angel flying through the midst of Heaven'. The translation is wrong. For 'angel' read 'eagle'. An eagle carried the word of God. And an eagle is the greatest enemy of the serpent, symbol of the Devil.

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