CROMFORD, Derbyshire

Bibliography

• Allsop, Eddie - Around Cromford Dam. Scarthin Books, 2005. ISBN 1-900446-08-1.
  
  
• Naylor, Peter J - Cromford - A History. Watnay Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-84114-185-2.
  
  
• Potter, Hugh - The Cromford Canal. Tempus, 2003. ISBN 0-7524-2802-0.
  
  
• Waite, Glynn - Cromford Station - A History. Pynot Publishing, 2009. ISBN 978-0-9562706-0-3. Added 19 Aug 2009.
  
  
• Memories of Cromford : A Derbyshire Village seen through the eyes of its people 1900 - 2000. Cromford Womens' Institute, 2001. No ISBN.

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Census

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

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Church History

• There was an ancient chaple here before 1857, but all traces of it had disappeared by then.
  
  
• The Anglican parish chaple is on Mill Lane and is dedicated to Saint Mary.
  
  
• The chaple was built as a Chapel of Ease in 1792.
  
  
• The chaple was restored and improved in 1858.
  
  
• The chaple was renovated in 2002.
  
  
• The chaple seats 450.
  
  
• The church has its own website with information for attendees.
  
  
• A Chaple of Ease was dedicated to Saint Mark and erected in 1877.
  
  
• St. Mark's seats 200

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Church Records

• The Anglican parish register dates from 1797.
  
  
• A CD containing a transcription of The Parish Registers of St Mary's Church, Cromford is available for purchase from Valerie Neal.
  
  
• Check for parish church records at Dusty Docs.
  
  
• The church was in the rural deanery of Wirksworth.
  
  
• The Wesleyan Methodists built a chapel here in 1810 and enlarged it in 1840. There is now a Methodist church on Water Lane.
  
  
• The Primitive Methodists built a chapel here on Scarthing road in 1853.
  
  
• There is also a Congrationalist church in Cromford, but it may be modern.

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Civil Registration

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

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Description and Travel

"CROMFORD, a market-town and township, in the parish of Wirksworth, situate about midway between that town and Matlock, is eminently distinguished by the extensive cotton works, established by the late Sir Richard Arkwright, the father of the improvements effected in this branch of trade in this country. These works are now in the proprietary of Messrs. Peter Arkwright and Co. which, with the lead mines, smelting works, manufacture of red lead, grinding and preparing calaminaris, &c. give employment to a great number of hands, and renders this village of high importance in a mercantile view, to which the Cromford canal, and "Cromford and High Peak railway", are great auxiliaries."

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

The parish lies 147 miles north of London. There is passenger train service to and from Cromford, but the station at Cromford is not staffed. Travel time from Derby is approximately 26 minutes. The station was origianlly known as "Cromfield Bridge."

The parish has its own website with information for travellers and family historians.

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Directories

• Ann Andrews provides a transcription of the Cromford entry from Kelly's Directory of the Counties of Derby, Notts, Leicester and Rutland (1891).

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Gazetteers

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

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Military Records

• For a photograph of the Cromford War Memorials and a list of the names on them see the Cromford War Memorial page.

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Politics and Government

• This place was an ancient Chapelry in Wirksworth parish but became a separate modern Civil Parish in December, 1866.
• This parish was in the ancient Wirksworth Hundred (or Wapentake).
• In April, 1934, this Civil Parish gave up 5 acres which joined WIrkworth Civil Parish, and it gained 6 different acres from WIrkworth in a boundary re-alignment.

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• In 1662 Lady ARMYNE established almshouses for six poor widows of the parish.
  
  
• Bastardy cases were heard at the Petty Sessional Hearings in Wirksworth.
  
  
• With the passage of the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, this parish became the center of the Bakewell Poorlaw Union.
  

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