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Unstone

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Wikipedia tells us:

"Unstone is a village and civil parish in the English county of Derbyshire, situated in the North East Derbyshire administrative district approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) south east of Dronfield."

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Archives & Libraries

Unstone is served by the Mobile Library on route N, which makes a stop on Sheffield Road every fourth Monday in the mid afternoon.

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

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Cemeteries

Many residents of Unstone would be buried in the Dronfield Cemetery after 1877.

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Census

  • The parish was in the Dronfield sub-district of the Chesterfield Registration District.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
     
Census
Year
Piece No.
1851H.O. 107 / 2148
1861R.G. 9 / 2537
1891R.G. 12 / 2772
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Church History

  • The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Mary.
     
  • The church was built as a chapel of ease to Dronfield in 1920, but became a district church in 1925.
     
  • Saint Mary's now serves both the Anglican community and the Methodist community.
     
  • Alan HEARDMAN has a photograph of St. Mary's Church on Geo-graph, taken in September, 2008.
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Church Records

  • A Wesleyan Methodist chapel was built here in 1847, enlarged in 1904, but has since closed.
     
  • A Primitive Methodist chapel was built here in 1874 but has since closed.
     
  • Apperknowle Methodist Church opened here in 1880 on High Street as a Primitive Methodist chapel.
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Civil Registration

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

"UNSTONE, a township in the parish of Dronfield, hundred of Scarsdale, county Derby, 1 mile S.E. of Dronfield."

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

The River Drone runs through the parish. The Unstone Line is a nature preserve along the old railway line through the parish. Unstone Green is a large portion of Unstone immediately to the south of the original hamlet. built as a housing estate in the 1940s. Take the B6057 secondary road out of Chesterfield to reach Unstone.

You can see pictures of Unstone which are provided by:

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Directories

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Gazetteers

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History

  • This place was listed as "Unston" until 1908 when the "e" was added to create "Unstone".
     
  • A railway station opened here in 1870, but passenger service ceased in 1951. Ten years later, the station closed for all rail service.
     
  • The parish holds an annual Well Dressing around the middle of each July.
     
  • Neil THEASBY has a photograph of The Horse and Jockey pub at Unstone Green on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2012.
     
  • These are the names associated with the Horse and Jockey P. H. in various directories (spelled as listed in the source):
     
Year Person
1831Joshua CARNALLY
1835Joseph CARNALLY
1857Joshua CARNELLY
1891John SWIFT
1899John SWIFT
1912Henry WRAY
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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK374777 (Lat/Lon: 53.294587, -1.44057), Unstone which are provided by:

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Military History

  • The War Memorial stands in a traffic island on Crow Lane.
     
  • Andrew LOUGHRAN has a photograph of the War Memorial on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2006.
     
  • Neil THEASBY also has a photograph of the War Memorial on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2013.
     
  • Graham HOGG has a photograph of the War Memorial in the snow on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2013.
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Politics & Government

  • This place was a hamlet and township in Dronfield parish in Derbyshire and became a modern Civil Parish in Decmber, 1866.
     
  • This parish was in the ancient Scarsdale Hundred (or Wapentake).
     
  • You may contact the Unstone Parish Council regarding civic or political matters, but they are NOT going to do family history work for you.
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases would be heard in the Eckington petty session hearings.
     
  • As a result of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment reforms, this parish became part of the Chesterfield Poor Law Union.
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Schools

In 1833 a school with a residence for the master was erected by George MOORE. The school would hold about 70 students and average attendance was 50 in 1857.

A Public Elementary School (mixed) was erected here in 1873 for 295 children. 1911 attendance averaged 223.

Andrew LOUGHRAN has a photograph of Unstone School near Chesterfield on Crow Lane on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2006.

St Mary’s Infant School is located on Crow Lane.

Unstone Junior School is on the Main Road.