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Swadlincote

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From John Marius WILSON's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales, 1870-72:

SWADLINCOTE, a township and a chapelry in Church-Gresley parish, Derby. The township lies on the Burton and Leicester railway, 4 miles SE of Burton-upon-Trent; contains collieries and pottery-works; and has a post-office‡ under Burton-upon-Trent, a r. station, a town hall, a church, a Wesleyan chapel, and a Saturday-evening market. Acres, 550. Pop., 1,076. Houses, 201.
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Archives & Libraries

A Library was built in Alexander Road in 1908. At that time, it held 6,000 volumes. The Library is now on Civic Way and is normally open six days per week. The Library features a Local Studies and Family History section to help you with your searches.

You can connect with the Library via the Library Technology site.

You may want to check with the Magic Attic archives site, as well.

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Census

  • The parish was in the Greasley sub-district of the Burton on Trent Registration District.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
     
Census
Year
Piece No.
1851H.O. 107 / 2011
1861R.G. 9 / 1962
1891R.G. 12 / 2198 & 2199
1901R.G. 13 / 2139
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Church History

  • The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Emmanuel.
     
  • The church was built in 1847-48 on Church Street.
     
  • Records indicate that the church was consecrated in 1846.
     
  • The church seats 410.
     
  • The church is a Grade II structure with British Heritage.
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Church Records

  • The Anglican parish register dates from 1848. For earlier records, see Church Gresley.
     
  • Michael SPENCER has provided a partial extract of burials found in the parish register. Your additions and corrections are welcomed.
     
  • A number of Swadlincote burials can be found in the Church Gresley Burial records.
     
  • A good site for local church records is Brett PAYNE's South Derbyshire website. This site is still awaiting restore after an Ancestry.com outage.
     
  • The church was in the rural deanery of Repton.
     
  • The Baptists have a chapel on Hill Street built in 1867. A second Baptist chapel was built In Wilmot Road in 1899.
     
  • David BEVIS has a photograph of the Baptist Chapel at Hill Street on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2010.
     
  • The Wesleyan Methodists had a small chapel here in 1816 on West Street. This was replaced in 1863 with a larger chapel.
     
  • We have a partial extract of Wesleyan Methodist baptisms in a pop-up window text file for your review. Your additions are welcomed.
     
  • David BEVIS has a photograph of the Wesleyan Chapel at High Street on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2010.
     
  • Malcolm NEIL also has a photograph of the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2017.
     
  • The Primitive Methodists built a chapel here in Woodville in 1889.
     
  • The Catholic church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul began construction in June, 1956.
     
  • J. THOMAS has a photograph of St Peter & St Paul's Catholic Church on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2019.
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Civil Registration

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

"SWADLINCOTE is a hamlet, in the parish of Church Gresley, about half a mile therefrom, and partakes with that place in the prosperity derived from the pottery works and mining operations, which, together, afford employment to many hands. A new rail-road has been laid down, from the colliery of C. Granville, Esq., to join the Ashby-de-la-Zouch canal, at Moira; and a bill has been laid before parliament, for its sanction to a new road from hence, to communicate with the bridge now erecting at Walton-upon-Trent, which, when effected, will materially shorten the distance between this improving manufacturing district and those in Staffordshire. The Wesleyan methodists have a chapel here. The population of the hamlet, in 1831, was 645."

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

In 1891, the parish covered only 642 acres. This expanded to 680 acres in 1934 and to 3,755 acres by 1961. Swadlincote is near the junction of the A514 and the A511.

You may wish to read more at the Parish website.

Mat FASCIONE has a photograph of the Village Sign at Derby Road on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2008.

Passenger rail service ceased in 1964. There is still passenger bus service to and from Derby City.

You can see pictures of Swadlincote which are provided by:

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Directories

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Gazetteers

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History

  • The railway came in 1845, but ceased passenger operations in 1964.
     
  • The Town Hall, erected in 1861, will hold 600 people.
     
