Stanley

Stanley Parish and Area History (Page 3)

by Terry Hall 2000

This appears to be more than likely as the stone in the Manor Farm area was a similar texture to that on Stanley Hill. Nothing is known as to when Stanley Manor was built, nor who was responsible. It is not known either when it came to be demolished.

It is recorded it came into the possession of William Fitz Ralph about AD 1180. William Fitz Ralph was the son of Ralph Fitz Geremund, the protector of the Hermit of Dale. Differences of opinion arise as to how Fitz Ralph obtained Stanley Manor and Park. Nothing is known of his early life, and the earliest mention of his name is to be found in Pipe Rolls of 1169, but for twelve years he held the high office of Sheriff of the Counties of Derby and Nottingham from 1169 to 1181. Later he was a Justice on the King's Bench, and in 1180 he was raised to the dignity of Seneshal of Normandy. It was while he held the position of Sheriff that he came into possession of Stanley, and a statement in the Pipe Roll of 1178 may be a pointer. It states "A Ralph Juventis (Chyld) is there said to hold Stanley and be an outlaw. Sheriff William Fitz Ralph accounded 8s 2d for his goods". The sheriff would be in a position to purchase the estate from the next of kin. Reference is made to the Chyld family by John Ward in "Dale and its Abbey", page 100. Mr Ward makes reference to persons being known by their place of residence, and writing of a donation Richard of Trowell made to Dale Abbey. This was from a rent at Trowell which he had received from William de Stanley. Mr. Ward goes on to say "The Stanleys seem to have been closely related to the Trowells, and there is no doubt they were identical with the Childs mentioned in the "Dale Chronicle" and Pipe roll 25 Henry II as holding Stanley near Dale".

In Trueman and Marsden's History of Ilkeston" one reads "William Fitz Ralph purchased the Manor of Stanley (Stanlye) with its parish from Nicholas Chyld, to bestow it upon his daughter and her husband Gafford, who held Alvaston. They had no children and persuaded Fitz Ralph to give the land at Stanley Park to the Premonstatensions". Another version of how Fitz Ralph acquired Stanley can be found in Bulmer's "History and Directory of Derbyshire" re Egginton - giving details at the time of the Doomsday Survey when held by Geoffrey Alselin. His heiress married a Bardulf, and it was held under this family in moities with William Fitz Ralph. It states "The latter was the founder of Dale Abbey, and gave this Manor or the greater part of it to his nephew William de Grendon in exchange for Stanley near Derby". Conflicting, but nevertheless, Fitz Ralph did possess Stanley Manor, and, as we have seen, gave Stanley Park to the Premonstratensions.

Stanley Parish Magazine of August 1897 contains some interesting facts of the Stanley Manor owners. It states "From William Fitz Ralph Stanley Manor passed into the hands of the Powtrells, later to the Cokes of Trusley, then to a Dr. Chambers, and next to Sir Hugh Bateman" (Note this gentleman's estate in Stanley was sold at the Bell Hotel, Derby, 1853). "The present owner of Manor Farm is F.A. Newdigate, Esq". The change in wording from Stanley Manor to Manor Farm is notable. Manor Farm was sold a number of times after 1897 prior to being acquired by the present owner. A portion of land originally appertaining to Stanley Manor, three roods, is left to buy bread and wine for the Holy Sacrament for ever in Stanley Church. It is known as the Little Buttery Charity, and at present the land is owned by Mr. Joseph Shaw of Locko Grange Farm, who now pays the Charity rent to Stanley Church.

STANLEY GRANGE

Strictly speaking Stanley Grange Farm House is not in Stanley Parish. It is directly on the boundary of Stanley and Dale Abbey parishes. The approach to the Farm and the majority of the land is in Stanley. The present farmhouse is on the original site of Stanley Grange, and incorporates some portions of the original building, which incidentally contributed more to local history than any other building locally, with the exception of Dale Abbey. One cannot find where Stanley has made any contribution to English history, but Stanley Grange was in fact the centre of a debate in Parliament in 1637.

During the Reformation period. West Hallam, under the Powtrell family, was a staunch Roman Catholic stronghold, and Stanley Grange was a school for Roman Catholic young gentlemen. It was under Father William Wright and Lady Anne Vaux, daughter of Lord Harrowden, a friend of the Powtrells, and was a headquarters of Jesuits open to Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire as a College of The Incarnate Conception.

