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Etwall

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"Etwall, par., township, and vil., with ry. sta., in co. and 6 miles SW. of Derby -- par., 3,523 ac., pop. 732; township, 2,083 ac., pop. 526; P.O., T.O.; contains Etwall Hall and Etwall Lodge."

From: John BARTHOLOMEW's "Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887)"

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Archives & Libraries

The Etwall Library is on Egginton Road near the intersection with Hilton Road. They are normally open on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The Library does not have a Local Studies and Family History Section, but they do offer free internet access.

Alernatively, the Derby City Library is an excellent resource with a Local History section and a Family History section and a staff familiar with family history requests.

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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.
1861R.G. 9 / 1960
1891R.G. 12 / 2197
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Church History

  • The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Helen.
     
  • The church was built in the 12th century, but the web page author could find no specific date reported.
     
  • The church was badly damaged by a storm on 20 June, 1545.
     
  • The church was restored in 1881.
     
  • A Chapel of Ease was erected in Burnaston township in 1839, but was later used by the Primitive Methodists. The Methodists added a new chapel in 1884.
     
  • The church is a Grade I listed building with British Heritage.
     
  • John SUTTON has a photograph of St. Helen's Church on Geo-graph, taken in 1997.
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Church Records

  • The Anglican parish register dates from 1557.
     
  • Marriages at Etwall, 1557-1837 are available in Nigel BATTY-SMITH's database of scanned images of Phillimore's Parish Registers.
     
  • The church was in the rural deanery of Longford.
     
  • Mike BARDILL has a photograph of the Methodist Church on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2006.
     
  • The parish also contains a modern Buddhist temple.
     
  • Mike BARDILL also has a photograph of the Buddhist Centre on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2006.
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Civil Registration

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

"ETWALL is a pleasant village, in the township of Etwall and Bearward-Cote, in the parish of Etwall, and hundred of Appletree, 6 miles W.S.W. from Derby, situate on the road leading from that town to Uttoxeter, in Staffordshire. This village is the residence of several genteel families, but is destitute of manufactures, and its local trade is very unimportant."

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

Today, Etwall is 128 miles north of London, and sitting just north of the A50, west of the intersection with the A38. Visit the Etwall Village website for more information.

You can see pictures of Etwall which are provided by:

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Directories

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Gazetteers

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History

  • Transcription of section of Lysons' Topographical and Historical Account of Derbyshire, 1817, for Etwall by Barbarann AYARS.
     
  • About 2/3 of the land in the parish was used for dairy pasturage.
     
  • The parish had a meeting room used for various meetings, also as a reading room, a library and a mens club.
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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK268319 (Lat/Lon: 52.883897, -1.603181), Etwall which are provided by:

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Medical Records

  • Sir John PORT founded Etwall Hospital circa 1621. It was rebuilt in 1681.
     
  • An Isolation Hospital was built in Sandy Pits Lane in 1902.
     
  • The Hospital closed in 1980.
     
  • Patient records were not archived.
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Military History

  • Richard COOKE has a photograph of the War Memorial on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2014.
     
  • Major Matthew Smith DAWSON, retired, of the Nottinghamshire Yeomanry (Sherwwod Rangers) resided in the parish in 1912.
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Military Records

From the Derbyshire War Memorial site:

  1. ADAMS George Edward. Private, 15610, 1st Grenadier Guards
  2. ADAMS Thomas William. Private 200689, P Company, 2/5th Sherwood Foresters
  3. BLOOD Thomas Richard. Private, 268884, 16th Sherwood Foresters
  4. BURTON James. Private 2554, 1st Northumberland Fusiliers
  5. CHAPLIN Arthur. Lieutenant, 4th Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery
  6. CHAPLIN Humphrey Marmaduke. Lieutenant, 3rd attached 2nd Cheshire Regt.
  7. DAWSON Alfred. Major, 14th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
  8. GARRATT William Henry. Private 25035, 8th North Staffordshire Regt.
  9. GREGSON Frank Sergeant PO/15775 Royal Marine Light Infantry on HMS Egmont
  10. GREGSON Harold. Gunner 314628, 91st Heavy Battery (South Midland) Royal Garrison Artillery
  11. GRIFFEN (cwgc listed as GRIFFIN) James. Rifleman C/6364, 21st King's Royal Rifle Corps.
  12. MANSFIELD Thomas. Private 5/85427, 91st Training Reserve Battalion, KOYLI.
  13. RUSHBY John. Private 5623, 1st/7th Northumberland Fusiliers
  14. SLATER John Charles. Private 60440, 15th Sherwood Foresters
  15. SMITH George, Private 13127, 2nd Duke of Wellington's West Riding Regt.
  16. STATHAM Joseph. Private 13461, 11th Sherwood Foresters
  17. TOON Gerald Harold. Gunner 95662, 146th Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery
  18. WELCH Robert William. Private TR/6/2780, 53rd Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regt.
  19. WHITWORTH William Arthur. Gunner, 232230, D Battery, 88th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery

Robert W. WELCH is buried in St. Helen's churchyard.

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Names, Geographical

The village name comes from Etewelle, meaning "Eatta’s water", Eatta being a 7th-century Saxon leader. Etwall is famous for its well dressing festival every May.

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Newspapers

Jane TAYLOR of Redcar provides this announcement from the Derby Mercury of 16 December, 1802: MARRIED "On Thursday last, Etwall, in this county, Mr. Geo. HODGKINSON, of Matlock, to.Miss Catherine CLAY, of the former place."

Jane TAYLOR offers this snippet from the Derby Mercury of 14 Feb 1805: MARRIED "On Saturday se'nnight at Etwall, in this county, Mr. BAILEY, jun. to Miss CLARKE, both of that place."

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Politics & Government

  • This place was an ancient parish in county Derby and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
     
  • This ancient parish contained the three townships of Etwall, Bearwardcote and Burnaston.
     
  • Burnaston became a separate modern Civil Parish in late 1866.
     
  • This parish was in the ancient Appletree Hundred (or Wapentake).
     
  • District governance is provided by the South Derbyshire District Council.
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Derby petty session hearings.
     
  • There is an index of nearly twenty Etwall Bastardy Papers held at the DRO on the Yesterdays Journey website. Select "Bastardy Papers" on the left side, then "Etwall" 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.
     
  • Jophn SUTTON has a photograph of the Etwall Almshouses on Geo-graph, taken in 1997. These were endowed by Sir John PORT in 1556.
     
  • In 1912, these almshouses provided quarters for 16 poor men of the parish. Each man received 12 shillings per week.
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Schools

The John Port Spencer Academy, formerly known as John Port School, is an academy and secondary school in the parish.