News and Events
Meetings in 2020
January: “Derbyshire in the Civil War” - A talk by Brian Stone, historian.
Brian introduced himself as a retired solicitor and the author of the only book about Derbyshire’s role in the Civil War, now sadly out of print. He explained that Derbyshire was important to the struggle for 4 reasons:
One of the key individuals locally was Sir John Gell of Hopton Hall. At the outbreak of war he was High Sherriff of Derbyshire, responsible for tax collection. Born in 1593, he had married into the Curzon family of Kedleston Hall - arch Presbyterians - and was, by all accounts, a thoroughly ruthless man who was to exploit both sides in the war to his own advantage.
Brian then explained that the origins of the Civil War lie in the reign of James I or arguably even earlier in Elizabeth’s time. There was a growing protestant, even puritan, attitude in London and the south-east of England based largely on commercial and European interests. This led to significant differences between Parliament, and the king. James I, despite some idiosyncrasies, was an astute political operator and was able to keep these influences in check. However, following his death in 1625, his son Charles I (a very proud man and absolute believer in the “divine right of kings”) was less successful.
By 1629 Charles had become so disenchanted with Parliament, believing it to be obstructive and anti-royalist, that he prorogued it. This produced a financial problem as Parliament controlled the majority of taxation. So Charles raised income by means not requiring parliamentary approval - a tax on land for lead exploration, selling honours and “ship money”. This last was a levy on coastal areas to fund naval defences against marauding pirates from the Barbary coast, but Charles extended it to cover the whole country; a move unpopular inland!
Despite these increased taxes and now at war with Scotland because of the imposition of the Book of Common Prayer (unpopular with Presbyterian Scotland), lack of money forced Charles to reconvene Parliament in 1640. Disputes continued and led to a second prorogation and a further recall in 1642. This “Long Parliament” became a focus for dissidents and the country became polarised into Royalists and Parliamentarians. Feeling increased pressure, Charles moved his court from London, first to Nottingham and then to Newark. The conflict had begun.
From Newark, Charles marched westwards towards the Welsh Marches where he had many supporters. His route passed through Derby but Gell avoided committing to the Royalist cause by absenting himself to Hull (the port for lead exports from Derbyshire) where he recruited a regiment, “Gell’s Greycoats” which he brought back to Derby as the king moved on. He fortified the town with earthworks and secured the southern half of the county on the Parliamentarian side.
The Parliamentarians developed a series of County Committees to organise and co-ordinate the war effort locally. Gell was made County Commissioner for Derbyshire and a complete logbook recording all details of the Committee’s activities still exists and is in the Derbyshire Archives. This organised approach and Gell’s ruthlessness ensured the dominance of the Parliamentarians despite the fact that they represented only 63 of the gentry’s families in the county compared with 93 Royalist.
The first offensive action of Gell was an attack on the Earl of Chesterfield. When the latter fled to Lichfield, Gell followed and laid siege to the town ending in a victory. The County Committees were now co-ordinating their actions and Derby linked up to Cheshire, commanded by Brereton, to attack the Royalists, led by the Earl of Northampton, at the Battle of Hopton Heath in Staffordshire (1643). The sides had, in theory, relatively evenly matched forces but the late arrival of Brereton and an effective early charge by Northampton’s horsemen disconcerted Gell’s Greycoats until Gell personally rallied his men on foot. Northampton’s horse was shot and he was killed. However, a loss of artillery pieces led to the withdrawal of the Parliamentary forces - a technical defeat. Gell tried to ransom the Earl’s body in exchange for the return of his artillery but, when this was refused, he had the body stripped and dragged up and down the streets of Derby.
Perhaps the most significant action in Derbyshire in the Civil War was the siege of Wingfield Manor. This quadrangular courtyard castle, essentially a fortified manor house, was one of the places previously used to house Mary Queen of Scots and where the Babington plot was uncovered. Early in the Civil War it was held by Parliamentarians but was attacked in May 1643 by the Earl of Newcastle, Charles’ Commander in the North, who was marching south after capturing Sheffield and Chesterfield. The attack failed but a second assault in December that year by Sir Francis Macworth was successful.