The School was opened in 1625, and was raided in 1635, at which time Lady Anne Vaux kept the raiders talking at the door until the students had made their escape from the rear to West Hallam. The raiders upon entering found two chapels prepared for Mass and tables and beds for 40 or 50 persons. It was in 1637 when Stanley Grange was debated upon in the House of Commons, after which a deputation with Black Rod went to King Charles seeking permission to raid Stanley Grange under the Raids Bill.

A curious coincidence was that this and the previous raid took place when the Monarch was in Derby. Captain Gilbert of Locko led this raid, when Father Wright, Lady Anne Vaux and the boys were captured and taken to London. The King eventually exercised his right and released them. During the Civil War a raid was made upon the Grange for other than religious motives.

Following the Raising of the Standard, at Nottingham, on August 22nd 1642, King Charles and his army left to march to Chester, via Derby, Stafford and Shrewsbury, and it appears that the King's Derbyshire adherents had stored arms and ammunition at the Grange, stated in records as the home of a Catholic gentleman, near West Hallam.

The Parliamentarian Mayor of Derby, hearing of this, mustered three troops of horse, and rode from Derby on the night of September 15th 1642, to the Grange, surrounded it, and forced an entry. The raiders found a secret passage, and a hiding place, also a Jesuit Priest disguised as a servant, but the arms had been dispatched to Nottingham previously.

Amongst the persons found there was one of King Charles Courtiers, Endymion Porter, and his son George, both of whom had been present at the Raising of the Standard at Nottingham. The Mayor dare not arrest these two, but he arrested the Priest.

Following these raids, the School was moved to more secluded places, first to Holbeach in Lincolnshire, and then to Barlborough in Nottinghamshire, and finally to Spinkhill in 1733, when the Poles family gave their Manor, in order that a School could be formed there. Between 1829 and 1842, a new School, the forerunner of the present College, was built there, and some of the original text books used at Stanley Grange are still preserved at the College.

The old stone chamber at Stanley Grange Farm, now used as a bam, was formerly a School classroom. This stone chamber was built during the time the Grange was the property of Dale Abbey. Again making reference from John Ward's book, "Dale and its Abbey", one finds of "Stanley Grange on the site of the old Grange of the Abbey", the narrative goes on to state "During the office of the 12th Abbot of Dale, one Dorn William Horsley, the stone chamber was built". Horsley ruled as Abbot for 21 years, 41 weeks, 1332 - 1353.

Stanley Grange was again in the news during the trial of Father William Busby, of West Hallam, at Derby Assizes. One witness, Thomal Houis, stated, "I did send my eldest child to the Chapel at Stanley Grange to have it Christened, and when we came there, Dr. Richard Needham, who lived there, said "Are you the Father of this child?" I answered 'Yes'. Busby did Christen my child, and gave her the name Anne. Mr. Peter Waldrom was Godfather and Mrs Anne Smalley was Godmother". In 1903 Stanley Grange again hit the headlines for during excavations for the new outbuildings a coffin containing a skeleton was unearthed by Mr William Purdy of Cat and Fiddle Lane, who related the story of his find to the writer. Furthermore he produced photographic evidence of himself with spade in hand standing alongside the coffin against the trench from which it had been taken. This find was investigated at the time by members of the Derby Archaeological Society. In John Ward's "Roman Era of Britain", p.146, one finds "A good example of a rectangular coffin was found at Stanley Grange, Derbyshire in 1903. It was constructed of oak boards, which appeared to have been pegged together, as there were no nails or other metal parts. The skeleton was extended at full length with the head to the east-north-east, and on its right side was a small hexagonal bottle of glass". Some of the stained glass from the chapel at Stanley Grange is now in West Hallam Church.

STANLEY QUARRY

The year 1960 saw the disappearance of this village landmark. South East Derbyshire Rural District Council acquired the site for refuse disposal, and in a few months the quarry was filled in. Its origin was unknown, but through the ages it had been a source of industry in the village, for whatever the use of the quarry originally, it served the purpose of road making years later when the road now known as Stanley Hill came to be made. This road was constructed through the quarry centre, the portion on the north side being filled in about fifty years ago. At the east end of this section was a cave hewn out of sandstone, which according to "old timers" was occupied by a family of stocking makers.

