Darley (Dale)

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Description of Darley Dale & St Helen's Church

The village of Darley Dale is situated about 4 miles north of Matlock on the Derby to Bakewell Road. At the time of the Domesday Survey of 1086, it was a royal manor, listed as having a church and a priest. Darley is a pleasant and extensive parish, stretching away from the busy main road and contains the hamlets of Toadhole, Sydnope, Farley, Hackney, Tinkersley, Oakerside and Oaker-end. Also included in the parish were South Darley until 1845 and Rowsley until 1860. The parish is borded by Ashover to the east, Rowsley to the north, Stanton, Wensley & Snitterton to the west and Rowsley and Beeley to the north.

The inhabitants were chiefly employed in agriculture. There were some employed in flax spinning, paper making and framework knitting. Lead smelting also took place in the area. Today Darley is a 'dormitory' village.

Principal landowners were the Darleys, Wendesleys, Rollesleys, Collumbells and the Duke of Rutland, other names connected with ownership of land were those of Sir Francis Darwin of Sydnope, Arthur Heathcote, Christopher Potter and the family of Daykeyne. The Daykeynes invented the hydraulic engine to work machinery. The Daykeyne family under several variations of spelling is one of the most ancient in the area.

Pedigrees printed in 'Glover's Derbyshire Directory' are Bower, Potter, Gisborne, Foljambe, Plumpton, Sotehill, Rocliffe, Heathcote, Dakeyne and Walthall.

The church of St. Helen Darley dates from the 12th century and was restored in 1877, with new seating fitted in 1885. The church porch contains several sepulchral slabs, some dating possibly from the 9th century and some are built into various parts of the church exterior walls. In the churchyard are table tombs dating from the early 17th century with sculptures on their sides indicating tools of trade. Also in the churchyard is a Yew tree, one of the largest and most ancient in England.

MEMORIAL STONE
A number of gravestones have been removed from the west of the church to make way for a parish room. These were recorded by DARG before they were removed. Some have survived this removal and are now leaning by the churchyard wall, others have been broken and lost. A stone was erected in 1992 to the memory of those whose remains were disinterred and placed in a communal grave.

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