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TURTON FAMILY AND SMALLEY VILLAGE

CONTENTS (ALL ON ONE PAGE)

Turton Family of Smalley, Derbyshire
Smalley Village Book
Smalley Village Church History
Turton Family Gravestones in Smalley Churchyard
Smalley Village History
Smalley Boys' School Reunion
Pentrich Turtons, Derbyshire
Turton Family of Turton, Lancashire
Turton Tower, Lancashire
Torboc Family of Tarbock and Turton, Lancashire
Contact and Page Revision


TURTON FAMILY OF SMALLEY, DERBYSHIRE 1540-2016

FAMILY TREE

Ancestors shown in CAPITAL LETTERS are the main descent line for the Turton family of Smalley and their children are listed in the next paragraph.

HUGH TURTON (of Derby) =
*
HUGH TURTON (of Eckington) bap 6 Mar 1540 at Derby = MARGARET bur 25 Feb 1628
Margaret Turton bap 9 May 1543 at Derby
*
Hugh Turton (of Eckington) bur 6 Oct 1635, occ blacksmith = Isabell bur 18 Jun 1653
William Turton (of West Hallam) bur 17 Jan 1630
John Turton = Ellin More (of West Hallam) m 3 Jun 1599, bur 1 Sep 1607
Henry Turton bap 23 Sep 1580, bur 26 Nov 1610
GEORGE TURTON (of Mosborough, Yorks) bap 23 Feb 1584, bur 6 Sep 1657 = ELIZABETH TURNER m 26 Feb 1608, bur 28 Mar 1636
Margaret Turton bur 6 Feb 1629
Dorothy Turton bap 8 Mar 1587
*
HENRY TURTON (of Woolley, Brackenfield) bap 25 Nov 1608, bur 3 Sep 1673, occ lead miller = LYDIA bur 2 Apr 1703
Elizabeth Turton bap 14 Apr 1611
George Turton bap 28 Nov 1613 = Mary Machon m 9 May 1644, bur 20 Sep 1655
*
Henry Turton bur 24 Aug 1689 = Mary Man m 29 Oct 1667
WILLIAM TURTON (of Woolley, Brackenfield) bap 16 Nov 1645 (at Brackenfield Old Chapel), bur 3 Dec 1715 = ALICE bur 24 Apr 1716
*
JOHN TURTON (of Pentrich) bap 18 Mar 1672, bur 20 Jul 1747 = BARBARA HARDWICK bap 7 Oct 1679, m 1 Apr 1703, bur 31 Jan 1761
Joseph Turton bap 27 Oct 1678, bur 1 Feb 1764
William Turton bap 26 Feb 1680
Job Turton bap 27 Apr 1684, bur 8 Jun 1710
Elizabeth Turton bap 29 Dec 1688, bur Jan 12 1756
*
Barbara Turton bap 24 Jun 1705
John Turton bap 25 Nov 1707
James Turton bap 3 Sep 1710
SAMUEL TURTON (of Ripley) bap 13 Sep 1711, bur 29 May 1792, occ butcher = SARAH RICHARDSON m 7 Jul 1743, bur 12 May 1760
Job Turton bap 27 Feb 1714
Mary Turton bap 10 Sep 1720, bur 17 Jun 1760
*
Mary Turton bap 14 Mar 1743
Ellen Turton bap 28 Jul 1745
John Turton bap 28 Jul 1747, d 15 Dec 1811
James Turton bap 29 Jun 1749, bur 2 Jun 1830
Betty Turton bap 19 Oct 1751, d 20 Jul 1814
Samuel Turton bap 13 Jan 1754, d 17 Aug 1836
Sarah Turton bap 30 Jan 1756
JOB TURTON (of Smalley) bap 23 Aug 1758, d 24 Nov 1832, occ farmer and churchwarden = ELIZABETH ELSE bap 7 Jun 1756, m 31 Dec 1782, d 21 Dec 1805 = Dorothy Raynor b 1764, m 9 Jul 1810, bur 30 Jul 1841
*
Job Turton b 1780, bur 16 Mar 1826
Robert Turton bap 6 Jul 1783, bur 22 Oct 1791
SAMUEL TURTON (of Smalley) b 6 Sep 1784, d 23 Aug 1827, occ farmer = ELIZABETH ROE bap 27 Nov 1791, m 30 Nov 1813, d 19 Mar 1869
Elizabeth Turton bap 25 Jun 1786, d 7 May 1811
Ann Turton bap 9 Aug 1789, bur 14 Feb 1790 
James Turton bap 30 Jan 1791, bur 20 Dec 1834
John Turton bap 18 Nov 1792, bur 26 Jan 1793
Matthew Turton bap 29 Jun 1794, d 11 Oct 1849
Ann Turton bap 31 Dec 1797
*
Robert Turton b 25 Oct 1814, d 16 Jul 1865
JOHN TURTON (of Smalley) b 3 Mar 1817, d 12 Dec 1864, occ publican = SARAH CUMBERLAND CLARK b 5 Mar 1821, m 25 Dec 1845, d 28 Jan 1909.
Elizabeth Turton b 21 Apr 1819, d 28 Jun 1867
Ann Turton b 2 Jul 1821, d 18 Jan 1823
Sarah Turton b 3 Mar 1824, d 5 Dec 1899
Mary Turton b 15 Feb 1826, d 19 Apr 1891
Samuel Turton b 15 Mar 1828, d 6 Aug 1907
*
Elizabeth Turton b 5 Aug 1846, d 23 Oct 1851
Charles Turton b 11 Aug 1848
SAMUEL TURTON (of Smalley) b 23 Sep 1850, d 17 Sep 1910, occ plasterer = HANNAH ELIZA OLDKNOW bap 23 Jan 1853, m 1 Mar 1875, d 2 Jan 1919
John Turton b 6 Mar 1853, occ framework knitter
Sarah Ann Turton b 11 Sep 1855, d 15 Jul 1858
Job Turton b 6 Jul 1858, d 4 Nov 1859
Mary Turton b 23 Jun 1860
Edwin Turton b Feb 1863, d 26 Nov 1863
Thomas Turton b 15 May 1867
*
Anne Turton b 2 Oct 1872
Mary Turton b 24 Jun 1875
Emily Turton b 27 Jul 1878
Samuel Turton b 18 Nov 1880, bur 1 Dec 1887
Sarah Turton b 12 Jun 1883
Elizabeth Turton b 13 Jun 1886
ROBERT TURTON (of Smalley) b 8 Apr 1890, d 24 Jun 1966, occ coalminer = KAROLINA MILLER (b Muller) b 23 Oct 1887, m 8 Apr 1912, d 18 Feb 1961 
Margaret Turton b 12 Jul 1895, bur 10 Jun 1897
John Turton bap 5 Dec 1897 
Eva Kathleen Turton b 22 Aug 1912, d 2 October 1998 
FREDERICK MILLER TURTON (of Smalley) b 19 Apr 1921, d 3 Nov 1987 occ warper  = ANN SARAH HUGGINS b 2 Sep 1911, m 22 Sep 1945, d 2 May 1979
Marjorie Ivy Turton b 31 Dec 1922, d 11 Aug 2001
William Frederick Turton (of Stapenhill, Staffs) b 19 Jul 1947 at Smalley, occ railway engineer = Christine Susan Horton b 10 Nov 1950, m 14 Jul 1973
Robert Samuel Turton (of Long Eaton) b 2 Mar 1951 at Smalley, occ local government officer = Ann Valentine b 8 Mar 1944, m 2 Oct 1977, d 10 Aug 2006

