Brassington
Encyclopedia
Brassington is a village 16 miles north-north-west of Derby
, between Wirksworth
and Ashbourne
, and has a population of about 580.
The name, spelled Branzingtune in the Domesday Book
, is thought to mean "Brand's people's place". Most of the houses in the village are built of local limestone
, and most are 200 or 300 years old; there are 20th century houses in the south end of the village.
The oldest dated house, wrongly named the Tudor House since the late 19th century, was built in 1615. It is located on Town Street . It was an inn until 1820, when it was bought by the Parish and was used as a workhouse
until 1848. There were fifteen inmates at the 1841 census, but the number rose considerably in 1845, when the Brassington Poor Law Union was wound up and Brassington was served by a new Ashbourne Union. The Brassington workhouse, augmented by the nearby George and Dragon pub, served the new Union while a new workhouse was being built at Ashbourne. The workhouse could hold 130 inmates. The house has been a private house since 1848, and it was its owner in the 1890s who added the words Tudor House to its 1615 datestone. This has the initials of Thomas Westerne, its builder, and his wife Anne.
The Norman
church, repaired and enlarged in the 19th century, stands on the north side of the steep valley in which the village lies. There were formerly three Nonconformist chapel
s, two of which are now closed and one demolished. The former Congregational
chapel, at the northern entrance to the village, is now the Village Hall; the Primitive Methodist chapel, built by its own members in 1834 above the church on the hillside, is a private house; the Wesleyan Reform chapel, at the West End of the village, was demolished in 2007. A house built on the site incorporates a plaque formerly set high on the chapel's frontage and a brass commemorative plate. In addition to the Village Hall, a new meeting place has recently been provided by a British Legion building in the centre of the village. There are two pubs, the Olde Gate, which has a 1616 datestone, and has a largely 19th century interior, and the Miners Arms, which was modernised thirty years ago, and which was once the venue for the Manor Court and the lead miners' Barmote Court. The school was built in 1872, after the passing of the 1870 Education Act
, and is now a primary school.
In addition to agriculture
, which still provides employment for a few of the villagers, Brassington was for centuries heavily dependent on lead mining
. The rough ground to the east, west and north has the hillocks and hollows of hundreds of abandoned mines; there are also remains of the miners' buildings on some of the sites. There is current employment in the village in heavy goods transport, steel fabrication and furniture manufacture, though most of the villagers are employed elsewhere. There are no shops and no post office. There are bus services to Ashbourne and Wirksworth.
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
, between Wirksworth
Wirksworth
Wirksworth is a small market town in Derbyshire, England, with a population of over 9,000.The population of the Wirksworth area including Cromford, Bolehill and Middleton-by-Wirksworth is about 12,000. Wirksworth is listed in the Domesday Book in 1086. Within it is the source of the River...
and Ashbourne
Ashbourne, Derbyshire
Ashbourne is a small market town in the Derbyshire Dales, England. It has a population of 10,302.The town advertises itself as 'The Gateway to Dovedale'.- Local customs :...
, and has a population of about 580.
The name, spelled Branzingtune in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, is thought to mean "Brand's people's place". Most of the houses in the village are built of local limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, and most are 200 or 300 years old; there are 20th century houses in the south end of the village.
The oldest dated house, wrongly named the Tudor House since the late 19th century, was built in 1615. It is located on Town Street . It was an inn until 1820, when it was bought by the Parish and was used as a workhouse
Workhouse
In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...
until 1848. There were fifteen inmates at the 1841 census, but the number rose considerably in 1845, when the Brassington Poor Law Union was wound up and Brassington was served by a new Ashbourne Union. The Brassington workhouse, augmented by the nearby George and Dragon pub, served the new Union while a new workhouse was being built at Ashbourne. The workhouse could hold 130 inmates. The house has been a private house since 1848, and it was its owner in the 1890s who added the words Tudor House to its 1615 datestone. This has the initials of Thomas Westerne, its builder, and his wife Anne.
The Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
church, repaired and enlarged in the 19th century, stands on the north side of the steep valley in which the village lies. There were formerly three Nonconformist chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
s, two of which are now closed and one demolished. The former Congregational
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
chapel, at the northern entrance to the village, is now the Village Hall; the Primitive Methodist chapel, built by its own members in 1834 above the church on the hillside, is a private house; the Wesleyan Reform chapel, at the West End of the village, was demolished in 2007. A house built on the site incorporates a plaque formerly set high on the chapel's frontage and a brass commemorative plate. In addition to the Village Hall, a new meeting place has recently been provided by a British Legion building in the centre of the village. There are two pubs, the Olde Gate, which has a 1616 datestone, and has a largely 19th century interior, and the Miners Arms, which was modernised thirty years ago, and which was once the venue for the Manor Court and the lead miners' Barmote Court. The school was built in 1872, after the passing of the 1870 Education Act
Elementary Education Act 1870
The Elementary Education Act 1870, commonly known as Forster's Education Act, set the framework for schooling of all children between ages 5 and 12 in England and Wales...
, and is now a primary school.
In addition to agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, which still provides employment for a few of the villagers, Brassington was for centuries heavily dependent on lead mining
Derbyshire lead mining history
This article details some of the history of lead mining in Derbyshire, England.- Background :On one of the walls in Wirksworth church is a crude stone carving, found nearby at Bonsall and placed in the church in the 1870s. Probably executed in Anglo-Saxon times, it shows a man carrying a kibble or...
. The rough ground to the east, west and north has the hillocks and hollows of hundreds of abandoned mines; there are also remains of the miners' buildings on some of the sites. There is current employment in the village in heavy goods transport, steel fabrication and furniture manufacture, though most of the villagers are employed elsewhere. There are no shops and no post office. There are bus services to Ashbourne and Wirksworth.