Complex sentence: The parishioners attempted to patch it up, and had the walls rendered with straw and lime in an attempt to stop any further decay; a bell was hung in the steeple, despite its perilous condition, as late as 1679.
Split into simpler sentences: The parishioners attempted to patch it up, and had the walls rendered with straw and lime in an attempt to stop any further decay. A bell was hung in the steeple, despite its perilous condition, as late as 1679.