Mayfield in 1859

MAYFIELD (ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST), a parish, in the S. division of the hundred of TOTMONSLOW, N. division of the county of STAFFORD; containing, with 
the chapelry of Butterton, part of Calton, and the township of Woodhouses, 1348 inhabitants, of whom 847 are in the township of Mayfield, 2 miles (S.W.) from Ashbourn. This place, from the discovery of Roman antiquities in the immediate vicinity, is supposed to have been occupied by the Romans: in digging a morass, vestiges of a paved road were discovered, and traces of an old fortification were found at a place in the parish called Clines.

The parish is pleasantly situated in a tract of beautifully picturesque country, watered by the river Dove, and comprises 1815a.1r.35p. Hanging Bridge, an ancient stone structure of five arches, crosses the romantic vale of the Dove, about half a mile north of the church. The cotton manufacture is carried on; the spinning of yarn affords employment to about 100 persons, and an equal number are engaged in the works at Hanging Bridge, on the other side of the river.

The living is a discharged vicarage, endowed with a portion of the rectorial tithes, and valued in the king's books at £6.6.8.; net income, £151; patron, Dr. Greaves; impropriators of the remainder of the rectorial tithes, the family of Bill. The church is a handsome structure, in the later English style, with a lofty embattled tower, and contains some details of Norman character, of which the arched doorway on the south side is a fine specimen. There are chapels of ease at Butterton and Calton, a place of worship for Wesleyans, and a national school. Within the parish are two barrows, called Harlow and Rowloo; and at Halsteads are considerable remains of a large moated residence, approached by an ancient bridge in fine preservation, though much obscured by foliage and overhanging rocks. 

WOODHOUSES, a township, in the parish of MAYFIELD, S. division of the hundred of TOTMONSLOW, N. division of the county of STAFFORD, 4 miles (N.W. by W.) from Ashbourn; containing 25 inhabitants. 

 

[Description(s) from The Topographical Dictionary of England (1859) by Samuel Lewis - Transcribed by Mike Harbach ©2020]