A Grassmoor Constable in 1815

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries local men were chosen to take turns in serving as officials to manage the township of Hasland. Their duties included levying rates for the benefit of the township for repairs to roads and assisting the poor, and keeping the peace, the latter the particular responsibility of the parish constable. From March 1815 to March 1816 Grassmoor man David Marsh was constable for the township of Hasland.

It is the indispensable duty of every constable where his services and authority are required to quell affrays and to preserve the peace, to repair immediately to the spot and to apprehend the affrayers. In such situations however, great presence of mind and discretion are necessary.

By the common law all constables are authorised to command affrayers to keep the peace and to depart…

David Marsh was 31 years old, the eldest son of William and Mary Marsh of Grassmoor, though the family were sometimes said to be of Grasshill. David seems to have divided his time between Grasshill and Whittington, where his wife’s family lived. He eventually moved to Whittington, and farmed at Glass Hill there; his son was born in Hasland township in 1818, but baptised at Whittington.

Constables are the principal engines by which the laws are to be put in execution, and it is of the greatest importance that they should be zealous, active and efficient…

The solemn oath administered to every constable on his admission to office [is] that “he shall well and truly serve our sovereign lord the King according to the best of his skill and knowledge” …

David Marsh was sworn in as constable at Chesterfield on 8 May 1815. He claimed expenses of 2/6 (12 ½ p) for every full day of work done for the township, plus other costs. On 22 May he accompanied seven men to Tupton for them to be sworn in, presumably as his deputies. They would have made their oaths before a local JP, William A. Lord esq. of Tupton Hall.

It is the duty of every Constable in cases of murder manslaughter or sudden death rendering an inquisition necessary to give notice of the same to the Coroner as soon as it comes to his knowledge and also on receiving his precept to return a competent number of lawful men within the constablewick or district to appear before him …

Even before his swearing-in, David Marsh began to keep his constable’s accounts, and his first entry records a charge for the inquest of Ann Taylor 0f £1 11s. 2d. There was another inquest, of Sarah Sales, later in the year, in October, for which he charged the township £1 4s. 0d.

Every constable in his ward or district is bound with purity and integrity to return a true list of all persons liable to serve in the militia and strictly to obey the precept he receives for that purpose without favour or partiality…

There were numerous administrative jobs for the constable, but one of the most significant of David Marsh’s tasks involved the war effort. Despite the conclusion of the conflict with the USA, and Napoleon’s surrender following Waterloo, the government was looking to raise the militia, and in the autumn of 1815 Marsh paid Mr Carter 6 shillings for militia notices, which he then distributed. He then compiled and submitted the list of potential volunteers to the authorities.

Derby Mercury 3 August 1815.

It is the indispensable duty of all Constables when authorised and required by the warrant of a Magistrate to use every exertion in procuring carriages and other conveyances for his Majesty’s forces while on a march it is a duty of great importance and ought to be performed with vigour and firmness at the same time …

In March 1816 Marsh was involved again in supporting the militia, when he organised transport for removing “the arms and accoutrements of the 9^th Light Dragoons from Chesterfield to Alfreton”. Mr Jones was paid 5 shillings for the use of his wagon, and Samuel Higginbottom was paid 2/6 for providing his cart.

Throughout the year David Marsh paid out sums of money, for rates, warrants and other disbursements, including 1 shilling for a brand to mark paupers’ goods, and £1 16s. 4 ½ d. for Hasland’s share of the cost of repairs to the Silk Mill Bridge at Chesterfield. His total expenditure for the year amounted to £48 18s. 2d.

…A Peace Officer on quitting his situation will have the satisfaction of reflecting that he executed the important trust reposed in him with fidelity and honesty, so as not only to have the approbation of his own conscience but the good opinion of magistrates, and the applause of the parish or community for which he served as a constable.

David Marsh’s account for his work as constable was originally held at Sheffield Archives in the Bagshaw collection, but has now been transferred to Derbyshire Record Office D7676/BagC/574/10.

All the quotations are from: Patrick Colquhoun. A treatise on the functions and duties of a constable (1803).

