Derwent (Darwent)

The Chapel-en-le-Frith Library is an excellent resource with a Local History section and a Family History section.

• HALLAM, V.J. - Silent Valley - A History of the Derbyshire Villages of Ashopton and Derwent, now submerged beneath Ladybower Dam. Sheaf Publishing, 1983. ISBN 0-9505458-9-9.
   
• ROBINSON, Brian - Howden and Derwent: The Building of the Upper Dams of the Derwent Valley Water Board. Northend of Sheffield, 2004. ISBN 0-901100-49-8.

In the churchyard, near the south entrance, stood a sun-dial, the work of Daniel ROSE, clerk of Derwent in the 18th century.

Bodies from the graveyard were exhumed in 1940 and were reburied in Bamford.

• The parish was in the Chapel en le Frith sub-district of the Chapel en le Frith Registration District.
   
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
   

• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saints James and John.
   
• The church seated 140.
   
• The church belonged, in an early period, to the Abbey at Welbeck.
   
• The church was rebuilt in 1757, and again in 1867.
   
• The church was consecrated August 18th, 1869.
   
• The church held its last service on 17 March 1943.
   
• Bodies from the graveyard were exhumed in 1940 and were reburied in Bamford.

• The Anglican parish register dates from 1813 for baptisms and 1869 for marriages and burials.
   
• Michael SPENCER provides a partial extract of Parish Register burials for your review. Your additions and corrections are welcomed.
   
• The church was in the rural deanery of Eyam.
   
• There was a Wesleyan Methodist chapel at Ashopton, built in 1840, with seating for 60
   
• The Catholic chapel was built in 1877 and is dedicated to Saint Henry.

• Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
   
• The parish was in the Chapel en le Frith sub-district of the Chapel en le Frith Registration District.

"One gets some charming glimpses of the valley scenery, and especially of the pretty village of DERWENT, with its ancient hall, stone packhorse bridge, and picturesque cottages. The Water Board have, this year, taken possession of the estate with a view to future requirements. But before we consider ourselves to have really reached Ashopton, let us set back to the Snake Inn."

[From The High Peak to Sherwood, by Thomas L. TUDOR, pub. (London) R. Scott, 1925-6.
Transcription from an original copy kindly donated by Barbarann AYARS, 11th Jan 2001]

Most of the village and parish have been "drowned" by the Ladybower Reservoir, built between 1935 and 1943. Only the war memorial remains above the water level. Ashopton was a hamlet at the foot of the Derwent where it entered the Ladybower Reservoir.

Tim HALLAM has a photograph of the village at low-water in the Reservoir, taken in December, 1995.

• Geograph
• Flickr

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

• Mel LOCKIE provides a transcription of the Hathersage entry from Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of England, 1831. "Darwent" is mentioned in the entry.
   
• Colin HINSON provides the transcription of the section for Derwent from the National Gazetteer (1868).

• Ask for a calculation of the distance from Derwent (Darwent) to another place.

The River Derwent is a tributary of the River Trent, which it joins south of Derby city. The upper reaches pass through the Peak District National Park, and the middle reaches around the old spa town of Matlock Bath.

• Most of the parish land has been used for pasturage in recent centuries.
   
• Most buildings in the village were demolished before the reservoir filled, with the exception of the church.
   
• David HALLAM-JONES has a photograph of the Snake Pass area on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2012.
   

Derwent Hall was a fine old gabled mansion of rough tooled stone, built in 1672. It was one of the seats of the Duke of Norfolk.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK267807 (Lat/Lon: 53.32288, -1.600913), Derwent (Darwent) 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.

• The Derwent Reservoir was used by the RAF as one of the test sites for the bombs used in the Dambusters attack during WWII.
   
• Vic RICHARDS has a photograph of the Dambusters' Memorial on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2006.
   
• Peter McDERMOTT has a photograph of the Derwent War Memorial on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2014.
   
• Neil THEASBY has a photograph of the Derwent Woodlands War Memorial on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2015.
   
• Steve FAREHAM has a closer shot of the Woodlands War Memorial on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2009.
   

• Lorna WILSON gives us these names off the War Memorial:

If you know any of these men, please let the site maintainer know any additional details.

• This place was an ancient Chapelry in Hathersage parish and it was incorporated as a separate, modern Civil Parish in December, 1866. The parish was formed from the townships of Derwent and Hope Woodside,
   
• This parish was in the High Peak Hundred.
   
• This Civil Parish of Derwent survived the reservoir flooding and serves a small population who live above the highwater mark. You may contact the Derwent Parish Council regarding civic or political issues, but they are NOT staffed to assist with family history searches.
   
• District governance is provided by the High Peak Borough Council.
   

• Bastardy cases would be heard in the Chapel-en-le-Frith petty session hearings once each month.
   
• There is an index of Derwent Bastardy Papers held at the DRO on the Yesterdays Journey website. Select "Bastardy Papers" on the left side, then "Derwent" from the list of parishes displayed.
   
• As a result of the 1834 Poorlaw Amendment Act reforms, this parish became a member of the Chapel-en-le-Frith Poorlaw Union.

Census Year	Inhabitants
1871	165
1881	187
1891	191
1901	202
1911	273
1921	174

A School was built here in 1877 to hold 80 children.

A Catholic School was erected here in 1881, also for 80 children.