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Pleasley

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PLEASLEY, a parish and township in the hundred of Scarsdale, county Derby, 3 miles N.W. of Mansfield, its post town, and 9 S.E. of Chesterfield. It is situated on the road from Nottingham to Chesterfield, and on the river Meden. The land is chiefly arable, but there are 300 acres of woodland and plantation. The soil is good, upon a substratum of limestone. The parish comprises the villages of Stoney Houghton, and Shirebrook. The village, which appears once to have been of more importance than at present, is a decayed market town, the cross still standing, and has a mechanics' institute and library.

There are two extensive cotton mills at Pleasley Vale, which employ a large number of hands. In the park adjoining the cotton-mills is a large enclosure, with a double vallum and entrenchment, two sides of which are secured by natural precipices, and is evidently a Saxon work. The living is a rectory* in the diocese of Lichfield, value £493.

The church, dedicated to St. Michael, is an ancient stone edifice, with a cracked tower, caused by the shock of an earthquake, which was felt over a great part of the midland counties on 17th March, 1816. In the churchyard is a yew-tree of great antiquity. There is also a district church at Shirebrook, the living of which is a perpetual curacy*, value £90. The parochial charities produce about £10 per annum. There is a village school for both sexes; also a Sunday-school. The Methodists meet in theSunday-school. Fairs are held on the 6th May and 29th October."

"STONEY HOUGHTON, a hamlet in the parish of Pleasley, county Derby, 8 miles N.E. of Alfreton.”

from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868

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Archives & Libraries

David BEVIS has a photograph of the Old Library on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2009.

New Houghton hamlet is served by the Mobile Library on route N, which makes a stop at Recreation Road every fourth Tuesday in the afternoon. It also makes two stops in Pleasley village a little earlier that same day.

The Library at Shirebrook has a Local Studies Section that may be of great help to you.

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Cemeteries

Jonathan THACKER has a photograph of the Churchyard extension on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2017.

Mike SPENCER has provided a partial extract of burials found in the parish register. Your additions and corrections are welcomed.

The burial register for Pleasley Hill cemetery 1897 to the present day are held at the Mansfield & District Crematorium & Cemeteries Association - tel: 01623 621811 or email: crematorium[at]mansfield.gov[dot]uk

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Census

  • The parish was in the Shirebrook sub-district of the Mansfield Registration District.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
     
Census
Year
Piece No.
1841H.O. 107 / 195
1851H.O. 107 / 2123
1861R.G. 9 / 2424
1871R.G. 10 / 3466
1881R.G. 11 / 3312
1891R.G. 12 / 2649
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Church History

  • The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Michael.
     
  • The church is of early Norman origin, built around 1150.
     
  • David BEVIS has a photograph of St. Michael's church tower on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2008.
     
  • Jonathan THACKER also has a photograph of St. Michael's church tower on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2017.
     
  • The parish had a mission chapel in New Houghton, built in 1897 and dedicated as "Christ Church".
     
  • Geoff DUNN has a photograph of St. Barnabas church tower in the south portion of the village on Geo-graph, taken in February, 2006. Formed from the parish of St Peter, Mansfield in 1896, the chancel and tower were built in 1912. This church is in Nottinghamshire.
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Church Records

  • The Anglican parish register dates from 1553.
     
  • The church was in the rural deanery of Staveley.
     
  • The Primitive Methodists built a chapel here in 1906.
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Civil Registration

  • Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
     
  • The parish was in the Shirebrook sub-district of the Mansfield Registration District.
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Description & Travel

"PLEASLEY is a village, in the parish of its name, which is in the same hundred as Bolsover, about four miles S.S.E. from that town. It was at one period of much greater consequence than it now is, having been a market town."

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

  • The parish lies up against the border with Nottinghamshire.
     
  • The River Meden runs through the parish.
     
  • The village lies 9 miles south-east of Chesterfield, just south of the A617.
     
  • Peter BARR has a photograph of the village sign on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2013.
     
  • New Houghton is a hamlet just north of the village (and north of the A617 trunk road).
     
  • Pleasley Hill is a hamlet south-east of the village (and in Nottinghamshire).
You can see pictures of Pleasley which are provided by:

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Directories

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Gazetteers

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History

The William HOLLINS and Company mill employed more than 500 hands in 1911 to work the water and steam driven cotton and silk weaving equipment.

Peter BARR has a photograph of the Terraced cottages in Chesterfield Road on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2010. Most of these were torn down to be replaced by new housing.

Bobby CLEGG has a photograph of the Nag's Head Pub. on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2015. Proprietors of the Nag's Head Pub:

 YearProprietor
1891Frederick SMITH
1895Mrs. Mary Ann SMITH
1911Wm. Fredk. HOPKIN
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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK504645 (Lat/Lon: 53.175229, -1.247414), Pleasley which are provided by:

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Military History

"ERECTED
TO THE MEMORY
OF
THE GALLANT MEN OF PLEASLEY
AND PLEASLEY HILL
WHO FOUGHT IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918
HEROES LIE IN MANY LANDS
BUT HERE THE SYMBOL
OF THEIR GLORY STANDS
1939-1945"
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Names, Geographical

  • Many locals pronounce the name as "Plesley" (Thank you, Brian Johnson, 2013).
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Politics & Government

  • This place was an ancient parish in Derby county and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
     
  • This parish was partly in the ancient Scarsdale Hundred (or Wapentake).
     
  • In March 1884, this parish was reduced in size to benefit Upper Langwith Civil Parish.
     
  • In April 1904, this parish was reduced in size to create the new Shirebrook Civil Parish.
     
  • This parish is a member of the Bolsover District Council.
     
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Chesterfield petty session hearings.
     
  • In 1818, the Rev. Francis GISBORNE left an annual charity of £6 13s. to this parish, which was expended in clothing for the poor.
     
  • After the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, this parish became part of the Mansfield Poor Law Union.
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Schools

New Houghton  built a school in 1884 and enlarged it in 1898 to hold 150 children.

The Rotherham Road school (mixed) was built in 1904 for 300 children and 100 infants.

Pleasley Vale  had a school for 200 children built prior to 1912.