DERBYSHIRE was, in the time of the Britons, a portion of the district that made up the kingdom of the Coritani. During the government of the Romans, it formed a part of Britannia Prima; and under the Heptarchy, it was included in the kingdom of Mercia. It is seated nearly in the centre of England, and is bounded on the east by the county of Nottingham, and a part of Leicestershire; on the west, it is divided from Staffordshire and Cheshire by the rivers Trent, Dove, and Goyt; on the north, it has Yorkshire and a part of Cheshire; and on the south is Leicestershire. Its figure is very irregular, approaching nearest to that of a triangle. The greatest length from south-east to north-west is about 56 miles, and its width from east-north-east to west-south-west 33. It contains 972 square miles, and 622,080 statute acres.
This county is divided into the hundreds of High Peak, Scarsdale, Appletree, Repton, and Gresley, Morelston and Litchurch, and the Wapentake of Wirksworth. It contains 16 market towns, viz. Alfreton, Ashbourne, Ashover, Bakewell, Belper, Buxton, Chapel-en-le-Frith, Chesterfield, Crich, Cromford, Derby, Heanor, Ilkeston, Sideswell, Winstler, and Wirksworth. It consists of 117 parishes; is included as an archdeaconry in the diocese of Lichfield and Coventry; and divided into six deaneries, viz. High Peak, Chesterfield, Ashbourne, Castillar, Derby, and Repington. Two members are returned to Parliament from the county, and two from the town of Derby. Derby gives the title of Earl to the noble family of Stanley; Chesterfield, the same to that of Stanhope; and Hartington affords the title of Marquis to his Grace the Duke of Devonshire.
There is no English county that presents such a surface and variety of scenery as Derbyshire. The surface of Soil. the southern district is, for the most part, pretty level, containing nothing remarkable in its hills, and consequently little of the picturesque. But the northern part abounds in hill and dale, and the scenery is
Derbyshire. in many places romantic and sublime. The county gradually rises from the south to the town of Wirksworth, and thence to the north, assumes a mountainous appearance, which it continues to possess to its extremity. These elevations are the commencement of that mountainous ridge, which from hence divides the island, extending into Scotland. The highest points in the mountainous tract of Derbyshire are, Ax Edge, about three miles south-west of Buxton; Lord's Seat, near Castleton; and Kinderscout, near the north-western extremity of the county. About the town of Derby, and to the south of it, the country is flat and low. In the hilly districts, some of the valleys are very beautiful, particularly those of Castleton and Glossop; but what constitutes the most picturesque and singular scenery of this county, is the great number and variety of smaller valleys, or dales, with which the limestone district abounds. These may differ in extent, and some particular circumstances, but the general characteristics of them all are precipitous rocks, of very singular and picturesque forms, with mountain streams and rivulets running through the lower parts of the dales, whose sides are generally well wooded. The most celebrated of these are, Matlock-Dale, on the river Derwent; Monsal-Dale, the upper part of which is called Millers-Dale, on the river Wye; Middleton-Dale, Eyam-Dale, and Dove-Dale. In Matlock-Dale is a stupendous rock, called the High-Tor, rising almost perpendicularly from the river, to the height of about 300 feet.
The soils of Derbyshire consist chiefly of clay, loam, sand, and peat, very irregularly intermixed. The southern part, which has been distinguished by the appellation of the fertile district, consists principally of a red loam, on various subsoils, which approaches nearer to marl, clay, loam, sand, grit or gravel, according to the nature of the substratum, or its exposure to the atmosphere. Peat mosses are abundant in the northern part of the county, denominated High Peak. The substrata of most of the southern portion of the county consist of gravel, intermixed with large portions of red marl of very irregular forms; in several parts of which are beds of gypsum of considerable extent. The substrata of the other parts of Derbyshire consist of limestone of various kinds, and toadstone; shale and gritstone; coal and indurated clay resting on each other, in alternate layers.
Derbyshire is a well wooded county; and several of the noblemen's parks afford fine oak of noble appearance. Those of Kedleston Park, the seat of Lord Scarsdale, are supposed to be the largest and oldest in the kingdom, several being thought to be eight hundred years old.