NOTES:

1. Key: b = born. bap = baptised. m = married. d = died. bur = buried. occ = occupation.

2. Unless stated otherwise, place names are in Derbyshire. Mosborough, formerly in the parish of Eckington, was transferred to South Yorkshire in 1968. Brackenfield was formerly in the parish of Morton. Ripley was formerly in the parish of Pentrich.

3. Ancestors shown in CAPITAL LETTERS are the main descent line for the Turton family of Smalley and their children are listed in the next paragraph.

4. All names, dates and occupations have been obtained directly from Church Registers, other Record Office and Local History Library documents or records held by the family. Unfortunately some pages in the early Eckington Church Registers have been water damaged and are unreadable. PLEASE NOTE NO INFORMATION SHOWN ABOVE HAS BEEN TAKEN FROM THE INTERNET.

5. For further details on the above and other Turton pedigrees, and any other information about the Turton family in general, particularly before 1540, please contact Robert Turton at email address: BrownHawker@aol.com. Family tree and/or notes revised on 12/08/16. E & OE. 


SMALLEY VILLAGE BOOK

'Pictures of Smalley' is a book of village past in photographs, maps and drawings. Softback, 136 pp, 140 ills. Available by post from email address: BrownHawker@aol.com. 

Title: 'Pictures of Smalley'. Village Past in Photographs, Maps and Drawings.

Also includes pictures of: Heanor Gate, Stainsby House, Mapperley Colliery, Smalley Green, Smalley Crossroads, Morley Manor, Smalley Mill and Wood Lane Colliery. 

COMPILED AND PUBLISHED BY:

Robert Turton in co-operation with Smalley Boys' School Reunion.

Softback, approx. A4 size, 136 pages, 140 illustrations. 

AVAILABLE FROM AND PRICE:

By post from Robert Turton
Tel: 01377 539306 or E-mail: BrownHawker@aol.com. £14 (includes postage).

Note that any profits from the book sale will go to the Reunion for good work in the village. 

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

This large-size book contains a wide variety of old, and some not so old, photographs, maps and drawings of the Smalley area. Several extracts from old large scale maps are also included, not only to convey the past, but to help identify the village location of the pictures. Moreover, some care has been taken in arranging most of the pictures in the book in location order from north to south. 

