Ayston gave more than its fair share - as a proportion to the population it lost more men than any other village in Rutland. Fred Goodwin is buried in the churchyard, injured on the same day his brother John was killed. Inside the church there is a very fine marble memorial to the memory of "the brave lads of Ayston" including three sets of brothers who died. It is believed some of those named on the memorial had scratched their names on the lead of the church's roof when they were teenagers. Their graffitti was found many years later when the roof was being restored. We believe it is still there, but of course the roof is inaccessible so we have not had an opportunity to check! The church, now occasionally in use again after being closed for a while, is one of the prettiest in Rutland and well worth a visit. It is open for visits every day during daylight hours.