The portion of the quarry on the south side remained a favourite haunt for children until the 1920's, when a gentleman named Thomas Anthony discovered this type of sandstone had excellent properties as a rubbing stone for preparing surfaces for polishing woodwork. Mr. Anthony developed the site, and for a number of years Stanley Excelsior Rubbing Stone Company flourished, the stone, shaped into blocks, being exported all over the world. An invention of a mechanical rubbing machine, using manufactured blocks, and the advent of cellulose paints completely knocked the bottom out of the industry, and in so doing created one of more significance.

The stone of a whitish nature, which had been used for centuries by the locals to whiten their doorsteps, became the basis for The Stanley Building Block. This was an artificially made stone block measuring 18" x 9" x 9". The building trade did not take kindly to these blocks so Mr. Anthony went into partnership and directly into the building trade, resulting in thousands of houses and bungalows being built of Stanley Stone, notably at Chaddesden, Cherry Tree Hill and Allenton. A number were erected in Stanley. The death of Mr. Anthony's partner and the coming of the Second World War saw the end of the business, which went into voluntary liquidation.

During excavations it became necessary to extend the quarry, and in doing so a well known Stanley landmark was removed. This was a huge specimen of a sweet chestnut tree, it being the largest and most prolific bearer throughout the area, its trunk being approximately 18 feet in circumference. During the removal of the top soil for the extension the original roadway used prior to any quarry working was uncovered, proving without doubt that the present road had been made through the quarry, incidentally reducing the gradient.

Stanley has not always been a law abiding place, as one could assume from the mention of abjuring the Realm. According to Pipe Roll 5 Rich. PS. Im. 70, a complaint was made to William la Zouke, Lord of Ilkeston, that "Thomas son of Godfrey Folcambe and John Smyth of Stanley and other malefactors armed and arrayed in warlike manner lay in ambush, and attacked with intent to kill the Abbott of Dale, at Derby, and his servants, and beat them up, inasmuch he dared not remain in these parts for fear of death". In another instance Henry the Clerk and William the Chaplain killed the Rector of Morley’s servant at Stanley. A brutal murder took place at Stanley Hall on the 30th September 1842, when Miss Martha Goddard was found battered to death. Three men from Heage, Samuel Bonsall, John Hulme and William Bland, were tried for the murder, convicted and publicly hanged at Derby in 1843.

Whilst on the subject of crime and the mention of Stanley Hall, an opposite angle. In 1874, John Radford took up residence at Smalley Hall, upon being appointed High Sheriff of Derbyshire. He was the son of John Radford of Stanley Hall.This gentleman, along with Fitz Ralph (1169-1181), are the only two Stanley persons to hold that high law abiding position, although a former Smalley Common man, the late Alderman E.A. Braddock Esq, was Lord Mayor of Nottingham and Sheriff of Nottinghamshire. He was also a Freeman of Nottingham and is interred in All Saints Churchyard, Stanley Common.

Before making the journey to Stanley Common via Morley Lane, with its typical rural setting, mention must be made of the Methodist Church there. This stands on Morley Lane, Stanley, and was built in 1827, being re-built in 1882. Also somewhere in this area a portion of the old Portway crossed Stanley, but the position is completely obliterated. Experts do not agree as to the section traversed. Some plump for a route via Sough Lane (Dale Road), others via the Bridle road known as Lukes Lane, but all agree the Portway went through Stanley and through Dale Abbey, the bridle path below the Hermits Cave being part of the original. The Portway was the early road in England traversed by teams of packhorses.

STANLEY COMMON

On to Stanley Common, which prior to the Act of Inclosure of Stanley Waste Grounds Derbyshire 1792, was almost devoid of development. Today, if anything, Stanley Common, with its two Council House Estates, outstrips the Village of Stanley in population and in several other respects. The question has often been asked, where does Stanley Common finish and Smalley Common start? Especially now the postal address of Stanley Common makes no distinction. The hamlet of Smalley Common has been part and parcel of Stanley Parish since 1938.

Prior to the Inclosure Act, villagers could let their cattle graze upon common land, and cattle which strayed from one parish to another were impounded in the village pinfold or pound, being released when the rightful owner claimed and paid a small fine. One pinfold for Stanley was situated on Stanley Hill. In order to prevent cattle straying from one parish to another gates were placed across the roads at parish boundaries on common land. What was known as Naggle Gate, dividing the Stanley and Smalley Common lands, stood on a spot between the present Tansley Avenue and The White Post. It is almost certain the Gate derived its name from the Naggle family, mentioned in the Smalley Registers from 1658 until the eighteenth century and also appearing in the Morley and West Hallam Registers. There was a small community around this point, and a public house known as The Gate Inn was in existence here in 1801.