FULL LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS, MAPS AND DRAWINGS SHOWN IN THE BOOK (in page order):

Reverend Charles Kerry 1833-1908 (facing introduction page).
Map of Smalley Parish c1900 (c-circa) (shows areas covered by the 25" (to 1 mile) scale maps).
Map of routes from Codnor Castle to Smalley and Derby c1577.
Smalley Common enclosure award map (showing central and southern area of Smalley) 1784. 
Map showing coal pits at Kidsley Park and Bell Lane, and the Sough (pit drainage tunnel) c1830.
Sanderson’s 2" map (here enlarged to 4" to 1 mile scale) 1835.
Ordnance Survey first edition 1" map (here enlarged to 2" to 1 mile scale) 1839.
Ordnance Survey 6" (to 1 mile) scale map 1880s (north and south sheet).
Map and list of old names to fields surrounding Smalley Village.
Aerial view of Smalley Village, Smalley Crossroads and Wood Lane (vertical) 1951.
Ordnance Survey map of area around Heanor Gate and Smalley Hill (25" scale) c1900.
Heanor Gate Railway Station (station closed to passengers in the 1930s, now demolished) c1950.
Special enthusiasts passenger train at Heanor Gate Railway Station 1959.
Derby Road bridge seen from Heanor Gate Railway Station 1957.
Demolition of Derby Road bridge and road straightening at Heanor Gate 1957.
Smalley Hill looking north towards Heanor Gate c1950.
Ordnance Survey map of area around Carrington’s Farm and Pit Lane (25" scale) c1900.
Harold North’s Heanor to Derby bus service on Heanor Road near Holly Mount Farm 1926.
Carrington’s Farm, Heanor Road c1900.
Opencast coal workings near Carrington’s Farm, Heanor Road 1940s.
Map of Glebe Land in Smalley along Pit Lane (railway served ‘old’ Smalley Colliery) 1830.
Plan of ‘new’ Smalley Colliery, Pit Lane (old shafts show an earlier colliery called ‘Gin Pit’) 1937.
Ordnance Survey map of area around the northern part of Smalley Village (25" scale) c1900.
Mitchell’s Row (between Nags Head Inn and Smalley Gate Farm), Main Road 1910s.
The Nags Head Inn (largely rebuilt in 1903), Main Road c1910.
Main Road looking south-west towards the Nags Head Inn and Smalley Garage 1930s.
The Nags Head Inn ‘Darts and Dominoes Team’ with Cyril Arme, headmaster 1960s. 
Aerial view of village around Smalley Garage, Main Road (oblique) 1972.
Main Road looking north from Dobholes Lane junction c1900.
The Round House and Battery Shop (house demolished in the 1950s), Main Road c1900.
Drawings of proposed new house next to the Round House, Main Road 1908.
Main Road and the Round House 1910s, 1940s and 1950.
Round House (formerly a road toll-house, demolished in the 1950s), Main Road 1950.
Main Road looking north from Dobholes Lane junction 1930s. (shown above)
Dobholes Lane (shortly before the lane was widened) seen from Main Road junction 1921.
Steamroller and gang working on the widening of Dobholes Lane c1922.
Smalley Football Team (extreme right Freda Shelton, Sec.), Recreation Ground, Dobholes Lane 1960s.
Dobholes Farm (now demolished), Dobholes Lane 1976
Gas street lamp (removed same year) on Dobholes Lane 1976.
Chapel Row (demolished in the 1930s) on Main Road seen from near Smalley Boys’ School 1910s.
Smalley Boys’ School in the 1830s (built as a charity school in 1721), Main Road.
Smalley Boys’ School (teacher Thomas Dix, headmaster), Main Road 1891. 
Smalley Boys’ School, Main Road 1910s.
Smalley Boys’ School (teacher Jack Hunt), Main Road c1939.
Smalley Boys’ School(became a mixed school in 1960), Main Road 1947.
Smalley Boys’ School (teachers Jack Hunt and Cyril Arme, headmaster), Main Road c1949. 
The Bell Inn (with visiting cricket team from Belper), Main Road 1905.
Landlady Evelyn Kyte behind the bar at the Bell Inn, Main Road c1950.
Plan of Low Main Colliery near the Bell Inn, Main Road (the footrill colliery was abandoned in 1926).
Holland’s Well Cottage (Holland’s well was in the front garden), Main Road 1910s.
Smalley Post Office (closed in this location in 1974), 88 Main Road 1976.
Laburnum Cottage (now demolished), 92 Main Road 1939. 
Lodge Houses at Main Road drive entrance to Stainsby House 1939.
Ordnance Survey map of area around Stainsby House and Wood Lane (25" scale) c1900.
Stainsby House 1870s (north and south side).
Stainsby House c1900 (north and south side).
South Garden Terrace, Rose Garden and Fish Pond at Stainsby House 1939.
Stainsby House (view of north side from footpath) 1960s.