Wingfield Manor was central in the county and a modest garrison of horse could command an area up to 30 miles around. This was a significant irritation to Gell who determined to retake the castle. In early 1644 after a significant artillery bombardment and, reinforced by men from Sheffield, he recaptured it. This was the last significant action of the Civil War in Derbyshire.
Brian concluded by summarising that the Civil War had been hugely destructive of property, especially of that belonging to Royalist supporters and, proportionately greater numbers died than during the First World War of the 20th Century. Of course, King Charles was also executed.
A stimulating discussion followed and Mike Holcombe thanked Brian for a most interesting and informative evening.
February - Rediscovering a lost frontier; Roman and earlier remains from Whirlow Hall Farm - A talk by Clive Waddington
Clive is from Archeological Research Services of Bakewell. He told us about some of the recent research that has been done at Whirlow Hall Farm in Sheffield. This farm is located on high ground by the valley of the River Limb, a tributary of the Sheaf. In early searches flint tools dating from the Late Upper Paleolithic (15,000 years ago) were found, these were left by the hunter-gatherers living there at the time. Later discoveries found Mesolithic charcoal dated from the time just after the inundation and tsunami that separated Britain from Europe (5900-5749 BC).
Around 4000 BC the first farmers came to Britain and evidence of their presence in arrowheads, bronze tools and ornaments was found.
Geophysics surveys uncovered a number of structures that were possibly a Romano-British fort. There may have been a British settlement with round houses that was taken over by the Romans during the conquest of Britain. One feature is of a possible watchtower and signalling station at a high point of the site. It could communicate with other stations in the area – e.g. Templeborough in Rotherham - to provide a means for the Romans to police this area which was under military occupation and never fully settled, unlike the south of England.
Artefacts recovered include tesserae, glass beads, pottery (called Derbyshire pots - possibly made in Belper) and Samianware a superior type of pot. There is also evidence of metal smelting – especially lead etc.
There was thus a ‘high status’ Roman settlement at Whirlow during the period 255-395 AD which became increasingly vulnerable to invasions by Picts, Anglo-Saxons etc. There is evidence that the structures were deliberately demolished at the end of the settlement when the Romans left.
So the evidence seems to point to a military outpost during the Roman occupation of the land of the Brigantes, who were never fully pacified. There is evidence that Whirlow was on the boundary of Roman territory at some times, this went down the Sheaf river in places, and the watchtower would have been an important feature.
Clive finished with some speculation about the occupants of this Roman homestead. The Stannington Diploma describes the award of a farm to a retired Roman centurion who was then required to maintain security and supplies to the Roman army in that area. Whirlow might have been a similar outpost.
Mike Holcombe, Chairman, thanked Clive for a very interesting and stimulating discussion.
March - Annual Open Lecture: “The Lost Villages of the Derwent Valley” - a talk by Kathleen Hearnshaw, Bamford History Group.
Kathleen is a long-time resident of Bamford and has been active in their local history group for many years. She began her talk by outlining the reasons for building the Derwent Dams:
By the end of the 19th Century there was an increasing demand for water to supply the growing industries and populations in the large towns of the East Midlands. The Derwent Valley was ideal geographically for water storage being a steep-sided valley in an area of high rainfall, allowing rapid drainage from a large area of moorland.
In 1899, the Derwent Valley Water Act was passed to allow the construction of a series of reservoirs in the area and the Derwent Valley Water Board was established to oversee the project. The Duke of Rutland owned most of the land with most inhabitants being tenants, making acquisition of properties in the area relatively simple. The tenants were simply given notice to move. The Howden and Derwent dams were built between 1902 and 1912 when a temporary “Tin Town” of Birchinlee, complete with hospital, church, shop and inn was built for the workforce. A dedicated railway line built from Bamford to transport raw materials from local quarries can still be seen and is used as a walking trail.
Demand for water continued to increase in the 1930s and, after considerable controversy, a decision was taken to build the Ladybower dam. Construction began in 1935 but was delayed by the Second World War and was not completed until 1943, taking a further two years to fill. The building of the reservoir resulted in the submergence of the villages of Ashopton, situated just to the south side of the viaduct carrying the Snake Pass across the present reservoir, and of Derwent, roughly midway between the Snake Pass and the Derwent Dam.
