Shirebrook

The Shirebrook Library at 19 Patchwork Row is normally open six days a week. They have a Local Studies and Family History section to help you with your search.

• The cemetery of 10.5 acres was built in 1899 with a single mortuary chapel.
   
• The cemetery is managed by the Burial Board of the Shirebrook Parish Council.
   
• Louis R. MILLS provides a partial extract of Parish Register burials for your use. Your corrections and additions are welcomed.
   
• Jonathan CLITHEROE has a photograph of the Shirebrook Cemetery on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2014.

• The parish was in the Shirebrook sub-district of the Mansfield Registration District.
   
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
   

• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity.
   
• The church was built in 1843.
   
• The ecclesiastical parish of Holy Trinity was established in May, 1849.
   
• The church was enlarged in 1904.
   
• The church seats 800.
   
• David BEVIS provides a photograph of Holy Trinity Church on Geo-graph, taken in 2011.

• The Anglican parish register dates from 1849.
   
• The church was in the rural Deanery of Staveley.
   
• The Primitive Methodists had a chapel built here in 1849 and replaced it in 1901.
   
• David BEVIS provides a photograph of the Methodist Church on Geo-graph, taken in 2011.
   
• A Congregational chapel was built in 1901.
   
• A Baptist chapel was built in 1901.
   
• Saint Joseph's Catholic Church was built in Longwith Road in 1908.

• Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
   
• The parish was in the Shirebrook sub-district of the Mansfield Registration District.

Jon CANTRILL provides this snippet from the Manchester Guardian of April 26, 1905:

"An Elopement Frustrated

The Liverpool police, with the aid of Detective BRAIDIE, of the Derbyshire Constabulary, yesterday arrested an eloping couple on the S.S. Champlain as she was about to leave the Mersey for Canada. They were Keble Ashley TRUEMAN, a miner of Shirebrook, near Chesterfield, and Mrs Hannah Elizabeth EDSON.

TRUEMAN, it is stated, had been a lodger for some time with the EDSON’s. The arrest was on a charge of stealing some £10 in money and considerable amount of clothing, the property of Mr. EDSON.

The couple had taken their passage to Canada in the names of Mr. and Mrs. TRUEMAN. After being taken to the Liverpool Police Office they were despatched by train to Chesterfield. "

Jon CANTRILL provides this snippet from the Derbyshire Times of January 17th, 1920:

"Alleged Fowl Stealing

Shirebrook Accused Men Remanded

William Thomas CLAMP (17), Recreation Drive, Shirebrook, and Arnold BARKER (19), Vale Drive, Shirebrook, were at Chesterfield on Tuesday, remanded until t-day (Saturday), on a charge alleging the theft of two fowls, value £1, the property of Jesse____ "

(story continues but not on my printout)

Michael SPENCER offers this entry from the Derby Courier in 1851:

"Mansfield Petty Sessions:
Benjamin BOOTH of Shirebrook for riding upon his cart on a turnpike without reins was fined 1s 6d and costs.'

Some individuals think Shirebrook is in Nottingham, but that is incorrect. Shirebrook is still in Derbyshire, but for Civil Registration purposes it is in the Mansfield, Nottingham, Registration District.

"SHIREBROOK, a chapelry in the parish of Pleasley, hundred of Scarsdale, county Derby, 10 miles N.E. of Alfreton, and 5 N.W. of Mansfield, on the border of Nottinghamshire. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Lichfield, value £62, in the patronage of the Rector of Pleasley."

[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868)
Transcribed by Colin HINSON ©2003]

Welcome to Shirebrook, photo on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2010.

Railway service came to the village in 1875, but the station closed in 1964. Service resumed in 1998. There is passenger railway service to the village on the Robin Hood Line between Nottingham and Worksop. Nigel THOMPSON provides a photograph of the Railway Station on Geo-graph, taken in February 1982. Ben BROOKSBANK takes us back in time with his June 1957 photograph of Shirebrook West Station on Geo-graph.

You may want to visit Shirebrook.Net to look at maps and photos.

You may want to enjoy the Market Place stalls and booths. Andrew HILL has a photograph of the Market Place on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2011.

• Geograph
• Flickr

• Ann ANDEWS provides a transcription of the Shirebrook entry from Kelly's Directory of the Counties of Derby, Notts, Leicester and Rutland (1891).
   
• Bagshaw's 1846 History, Gazetteer and Directory of Derbyshire describes Shirebrook thusly:

Shirebrook township, chapelry, and well-built scattered village, on the verge of the county, 3 miles N.N.E. from Pleasley, and 3 miles N. from Mansfield, by the foot road, but the carriage road is through Pleasley; contains 1,440 acres of land, 61 houses, and 326 inhabitants. Rateable value, £1,250. It is freehold, and the owners are the Duke of Devonshire, Capt. Drawater, John Nicholson, Joseph Nicholson, Francis Hall, Samuel Shipman, William Fletcher, Wright Smith, Robert Malkin, Charles Newbold, William Fowles, Esqrs, Mrs Greaves, and a few others. The chapel of ease, is a neat stone building, erected in 1843, (in place of a venerable structure) at a cost of £1,000, the present rector taking the pecuniary management, which has been defrayed by private description; it was consecrated on the Wednesday in the feast week, which is the Sunday before old Michaelmas Day, in 1843. A Sunday school is held in the village.