Climate. The atmosphere and climate of Derbyshire vary very much in different parts. From its northern situation, even the southern part of the county is colder, and more frequently visited with rain, than many of the more central counties. In summer, cold and thick fogs are frequently seen hanging over the rivers, and surrounding the bases of the hills; and hoar frosts are not unfrequent in the months of June and July. Owing to the great elevation of the
northern parts, some kinds of grain will not grow at Derbyshire. all in the Peak; and even that which is sown in the more sheltered places, is seldom cut till late in the year. The winters are, in general, very severe; and the mountains attracting the clouds in their passage over them, cause this region to be distinguished from the others, by the greater quantity of rain which falls upon it.
The chief rivers are, the Trent, the Derwent, Rivers. the Wye, the Dove, the Erwach, and the Rother. The Trent does not intersect the county, but forms the boundary between it and Staffordshire on the south. The Derwent rises at the northern extremity of the county; its whole length is forty miles. It was formerly navigable from Wynne-Ferry up to Derby, but the navigation was given up when the Derby canal was completed in 1795. The Wye has its origin a little to the north of Buxton, and falls into the Derwent near Rowsley. The Dove, which has its source in the High Peak, a few miles to the south of Buxton, is for many miles the boundary between Derbyshire and Staffordshire; it falls into the Derwent near Newton-Solney. The Wye and the Dove are celebrated for their trout and grayling fishing. The river Rother rises near Padley, and, after running by Chesterfield, enters Yorkshire, near Killamarch. The Erwach flows from the skirts of Sherwood-forest in Nottinghamshire, and falls into the Trent near Long Eaton. The lesser rivers are, the Amber, Barbrook, Burbage, Ecclesburn, Goyt, Lathkill, Maese, and the Morledge.
Derbyshire has several canals intersecting it in different directions. Canals. The Trent and Mersey, or Grand Trunk Canal, communicating between Liverpool and London, and also with Bristol and Hull, was begun in 1766, by the celebrated Brindley, a native of the county, and completed in 1777, under his able successors, Smeaton and Rennie. It passes through Derbyshire, from Burton to its termination at Wilden Ferry, following the course of the Trent. The Chesterfield Canal was begun 1771 by Brindley, and completed by his brother-in-law, Mr Henshall, in 1776. It enters the county at Killamarch, and terminates at Chesterfield. The Langley Bridge, or Erwach Canal, begun in 1777 by Mr Jessop, commences in the Trent navigation, near Sawley, and terminates at Langley Mill. It runs parallel to the little river Erwach, and opens into the Cromford Canal. Peak Forest Canal was commenced in 1794, and finished in 1800. It proceeds from the Ashton-under-Line Canal, near Dukinfield Bridge, and terminates at Chapel Milton, Derbyshire. The Cromford Canal was begun in 1789. Its line is wholly in Derbyshire, commencing at Langley Mill, where the Erwach terminates, and ending at Cromford. It was completed in 1794 by Mr Jessop. Ashby-de-la-Zouch Canal, begun 1793, but not finished until 1805, is connected with the southern part of Derbyshire; its line passing by Willesley and Measham. The line of the Derby Canal is entirely in this county; commencing in the Trent and Mersey Canal, north of Swarkestone, passing by Derby, with a branch to Little Eaton, and terminating in the Erwach Canal, half a mile south of Sandiacre. The
Derbyshire. Nutbrook Canal was made in 1793. It commences in the Erwach Canal, and, after running four miles and a half, finishes at Shipley Wharf.