The buildings in Ashopton were demolished before the reservoir was filled and included the Ashopton Inn (a large coaching stop on the Snake Pass), a toll house, one of the most beautiful Methodist chapels in Derbyshire and a prominent tea rooms. The Derwent village was smaller with fewer houses but had a large Jacobean Manshion, Derwent Hall (used a shooting lodge by the Duke of Rutland), a prominent church and a toll house. Although much of the Hall was demolished, it and other village structures are still visible during dry summers. The clock tower of the church had been left standing and the upper part of it was visible above the water level until 1947, when it was seen as a hazard and demolished with explosives. A narrow stone Packhorse Bridge over the Derwent was removed and rebuilt at Slippery Stones at the head of the Howden reservoir.
Kathleen then went on the explain her recent and continuing interest:
In 2014 the Daily Mail published a story about a forthcoming auction of a book of photographs that contained 50 images of Ashopton and Bamford before, during and after the construction of the Derwent reservoirs, many of which were rare and some never seen before. Over a number of years, a trader in old photographs and pictures from Chesterfield (who has remained anonymous) noted great demand for images of this particular subject and decided to keep them herself and compiled the collection. The story generated a lot of media interest including pieces on local radio and the local news channels.
Bamford residents urged their History Group to bid at the auction and raised funds in support. As is often the case, the media story was inaccurate and rather than 50 images, there were over 160, many of them in a poor state and unsuitable for display. Kathleen learned that they might fetch between £400 and £600 - well beyond the Bamford resources - but with the help of a sympathetic auctioneer, she was able to buy the lot for £310.
While considering what to do next, Chesterfield College got in touch suggesting that the photographs form the basis of a student project. Rather than create virtual reality scenarios for video games (the usual topic of such projects) instead a virtual recreation of the villages might be possible. The outcome was a virtual representation of Ashopton in return for the College’s help in preserving the photographs and producing enlargements that could be used in an exhibition. A two-day exhibition held in Bamford then attracted over 400 visitors. Many of these turned out to have connections with the old villages and Kathleen was able to record a number of oral histories from old residents or of tales that had been passed down from earlier generations.
Kathleen illustrated all of this with examples of the pictures. These included not only Ashopton and Derwent but also images of Birchinlee and the construction of the dams. There were excellent examples of the great buildings that had been lost, of the way of life at that time, and of the tremendous impact on people that was caused by the destruction of the villages. Her talk was filled with minor asides that added to the story - for example that one of the Birchinlee “tin huts” is still in use today as a ladies hairdresser’s in Hope and that billiard tables from Birchinlee are in use in the Bamford Institute. There was an indication of social life at the time with horse-drawn carriages outside the Ashopton Inn carrying sightseers from Sheffield and a tent erected on the Ashopton playing field for sports events. There were also images of Cockbridge Farm owned by Aaron Thorp where Kathleen’s own grandfather had been a servant (a horseman) - a local link as the Baslow Thorps are descendants.
Below are two examples from the collection. On the left is an evocative image of Ashopton during its' demolition with the viaduct carrying the Snake Road in the background but before the flooding of the valley. On the right is a picture of local schoolchildren, obviously posed for the photo but demonstrating the less of the time.
January: “Derbyshire in the Civil War” - A talk by Brian Stone, historian.
Brian introduced himself as a retired solicitor and the author of the only book about Derbyshire’s role in the Civil War, now sadly out of print. He explained that Derbyshire was important to the struggle for 4 reasons:
- Physical location in the middle of England
- It straddled a divide between the (largely) Royalist north-west and the (largely) Parliamentarian south-east
- The Trent was both a physical and cultural barrier
- It hosted the largest lead mines in the country that became an essential supply for munitions
One of the key individuals locally was Sir John Gell of Hopton Hall. At the outbreak of war he was High Sherriff of Derbyshire, responsible for tax collection. Born in 1593, he had married into the Curzon family of Kedleston Hall - arch Presbyterians - and was, by all accounts, a thoroughly ruthless man who was to exploit both sides in the war to his own advantage.
Brian then explained that the origins of the Civil War lie in the reign of James I or arguably even earlier in Elizabeth’s time. There was a growing protestant, even puritan, attitude in London and the south-east of England based largely on commercial and European interests. This led to significant differences between Parliament, and the king. James I, despite some idiosyncrasies, was an astute political operator and was able to keep these influences in check. However, following his death in 1625, his son Charles I (a very proud man and absolute believer in the “divine right of kings”) was less successful.