Stainsby House (demolished same year) 1972 (north and south side, and int. staircase).
Linkwood Cottage at Linkwood Farm (west of Stainsby House) 1939. 
West entrance lodge to Stainsby House, Wood Lane 1939. 
The Sitwell Arms Inn, Wood Lane c1920.
Ordnance Survey map of area around the southern part of Smalley Village (25" scale) c1900.
Cottage at Main Road drive entrance to Stainsby House (demolished, replaced by lodge house) 1910s.
Radford Cottages opposite Smalley Girls’ and Infants’ School, Main Road 1910s.
Aerial view of village around School and Smalley Church (St. John the Baptist) (oblique) 1972.
Smalley Girls’ and Infants’ School, Main Road 1910s and 1920s.
Smalley Girls’ and Infants’ School (teacher Primrose Dix, headmistress), Main Road 1920s.
Smalley Girls’ and Infants’ School (school closed in 1968), Main Road 1940.
Smalley Church (St. John the Baptist) in the 1820s, Main Road.
Smalley Church (St. John the Baptist) in the 1840s, Main Road.
Smalley Church (St. John the Baptist), Main Road c1900 and c1910.
Chestnut Cottages next to Smalley Girls’ and Infants’ School, Main Road 1939.
Rose Cottage next to Chestnut Cottages, 116 Main Road 1939. 
Aerial view of village around New Barn Farm, Main Road (oblique) 1971.
Old coach house to ‘The Hollies’, 95 Main Road (home of the village doctor until the 1920s) c1955.
Turton and Grainger families in the back garden of ‘The Hollies’, 95 Main Road c1930.
Cottages on Main Road opposite footpath to Bailey Croft (cottages demolished c1920) 1910s. 
Long Plantation looking west on the footpath between Bailey Croft and Wood Lane 1910s.
Lion’s Mouth spring water trough (built mid 19th century) near the above footpath 1960s.
Detail drawing of the ‘Lion’s Mouth’ water spout to the drinking trough (now removed).
Main Road between Bailey Croft footpath and Bell Lane c1940.
Smalley Hall (house east side), Main Road c1900.
Sale plan of Smalley Hall and surrounding land, Main Road 1920.
Smalley Hall (house main entrance on south side), Main Road 1920.
Lounge or Billiard Room and Morning Room facing Staircase Hall at Smalley Hall 1920.
Dining Room and Winter Garden at Smalley Hall 1920.
Ordnance Survey map of area around Bell Lane (Smalley Dam to Smalley Lodge) (25" scale) c1900.
Aerial view of Bell Lane and Pit Lane area, and Mapperley Colliery (vertical) 1963.
Entrance to field footpath alongside Smalley Dam, Bell Lane 1973. 
Field footpath looking south alongside Smalley Dam (dam area now a village amenity area) 1973.
Smalley Dam seen from above footpath (dam now cleaned out and restored) 1973.
Stile on the footpath between Smalley Dam and Stanley Common (area opencast mined 1990s) 1973.
Smalley Lodge (formerly a lodge house to the Shipley Hall estate), Bell Lane c1980.
Ordnance Survey map of area around Mapperley Colliery (25" scale) c1914.
Mapperley Colliery (mine closed in 1966) near Mapperley Park c1910.
View north-west over to Smalley from Mapperley Colliery near Mapperley Park 1940s.
Ordnance Survey map of area around Smalley Green (25" scale) c1900.
Railway plan of area around the old Green Farm (railway line never built), Smalley Green 1847.
Old Green Farm (house early 16th century, demolished in 1861), Smalley Green. (front elevation, plan and internal views).
Old oak in pasture and the old Green Farm (rear view), Smalley Green.
Terraced houses at Smalley Green (when built known as ‘New Row’) 1910s.
Ordnance Survey map of area around Smalley Crossroads (25" scale) c1900.
Smalley Crossroads (looking north-west to the Rose and Crown Inn) c1910.
The Rose and Crown Inn (rebuilt in the 1920s), Smalley Crossroads c1896 and 1910s.
Ilkeston Road looking west towards Smalley Crossroads 1937.
Estate plan showing area around Hayes Lodge (before Morley Manor was built) 1830.
Morley Manor (replaced Hayes Lodge in the 1890s) near Smalley Crossroads c1900 and 1930s.
Yew Tree Farm House near Smalley Crossroads 1939.
Yew Tree Farm Cottages near Smalley Crossroads 1939. 
Ordnance Survey map of area around Smalley Mill and Wood Lane (25" scale) c1900.
Smalley Mill and Mill House, Wood Lane (Mill House demolished c1970).
Plan of Wood Lane Colliery near Smalley Mill (colliery was known locally as ‘Shonkcam Pit’). The footrill colliery was abandoned in 1933.
Wood Lane Colliery near Smalley Mill 1920s (footrill entrance and surface work).