Derbyshire. This county is celebrated for its abundance of metals and minerals. They are various and plentiful particularly in the limestone strata. Lead ore is found in several forms; but most commonly in galena, or sulphuret of lead. That species called slickenside, having a smooth glossy surface, is found in the Odin and Castleton Mines. The portion of silver united to the Derbyshire lead, is not sufficient to be worth while separating it. A carbonate of lead sometimes occurs. Calamine, or native oxide of zinc, is found at Castleton, Cromford, Bonsall, and Wirksworth. It occurs in various colours, and different qualities; sometimes in nodules, in the form of grapes, and in the ochreous state. Blende, or black-jack, another ore of zinc, is also got. Copper has been found in small quantities only. Pieces considerable in size, detached from any vein, have frequently been met with at Matlock and Bonsall; and a slender vein has been discovered between Tideswell and Buxton.
Iron ore is found, in very great abundance, in all those tracts of the country where coal has been discovered. It lies at different depths; and frequently, from the great dip of the strata, appears on the surface of the ground. The beds of ore are from two to twelve inches thick, producing, generally, that of the argillaceous kind; but the calcareous, or sparry iron ores, of a fine brownish red colour, sometimes bright yellow, scaly, dirty brown, are found in amorphous masses near the surface, and filling insulated places. The principal foundries and forges are, Butterley, Codnor, Morley Park, Wingerworth, Chesterfield, Riddings, and Stavely.
The ore of manganese appears in various forms. The ores of arsenic and antimony appear in small quantities, united with lead ore, quartz crystals, various crystals of calcareous spar, and of fluor, or flu ate of lime, gypsum, selenite, barytes, here called cauk. The most beautiful among the fossils of this county is that admired fluor, known by the name of Blue John, or Derbyshire spar, found in the fissures of the limestone, in the neighbourhood of Castleton. This substance, when polished, exhibits an infinite variety of blue, purple, red, and yellow shades: its being transparent shows the colours to greater advantage. Petroleum, or rock oil, is found in the black marble at Ashford. Elastic bitumen, a substance peculiar to this county, resembling in appearance the common Indian rubber, is found in the cavities of the Odin mine.
Coal is very plentiful, abounding in large fields in several districts. It is of different degrees of hardness; comes out of the pit in long stratified pieces of shining fracture; burns with a brilliant flame and cracking noise, and leaves a reddish white ash.
The limestone of this county is of various colours, white, grey, yellow, blue, and black, and of various qualities; some being soft, and some being sufficiently hard to be polished into beautiful marble. Fine free-stone, toadstone, shale, clunch, stalactitical concretions, and fuller's-earth, are found in different parts.
Impressions of leaves and plants, a great variety of coralline bodies, fossil shells, and even a small alliga-
tor, have been found imbedded in the limestone of Derbyshire, this county.
The warm mineral and other springs have long been celebrated. The principal are those of Buxton and Matlock. The heat of the Buxton water is 82°, never varying on account of the temperature of the atmosphere. The water is remarkably pure, being very slightly impregnated with saline particles. It is used both for bathing and drinking, and is chiefly recommended for gout, rheumatism, derangement of the biliary and digestive organs, and diseases of the urinary passages, for all of which it is of considerable efficacy. There are several public and private baths, both for ladies and gentlemen, and one open gratis to the poor. It appears from several remains discovered at different times, that these waters were known to the Romans; and, from their time to the present, they have been resorted to by invalids.
Matlock water is not so warm as the Buxton, the thermometer seldom rising to more than 68° of Fahrenheit. The springs issue from between fifteen and thirty yards above the level of the river: higher or lower the springs are cold, differing in nothing from common water. The water is very pure, and less impregnated with mineral substances than that of Buxton. There are several baths at Matlock, which are much resorted to.
There is a tepid chalybeate spring at Bakewell, the temperature of which is about 59 degrees. It is tonic, and recommended for indigestion, debility, and chronic rheumatism. Here is one bath. There is also, at this place, a spring, which has been found to contain, in 60 quarts, 13 cubic inches of sulphurated hydrogen. The tepid spring at Stony-Middleton much resembles that of Matlock, but is not so warm, being only 63 degrees. There are several other tepid springs in the county. Among the sulphureous springs, that of Kedleston is the strongest. It is like the Harrowgate water; and is used externally for most cutaneous diseases, particularly for those of an ulcerous nature; it is taken internally as an antiscorbutic and diuretic. There are cold and warm-baths. Other sulphureous springs are found in many districts. The most celebrated chalybeate water is at Quarndon, two miles from Derby, which is a good deal frequented.