Mr Robinson’s Windmill

Wingerworth Mill on the Rother near the signal box, once the home of the Robinson family.

In the first quarter of the 19th century there was a windmill in Grassmoor, on the south side of Mill Lane. It stood in an 8 acre field, on the brow of the hill leading up from the river Rother. In 1779, when the grass moor was enclosed, and the land was shared out between the local landowners, this field was allotted to Edward Brocksopp, but the enclosure map does not show any buildings here.

By 1825 the windmill had been built in the field, which was now owned and farmed by Mr William Askew (1761-1842). Mr Askew was a well-heeled timber merchant, who also owned the Rose & Crown at Woodthorpe. The windmill, however, was owned and worked by Askew’s son’s father-in-law Mr Arthur Robinson who lived at Wingerworth Mill. Sanderson’s map of 1835 shows it placed on the east corner of the field, adjacent to the road.

Sanderson’s map, 1835. By 1825 a windmill had been built on William Askew’s field in Grassmoor, owned and worked by Arthur Robinson. On the 1779 map, Mill Lane was clearly marked as ‘Mill Road’ and so it is evident that the road took its name from Wingerworth Mill, a water mill nearby, on the Rother.

Mr Arthur Robinson (1755-1832) had lived and worked at Wingerworth Mill for many years by the time the windmill was built. He came from a family traditionally involved in milling. Brockhurst Mill and Farm near Slack Hill were occupied by members of the Robinson family for several generations, and another of his ancestors was a miller at Cromford in the 18th century. The Robinsons also had some connection with the Clayton family. In 1832 both Arthur and his son James were named ‘Robinson otherwise Clayton’.

Tragedy struck the Robinson family in 1824, when Arthur’s wife Elizabeth, and his eldest son Arthur, both died within the space of a few months.

After his wife’s death, Mr Robinson advertised the sale of his farming stock, and other property, including a water corn mill in Ashover parish. The sale was said to be due to ill health, but he remained at Wingerworth Mill for the rest of his life. He died there on 1 September 1832, aged 78, and was buried at Wingerworth.

Derby Mercury 27 October 1824 – DEATHS – On the 17th instant, at his father’s house at Wingerworth Mill, in this county, Mr Arthur Robinson jun. In the 43rd year of his age, a man very much respected by his relatives and acquaintance.

Sheffield Independent 15 September 1832 – DEATHS – At Wingerworth Mill, near Chesterfield, Mr Arthur Robinson, aged 78.

The windmill in Grassmoor must have fallen out of use around this time, but it was still standing in 1837, when the field in which it stood was advertised for sale. I have not found any mention of it after this date.

Derbyshire Courier 18 & 25 November 1837 – The sale of a close of freehold land situate at Grassmoor in which a windmill stands. The sale took place at William Askew’s public house in Woodthorpe.

Grassmoor WMC and Institute was later built on the site once occupied by the windmill.

OS XXX.15 1938 showing the club building on Mill Lane.

Derbyshire Times 3 March 1939. The Working Mens Club and Institute at Grassmoor possibly started in the early years of the 20th century (I have found a mention of it in 1917), and the first club building was said to have been a wooden hut. Is it the building in this cutting?

The 1811 Census of Hasland

The 1811 census return for Hasland (DRO D8042/728). It gives the names of many of the heads of households, and identifies which district the houses were in.

At the end of the 18th century, the government, on a war footing and threatened by civil unrest due to food shortages, was badly informed as to the extent of the population in this country. There was an urgent need to know how many men were available to call to arms, and what resources were needed to keep the population fed.

The first census of the whole of Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales) was taken on the 10 March 1801. It was just a head count, but the results gave an approximate population for England and Wales of 9.4 million, and for Scotland 1.6 million.

The 1811 census, Britain’s second census, was taken on the 27 May 1811. It showed that the population of England and Wales had increased to more than 10 million. Although this census was another head-count, some of the returns survive in more detail, amongst them that of Hasland township. This enumerator’s return somehow came to be included in the Barnes family papers deposited at Chesterfield Library, and is now in the safe keeping of Derbyshire Record Office.

