Bretby

The nearby Swadlincote Library is an excellent resource with a Local History section and a Family History section.

Alternatively, the Library at Burton-on-Trent, although in Staffordshire, is also a useful source for your research.

Bretby Crematorium is located on Geary Lane southwest of the village.  it is managed by the South Derbyshire District Council.

There are No memorial stones at Bretby Crematorium, but an online, digital Book of Remembrance can be accessed. Many Bretby residents can be found on the burial list for Repton.

Jonathan THACKER has a photograph of Bretby Crematorium on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2015.

Bretby was performing burials in the churchyard prior to the Reformation.

• The parish was in the Repton sub-district of the Burton on Trent Registration District.
   
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
   

• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Wystan.
   
• The original "church" here was actually a chapel of ease for Repton. The chapel was apparently a wooden structure.
   
• The church was entirely rebuilt in 1878.
   
• The church was not licensed for marriages until 1911.
   
• The church seats 130.
   
• Robert COURT has a photograph of St. Wystan's Church on Geograph, taken in April, 2006.
   
• Richard LAW also has a photograph of St. Wystan's Church on Geograph, taken in March, 2013 while there was still some snow on the ground.
   

• The Anglican parish register dates from 1766 (and appears to be only baptisms).
   
• Rootsweb has NO recorded burials for this parish from 1800 through 1980.
   
• The church was in the rural deanery of Repton.
   
• David ROGERS has a photograph of the Bretby Methodist Church on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2009.
   

• Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
   
• The parish was in the Repton sub-district of the Burton on Trent Registration District.

"BRETBY, or Bradby, is a hamlet, in the parish of Repton, about a mile and a half from that village. Bretby Castle, the seat of the Earl of Chesterfield, is here; the scenery around which is very beautiful. The population returns for Bretby include those for MELTON [Ed: a.k.a. Milton] hamlet, together amounting to 325 persons."

[Description from Pigot and Co's Commercial Directory for Derbyshire, 1835]

There is a more current description of Bretby at Derbyshire UK.

• Geograph
• Flickr

• Ann ANDREWS provides a transcription of the Bretby entry in Kelly's Directory of the Counties of Derby, Notts, Leicester and Rutland (1891).

• The transcription of the section for Bretby from the National Gazetteer (1868) provided by Colin HINSON.

• Ask for a calculation of the distance from Bretby to another place.

Stephen RICHARDS has a photograph of Bretby Hall on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2002. The Hall stands about 1.5 miles southwest of Bretby village.

Bretby Hall was sold on to Derbyshire County Council in 1919 for use as an orthopaedic hospital, opening in 1926. The Hospital was taken over by the National Health Service in 1948 and finally closed in 1997.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK311216 (Lat/Lon: 52.79086, -1.540029), Bretby which are provided by:

• OpenStreetMap
• Google Maps
• StreetMap (Current Ordnance Survey maps)
• Bing (was Multimap)
• Old Maps Online
• National Library of Scotland (Old Ordnance Survey maps)
• Vision of Britain (Click "Historical units & statistics" for administrative areas.)
• English Jurisdictions in 1851 (Unfortunately the LDS have removed the facility to enable us to specify a starting location, you will need to search yourself on their map.)
• Magic (Geographic information) (Click + on map if it doesn't show)
• GeoHack (Links to on-line maps and location specific services.)

• All places within the same township/parish shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby townships/parishes shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby places shown on an Openstreetmap map.

Jonathan THACKER has a photograph of the War Memorial and village pump on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2015. The War Memorial was dedicated in 1922.

The following are from the Derby Telegraph (the date is the date of the obit.):

• 29 Mar 1913 Rev. George William ALLEN 70
• 24 Oct 1922 J. P. STARTIN 69

• This place was an ancient Chapelry in Repton parish in Derby county and it was incorporated as a separate modern Civil parish in December, 1866.
   
• This place was in the ancient Repton and Gresley Hundred (or Wapentake).
   
• You may contact the Bretby Parish Council regarding civic or political matters, but they are NOT funded to help you with family history questions.
   
• District governance is provided by the South Derbyshire District Council.

• Bastardy cases would be heard in the Repton petty session hearings.
   
• There is an index of a single Bretby Bastardy Paper held at the DRO on the Yesterdays Journey website. Select "Bastardy Papers" on the left side, then "Bretby" from the list of parishes displayed.
   
• As a result of the 1834 Poorlaw Amendment Act, this parish became a member of the Burton upon Trent Poorlaw Union.

A Public Elementary School (mixed) was built here in 1806 and enlarged a century later in 1906 to hold 90 children. This school has since closed and has been converted to a private residence.

Jonathan THACKER has a photograph of the Old School on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2015.