Among the wonders of Derbyshire, all authors mention the intermitting spring at Bar Moor near Tideswell. It is generally called the Ebbing and Flowing well: but the intermission is not regular; for, in dry seasons, the ebbing and flowing ceases for several weeks; and in wet weather it often ebbs and flows every ten minutes.
The south and south-east parts of this county are the best cultivated; for great quantities of excellent wheat and barley are grown there. The arable lands in the northern parts are chiefly cultivated for oats, of which grain there is a great consumption; oatmeal bread, leavened, being the principal food of the lower classes. The dairy country is around Ashbourne and the south-western side of the county, whence not less than 2000 tons of cheese are annually exported. In the neighbourhood of Chesterfield there are about 80 acres of land employed in the growth of chamo-
Derbyshire. mile. This useful plant was introduced into the county about 1740; and it produces from three to six cwt. per acre, and is chiefly consumed at home and in America. Valerian and elecampane are cultivated in Ashover and North Wingfield, in small quantities.
The breed of cows in this county has been very much improved of late years. They are, in general, horned, large, and handsome; yielding, upon an average, ten quarts of milk a-day. They are, most commonly, speckled, with large well-turned horns; though of late, the short-horned Lancashire breed has been introduced. Nature seems to have adapted the horses in Derbyshire to the different regions in which she designed them to labour. In the northern districts the breed is small, of light and slender make; in the southern parts they are in general of a strong and heavy kind; and in the stables of the country gentlemen, this beautiful animal may be found in the perfection of its symmetry. The sheep also vary in size; those that are bred on the borders of Leicestershire differ but little in weight from that county breed; but they gradually diminish in size as we proceed northwards, till they get as small as any in the kingdom. The parks in the county are well stocked with fallow-deer.
The woollen manufactories, for which this county was formerly celebrated, are now confined to the worsted-spinning at Derby, Melbourne, and Tideswell; and to the weaving a few blankets at Chesterfield. The first silk-mill established in this kingdom was introduced into Derby in the beginning of the last century; the improved machinery of which was brought from Italy by the celebrated John Lombe. This mill is still worked with the original machinery; but great improvements have been made of late years in the construction of the spinning apparatus; and the facility attained in working the several articles of silk manufacture, has contributed to the extension of this branch of business in a very eminent degree. The manufacture of stockings was introduced into Derbyshire about 1717; and this acquired additional celebrity by the ingenious discovery of Strutt, who introduced a machine for making ribbed stockings about the year 1755.
The manufacture of cotton was introduced in the year 1771, when Sir Richard Arkwright, the inventor, established one of the first cotton-mills on the improved principles; and, in 1773, he, in conjunction with Mr Jedediah Strutt and Mr Need, made at Derby the first successful attempt to establish the manufacture of calicoes in this kingdom. This county, therefore, is the cradle of the most important branches of the cotton trade; and, at the present moment, an immense capital is employed in the business, which is carried on to a great extent.
There are in several places manufactures of linen; and flax-spinning is carried on in others, but upon a small scale. White and red-lead works; various manufactures connected with the iron-trade; marble and spar works; a long established and celebrated porcelain manufactory; and grindstone mills are found in different parts of the county.
Among the singular customs of Derbyshire may be mentioned that of rush-bearing; a ceremony of
strewing the churches on a certain day with rushes. Derbyshire. It usually takes place on the anniversary of the dedication of the church, or on midsummer eve. The ancient custom of hanging up in the churches garlands of roses, with a pair of gloves cut out of white paper, which had been carried before the corpses of unmarried women at their funerals, still prevails in many parishes of the Peak. The country wakes are generally observed here, on the Sunday following the day of the dedication of the church or chapel, or the day of the saint to whom it is dedicated.