By 1629 Charles had become so disenchanted with Parliament, believing it to be obstructive and anti-royalist, that he prorogued it. This produced a financial problem as Parliament controlled the majority of taxation. So Charles raised income by means not requiring parliamentary approval - a tax on land for lead exploration, selling honours and “ship money”. This last was a levy on coastal areas to fund naval defences against marauding pirates from the Barbary coast, but Charles extended it to cover the whole country; a move unpopular inland!
Despite these increased taxes and now at war with Scotland because of the imposition of the Book of Common Prayer (unpopular with Presbyterian Scotland), lack of money forced Charles to reconvene Parliament in 1640. Disputes continued and led to a second prorogation and a further recall in 1642. This “Long Parliament” became a focus for dissidents and the country became polarised into Royalists and Parliamentarians. Feeling increased pressure, Charles moved his court from London, first to Nottingham and then to Newark. The conflict had begun.
From Newark, Charles marched westwards towards the Welsh Marches where he had many supporters. His route passed through Derby but Gell avoided committing to the Royalist cause by absenting himself to Hull (the port for lead exports from Derbyshire) where he recruited a regiment, “Gell’s Greycoats” which he brought back to Derby as the king moved on. He fortified the town with earthworks and secured the southern half of the county on the Parliamentarian side.
The Parliamentarians developed a series of County Committees to organise and co-ordinate the war effort locally. Gell was made County Commissioner for Derbyshire and a complete logbook recording all details of the Committee’s activities still exists and is in the Derbyshire Archives. This organised approach and Gell’s ruthlessness ensured the dominance of the Parliamentarians despite the fact that they represented only 63 of the gentry’s families in the county compared with 93 Royalist.
The first offensive action of Gell was an attack on the Earl of Chesterfield. When the latter fled to Lichfield, Gell followed and laid siege to the town ending in a victory. The County Committees were now co-ordinating their actions and Derby linked up to Cheshire, commanded by Brereton, to attack the Royalists, led by the Earl of Northampton, at the Battle of Hopton Heath in Staffordshire (1643). The sides had, in theory, relatively evenly matched forces but the late arrival of Brereton and an effective early charge by Northampton’s horsemen disconcerted Gell’s Greycoats until Gell personally rallied his men on foot. Northampton’s horse was shot and he was killed. However, a loss of artillery pieces led to the withdrawal of the Parliamentary forces - a technical defeat. Gell tried to ransom the Earl’s body in exchange for the return of his artillery but, when this was refused, he had the body stripped and dragged up and down the streets of Derby.
Perhaps the most significant action in Derbyshire in the Civil War was the siege of Wingfield Manor. This quadrangular courtyard castle, essentially a fortified manor house, was one of the places previously used to house Mary Queen of Scots and where the Babington plot was uncovered. Early in the Civil War it was held by Parliamentarians but was attacked in May 1643 by the Earl of Newcastle, Charles’ Commander in the North, who was marching south after capturing Sheffield and Chesterfield. The attack failed but a second assault in December that year by Sir Francis Macworth was successful.
Wingfield Manor was central in the county and a modest garrison of horse could command an area up to 30 miles around. This was a significant irritation to Gell who determined to retake the castle. In early 1644 after a significant artillery bombardment and, reinforced by men from Sheffield, he recaptured it. This was the last significant action of the Civil War in Derbyshire.
Brian concluded by summarising that the Civil War had been hugely destructive of property, especially of that belonging to Royalist supporters and, proportionately greater numbers died than during the First World War of the 20th Century. Of course, King Charles was also executed.
A stimulating discussion followed and Mike Holcombe thanked Brian for a most interesting and informative evening.
February - Rediscovering a lost frontier; Roman and earlier remains from Whirlow Hall Farm - A talk by Clive Waddington
Clive is from Archeological Research Services of Bakewell. He told us about some of the recent research that has been done at Whirlow Hall Farm in Sheffield. This farm is located on high ground by the valley of the River Limb, a tributary of the Sheaf. In early searches flint tools dating from the Late Upper Paleolithic (15,000 years ago) were found, these were left by the hunter-gatherers living there at the time. Later discoveries found Mesolithic charcoal dated from the time just after the inundation and tsunami that separated Britain from Europe (5900-5749 BC).
