EYAM, Derbyshire

Bibliography

• Clarence Daniel, The Story of Eyam Plague with a Guide to the Village, 1977, 1983 & 1985. Published by the author (now sadly deceased) at 'Le Roc', Eyam, Sheffield; still available locally in Eyam.
  
  
• John Clifford, Eyam Plague, 1665-1666, first published 1989. Revised 1993 and 1995. Printed by The Print Centre, Sheffield. Available for sale at Eyam Post Office.
  
  
• Wood, William - The History & Antiquities of Eyam, 1865. Reprinted as facsimile by Country Books, 2006. ISBN 1-901214-34-6. Added 11 Sep 2006.

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Census

• The Census returns for Eyam are split into two. 'East of the Church' includes part of the modern village of Stoney Middleton. The village of Stoney Middleton on the Lover's Leap side of the brook belonged to Eyam parish until 1934.
  
  
• 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

• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Lawrence, but 19th century directories list it as dedicated to Saint Helen. The webpage author is uncertain why this is ao reported.
  
  
• The church stands in the centre of the village.
  
  
• The chancel and the tower were rebuilt around 1615.
  
  
• The church was restored again in 1868.
  
  
• The church seats 400.
  
  
• The was a small mission chapel built at Foolow in 1889.
  

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Church Records

• The Anglican parish register dates from 1636.
  
  
• We have a pop-up window of Parish Register burials extracted (partial) into a text file for your review. Your additions are welcomed.
  
  
• A CD containing a transcription of The Parish Registers of St Lawrence's Church is available for purchase from Valerie Neal. Added 8 Mar 2006.
  
  
• The first surviving Eyam Parish Register (12 September 1630 - 21 January 1768) has been transcribed by John & Francine Clifford, and the first section, 1630-1700, has been printed and is available for purchase as one of Derbyshire Record Society Publications.
  
  
• The second General Register covers baptisms and burials for the period 1768-1812. There are three baptism registers; 1813-1845, 1846-1890 and 1891-1913; two marriage registers prior to 1837; 1754-1790, and 1791-1837, and an unbroken series of marriage registers from 1837 onwards until (I think) the 1950s. There is one burial register covering the period 1813-66.
  
  The registers are all in excellent condition, and are available for searching at the Derbyshire Record Office; however, the first register may be consulted only on microfilm. The Clifford's transcription is however excellent, and a result of a combined transcription of the PR and BTs, so you don't really need to!
  
  All the more recent registers, including burials from 1867 to the present day, are still in the possession of the Incumbent. However, the burials register, when I consulted it in 1987 at the church was almost full, so if anyone knows differently, and it too has been lodged in the Record Office, please let me know.
  
  
• Bishops Transcripts also exist covering the period 1660-1868. The originals are held at the Lichfield Joint Record Office, but have been microfilmed, so the film should be available on loan via your local Family History Center. There are two films - #0428912 (1660-1810), and #0498081 (1810-1866).
  
  Parish Register - Unusual Entry: "3rd March 1773 - On this day 3 corpse and other human bones found in a cavern in Eyam Dale by a person who was trying for a lead mine".
  
  
• The church was in the rural deanery of Eyam.
  
  
• The Reformed Wesleyans built a chapel here in 1812.
  
  
• A Reformed Wesleyan chapel also existed in Foolow in 1890 as well as one in Eyam Woodland.
  

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Civil Registration

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

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Description and Travel

"EYAM is a township, in the parish of its name, in the same hundred as Stoney Middleton, about one mile N.N.W. from that town, fire E. by N. from Tideswell, and twelve W. by N. from Chesterfield. The neighbourhood of this village derived, at one period, a considerable degree of prosperity from the lead mines at Foolow, a small village one mile west of this place; but for some years past these works have declined, and with them the population of the neighbourhood."

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

Eyam Woodland is a township on the Sheffield Road in this parish. Genuki has a separate parish profile for this place.

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Directories

• Ann Andrews provides a transcription of the Eyam 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 Eyam from the National Gazetteer (1868) provided by Colin Hinson.

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History

• This village was almost depopulated by the plague of 1666 5/6ths of the population were killed. Many of the dead were buried outside the graveyard in gardens and fields near where they died. Neighboring villages brought food and goods and left them near a line drawn around the village. Eyam residents would leave money or goods in kind to pay for these items.

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Names, Geographical

• Most readers will know this already, but just in case not, this place-name is pronounced 'Eem'!

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Politics and Government

• This parish was in the ancient High Peak Hundred (or Wapentake).

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Poorhouses, Poor Law, etc.

• As a result of the 1834 Poorlaw Amendment Act this parish became part of the Bakewell Poolaw Union.
  

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