The first official census returns were merely a count of houses occupied and empty, and numbers of males and females, and no record of individuals was made. In July 1801 the Derby Mercury published an abstract of the 1801 census count, which did not include those in prisons or on military service, and had other problems, but still proved useful. It recorded 161,147 persons living in Derbyshire.

On 27 May 1811 Thomas Brelsford, constable, charged the township of Hasland five shillings (25p) for two days work, taking an account of the population of the township (Overseers Accounts, Bagshaw Collection, seen at Sheffield Archives but now at DRO D7676/BagC/574/2-13). Thomas Brelsford (sometimes Brailsford, 1762-1838) was a tenant of Bernard Lucas, and farmed about 60 acres at Milehill. He was constable of Hasland from April 1811 to April 1812.

Mr Brailsford placed his name at that of his neighbour John Hall at the top of the list, before touring the township; visiting Corbriggs, Birchill, Grassmoor, Hasland, Hady, Spital, Boythorpe, and Birdholme in turn. He counted 328 males and 369 females in Hasland on that night. There were 4 households at Birchill, 5 at Corbriggs, 5 at Boythorpe, 9 at Spital, 17 at Birdholme 17 at Hady, 30 at Grassmoor and Grasshill, and 62 at Hasland. In all, Hasland township had 151 households.

According to an advertisement in the Derby Mercury 17 May 1798, Miss Shore took over the school at Birdholme from Miss Topps in the summer of 1798, and was offering a year’s board, tuition, with all the extras, for £17.17s.0d.

The largest household was Miss Shore’s boarding school for young ladies at Birdholme House consisting of 20 females and no males. The two largest private households were at Hasland, the houses of Josiah Claughton, and Samuel Higginbottom.

Samuel Higginbottom’s household (6 males and 7 females) at Hasland Green occupied a substantial brick dwelling house, the property of Thomas Pennington Lucas, who had moved away to live at Pleasley (this property was advertised for sale in the Derby Mercury 13 August 1812 , following Mr Lucas’s death). Josiah Claughton’s household at nearby Hasland House consisted of 4 males and 9 females.

At Grasshill, John Brocksopp’s household was 4 males and 5 females. Two farmers, James Hawley at Hasland and William Gill at Grassmoor, also had large households.

James Hawley, who died in 1828, left a will, requesting that his widow and then their son George, be allowed to continue the tenancy of the house, lands and farm, which he rented from the Lucas estate. It was situated on the south-western edge of Hasland not far from the manor farm.

William Gill was also a tenant of the Lucas estate. His family lived on Gill’s Lane in Grassmoor for many years. He also left a will, which was proved in 1845, in which he requested that his son Stephen was allowed to keep the tenancy of the farm at Grassmoor, with the permission of his landlord. William Gill does not name his landlord in his will, written in 1844, probably because Mr Bernard Lucas had died in 1840, and the Lucas estate was then being managed by his trustees. In 1849 his son Stephen Gill occupied 10 ½ acres at Grassmoor, and the estate was still under the management of the trustees.

Two toll houses are listed on the 1811 census, at Grassmoor and Boythorpe.

The toll house in Boythorpe was on the Derby Road, a short distance south of the junction with Storforth Lane, and was usually called ‘Birdholme Bar’. In 1811 when the right to collect the tolls here was auctioned, it was included with the Clay Cross bar, and the income from both for the previous year was £386.12s.7d. (Derby Mercury 27 June 1811).

The toll house at Grassmoor was on the Birkin Lane turnpike, where it crossed the North Wingfield Road. By the time of the census, John Brocksopp of Grasshill had the right to collect the tolls here, and at the auction in April 1812 he paid £102 to continue to collect tolls for the coming year.

Pictured: a page from toll keeper Edward Turner’s accounts for Grassmoor bar (formerly Bar 773, now DRO D8042/773). Fees ranged from 1d. for a saddled horse to 6d. for a two-horse cart.

Who Was The Irishman at the Furnace?