Around 4000 BC the first farmers came to Britain and evidence of their presence in arrowheads, bronze tools and ornaments was found.
Geophysics surveys uncovered a number of structures that were possibly a Romano-British fort. There may have been a British settlement with round houses that was taken over by the Romans during the conquest of Britain. One feature is of a possible watchtower and signalling station at a high point of the site. It could communicate with other stations in the area – e.g. Templeborough in Rotherham - to provide a means for the Romans to police this area which was under military occupation and never fully settled, unlike the south of England.
Artefacts recovered include tesserae, glass beads, pottery (called Derbyshire pots - possibly made in Belper) and Samianware a superior type of pot. There is also evidence of metal smelting – especially lead etc.
There was thus a ‘high status’ Roman settlement at Whirlow during the period 255-395 AD which became increasingly vulnerable to invasions by Picts, Anglo-Saxons etc. There is evidence that the structures were deliberately demolished at the end of the settlement when the Romans left.
So the evidence seems to point to a military outpost during the Roman occupation of the land of the Brigantes, who were never fully pacified. There is evidence that Whirlow was on the boundary of Roman territory at some times, this went down the Sheaf river in places, and the watchtower would have been an important feature.
Clive finished with some speculation about the occupants of this Roman homestead. The Stannington Diploma describes the award of a farm to a retired Roman centurion who was then required to maintain security and supplies to the Roman army in that area. Whirlow might have been a similar outpost.
Mike Holcombe, Chairman, thanked Clive for a very interesting and stimulating discussion.
March - Annual Open Lecture: “The Lost Villages of the Derwent Valley” - a talk by Kathleen Hearnshaw, Bamford History Group.
Kathleen is a long-time resident of Bamford and has been active in their local history group for many years. She began her talk by outlining the reasons for building the Derwent Dams:
By the end of the 19th Century there was an increasing demand for water to supply the growing industries and populations in the large towns of the East Midlands. The Derwent Valley was ideal geographically for water storage being a steep-sided valley in an area of high rainfall, allowing rapid drainage from a large area of moorland.
In 1899, the Derwent Valley Water Act was passed to allow the construction of a series of reservoirs in the area and the Derwent Valley Water Board was established to oversee the project. The Duke of Rutland owned most of the land with most inhabitants being tenants, making acquisition of properties in the area relatively simple. The tenants were simply given notice to move. The Howden and Derwent dams were built between 1902 and 1912 when a temporary “Tin Town” of Birchinlee, complete with hospital, church, shop and inn was built for the workforce. A dedicated railway line built from Bamford to transport raw materials from local quarries can still be seen and is used as a walking trail.
Demand for water continued to increase in the 1930s and, after considerable controversy, a decision was taken to build the Ladybower dam. Construction began in 1935 but was delayed by the Second World War and was not completed until 1943, taking a further two years to fill. The building of the reservoir resulted in the submergence of the villages of Ashopton, situated just to the south side of the viaduct carrying the Snake Pass across the present reservoir, and of Derwent, roughly midway between the Snake Pass and the Derwent Dam.
The buildings in Ashopton were demolished before the reservoir was filled and included the Ashopton Inn (a large coaching stop on the Snake Pass), a toll house, one of the most beautiful Methodist chapels in Derbyshire and a prominent tea rooms. The Derwent village was smaller with fewer houses but had a large Jacobean Manshion, Derwent Hall (used a shooting lodge by the Duke of Rutland), a prominent church and a toll house. Although much of the Hall was demolished, it and other village structures are still visible during dry summers. The clock tower of the church had been left standing and the upper part of it was visible above the water level until 1947, when it was seen as a hazard and demolished with explosives. A narrow stone Packhorse Bridge over the Derwent was removed and rebuilt at Slippery Stones at the head of the Howden reservoir.
Kathleen then went on the explain her recent and continuing interest:
In 2014 the Daily Mail published a story about a forthcoming auction of a book of photographs that contained 50 images of Ashopton and Bamford before, during and after the construction of the Derwent reservoirs, many of which were rare and some never seen before. Over a number of years, a trader in old photographs and pictures from Chesterfield (who has remained anonymous) noted great demand for images of this particular subject and decided to keep them herself and compiled the collection. The story generated a lot of media interest including pieces on local radio and the local news channels.
