Nearby places
BONSALL, Derbyshire
"BONSALL is a parish, containing a village which was once a
market town, and the market cross, consisting of a pillar,
bearing the date of 1687, resting on a base formed by an
ascent of fifteen steps, still remains. The houses which
form the village are scattered over a considerable plot of
ground, the centre of which is between three and four miles
N.W. from Wirksworth, and about one mile and a half from
Cromford; the approach to it from the latter place being by
the Via Gellia, a singularly romantic ravine."
[There is further information for Bonsall]
[Description from
Pigot and Co's Commercial Directory for Derbyshire, 1835]
- Bonsall - A Village and its History. The Bonsall History Project, 2006.
Chapters are on: 1 Geology of the Bonsall Area;
2 Archaeology, Prehistory and Early History of Bonsall and its Region;
3 A Thousand Years of Growth; 4 Running Bonsall;
5 Bonsall at School; 6 Bonsall at Prayer;
7 Roads and Transport; 8 Architecture and Building;
9 Farming; 10 Lead mining, fluorspar and opencast mining;
11 Other Extractive Industries; 12 Working with Renewable Materials;
13 Food and Drink; 14 Textiles; 15 Bonsall at War;
16 Bonsall at Play; 17 The Bonsall Factor; Index of family names.
This is by far the best of the many village histories I've read. The lists of family names in
Chapter 3 - 'A Thousand Years of Growth' are a real treat for any Family Historian, but
the accompanying analyses really bring the past to life in a way that no simple lists can.
For instance, I was made aware that the 17th century Inventories - the accounts of goods
owned by the deceased, which we are so familiar with from our own research - were of
real people, and I could well imagine walking into the shop belonging to the ABELL family
in the 17th century, and seeing some of the Inventory goods for sale. A bargain
for £10 + post and package, but please see the
Bonsall History Project website for how to order.
- Bonsall - A Portrait of a Village and its Church. The Bonsall History Project, 2000.
- Bonsall was, during the early 19th century, a centre of tortoiseshell comb
manufacture. Here is a list of all the Comb Makers recorded on the
Bonsall, 1841 Census,
transcribed by Rosemary Lockie.
- Transcriptions of the
Wirksworth Area Census covering Bonsall
for the whole of 1841, 1851 and 1881 (other years to follow) are
available on John Palmer's Wirksworth site. This site
also features Histories of Bonsall, from various sources.
- The Bonsall History Project -
members of the project are writing a history of Bonsall, due to be published in
Autumn 2004. This site devoted to publicising the project and also provides a way
for members and others to share information.
- The Bonsall Map Project -
"Created by its people, the Bonsall map celebrates the unique village of
Bonsall in Derbyshire. It uses lively text and full-colour illustrations to
portray this community and its history".
Copies are also available for purchase via
Scarthin Books of Cromford.
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[Created 12 Mar 1999. Last updated 17 Nov 2009 - 11:51 by Rosemary Lockie]