The British antiquities of this county are druidical circles, tumuli of earth and stones, rocking-stones, rock-basins, and some rude military works in the uncultivated parts of the county. The Roman remains deserving of notice are, the altar preserved in Haddon-Hall; the inscribed pigs of lead now in the British Museum; and the silver plate found in Risley Park. Several Roman roads, the remains of which are still visible, passed through the county; and many stations of consequence may be easily traced.
The ecclesiastical edifices of this county exhibit the taste of different ages. Of the Saxon period is the Crypt under Repton Church, which is supposed to be the remains of the conventual church, destroyed by the Danes in the year 874. Melbourne church is a very perfect specimen of the massy style of architecture which prevailed in the eleventh century. The desecrated church of Steetly exhibits a very complete specimen of the latter and more enriched style of Saxon architecture on a small scale. Other and numerous remains of Saxon architecture are to be found in this county.
Specimens of the early Gothic style are not frequent; and those of the fifteenth and sixteenth century are inconsiderable, except the tower of All-Saints at Derby, which has been generally and deservedly admired: it is about 150 feet high, and richly ornamented with Gothic tracing.
The only monastic buildings in this county, of which any remains at present exist, are Dale-Abbey, the arch of the east window of which still stands; Beauchief-Abbey, now used as a church; part of the original Saxon monastery of Repton, and an ancient brick tower, part of the prior's lodging.
The ancient castles of Derbyshire, whose ruins now remain, are those of Castleton, Codnor, Horsley, and Melbourne. Castleton was, most probably, erected by William Peverell, to whom the manor was given by William the Conqueror. Connor was the ancient seat of the Grey family. Horsley was built in the beginning of the thirteenth century, by Ferrers, Earl of Derby, and Melbourne existed as early as the time of Edward the Third.
The most remarkable mansion-house in this county, in point of antiquity, is Haddon-Hall, belonging to the Duke of Rutland. It has been erected at various times, but no part later than the middle of the sixteenth century. Hardwick Hall, belonging to the Duke of Devonshire, is another pile of the above description, exhibiting a complete specimen of the domestic architecture, which prevailed among the upper ranks, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Balborough Hall is another handsome mansion of the sixteenth century. The manor-house of
Derbyshire South-Wingfield, a very splendid and spacious edifice, erected by Lord Cromwell, in the reign of Henry VI. is now a mere ruin, having been suffered to go to decay, soon after the civil war, in the seventeenth century.
Derbyshire Gentry. The noblemen's seats are, Chatsworth, the chief seat, and Hardwicke, the occasional residence, of the Duke of Devonshire. Elvaston, the seat of the Earl of Harrington; Sudbury, of Lord Vernon; Kedleston, the elegant mansion of Lord Scarsdale; Bretby, the seat of the Chesterfield family; Sutton, the seat of the Marquis of Ormond; Doveridge, of Lord Waterpark; and Hassop, of the Earl of Newburgh.
Derbyshire Gentry. The Baronets' seats are, Ashbourne Hall, of Sir Brooke Boothby; Wingerworth, of Sir Henry Hunloke; Egginton, of Sir Henry Every; Sissington, of Sir H. Fitzherbert; Chaddesden, of Sir R. Wilmot; Osmaston, of Sir R. Wilmot; Foremark, of Sir F. Burdett; and Stretton, of Sir W. C. Browne.
Derbyshire Gentry. There are several elegant and extensive mansions belonging to the gentry of the county; the principal of which are, Willersley, of R. Arkwright, Esq.; Markeaton, of F. Mundy, Esq.; Longford, E. Coke, Esq.; Radborne, E. S. C. Pole, Esq.; Bridge Hill, of G. B. Strutt, Esq.; Hopton, of P. Gell, Esq.; Shipley, of E. M. Mundy, Esq.; Norton, of S. Shore, Esq.; Alfreton, of H. C. Morewood.
Derbyshire Population. The population of Derbyshire, 1877, assessed to a poll-tax, was 24,289. In 1789, the inhabitants were supposed to be 124,465. In 1801, they were 161,142. In 1811, 185,487, according to the returns made to Parliament. See Pilkington's, Davies's, and Lyson's Histories of Derbyshire. (v. x.)