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

You should post your interest to the Shirebrook History and Genealogy group on Facebook. At least have a look at some of the photographs!

Jon CANTRILL shares this from the Derby Mercury of 27th September 1837: "Persons who have obtained game certificates for the year 1837 (General certificates at £3. 13s 6d. each):

1. LUCAS Thomas, Stuffin Wood (in Shirebrook)
2. NICHOLSON John, Shirebrook
3. TOWLE Wm., Shorebrook (Shirebrook?)
4. TOWLE Joseph, Shirebrook

• Stuffynwood Hall was built in 1857 by Charles PAGET, MP for Nottingham.
   
• In 1979 it was decided to demolish the Hall after its damage by vandals. The materials were sold off.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK523674 (Lat/Lon: 53.201112, -1.218517), Shirebrook 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 Shirebrook Health Centre is located on Patchwork Row. They do NOT release any patient records.

The Langwith District Isolation Hospital was located here. Patient records are also restricted, although the Derby Archives will contain photographs and administrative reports.

• Captain Benjamin DRAWWATER (often spelled with a single W) lived here for a brief time. He is recorded here in an 1857 Directory.  But he was buried in Greasley, Notts,  in June, 1818! He was one of the surgeon mates on Captain Cook's voyages in the 1770s.
   
• There is a War Memorial cross just west of Holy Trinity Church, between it and the road. The cross was created and unveiled in 1919. Between the two World Wars it was moved from its original position to the other side of the church to facilitate the Church Hall being built.
   
• There are no names inscribed on the War Memorial.
   
• There is a plaque inside Holy Trinity Church with 158 names on it. It is presumed that this is a Roll of Honour.

There are twenty-five Commonwealth War Graves in the public cemetery. These are from World War I:

1. E. BURTON, priv., 3rd Btn. Leicestershire Regt., died 21 July 1918.
2. G. H. CHILTON, priv., Leicestershire Regt., died 5 April 1918.
3. Thomas COOPER, priv.,, Royal Army Service Corps, age 43, died 15 Jan. 1920. Husband of Edith COOPER.
4. Joshua CROSS, priv., 64th CCS Royal Army Medical Corps, age 20, died 21 Aug. 1919. Son of Joshua and Fanny CROSS.
5. W. EASOM, priv., 9th Btn. Sherwood Foresters, age 26, died 25 Sept. 1916. Husband of Annie BURNS (formerly EASOM).
6. Sidney Crisp GREEN, priv., 3rd Btn. Sherwood Foresters, age 20, died 2 June 1919. Son of William and Christina GREEN.
7. John WIlliam HANSTOCK, priv., 62nd Co. Machine Gun Corps, age 25, died 22 July 1916. Son of William and Louisa HANSTOCK,
8. John JOHNSON, priv., 1st Btn. Lincolnshire Regt., age 30, died 14 Oct. 1914. Husband of Rose Hannah JOHNSON.
9. William Alexander ROBERTS, lieut., Royal Air Force, died 31 July 1919.
10. James RODDIE, priv., 10th Btn. Sherwood Foresters, age 33, died 12 Aug. 1916. Husband of Eliza HARDY (formerly RODDIE.
     

These are from World War II:

11. E. BARLOW, priv., York and Lancs Regt., age 22, died 22 Feb 1947. Son of Mr. and Mrs. George E. BARLOW.
12. Richard Whittington BREWIN, srgt., 3 Sqdn. RAF Vol. Rsrv., age 20, died 29 April 1941. Son of Leonard James BREWIN and Irene BREWIN.
13. Charles William CARTER, srgt., Middlesex Regt., age 42, died 31 March 1943. Husband of Ruth CARTER.
14. John CLARKE, ldg. aircraftman, RAF Vol. Rsrv., died 19 July 1946.
15. Alfred COOPER, ldg. aircraftman, RAF, age 19, died 1 Sept. 1940. Son of Albert and Lily COOPER.
16. Alfred Edgar HARGREAVES, fusiller, 5th Btn. Royal Irish Fusillers, died 29 July 1941.
17. George Harry HAYWOOD, marine, Royal Marines, age 38, died 9 Oct 1944. Husband of Mary Winniefred HAYWOOD.
18. George Walter HUNTINGTON, srgt., 4th Btn. East Yorkshire Regt., age 32, died 12 Sept. 1940.
19. William James MEADE, priv., Corps of Military Police, age 32, died 15 June 1945. Husband of Elizabeth Jane MEADE.
20. Dorothy PADLEY, corp., Women's Auxiliary Air Force, age 19, died 27 Aug. 1944. Daughter of James and Ada Mary PADLEY,
21. Robert PARKER, driver, 53 Tipper Co. Royal Army Service Corps, age 34, died 8 July 1944. Husband of Evelyn Vera PARKER.
22. James Edward PULLEN, Pioneer Corps, age 41, died 23 July 1944. Husband of May PULLEN.
23. Frederick ROADLEY, priv., Sherwood Foresters, age 23, died 7 April 1940. Son of Frederick and Florence Louise ROADLEY.
24. Bertram ROBINSON, signalman, Royal Corps of Signals, age 22, died 14 Sept. 1942. Husband of Grace Linda ROBINSON.
25. John WIlliam SHAW, stoker 1st class, H.M.S. Dulverton Royal Navy, age 29, died 15 Feb. 1945. Husband of Dorothy SHAW.