At Grasshill there was an ‘Irishman at Furnace’. This was the blast-furnace owned and worked by John Brocksopp. The furnace was a short-lived venture. It was probably started in November 1801, when Brocksopp appointed John Bargh as manager (Bar790), and was shut down in 1812, after Brocksopp’s death. Unfortunately there is no clue as to the identity of the Irishman.

The Brocksopps of Hasland

Some members of the Brocksopp family lived at Little (now Temple) Normanton in the 17th century, and were Quakers. By the mid 18th century one branch of the family had settled at Grasshill, in Hasland township. Read on to discover how their activities contributed to the history of Grassmoor village.

When Edward Brocksopp of Birchill, Grassmoor, made his will in February 1678/9, he was said to be aged, and weak. He was a prosperous yeoman farmer, and left land at Corbriggs, Birchill, and Calow to his sons Henry, Edmund and John. His eldest son Henry inherited an estate at North Wingfield from his uncle Edmund Brocksopp (d.1718), and the youngest son John died without heirs, leaving his land at Winsick to his brother Edmund. And so it was Edward’s son Edmund and his family who came to inherit most of the land in Hasland.

Edmund Brocksopp of Hasland c1650-1714

Edmund Brocksopp of Hasland described his occupation as ‘butcher’. By the time of his death in 1714 he was a very wealthy man. He had a butcher’s shop in Chesterfield, and the inventory of his possessions made in 1715 describes his farmstead as having a hall, little parlour, great parlour, three chambers and kitchen, as well as a brewhouse, dairy, stable, barns, ‘upper house’, ‘nether house’, and two hovels. He had £725 in bonds, more than £130 in cash in the house, and a clock in his kitchen. In all, his goods were valued at almost £1,400.

Part of the inventory of Edmund Brocksopp’s goods, 1714.

Edmund left his estate to be divided between his four sons, Edward (d.1742), Edmund (d.c1751), Thomas (d. c1744) and John (d.1741).

His sons Thomas and Edward died without heirs, the latter leaving considerable land in Flagg, Sheldon, Ashford in the Water, Matlock, Whittington, Chesterfield and Hasland, to be divided between his nephews and nieces. The next generation of Brocksopps of Hasland descended from Edmund’s son John.

John Brocksopp of Hasland d.1741

John Brocksopp died in December 1741, leaving a widow, Lydia, three daughters and two sons. His eldest daughter Dorothy had married and had been been given her portion, but his other two daughters, Elizabeth and Lydia, were bequeathed four houses in St Mary’s Gate in Chesterfield, as well as money.

His two sons were Edward (c1720-1799) and John (1724-1770). John lived at Grasshill (see next paragraph). Edward, another wealthy man by the time of his death, owned several properties in Lordsmill Street in Chesterfield, and land in Sheldon, Hognaston, Matlock, Bonsall, as well as in Hasland. Although sometimes described, like his father, as a butcher, at the time of his death Edward was described as a ‘gentleman of Chesterfield’. He had a large family but his will suggests that he did not trust his sons James and Humphrey with money, leaving them 12 shillings a week and forbidding them to borrow against their inheritance. Edward was the grandfather of Emily Brocksopp who married William Allwood Lord of Tupton in 1802.

Grasshill House, now called Grasshill Farm. The property previously called Grasshill Farm was situated a few yards to the south of the house, next to what is now the entrance to the golf course.

John Brocksopp of Grasshill 1724-1770

From his father John Brocksopp inherited £50 and two closes of land in Hasland called Coal Close and Crabtree Close which his father had purchased from his uncle.

When he died in 1770, aged 46, he left his widow Mary (nee Wragg) to raise four daughters and one son with the assistance of his brother in law, William Wragg of Stretton Hall (unfortunately John’s will does not give any indication as to the extent of his wealth). His only son, another John, was 17 years old at the time of his father’s death. As his uncle William Wragg was unmarried, young John stood to inherit from both sides of the family.

