Hide

Middleton

hide
Hide

MIDDLETON-BY-WIRKSWORTH, a hamlet in the parish and hundred of Wirksworth, county Derby, 1 mile N.W. of Wirksworth, its post town, and 2 miles S.W. of the Cromford railway station. The village is extensive, and a portion of the inhabitants are engaged in the marble quarries. This township, in conjunction with Ible and Ironbrook Grange, forms a chapelry.

The living is a perpetual curacy* in the diocese of Lichfield, value £90, in the patronage of the Vicar of Wirksworth. The church was erected in 1844, at an outlay of £1,200. The Wesleyans, Primitive Methodists, and Independents, have each a place of worship. A school has recently been erected.”

from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868

Hide
topup

Archives & Libraries

Your best bet is to use the nearby Wirksworth Public Library which has a Local Studies and Family History section to help you with your search.

Alternatively, the Matlock Library has similar resourses to assist you.

topup

Cemeteries

David LALLY has a photograph of the route to the cemetery on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2017.

J. THOMAS has a photograph of Middleton Cemetery on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2014.

topup

Census

  • The parish was in the Brassington sub-district of the Ashbourne Registration District.
     
  • Census transcripts are online at Wirksworth.Org.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
     
Census
Year
Piece No.
1841H.O. 107 / 198
1851H.O. 107 / 2146
1861R.G. 9 / 2517 thru 2519 & 2524
1871R.G. 10 / 3603
1881R.G. 11 / 3426
1891R.G. 12 / 2756
topup

Church History

  • This place was a chapelry to Wirkswirth church until the new church was dedicated.
     
  • The Anglican parish church is dedicated to The Holy Trinity.
     
  • The church was built in 1839 and opened for divine service in October, 1842.
     
  • The church was restored in 1884.
     
  • The church seats 413.
     
  • David BEVIS has a photograph of Holy Trinity Church on Geo-graph, taken in 2009.
     
  • Neil THEASBY also has a photograph of Holy Trinity Church on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2015.
topup

Church Records

  • The Anglican parish register dates from 1839.
     
  • The church was in the rural deanery of Wirksworth.
     
  • The Congregationalists built a chapel here in 1786.
     
  • David BEVIS has a photograph of the Congregationalist Church at Geo-graph, taken in 2009.
     
  • The Wesleyan Methodists built a chapel here circa 1817 and rebuilt it in 1874.
     
  • David BEVIS has a photograph of the Wesleyan Chapel at Geo-graph, taken in March, 2009.
     
  • The Primitive Methodists built a chapel here in 1846 and rebuilt it in 1870.
     
  • David BEVIS has a photograph of the Primitive Methodist Church at Geo-graph, taken in 2009.
topup

Civil Registration

  • Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
     
  • The parish was in the Brassington sub-district of the Ashbourne Registration District.
topup

Description & Travel

"MIDDLETON-BY-WIRKSWORTH, a hamlet in the parish and hundred of Wirksworth, county Derby, 1 mile N.W. of Wirksworth, its post town, and 2 miles S.W. of the Cromford railway station. The village is extensive, and a portion of the inhabitants are engaged in the marble quarries. This township, in conjunction with Ible and Ironbrook Grange, forms a chapelry."

[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868)
Transcribed by Colin HINSON ©2003]

The parish and village lie midway between Wirksworth and Matlock on the B5023 arterial road, two miles south-west from Cromford village.

The parish included the townships of Ible and Ironbrook Grange.

Coal Hills is a location in this parish. Ible is a hamlet and township about 2.5 miles north-west of the village with a Primitive Methodist chapel. Ivonbrook Grange (or Grange Mill) is a township at the western end of the Via Gellis Valley.

You can see pictures of Middleton which are provided by:

topup

Directories

topup

Gazetteers

topup

Genealogy

Jacob DOXEY married Elizabeth BATEMAN in Wirksworth on 30 Nov 1769. Elizabeth was born in Middleton-by-Wirksworth in 1748. Jacob was born there also, but around 1749. Jacob would die in 1794.

topup

History

Chris GUNNS has a photograph of the Nelson Arms Inn on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2017.

Neil THEASBY has a photograph of "The Rising Sun" public house on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2015.

Graham HOGG has a photograph of Mountain Cottage on Geo-graph, taken in December, 2012. This cottage, on the edge of Middleton Wood, had been the home of poet and novelist D. H. Lawrence in 1918-19.

topup

Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK272561 (Lat/Lon: 53.101167, -1.594864), Middleton which are provided by:

topup

Military History

George H. EVANS was born in 1916, and spent 3 years in the RAF in India, 1943-46. He wrote home to his Mum Mary (widowed in 1917) in Middleton-by-Wirksworth, and over 50 letters survive. His letters mention many of his family and friends, his health, the Monsoon, his rise in the ranks, his hobbies, the Church, his leave in Ooty Hill Station, parcels from home, and the amazing chain of letters from family and friends every week that kept his morale high. 50 letters are transcribed on John PALMER's WIRKSWORTH site.

Holy Trinity Church has a WWI Roll of Honour mounted on the wall. It is a printed roll of honour in a wooden frame. The roll bears an inscription with names in two columns and is printed in black upright capital roman lettering. The moulded wooden frame has been varnished and has carved poppy seed-heads on the right and bottom edges.

topup

Military Records

topup

Politics & Government

  • The place was an ancient Chapelry in Wirkworth parish in Derby county and was incorporated as a separate modern Civil Parish in December, 1866.
     
  • This parish was in the ancient Wirksworth Hundred (or Wapentake).
     
  • In April, 1934, this parish was abolished and the area amalgamated back into Wirksworth Civil Parish.
     
topup

Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard at the Wirksworth petty session hearings every other Tuesday.
     
  • The poor of this parish receive from BAGSHAW's Charity the sum of £14 2s. annually on the 4th of November; £5 annually from BLACKBURN's Charity on New Year's day; £2 5s. from the Rev. Francis GISBOURNE's Charity on the 1st of December and £4 2s annually from BUNTING's Charity in Easter week.
     
  • With the passage of the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, this parish became a part of the Ashbourne Poorlaw Union.
topup

Schools

A Public Elementary School (mixed and infants) was built in Middleton in 1851 to hold 186 children.