Jon CANTRILL reports from The Derbyshire Times of 28-Dec-1912:
"Weddings

Mr. Sam SADLER the well-known Whitwell sportsman and referee, was married at the Whitwell Parish Church on Thursday to Miss Jessie EVANS, of Shirebrook. The rector, the Rev. E. H. POLEHAMPTON officiated. The bridesmaids were the Misses C. and M. SADLER, sisters of the bridegroom, and Muriel and Elsie EVANS, sisters of the bride. Mr. Handel EVANS, brother of the bride, was the best man. A reception was subsequently held at the home of the bride in Central Drive, Shirebrook."

• This place was an ancient Chapelry in Pleasley parish in Derby county and became a separate modern Civil Parish in April, 1904.
   
• This parish was partly in the ancient Scarsdale Hundred (or Wapentake).
   
• In April, 1935, the Civil Parish of Upper Langwith was abolished and the land amalgamated into this Civil Parish.
   
• You may contact the Shirebrook Town Council regarding civic or political issues, but they are NOT funded to help you with family history searches.
   
• District governance is provided by the Newark and Sherwood District Council.

• Bastardy cases would be heard in the Chesterfield petty session hearings.
   
• After the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, this parish became part of the Mansfield Poor Law Union.

In a Will proved in 1859 (made in 1852), Sarah CROFT of Chesterfield, spinster, mentions:

1. Mary MULLINS Shirebrook
    

In a Will proved in 1861 (made in 1854), Joseph NICHOLSON of Shirebrook Gent. mentions:

1. neph. Joseph NICHOLSON
    

In a Will administrated in 1871, John LUCAS of Shirebrook mentions:

1. Rachel LUCAS
    

In a Will dated 1873 (made in 1863), George WOODHEAD of Clowne mentions (among others):

1. friend Edward FOWLER Shirebrook farmer
2. sister Amelia wife of Edward FOWLER
    

In a Will proved in 1876 (made in 1874), George TIMMONS of Upper Langwith, farm lab. memtions:

1. dau. Martha SPAVIN of Shirebrook
    

Other Wills:

• 1858, James HOBSONS
• 1860, William BENNETT
• 1876, John CARGILL
• 1878, Elizabeth NICHOLSON
• 1878, William TOWLE
• 1882, Edward FOWLER
• 1885, Martha FLETCHER
• 1886, John LUCAS
• 1887, John WARD
• 1888, Jonathan ROBINSON
• 1889, William MARRIOTT
• 1889, James WARD
• 1897, Mary Ann ROBINSON
• 1898, Anna FLETCHER
• 1899, James DEAN
• 1899, George HURT
• 1901, Edmund CHARLESWORTH
• 1902, Thomas CHADBOURNE
• 1905, Richard George MOON
• 1907, Joseph INGRAM
• 1910, George DAYKIN
• 1912, William BAKER
• 1912, John WRIGHT
• 1916, Samuel CHARLES
• 1916, Henry GADDES
• 1916, Levi PARKIN
• 1919, Frederick DOWNES
• 1920, William GREEN
• 1920, Herbert Woodley JOYCE
• 1921, Jane CRISP
• 1921, John RILEY
• 1921, Thomas WINFIELD
• 1922, Charles HALMSHAW
• 1923, Harriet WARD
• 1924, John CRISP
• 1924, Joseph Thomas Ethin SMITH
• 1926, John Thomas WHITE
• 1928, William SMITH

A National School for boys and girls was built here in 1852. 40 students attended the first year.

Michael PATTERSON has a photograph of Shirebrook School on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2006. The school is in the north end of Shirebrook village (Langworth Junction).

Shirebrook School has a nice large playing field area. Alan HEARDMAN has a photograph of the Playing Fields on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2008.

Shirebrook Academy has its own website, but no online records of early students.

Peter BARR has a photograph of Shirebrook Academy on Geo-graph, taken in February, 2011. Note that the school is in the very northern part of the parish.