Bamford residents urged their History Group to bid at the auction and raised funds in support. As is often the case, the media story was inaccurate and rather than 50 images, there were over 160, many of them in a poor state and unsuitable for display. Kathleen learned that they might fetch between £400 and £600 - well beyond the Bamford resources - but with the help of a sympathetic auctioneer, she was able to buy the lot for £310.
While considering what to do next, Chesterfield College got in touch suggesting that the photographs form the basis of a student project. Rather than create virtual reality scenarios for video games (the usual topic of such projects) instead a virtual recreation of the villages might be possible. The outcome was a virtual representation of Ashopton in return for the College’s help in preserving the photographs and producing enlargements that could be used in an exhibition. A two-day exhibition held in Bamford then attracted over 400 visitors. Many of these turned out to have connections with the old villages and Kathleen was able to record a number of oral histories from old residents or of tales that had been passed down from earlier generations.
Kathleen illustrated all of this with examples of the pictures. These included not only Ashopton and Derwent but also images of Birchinlee and the construction of the dams. There were excellent examples of the great buildings that had been lost, of the way of life at that time, and of the tremendous impact on people that was caused by the destruction of the villages. Her talk was filled with minor asides that added to the story - for example that one of the Birchinlee “tin huts” is still in use today as a ladies hairdresser’s in Hope and that billiard tables from Birchinlee are in use in the Bamford Institute. There was an indication of social life at the time with horse-drawn carriages outside the Ashopton Inn carrying sightseers from Sheffield and a tent erected on the Ashopton playing field for sports events. There were also images of Cockbridge Farm owned by Aaron Thorp where Kathleen’s own grandfather had been a servant (a horseman) - a local link as the Baslow Thorps are descendants.
Below are two examples from the collection. On the left is an evocative image of Ashopton during its' demolition with the viaduct carrying the Snake Road in the background but before the flooding of the valley. On the right is a picture of local schoolchildren, obviously posed for the photo but demonstrating the less of the time.
Kathleen also played three recordings of a villager displaced from Ashopton and now resident in Bamford talking about life at the time. She covered the novelty of sliced bread; having to wait for the recharge of electric accumulators as battery power for the radio - the only entertainment at the time; accepting lifts from strangers with absolute safety; her parents preparing tea made in their front room for passing cyclists and hikers; and the novelty as a child of listing car number plates as they passed (not very frequently).
Finally the talk ended with the virtual reconstruction of Ashopton Village made by Chesterfield College. The takes a drive from Cockbridge Farm over Cock Bridge then up the old A57 Manchester to Sheffield road into Ashopton Village showing the Ashopton Inn, the stables, the garage, tea room, toll house, Methodist Chapel and surrounding buildings. It then takes flight up over the valley to show day turn to night and back, and then the effect of the flooding before returning to the farm. This is available for anyone to view on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUBW2vMm_O8 (NB: If this link does not open directly, please cut and paste it into your browser).
Kathleen hopes that a similar reconstruction of the Derwent village may be possible in the future and there certainly seems enough material available for this.
The talk was much appreciated by the audience and a lively discussion ensued. David Dalryple-Smith, President of the History Group congratulated Kathleen on a fine presentation that showed the best of local history in action.
Further meetings in 2020 were suspended because of the Coronavirus.
Finally the talk ended with the virtual reconstruction of Ashopton Village made by Chesterfield College. The takes a drive from Cockbridge Farm over Cock Bridge then up the old A57 Manchester to Sheffield road into Ashopton Village showing the Ashopton Inn, the stables, the garage, tea room, toll house, Methodist Chapel and surrounding buildings. It then takes flight up over the valley to show day turn to night and back, and then the effect of the flooding before returning to the farm. This is available for anyone to view on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUBW2vMm_O8 (NB: If this link does not open directly, please cut and paste it into your browser).
Kathleen hopes that a similar reconstruction of the Derwent village may be possible in the future and there certainly seems enough material available for this.
The talk was much appreciated by the audience and a lively discussion ensued. David Dalryple-Smith, President of the History Group congratulated Kathleen on a fine presentation that showed the best of local history in action.
Further meetings in 2020 were suspended because of the Coronavirus.