The Smalley records show that John Fletcher and his wife to be the Victuallers. The Old Inn was later replaced by the New Inn at about the same point, and this in turn has been re-named the White Post. At the beginning of the nineteenth century and the coming of the Industrial Age, the Inclosed Common Land bordering the roadway was soon in demand for development. Records show Stocking Frame workers, Lacemakers, Twine and Rope makers. There were three Rope Walks at Stanley Common and Smalley Common, and the names still survive as place names. Coal miners settled at Stanley Common at the commencement of the 19th century. Bills of sale for portions of the land at Stanley Common for development from 1800 onwards are still in existence at Stanley, carefully preserved by a member of an old Stanley family. The Brickyard was working until the latter years of the nineteenth century.

At the same time Victoria colliery was worked, not very successfully, on the site where the Council houses stand opposite the Denver Bakery. The Colliery was nicknamed "Bread and Herring" by reason of the poor earnings there. With the development of Stanley Common came a wave of Methodism, Wesley or otherwise, and during 1835 Wesley Wesleyan Chapel was built, followed by the Primitive Methodist Chapel in 1856. Both encountered a flourishing period, a second portion being added to the Wesleyan Chapel in 1866, and the Primitive Methodists re-built theirs in 1889.

Following development at Smalley Common a United Methodist Free Church was erected there in 1903, one of the foundation stones being laid by Alderman F. Sudbury, Mayor of Ilkeston, on the 19th August. Incorporated in this building are several memorials. One on the north side of the Church reads "In memory of G.H. Checkland, Esq., laid by Mr. G. Spencer on behalf of the Mapperley Colliery Company". Also inside the church is a memorial tablet to the memory of the Smalley common men who gave their lives in the Great Wars. Sad to relate, the mid-twentieth century has seen a decline in the Free Churches. The Primitive Methodist Chapel closed on June 30th 1964, followed by the Wesleyan Chapel in September 1966.

ALL SAINTS CHURCH, STANLEY COMMON

Although the Church was not built until 1913, the idea was formulated many years previous, the Rev. T Williams BA, the then Vicar of Stanley, playing an important part in getting the Church erected. The first item of the Building Account reads "Collected by the Rev. B. Turton, Vicar 1893 to 1896 the sum (with interest) of £24 13s 0d". Of that sum £22 14s 2d was spent in 1908 on the conveyance of the site and the fencing of it, leaving a balance of £1 18s. The site was given by the Lord of the Manor of Stanley, Capt. W.D. Drury-Lowe of Locko Park. A list of subscribers at a later date reveals that donations to the Building Fund came from far and wide, and how valiantly local tradesmen and churchgoers rallied to the cause. Amongst well known names on the list appear those of His Grace the Duke of Rutland, Sir Alfred Seale Haslam, Sir Arthur Heywood, Bart., Capt. W.D. Drury-Lowe, Mr. E.Miller Mundy, Mr Charles R. Crompton, Mr. R.S. Wilmot-Sitwell, Mrs Sacheveral Bateman. A large portion of the money required was raised by local efforts, and what efforts must they have been in those days.

A Bazaar on 30th October 1911, raised the sum of £199 7s 1d, a fantastic amount at the time. Miss Benbow, whose name will recall school day memories of many Stanley Common people, raised a total sum of £76 9s 1 Id. with efforts during 1912-1913. Her Sale of Work of 25th November 1912, raised £38 18s 5d. A Jumble Sale for the oak choir stalls realised £22 on 28th June 1913, and £11 16s 6d was collected for the oak pulpit. The contract for the building was £869, and complete with furnishing the total cost was £1,105. Today it would be in the region of £15,000 to £20,000 without furnishings.