SMALLEY VILLAGE CHURCH HISTORY

Smalley's Parish Church of St John the Baptist was built in the late eighteenth century on the site of a much earlier church. The transepts were added in 1844 and the unusual and almost detached bell tower was added some years later. A 7th century Saxon Cross is part of the porch. The bell tower was built to house five bells donated by Rev. Charles Kerry and the chime of five bells is said to be the heaviest in England with the largest bell weighing over 2 tons.


TURTON FAMILY GRAVESTONES IN SMALLEY CHURCHYARD 

The following list represents details recorded from each gravestone. Certain stones, particularly the white mable ones with lead lettering, have suffered badly from the ravages of time, and are barely decypherable, whilst others have fared better.

1. Elizabeth, wife of Job Turton died 21st December 1805. Also 3 children, Robert 9 years and Ann and John died in infancy.

2. Samuel Turton died 23rd August 1827.

3. Job Turton died 24th November 1832.

4. Robert eldest son of Samuel and Elizabeth Turton died 16th July 1865 aged 50, and Elizabeth daughter of Robert and Harriet (his wife) died 11th March 1864 aged 25. Also Harriet died 10th February 1872 aged 67.

5. Elizabeth wife of Simon Crowther of Derby, eldest daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Turton, died 28th June 1867 aged 48 years.

6. Elizabeth daughter of John and Dorothy Roe of Smalley Mill, relict of Samuel Turton and wife of Samuel Kerry (of Smalley), died 19th May 1869.

7. Mary daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Turton of Smalley, born 15th February 1826, died 19th April 1891.

8. Also Sarah, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Turton, born 4th March 1824, died 5th December 1899.

9. Ann wife of Samuel Turton, died 4th December 1899 aged 75. Also Samuel Turton husband of the above, born 15th March 1828, died 6th August 1907.

10. Samuel Turton, died 17th September 1910 ?. also Harriet ? his wife died 2nd January 1919 ?. Note: the lead lettering on this stone has largely disappeared.

11. Samuel Turton died 8th January 1911 aged 70, also Millicent Mary his wife born 13th July 1843, died 31st May 1934. Also Samuel, son of the above died 1st May 1922 aged 43.

12. Charles J. Turton born 11th February 1876, died 6th February 1928.

13. Lena Caroline Turton died 18th February 1961 aged 73 years. Also Robert Turton MM died 24th June 1966 aged 76 years.

14. Ann Sarah Turton died 2nd May 1979 aged 67 years and Frederick Miller Turton died 3rd November 1987 aged 66 years.


HISTORY OF SMALLEY

1. Early Coal Workings in Smalley
2. Farming in Smalley in the 19th Century.
3. Smalley Windmills (by Charles Kerry c1905).
4. Smalley Water Supply in 1905 (by Charles Kerry).

1. EARLY COAL WORKINGS IN SMALLEY

It is not possible to say with any certainty when coal was first worked in Smalley, but it will be seen from the following records that coal was being mined in some of the surrounding parishes at the end of the thirteenth century:-

Assize Roll (1290):

"Again the same year (19 Edw I. 1290) at Denby Henry Fitz Jocelin was dragging coal in Horsley Woodhouse in a certain corfe out of a certain coalpit and that corfe fell from his hands on the head of Henry Ryling of Kilburn whereof he died after making his confession. And the said Henry Fitz Jocelin was taken and delivered to the Lord King's gaol at Nottingham. And there before the Justices etc. he was acquitted of the aforesaid death and afterwards departed as the jurors testify".

Coram Rege Roll (1291):

"Hugh of the Green of Denby, John le Frenkissh and John son of Henry of Denby were attached to answer William Rosel touching the plea wherefore by force and arms they dug sea-coal in the ground of him William at Denby and to the value of £100 cut his trees late growing in the same place and carried them away. And other enormities etc. To the heavy loss etc. And against the peace etc. And whereof he complains that the aforesaid Hugh and the others, on the morrow of St. Michael in the twentieth year (1291) of the reign of the present King and so continuing through the five following years by force and arms dug sea-coal in the ground of the aforesaid William in a certain place which is called 'Anisgriveles' and cut down his trees to wit, a thousand oaks, and underwood, late growing in a certain place which is called 'Le Ker and Deneby Parkes' and carried them away, whereby he says that he is worsened and suffers loss to the value of £40. And thereon he produces his suite etc."

There was no direct public highway for carts from Smalley to Heanor before 1580; the road ended in Kidsley Lane, a narrow bridleway leading to Richardson's Farm on Smalley Hill. The 'Robey Pits' in Kidsley Park in Smalley and Denby parish were the great attraction. By a deed dated 1726, Thomas Robey leased his old coal mines at Robey Field in Denby to John Fletcher for ninety-nine years, for which he received one shilling for every stack of hard coal and sixpence for every stack of soft coal. The outlet for the conveyance of coals from the Robey Pits to Smalley and Derby was by way of Robey Fields Lane, known later as Carrington's Coppice. 

The 'Robey Pits' in Smalley were located a little further to the south-east on land formerly leased by the Richardsons, but given up by them before 1691. On an undated plan two coal mines in this area near Housley Town are named Cleppit and Crank Pits. On the same plan an old sough known as 'Richardson's Sough', to drain water from the pits, is shown running from Crank Pit to its outlet in the brook course at Smalley Green, a distance of 3,200 yards. Crank Pit was said on the plan to be 100 yards deep. 

The following letter from John Houghton, FRS., dated 22nd April 1693, gives an interesting account of the trade at Derby and of the coal mines at Smalley and Denby, and of the method of draining the mines of water:-

A Collection for the Improvement of Husbandry and Trade etc: 

"I have formerly given some methodical account of things that relisht well with a great many, tho not with every palate: I shall now give some useful miscellanies.

I have an account from an ingenious man of Derby, that there is not one; wholesale trademan in that town. 