To this date, the Brocksopp family appear to have concentrated on their farming activities, and there is no mention of any sort of industrial activities in their wills and inventories, though Edward Brocksopp (d.1742) had a share in the Nestus lead mine near Matlock. However, the Wragg family had been involved in coal mining in North Wingfield parish, and by the end of the 18th century Mrs Mary Brocksopp and her son John had a colliery at Hasland. In 1794 their ‘Hasland Coal Mine’ had six pits in work, with another three being made ready. The whole of the enterprise with horses, counting house, quarry, engine house, and tools, was then valued at just under £750.

The Hasland Colliery account book for 1787 shows that Mrs Mary Brocksopp was paid £50 in December, her outstanding share of the profits for 1786, while her son John took £10.

Mrs Mary Brocksopp held property in her own name, and also profited from Hasland Coal Mine. When she died in 1796 she left her three unmarried daughters fortunes of about £1,000 each.

John Brocksopp of Grasshill 1753-1812

John Brocksopp had been living at Stretton Hall, but moved into the family home at Grasshill after his mother’s death. A few years later he had a furnace built nearby (at Furnace Hillock) and began smelting iron. His industrial operations were mothballed following his death in 1812, as his son was too young to take over the business. He had married late in life and his two children were both in their infancy. His considerable estate, which, at the time of his death included a dozen cottages, and farms at Grasshill, Birchill, Stretton Hall, and Handley Lodge, passed to the Barnes family of Ashgate after the early death of both of his children. It was the Barnes family who started the coal mining enterprise on the old Brocksopp land which was to become Grassmoor Colliery, and led to the expansion of the scattered farming settlement at Grassmoor.

Opencast mining at Furnace Hillock, Grasshill, in 1992. A coal seam robbed out by workings from old bell pits can be seen bottom right.

• Mr David Jenkins has written some excellent articles on John Brocksopp (1753-1812) which can be seen at Chesterfield Local Studies Library.
• Much of the above information comes from the Barnes Collection, which was previously held at Chesterfield Local Studies Library, and is now in the care of Derbyshire Record Office.

Over and Out

Grassmoor’s 10 years in the Derbyshire League, 1893-1903

Back Row: back row G. Hayes (scorer) – A. Fletcher – W. Heathcote – E.J. Bigland – W. Dennis – J. Newton – G. Gee (umpire)
Middle Row: H. Cooper – G. Godfrey – W. Godfrey (captain) – W. Peters – W. Wilkinson – C. White
Front Row: W. King – R. Gee – A. Bedford

As the cricket season draws to an end I take a look at Grassmoor Works Cricket team in the 1890s, inspired by the above team photograph. If the players are accurately named, think that the photograph must have been taken before 1896 (despite the 1899 caption), as it includes Mr Edward J. Bigland, who was headmaster of Grassmoor National School 1882-1896, and Mr William Peters who went to play for Bolsover in 1896.

I am not sure when Grassmoor Works first had a cricket team, but the team was in existence before August 1869, when 11 men of Grassmoor Works played 22 of Calow and district at Calow Feast. They were clearly a good team. A large crowd saw the Grassmoor men score 110 and then bowl out the Calow men for 31. To add insult to injury, 10 of those 31 runs were extras. Although none of the men playing for Grassmoor that day are in the above photograph, there was a member of the sporting Bedford family playing for Grassmoor.

The Barnes family, owners of Grassmoor Colliery, were keen cricketers, and Mr Alfred Barnes was, of course, president of the works cricket club. In the 1880s one of Mr Barnes’s sons was captain of the first team, and his nephew also played occasionally for the team. Mr Bernard Lucas, who owned the land where Grassmoor recreation ground was situated, was one of the vice presidents of the cricket club.

Derbyshire Courier 15 Jan 1887. From the above report in the Derbyshire Courier, it seems likely that the recreation ground was made in 1887. A map of 1883 shows only fields here.

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OS 25″ Derbyshire XXV.15 1897 and 6″ XXV.SE 1921. The later map names the cricket ground, divided off from the recreation ground, and shows a building on the southern boundary, which I take to be a pavilion. Note that in the intervening years Hobley Lane has been renamed Chapman Lane.