  • This parish was well known for its manufacture of "sanitary earthenware".
     
  • Christine JOHNSTONE has a photograph of the Sharpe's Pottery Museum on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2012.
     
  • The village was supplied with gas in 1898.
     
  • David BEVIS has a photograph of The Bear at High Street on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2010.
     
  • A. ROSEVEAR and J. HIGGINS have a photograph of an Old Milestone on Geo-graph, taken in February, 2003.
     
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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK302198 (Lat/Lon: 52.774746, -1.554158), Swadlincote which are provided by:

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Military History

  • In 1912, H Company of the 5th Battalion Sherwood Foresters had its headquarters at the Drill Hall. Captain T. C. Newbold, commanding; Sergt. S. YEOMANS, drill instructor.
     
  • The War Memorial is a set of posts and gates into Eureka Park in 1926. In early 2014, the South Derbyshire Council had those gates taken down for repair and refurbishment. I do not know if they have been restored to their location. The gates were originally completed and installed in 1926 and dedicated in 1933.
     
  • The parish is still active in supporting No. 1211 (Swadlincote Squadron) of the Air Training Corps at Eureka Park.
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Names, Geographical

The name is believed to derive from a Scandinavian called "Sweartling" or "Svartling".

You will find that locals refer to the place as "Swad".

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Newspapers

The online site for DerbyshireLive covers Swadlincote.

The Manchester Guardian Jun 29 1910, pg 10, keeps a close eye on Swadlincote:

"A Woman’s Change Of Husbands
Mr Justice LAWRANCE at the Derby Assizes yesterday passed sentence in two cases of bigamy in which the prisoners pleaded guilty. In one case the accused was a young woman of 28 named Esme Gertrude SHERIDAN, described as a musician. She said she left her first husband four years ago because they lived unhappily together. Hearing that he was dead, she married a man named DAVIS at Sheffield, and left him because she discovered her husband was alive. She was again told that her first husband was dead, and she then married a man named ARCHER of Swadlincote.

His Lordship: You seem to have changed your husbands pretty rapidly. – (Laughter.)

The accused admitted that she had not made careful inquiry concerning her first husband’s reported death, but she said she had no one to advise her.

She was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment."
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Obituaries

Jane TAYLOR of Redcar offers this snippet from the Derby Mercury of 12 August 1802: "DEATH: On Thursday last, suddenly, Mr. John BROWN, of Swadlincote, in this county."

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Politics & Government

  • This place was an ancient township in Church Gresley parish in county Derby and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
     
  • This parish was in the ancient Repton and Gresley Hundred (or Wapentake) in the southern section of the county. This Hundred may also have been known as the Swadlincote Hunred.
     
  • In April, 1934, this Civil Parish gained 35 acres from Hartshorne Civil Parish and 3 acres from Woodville Civil Parish.
     
  • Wikipedia tells us that Swadlincote is a "town and unparished area in South Derbyshire".
     
  • District governance is provided by the South Derbyshire District Council.
     
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Dorothy TAYLOR left £10 (undated), the interest (10s. in 1891), to be distributed to the poor in bread.
     
  • A recent appeal for Elder Care in Swadlincote had a pleasant response. Thank you, Nivard!
     
  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Swadlincote petty session hearings in the Market Hall every other Tuesday at 11am.
     
  • As a result of the 1834 Poorlaw Amendment Act reforms, this parish became a member of the Burton upon Trent Poorlaw Union.
     
  • The Burton upon Trent Poorlaw Union Board of Guardians met in 1899 to discuss:
Swadlincote, Abner BREALEY, 28, Harveys Row, deaf and dumb, 6/1/-,
Swadlincote, Samuel SMITH, 76, Midland Rd, infirmity, 6/10/-,
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Schools

A local Board School was erected in 1882 for 123 boys, 123 girls & 160 infants.

A National school (mixed), for 210 children was built before 1891.