That hops grow not in those parts. That the chiefest coal-mines thereabouts are at Smaly, four miles, at Heaner six miles, and at Denby five miles from Derby; thro' which abundance in summer are carried as far as Northampton-shire, from whence is brought back Barley. Those coals at Smaley and Heaner are in the hands of one Mr. Samuel Richardson, who finding that Derby consumed annually about three thousand loads, besides what was fetched into Leicester-shire and Northampton-shire, design'd to sell his coal for three pence the hundred, and had got them to six shillings and sixpence the load; but the worshipful John Lowe of Denby Esq., after an expence of between nine hundred and one thousand pounds in perfecting a sough to lay his delf dry, the last spring accomplisht the same, and has laid as many coal dry as will be got this forty years, and before the sale came he had got above one thousand loads upon the bank, any of which he upholds to be at least five and thirty hundred weight and sells them for five shillings and sixpence, so that this year we bought coals delivered for three pence half penny the hundred.

These coals are drawn up by a horse as in a malt mill, where there is a barrel, on which a rope winds, so that while one end winds up, the other goes down through the pulleys, and so contrary, the particular description whereof I have, but 'tis not easy to those who are not artists therein without a cut.

At Smaley my friend went down the pit, twenty fathom, by ladders of twelve staves each, set cross the Pit one by another; when he was so deep, he went under-ground (he believes, as far as from my house to St. Paul's Church, which is well near half a mile) in a mine or vein, which was above six foot, where were coals over head and under foot, the workmen knew not how thick; from this place he was led twenty yards through a narrow passage upon hands and feet, till he came into a large space, which was the head of a sough (a place to carry away water) which laid all the pits dry that were on that level, and presently he came to a pit twenty yards deeper than before, out of which they drew water brought from another pit twenty yards deeper, with two vessels, which would hold above sixty gallons each; they were hoopt with iron, and biggest in the midst; when one of these came to the top a boy with a hook drew them to him, and easily did throw the water down, which in that concave made a noise like thunder.

There is in Derby a soap boiler who drives a great trade, etc.

Yours,
John Houghton, FRS."

The pit at Smalley referred to in John Houghton's letter was no doubt Samuel Richardson's 'Engine Shaft Pit' situated on the north side of Bell Lane. The sough was 'Richardson's Sough' which also drained the Robey Pits. The line of the sough between the Robey Pits and Smalley Green was not straight and in fact curved eastwards towards the Engine Shaft Pit to avoid the village. 

All early soughs were driven from the coal seam itself. The workings on the rise side of the sough were drained by it. Generally, when a new pit was sunk, a water level was driven from it to the nearest sough. A great deal of unpleasantness, and some costly litigation, was caused by the fact that many mine owners drained their water into soughs driven at considerable expense by others. One of these disputes affected several coal owners in the Smalley area. They alleged that one of their competitors John Fletcher was stopping up soughs so as to drown their workings, giving him a monopoly of the coal supply in the district. John Fletcher denied this strenuously. However, the other owners introduced a parliamentary Bill in 1739 to make it illegal to destroy coal workings. The dispute may be best understood from John Fletcher's following reply, which also gives insight into mining practice in Smalley at the time:-

Case of the Petitioner (John Flether) against the Bill for Preventing the Wilful and Malicious Destruction of Collieries and Coal Works:

"The reasons given for the bringing in of this Bill are; That the Petitioner has several collieries in Derbyshire; and he drove, or headed in his colliery at Smalley into the old level to let wind into his work to prevent the damp; which is a usual and necessary practice in the working of collieries. He also sunk pits upon his own land to get his own coal, and did get, and might have got, great quantities of coal, out of them. He also stopped up one old sough, upon his own ground; which could not have drowned Mr Richardson's work at Smalley, had his fire-engine been in repair, the water not being above twenty yards deep in the Engine Pit, when the engine was set down; which it had been in any tolerable repair would have drawn all the water. However, all that he did was upon his ground, and for the better carrying on his own work".

"Mr Richardson, indeed, did bring an Action against the Petitioner for letting in the water, and recovered a verdict for damages: which verdict could never have been obtained, had not the principal witnesses on my behalf been designedly made defendants. However, this verdict shows Mr Richardson has a legal remedy for any damages he may sustain".

"The water whereby Mr Richardson pretends he received this damage is not a continued water-course, but is only what is called a land-flood, and only runs when it rains; and there is no colliery whatsoever but the ground will break and let in the land-flood, in some measure, after great rains; to prevent which, as much as possible, the Petitioner, both before and since this verdict has made ditches upon fresh ground to carry off all the water, so that except Mr Richardson has himself let in the water on purpose to lay a foundation for this Bill, it is impossible he can be drowned by the land-flood."

How was Richardson's Sough driven? The only way in which many of them could have been driven at the time was by a man lying on his side or standing and wielding a pick. The debris was no doubt pulled by a second person, probably a boy, to the end of the sough. Ventilation was provided by forcing air through wooden pipes by a bellows. With very long soughs, such as the Richardson's Sough, shafts were sunk at intervals to facilitate both a flow of air and to draw-up debris from the sough. Generally soughs were only of use where the coal workings were above the level of free drainage. In the case of Richardson's Engine Shaft, the pit went much deeper than the sough and buckets or tubs were used to bring water up to the water level which connected to the sough. At Smalley Green the sough discharged itself into the brook course near the 'bottom orchard' to the old Green Farm. From this point back nearly to the brook culvert under the main road the sough was 'open work', but from the culvert to the Robey Pits the sough was driven underground. 