The Foundation Stone laying took place on the 5th April 1913, and the stone to the right hand of the Church door bears a Latin inscription, which translated reads "To the Glory of God Mary Constance Hoskyns wife of the Bishop of Southwell placed this stone on the 5th day of April 1913" The Dedication of the Church was on the 1st November 1913, by the Lord Bishop of Southwell A brass tablet inside the Church reads "To the Glory of God this church was built in the year 1913. T. Williams BA Vicar, J. Hart, T. Hartshorne". On the Vestry door a tablet records "This Vestry is erected to the Glory of God and in grateful memory of Arthur Attenborough, Thomas Attenborough, Reginald Brown, George Clare, Richard Elliot, Frederick Keates, Lewis Longden, David Males, George Ridgard Mee and Harry Newton who gave their lives in the Great War 1914-18. RIP". The Baptistery window was dedicated on the 1st November 1963, by Canon the Revd. A.L. Hopkins, but it was not until the Fiftieth Anniversary that the Church was Consecrated this ceremony being performed by the Lord Bishop of Derby on Sunday, 3rd November 1963.

In the Methodist free Church at Smalley Common, the Roll of Honour for the Great War 1914-18 records Harry Newton, Arthur Attenborough, Fredrick H. Attenborough, Cyril Toplis, Ernest Cresswell, Richard Elliot, Frederick Keates and David Males, and for the 1939 to 1945 War, the names of Ronald Kimpton, Dennis Walker, George Powell and Horace A. Briggs. Underneath the Clock a tablet records "This Clock was given by his wife in loving Memory of George Grashion who died 4th August 1932". A further tablet below this reads "To the Glory of God and Sacred to the Memory of Florence Grashion a life long member of this Church, who died 21st December, 1946.

VILLAGE NAMES AND CHARACTERS

Tombstones in the Parish Church Yard tell the story of the Draycott's, Hambletor Scattergood's, Buckland's and Woodward's surnames which have completely disappeared from the Parish, but at the commencement of the 18th century the Hart's and Hartshome's have settled in Stanley along with the families of Clark, Disney, Martin, Thompson and Steven by 1750. Prior to the commencement of the present century the majority of residents in the village were relatives, directly or by marriage, with the above family names, the only newcomers being men hired at local Statutes by farmers. However, with the coming of the Industrial Revolution, especially coalmining, the sons of the soil, men who could and did in fact mow an acre of grass a day with a scythe, proved their versatility by transferring their skill to wielding a pick and shovel, becoming experts at their new occupation. With work available, houses were built for miners at Stanley Brickyard, Morley Lane, along the main road at Stanley Common, and at Smalley Common by local colliery companies

Before the advent of rail and road transport, the public houses played an important part in village communal life, and many stories of incidents and personalities can be told. The Bridge Inn and the White Hart are good examples of the old type of country pub. The late John Starbuck was for many years mine host at The Bridge Inn and would recall that one wet cold winter's night a collier of Stanley Brickyard named William Sneap called at the Inn on his way home from the pit for a pint and a warm. At the time colliers purchase their own gunpowder and fuses for coal getting. Obtaining his pint 'Snappy' as he was known made his way to the tap room where the customers sat closely packed around a good fire, but none offered to make room for him. Frustrated, 'Snappy' said "If I can't have a look at the fire you lot won't”, whereupon he threw his powder tin into the fire. There was a mad rush for the door, and when nothing happened, the customers gingerly made their way back to find 'Snappy' calmly sitting before the fire supping his pint. The retrieved powder tin beside him was empty.

Another 'Bridge' incident concerned a former well known Stanley figure, the late Mr. George Horsnall, who incidentally worked for 54 years at Stanley Colliery. An argument arose about the time taken to travel by foot from village to village. Mr Horsnall contended he could partake of a drink in the 'Vernon Arms' at Spondon, walk to 'The Bridge Inn' at Stanley, and have another drink in under the half hour. Taken up on this for a bet, the feat was easily accomplished under supervision, resulting in drinks all round George was a keen horticulturist, and his name is perpetuated with 'The George Horsnall Memorial Rose Bowl', a trophy for competition at Stanley Horticultural Society's Shows.

'The White Hart' has had its share of characters. When Mr Fred Crookes was 'Mine Host', he more or less transformed it into a Hunting Lodge, when riding with the Earl of Harrington Hunt. Members of the Hunt, including the well known Huntsman Tom Davis, spent time and money with the 'locals' at the Inn, and upon at least one occasion the Hunt held a 'Meet' there, an event recorded in song by the late Fred Lee, who was later invited to the 'Hunt Ball' to sing his hunting songs.

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