The Derbyshire League

At first many cricket matches seem to have been arranged on an informal basis, but cricket associations, leagues and competitions were quickly formed in the booming Derbyshire coalfields. At the end of 1889 the Derbyshire League was started, with the first season commencing in 1890. The league was limited to nine or ten clubs, and intended to be just one step down from county level cricket. Most of the original founding clubs were based in the Amber Valley and Alfreton areas, and the league’s AGMs were held at Alfreton.

By 1890, before they joined the Derbyshire League, Grassmoor’s team seems to have been too good for many of their opponents. In September 1890 they played a North Wingfield team, and after making 101 for 5, bowled North Wingfield out for 14. The star players of this era included the batsman and captain Mr William Godfrey, the bowler, Mr Arthur ‘Tat’ Bedford, and the all-rounder Mr William Peters. All three are on the above photograph.

In 1893 Grassmoor Works and Chesterfield Town cricket teams joined the Derbyshire League, and although Ilkeston, Riddings, Blackwell, and Butterley were still members at that date, the shift began towards the league being dominated by the clubs in North East Derbyshire, and the AGMs were later transferred to Chesterfield. By 1899 there were 10 clubs in the league: Grassmoor Works, Bolsover Colliery, Chesterfield Town, Clay Cross Park, Pilsley Works, Staveley Works, South Normanton, Tibshelf Colliery, Creswell Colliery, and Ilkeston Manners Colliery.

At least five of the cricketers on the photograph played for Grassmoor in their first season in the Derbyshire League. Now matched against a limited number of clubs of a similar standard, Grassmoor found wins harder to come by, but still acquitted themselves well. Two of Grassmoor’s players, Mr William Godfrey and Mr William Dennis, were also selected to play in a representative match at Chesterfield, a mark of distinction. Despite the quality of the team, it was Pilsley who won the league in 1893, and Grassmoor finished in sixth place. Until 1896, Pilsley and Butterley were the only names on the cup, and Grassmoor regularly featured in the bottom half of the league table.

Competition for the best players was fierce, and in 1893 Grassmoor acquired the services of Mr George Burton to aid their campaign. The Derbyshire Times reported “Grassmoor have got together splendid eleven, which includes some of the most prominent young players in the district. George Burton, who has been in Cardiff for two seasons, has thrown in his lot with this club” (Derbyshire Times 13 May 1893).

The transfer of players from one team to another was a constant problem, and at a league meeting in 1895 it was ruled that “any player must have played at least four matches during the previous season, or reside within a radius of four miles from the club house for at least nine months in the year”. It was hoped that this would prevent clubs from bringing in professionals (Derbyshire Times 19 October 1895).

Billy Foulkes, remembered today as a footballer, was the cause of the Butterley team withdrawing from the Derbyshire League in the summer of 1897 following a dispute about his eligibility to play. He was a gifted all round cricketer. He took 5 wickets for 13 runs against Grassmoor in July 1897.

Foulkes “was a punishing bat and played for Derbyshire County XI in 1900, beside being a wonderful slip fielder. Everything that came to those huge hands seemed to stick. As a Sheffield United goalkeeper he was regarded as one of the finest keepers in England and was an international against Wales in 1897. He also won an English Cup final medal in 1898-9 and again in 1901-2… He never really grew up, and did the most outrageous things. One day he carried a donkey out of a costermonger’s shafts up the steep narrow flight of stairs in a Blackwell Primrose Hill house, and deposited it in the bedroom of an ailing friend “Fer comp’ny like”. It took about half the row to get it down again.”

(W.E. Godfrey’s notebooks, Chesterfield Library).

At the league’s AGM in October 1895 Bolsover Colliery’s cricket team was admitted in to the Derbyshire League, which had now increased to 12 clubs. Bolsover soon became a major force in the league under the aegis of Mr John Plowright Houfton (1857-1929), who had become general manager of Bolsover Colliery in 1890. Mr (later Sir) J.P. Houfton was a keen cricketer, and was later a committee member of Derbyshire County Cricket Club and president of the Derbyshire League from 1898. In the summer of 1896, Bolsover’s first season, one of Grassmoor’s best players, Mr William Peters (on the above photograph), moved from Grassmoor to Bolsover.