The early Smalley coal workings extended further south along the higher ground to Smalley Common. In the High Yates Closes, a group of fields between Bell Lane and Smalley Common, Patrick Richardson, father of Samuel, took a lease of the coals in 1650 from Jacinth Sacheverell of Morley. Richardson also signed a bond of £400 for the due performance of the lease, but some time later Sacheverell considered that the contract had not been fulfilled and so brought an action at law against him. From details in the law suit, Sacheverell had been given notice from Richardson of the time and place for the mutual selection of a site for the pit shaft. Sacheverell did not appear; whereupon Richardson sank a shaft. The following year Sacheverell came to the pit and complained of its situation, declaring he would choose a site himself. He did so without the consent of Richardson, but in the meantime Richardson had sunk a second shaft in the area of the first. Richardson objected that no part of Sacheverell's chosen site was of any use to him to get coals in. The work was stopped for a time, but the injunction was eventual removed and the law suit was quashed in 1653. 

Subsequent to these early coal working activities considerable development in coal mining in Smalley took place and continued until the last coal mine closed in 1937.

2. FARMING IN SMALLEY IN THE 19TH CENTURY

The population of England and Wales rose from 12 million in 1821 to 16 million in 1841, 20 million in 1861 and 26 million in 1881. During this period it was the British farmer who fed this growing market with little help from overseas. From the very scarce farming records found for Smalley during this period any such farming development is unclear. According to a survey of 1838 the quality of lands in Smalley parish was very inferior due to its position over a mineral substratum. The amount of arable farming was two corn crops and a fallow with seeds occasionally sown with the wheat crop. The pasture was no better being called very indifferent. From a parish farming area of 1,631 acres, corn crops (wheat and oats) accounted for 609 acres, meadow or pasture 953 acres and wood with 41 acres. Much of the produce was sold in Derby. 

The following are extracts from Samuel Kerry's 'Day Book' of the Old Green Farm at Smalley Green:-

1833 Old John Walvin was employed in the House-row order. 
1834 Paid 3 shillings for 2 bungles of laths, 2/6 for nails and 2/6 for plasterer's trowel.
1835 Sam Needham was hired for 51 weeks.
1836 Robert Bunting hired for 51 weeks
1837 Henry Alton for 8 months.
1838 Hired William Tomlinson for 52 weeks. Hay was light this year and the following spring. May hay sold in Derby for £14 a ton. This year Stainsby House was under enlargement. Received £104 for stone carting.
1841 William Walker employed as labourer in April. 
1851 Hired Thomas Martin. Lucy Woollands hired as house servant.
1852 A steam thrashing machine was hired at the farm.

In a Post Office Directory of 1876 the soil in Smalley is described as clayey and the chief crops are wheat and grass.

The following are selected records from an agricultural survey of Derbyshire dated about 1810:-

Farmers (in general)

Servants and Labourers (in general)

Rents (in general)

For Smalley (in particular)

John Radford, Esq. (of Smalley Hall) on his farms in Smalley and Great Hucklow, fattens a considerable number of Spayey Heifers, which he has worked, and cows.

John Radford, Esq. (of Smalley Hall) on his farms at Smalley and Great Hucklow, feeds about 100 Oxen and Cows and Spayed Heifers, annually, the Oxen chiefly Herefords.

Edward S. Sitwell, Esq. (of Stainsby House) of Stainsby in Horsley, had in 1809, a piece of Spring Wheat, after Turnips.

3. SMALLEY WINDMILLS 

"In the year 1800 there were two Windmills in Smalley Parish; one, the survivor, stood at the top of Cloves Hill on the right hand ascending the hill. It stood on a knoll in a small croft at the top of Coppice Dumble. When first constructed there is no record, but from the excellent condition of the unexposed timbers, I should think between 1700 and 1750. It was a good specimen of the old post mill. The cross beams at the base rested as usual on external buttresses built outside a circular base of brickwork intended originally no doubt as a storehouse for corn. The four struts supporting the main post projected though the sides of the circular base, and rested on the extremities of the cross beams, just as at the ruinous post mill at West Hallam erected in 1593.

When my grandfather Roe held the mills owing to the steepness of Cloves Hill, the badness of the road, and the inconvenience of conveying corn there, he brought the windmill into the valley, and placed it in the field on the north side of the Mill Dam. Boreas (north wind) however, would not patronize the new situation - it was too sheltered, and he was compelled at length to re-erect it on its former site where it remained until its demolition sometime about 1856.

This windmill was a favourite resort of mine in my boyhood, and 'Tom' the miller was one of the kindest hearted men in the world. At times when the mill was in its quieter moods, and the din of the machinery and the 'clickety clackety' of the hopper not so loud, Tom would ask me to read him a chapter of the New Testament which he would reach down from a shelf and hand to me. Nothing pleased him better, and, seated on a sack, in this way I spent many a pleasant hour. I fancy at this period Mr John Holbrook held the mills. Tom Baguly preceded him but that was before my active life began.

