Cromford

Cromford village is served by the Mobile Library on route N, which makes two stops in the village every fourth Friday at mid-day.

The Matlock Library is an excellent resource with a Local History section and a Family History section.

Alternatively, the nearby Wirksworth Library is also an excellent resource with a Local History section and a Family History section.

• ALLSOP, Eddie - Around Cromford Dam. Scarthin Books, 2005. ISBN 1-900446-08-1.
   
• NAYLOR, Peter J - Cromford - A History. Watnay Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-84114-185-2.
   
• POTTER, Hugh - The Cromford Canal. Tempus, 2003. ISBN 0-7524-2802-0.
   
• UTTLEY, Alison - Our Village: Alison Uttley's Cromford. Scarthin Books, 1984, pprbk, 80 pages. ISBN 978-0907758082.
   
• WAITE, Glynn - Cromford Station - A History. Pynot Publishing, 2009. ISBN 978-0-9562706-0-3.
   
• Memories of Cromford : A Derbyshire Village seen through the eyes of its people 1900 - 2000. Cromford Womens' Institute, 2001. No ISBN.

Genuki has a pop-up window of Cromford burials in a text file for your review. Your additions are welcomed.

• The parish was in the Matlock sub-district of the Bakewell Registration District.
   
• Census transcripts are online at Wirksworth.Org.
   
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
   

• There was an ancient chapel here before 1857, but all traces of it had disappeared by then.
   
• The Anglican parish chapel is on Mill Lane and is dedicated to Saint Mary.
   
• The chapel was built as a Chapel of Ease in 1792.
   
• The chapel was restored and improved in 1858.
   
• The ecclesiastical Parish was formed 19 March, 1869, from the parishes of Wirksworth and Middleton.
   
• The chapel was renovated in 2002.
   
• The chapel seats 450.
   
• The church has its own website with information for attendees.
   
• Angella STRELUK has a photograph of Cromford Church on Mill Road on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2005.
   
• Paul HARROP has a photograph of St. Mary's Church on Mill Road on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2017.
   
• A Chapel of Ease was dedicated to Saint Mark and erected in 1877 This chapel was demolished in the 1970s.
   
• St. Mark's seated 200.

• The Anglican parish register dates from 1797.
   
• Check for parish church records at Dusty Docs.
   
• The church was in the rural deanery of Wirksworth.
   
• The Wesleyan Methodists built a chapel here in 1810 and enlarged it in 1840. There is now a Methodist church on Water Lane.
   
• David DIXON has a photograph of the Methodist Church on Water Lane on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2013.
   
• The Primitive Methodists built a chapel here on Scarthing road in 1853.
   
• Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the Primitive Methodist plaque on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2011.
   
• David BEVIS has a photograph of the Primitive Methodist chapel on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2011.
   
• There is also a Congrationalist church in Cromford, but it may be modern.

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

"CROMFORD, a market-town and township, in the parish of Wirksworth, situate about midway between that town and Matlock, is eminently distinguished by the extensive cotton works, established by the late Sir Richard Arkwright, the father of the improvements effected in this branch of trade in this country. These works are now in the proprietary of Messrs. Peter Arkwright and Co. which, with the lead mines, smelting works, manufacture of red lead, grinding and preparing calaminaris, &c. give employment to a great number of hands, and renders this village of high importance in a mercantile view, to which the Cromford canal, and "Cromford and High Peak railway", are great auxiliaries."

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

The parish lies 147 miles north of London. There is passenger train service to and from Cromford, but the station at Cromford is not staffed. Travel time from Derby is approximately 26 minutes. The station was originally known as "Cromfield Bridge."

The parish has its own website with information for travelers and family historians.

J. THOMAS has a photograph of a picnic area near Cromford Wharf on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2011.

Chris THOMAS-ATKIN has a photograph of the Cromford Canal on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2018.

• Geograph
• Flickr

• Rosemary LOCKIE provides a transcription of the Cromford entry under Wirksworth from Pigot & Co's Commercial Directory for Derbyshire (1835).
   
• Ann ANDREWS provides a transcription of the Cromford entry from Kelly's Directory of the Counties of Derby, Notts, Leicester and Rutland (1891).

• Mel LOCKIE provides a transcription of the Cromford entry from Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of England, 1831.
   
• We have the transcription of the section for Cromford from the National Gazetteer (1868) provided by Colin HINSON.

• Ask for a calculation of the distance from Cromford to another place.

George TURNER (1841–1910), landscape artist, was born here.

Alice PARKER was baptised here on 22 July 1900 at St. Marks. Parents were Francis and Elizabeth PARKER.

• In 1771 Sir Richard ARKWRIGHT kt. established a cotton factory here, the first in the kingdom, and in 1789 purchased the manor and erected spacious mills, a portion of which was destroyed by fire 7 Nov 1890.
   
• Cromford is one of the significant sites in the development of the Industrial Revolution.
   
