ASHBOURNE, Derbyshire

Bibliography

• Porter, Lyndsey - The Spirit of Asbourne: 2. Landmark Publishing Ltd., 2002. ISBN 1-84306-065-5.

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Census

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

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Church History

• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Oswald.
  
  
• Most of the church was originally constructed in 1241, replacing an earlier Saxon and Norman structure.
  
  
• King Charles attended devine services in this church in 1645.
  
  
• The church was repewed and renovated in 1840.
  
  
• The church was restored in 1845.
• The church has its own website.
  
  

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Church Records

• The Anglican parish registers exist from 1538.
  
  
• We have a pop-up window of an extract of Ashbourne burials in a text file for your review. Your additions are welcomed.
  
  
• The church was in the rural deanery of Ashbourne.
  
  
• The Sion Independent Chapel on Derby Road was built in 1800.
  
  
• The Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in Compton was built in 1822.
  
  
• The Primitive Methodist Chapel on Union Street was built in 1846.

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Civil Registration

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

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Correctional Institutions

• The New Prison, or Lock-up, was built in Union Street in 1844. It only had 4 cells.
  
  
• It is not known to the web-page author if any records remain for this facility.

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Description and Travel

"ASHBOURN is a market town in the parish of its name, which is partly in the hundred of Appletree, and partly in that of Wirksworth; 139 miles N.N.W. from London, 46 S.E. from Manchester, 13 N.W. from Derby, and 9 S.W. from Wirksworth. The town is situate in an interesting part of the country, rather hilly, and well wooded - interspersed with rich valleys, productive meadows, and clear streams - amongst the latter is Compton brook, famous for its trout, and as having contributed to the sport of the poetical anglers, Walton and Cotton."

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

The parish is 146 miles north of London and covers 10,167 acres. Visit Ashbourne Town on the Internet for current events.

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Gazetteers

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

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History

• In the 1086 Domesday Book this place is listed as "Esseburn".
  
  
• The town received its Market Charter in 1257.
  
  
• A large part of the land was used for grazing in the 19th century and cheesemaking was a major industry in the area.
  
  
• The Gas Works on Machester Road were built in 1840 and expanded in 1852.
  
  
• Ashbourn County Court started operation on 15 March, 1847 and held its sessions at the Green Man Inn each month.

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Politics and Government

• This place was an ancient township and parish in Derby county and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
  
  
• This parish was partly in the ancient Wirksworth Hundred (or Wapentake).
  

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• Bastardy cases were heard at the Petty Sessional Hearings at the Green Man Inn every Saturday.
  
  
• With the passage of the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, this parish became the center of the Ashbourn Poorlaw Union.
  

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Schools

• A grammar school on Church Street at Ashbourne was founded in 1585 under the will of Sir Thomas COCKAYNE, with William BRADBURN and others; now known as Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School.
  
  
• "It is also probable that a school - perhaps (a) chantry school - had also been founded prior to the Reformation at Ashbourne."
  (Ref: A History of Derbyshire, Gladwyn Turbutt, 1999).
  
  
• There was also another Free School on Church Street endowed in 1710 by Nicholas SPALDIN.
  
  
• A National School existed here in 1857 just north of the church.
  
  
• A large Infant School existed here in 1857 on Back Lane. It held about 100 children.

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