The Grassmoor team struggled on, but it was observed in 1897 that they were not up to the required standard. They finished bottom of the league in 1898 and 1899, but managed to reach sixth place in 1902. Their final season in the Derbyshire League was 1903, when their neighbours Pilsley were league champions for the fifth time.

In 1904 Grassmoor Works joined the Derbyshire Minor League, and won that league at their first attempt.

In 1904 the Minor League cup was presented to Mr Samuel Peters of Grassmoor, whose father had once played for the Grassmoor team.

Barnes Park Centenary

Derbyshire Courier 18 June 1918

In June 1918,  in the Lucas estate sale, the land used as a recreation ground in Grassmoor was sold to Mr Arthur Rough, for £700. Hasland Parish Council now needed to find a new recreation ground, and, after the war came to an end, they were also soon searching for a place to erect a war memorial for Grassmoor’s fallen.

Grassmoor Colliery Company offered the parish council a field of similar size to the one they had just lost. It was a field of just under seven acres, opposite the schools. It was to be used for a recreation ground, and also to have a place for the war memorial, and was given to the village in memory of the men killed in the war. The Colliery Company made two requests; firstly that the rate payers should not be burdened with any costs, and secondly that they should have the right to approve the layout of the park. The parish council gratefully accepted this offer.

At a parish council meeting held in Grassmoor schools, and attended by a large number of people, was decided that the war memorial should take the form of a large cross, and would be erected at the main entrance.

The council appear to have made slow progress. Deeds transferring the land from the colliery to the parish council were finally signed in August 1919. Committees had been formed to oversee the making of the park and the erection of the war memorial, and by May 1920  they had raised more than £100 towards installing the gates, and more than £70 towards installing the war memorial. Eventually £206.9.1 was raised by subscription, and Mr Bernard C. Lucas also contributed £250.  It was planned to plant trees and make a playground with any surplus funds. By December 1920 it was reported that £50 had been spent on trees and shrubs.

At a meeting of the parish council on Tuesday  21st September 1920, on the motion of Messrs T. Whitmore and W. Godfrey, it was confirmed that the new recreation ground would be called  ‘Barnes Park’. By then the entrance gates and pillars had  been erected ( at a cost of £145.5.0.), and the park was almost ready. It had been planned  to open that month, but the official opening was subsequently put back to the 7th October.

At the opening ceremony ‘Comrades of the Great War’ formed a guard of honour at the entrance to the park, and children from Grassmoor Schools sang songs. A member of the Barnes family (proprietors of Grassmoor Colliery), Mrs Kinsman, unlocked the gates and declared it open. In return she was presented with a silver commemorative key, and a bouquet of flowers.A platform was erected in the park, and there were speeches. On the platform were the chairman of the parish council, Mr J.A. Oxley, Mr Barnet Kenyon MP,  six members of the Barnes family, Alderman J.E. Eastwood, the Rev. W.V. Davies and four officials of the Grassmoor Colliery Company.

Following the opening, it was not all smooth going. There was a ‘heated discussion’ about the laying out of the paths in March 1921, when some felt that at a time of distress this work should have been given to local unemployed men. In June there were complaints about damage to the trees and shrubs caused by cricket spectators, and councillors were growing impatient as the war memorial installation had twice been delayed by the Belper stonemason.

• The War Memorial in Barnes Park was finally  unveiled in October 1921. In January 1922 severe gales nearly blew the monument down.

This is dedicated to the  memory of Mr A.  Jackson, who found and  transcribed most of the  newspaper articles used  in writing this account.

From the Derbyshire  Times

15 May 1920

25 August 1920

25 September 1920

9 October 1920 

11 December 1920

12 March 1921

4 June 1921

And from the Derbyshire  Courier

22 February 1919

1 March 1919

12 August 1919

7 January 1922