• The Cromford Canal ran 14.5 miles from Cromford to the Erewash Canal in Derbyshire, England with a branch to Pinxton. Built by William JESSOP with the assistance of Benjamin OUTRAM, its alignment included four tunnels and 14 locks. The canal opened in 1794 and was a financial success. Most of the canal was abandoned in 1944 with the exception of a half-mile (800m) stretch to Langley Mill which was abandoned in 1962. After closure, the canal was taken over by the British Waterways Board and acquired by Derbyshire County Council in 1974.
   
• Samuel KENYON (KENNYON) was born in 1773. He was a Master on Wheatcroft Boats, Cromford Canal Permits and Licences for 1814, 17 and 20. The records are held at DRO. Ref. 501B/B1.
   
• In the Cromford Mine accident of 1797, only one man, Anthony PEARSON, lost his life in the flooding of the mine.
   
• The ‘Greyhound Hotel” is pleasantly situated in the centre of the town.
   
• Do you know any of these 1909 Boy Scouts?
   
• The Matlock and District Rifle Club was here at Hill Top in 1912.

In 1912, Willersley, near Cromford Bridge, was the seat of Frederick Charles ARKWRIGHT esq., D.L., J.P. and lord of the manor and sole landowner.

Willersley Castle dominates the hill on the east side of the river, now a Grade II* listed building, was also built by Richard ARKWRIGHT in 1791; after a fire in 1792, it was rebuilt and occupied by his son Richard ARKWRIGHT junior starting in 1796. During World War II, the building was used as a maternity hospital by the Salvation Army while evacuated from their hospital in the East End of London.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK302562 (Lat/Lon: 53.102413, -1.54973), Cromford which are provided by:

• OpenStreetMap
• Google Maps
• StreetMap (Current Ordnance Survey maps)
• Bing (was Multimap)
• Old Maps Online
• National Library of Scotland (Old Ordnance Survey maps)
• Vision of Britain (Click "Historical units & statistics" for administrative areas.)
• English Jurisdictions in 1851 (Unfortunately the LDS have removed the facility to enable us to specify a starting location, you will need to search yourself on their map.)
• Magic (Geographic information) (Click + on map if it doesn't show)
• GeoHack (Links to on-line maps and location specific services.)

• All places within the same township/parish shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby townships/parishes shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby places shown on an Openstreetmap map.

• Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the Scarthin War Memorial on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2011.
   
• Alan MURRAY-RUST also has a photograph of the Cromford War Memorial on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2011.
   
• David DIXON also has a photograph of the Cromford War Memorial overlooking the village on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2013.
   
• David DIXON has a photograph of the Dedication plaque on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2013.
   
• The building at Willersley Castle in Cromford was one of many used as an Auxiliary Hospital during World War I. Robert HARVEY has a photograph of the Dedication plaque on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2019.

• For a photograph of the Cromford War Memorials and a list of the names on them see the Cromford War Memorial page.
   
• The Traces of War website tells us that St. Mark's chapelyard has one Commonwealth War Grave from World War I and one from World War II. Actually, there is one burial in St. Mark's churchyard and two in St. Mary's:

1. Captain Frederic George Alleyne ARKWRIGHT, Royal Flying Corps, died 14 October 1915. Son of Mr. and Mrs. Frederic Charles ARKWRIGHT of Willesley, Matlock.
2. Private John Arthur PIDCOCK, 53rd Bn. Sherwood Foresters, died 27 November 1918. Son of the late Isiah and Martha PIDCOCK of Cromford.
3. Sargeant Kenneth Angus BROOKER, 107 Sqdn. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, died 10 October 1940. Son of Frederick William and Dorothy BROOKER, of Cromford.

Cromford is first mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book as Crumforde.

Jane TAYLOR in Redcar provides this announcement from the Derby Mercury of 2 December, 1802: "MARRIED: This morning, at Wirksworth, in this county, Mr Withnall CLARK, of this place, to Miss DEBANKE, of Cromford."

Jane TAYLOR in Redcar contributes this snippet from the Derby Mercury of 6 January, 1803, "MARRIED: "At Sheffield, a few days ago, Mr. Wm. BEBANK, of Cromford, in this county, to Miss NEEDHAM of the former place."

• This place was an ancient Chapelry in Wirksworth parish but became a separate modern Civil Parish in December, 1866.
   
• This parish was in the ancient Wirksworth Hundred (or Wapentake).
   
• In April, 1934, this Civil Parish gave up 5 acres which joined Wirksworth Civil Parish, and it gained 6 different acres from Wirksworth in a boundary re-alignment.
   
• You may contact the local Cromford Parish Council regarding civic or political matters. They are NOT staffed to help you with family history questions.
   
• District governance is provided by the Derbyshire Dales District Council.

• In 1662 Lady ARMYNE established almshouses for six poor widows of the parish.
   
• Bastardy cases were heard at the Petty Session hearings in Wirksworth.
   
• As a result of the Poorlaw Amendment Act reforms of 1834, this parish became a member of the Bakewell Poorlaw Union.

Richard ARKWRIGHT II built a day school here in 1832. The school was enlarged in 1894 to hold 200 boys and girls and 140 infants.

There is a "Canal & River Trust" dedicated to protecting and enjoying places like the Cromford Canal. They have an electronic newsletter you can sign up to receive.