Hide

Bretby

hide
Hide

Wikipedia tells us:

"Bretby is a village and civil parish in the south of Derbyshire, England, north of Swadlincote and east of Burton upon Trent, on the border between Derbyshire and Staffordshire."

Hide
topup

Archives & Libraries

The nearby Swadlincote Library is an excellent resource with a Local History section and a Family History section.

Alternatively, the Library at Burton-on-Trent, although in Staffordshire, is also a useful source for your research.

topup

Cemeteries

Bretby Crematorium is located on Geary Lane southwest of the village.  it is managed by the South Derbyshire District Council.

There are No memorial stones at Bretby Crematorium, but an online, digital Book of Remembrance can be accessed. Many Bretby residents can be found on the burial list for Repton.

Jonathan THACKER has a photograph of Bretby Crematorium on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2015.

Bretby was performing burials in the churchyard prior to the Reformation.

topup

Census

  • The parish was in the Repton sub-district of the Burton on Trent Registration District.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
     
Census
Year
Piece No.
1841H.O. 107 / 192
1861R.G. 9 / 1961
1881R.G. 11 / 2756
1891R.G. 12 / 2197
topup

Church History

  • The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Wystan.
     
  • The original "church" here was actually a chapel of ease for Repton. The chapel was apparently a wooden structure.
     
  • The church was entirely rebuilt in 1878.
     
  • The church was not licensed for marriages until 1911.
     
  • The church seats 130.
     
  • Robert COURT has a photograph of St. Wystan's Church on Geograph, taken in April, 2006.
     
  • Richard LAW also has a photograph of St. Wystan's Church on Geograph, taken in March, 2013 while there was still some snow on the ground.
     
topup

Church Records

  • The Anglican parish register dates from 1766 (and appears to be only baptisms).
     
  • Rootsweb has NO recorded burials for this parish from 1800 through 1980.
     
  • The church was in the rural deanery of Repton.
     
  • David ROGERS has a photograph of the Bretby Methodist Church on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2009.
     
topup

Civil Registration

  • Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
     
  • The parish was in the Repton sub-district of the Burton on Trent Registration District.
topup

Description & Travel

"BRETBY, or Bradby, is a hamlet, in the parish of Repton, about a mile and a half from that village. Bretby Castle, the seat of the Earl of Chesterfield, is here; the scenery around which is very beautiful. The population returns for Bretby include those for MELTON [Ed: a.k.a. Milton] hamlet, together amounting to 325 persons."

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

There is a more current description of Bretby at Derbyshire UK.

You can see pictures of Bretby which are provided by:

topup

Directories

topup

Gazetteers

topup

Manors

Stephen RICHARDS has a photograph of Bretby Hall on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2002. The Hall stands about 1.5 miles southwest of Bretby village.

Bretby Hall was sold on to Derbyshire County Council in 1919 for use as an orthopaedic hospital, opening in 1926. The Hospital was taken over by the National Health Service in 1948 and finally closed in 1997.

topup

Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK311216 (Lat/Lon: 52.79086, -1.540029), Bretby which are provided by:

topup

Military History

Jonathan THACKER has a photograph of the War Memorial and village pump on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2015. The War Memorial was dedicated in 1922.

topup

Obituaries

The following are from the Derby Telegraph (the date is the date of the obit.):

  • 29 Mar 1913 Rev. George William ALLEN 70
  • 24 Oct 1922 J. P. STARTIN 69
topup

Politics & Government

  • This place was an ancient Chapelry in Repton parish in Derby county and it was incorporated as a separate modern Civil parish in December, 1866.
     
  • This place was in the ancient Repton and Gresley Hundred (or Wapentake).
     
  • You may contact the Bretby Parish Council regarding civic or political matters, but they are NOT funded to help you with family history questions.
     
  • District governance is provided by the South Derbyshire District Council.
topup

Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Repton petty session hearings.
     
  • There is an index of a single Bretby Bastardy Paper held at the DRO on the Yesterdays Journey website. Select "Bastardy Papers" on the left side, then "Bretby" from the list of parishes displayed.
     
  • As a result of the 1834 Poorlaw Amendment Act, this parish became a member of the Burton upon Trent Poorlaw Union.
topup

Schools

A Public Elementary School (mixed) was built here in 1806 and enlarged a century later in 1906 to hold 90 children. This school has since closed and has been converted to a private residence.

Jonathan THACKER has a photograph of the Old School on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2015.