This mill contained two pairs of stones, which before its reconstruction by my grandfather, revolved in the middle storey under the roof or garret chamber. Owing to the undue height of the centre of gravity the mill was subject to most violent and dangerous rockings in stormy weather. When carried back to its old situation, the stones were placed in the lowest chamber, and just sufficiently high to allow the sack to fill under the spout. The sails were covered with tarred cloth after the primitive fashion which was expanded or rolled up according to the force of the wind. From the back window of our old house at Smalley Green Farm, a good view might be obtained of the windmill, and many a time have I stood there and watched the sails in a storm. Occasionally the brake was applied to take in the canvas when speed was too great; but one day when it was overtaken by a hurricane, and the brake was of no avail, I saw one of the sails break off, and away it flew for some distance to my great excitement. It was not long before I made a personal inspection and congratulated the miller on his escape. The opposite sail was removed and for a long time afterwards the old mill was left with only two sails to do the work of four. The little mound just mentioned on which the mill stood is foolishly named Cloves Hill in the last map of the Ordnance Survey; whereas it is but a mere hillock too insignificant to give its name to any thing.
The other windmill (at Smalley Common) which was at work in 1800 was I think erected on common land before the enclosure by Mr Samuel Abbot who married Lydia daughter of old George Smedley. Her mother was daughter of William Brown who married a Mary Lovegrove of Kilbourne and lived at the principal grocer's shop near the church in Smalley. This windmill was planted near the top of the field above the farm house formerly held by Mr John Abbot and now by John Hardy, whose new farmstead (now called Smalley Green Farm) is built in the same field on the site of an old brickyard, from which the bricks were supplied for the erection of the 'New Row' just below. 

The mill was burnt down, and what was fit was removed to Marlpool. One of the charred beams was to be seen about 40 years ago (say in 1860) as a partition post in the stable erected for the late Mr John Abbot, and now used by Joseph Martin. The founder of the mill had a stentorian voice, and on fairly quiet days would keep up a lively conversation across the valley with old Job Turton of the Green Farm opposite, who appears to have been similarly endowed, the two friends being quite a quarter of a mile asunder.

Windmills are now almost among the memory of the past, very few of the old post mills remain. A few survivors stand on the uplands in this immediate district, but I know of none further afield. THe only post mill at work in these parts is in Dale Abbey parish near the three lane ends by 'The Cat and Fiddle'. It is now used chiefly for grinding coarser grain for feeding pigs etc". Charles Kerry c1905.

4. SMALLEY WATER SUPPLY IN 1905

"For some years past there has been a growing scarcity of water in Smalley obviously owing to the drainage of the approaching coal mines. The northern part of the parish or, at any rate, the glebe coal is now being worked by the Glendon Company at Mapperley from the Park Hall colliery. What progress they may have made towards the old Green I do not know, but certainly all springs once so copious, are now comparatively dry. The springs supplying the watering troughs on the Green, the springs of the dumble which once maintained a large and dangerous bog there (mainly drained by my father), those in the vicinity of the Stainsby Rookery, the spring which supplied the trough at the 'Lion's Mouth' erected by my father for his cattle but much prized by the villages for its excellent tea-water, the spring which supplied the new farmstead of Yew, or the old Smalley Green Farm, have all ceased to flow to any available purpose except perhaps during a very rainy season.

About the year 1900 a deep boring was made near Copy or Coppice Dumble near Cloves Hill where a copious supply of good water was found. A 'Ram' has been fixed by Mr Sitwell and the water which is of excellent quality is now forced up to the Rose and Crown, the Yew Farm and other houses in the vicinity. The upper part of the village is still unsupplied. Consultations with the County Council have taken place, but with no result, the Smalley people being either unable to pay the quota required for the work, or unwilling to have a water rate imposed. During the boring at Coppice Dumble a fine seam of coal was discovered, so that the underground wealth is likely to find occupation for the parishioners for many years to come". Charles Kerry 1905.


SMALLEY BOYS' SCHOOL REUNION

The Reunion was the brain child of the late Gary Moore and has been in existence for some years now. A non-profit organisation, the Reunion has assisted with the purchase of school equipment and has a very close liaison with the present school. Very recently it embarked upon the major task to restore and renovate the War Memorial in the school yard. Work was independently supervised and paid for by the Reunion from its own funds and grants.

MEMBERSHIP:

The reunion is open to any boy who attended the Smalley Richardson Endowed School up to the time of its closure as a boys' school. The main reunion event is held in September or October every year. A newsletter is published twice a year and is sent to all members.

CONTACT:

For further information about the Reunion please contact the secretary:

Keith Alldread,
7 Fearn Close,
Breaston,
Derbyshire,
DE72 3DT

Tel: 01332 870236. E-mail: keithalldread@aol.com


PENTRICH TURTONS, DERBYSHIRE 1700-1853

Details taken from Pentrich Village Church Registers and Gravestones.


1700 June 2nd - William, ye son of William & Elizabeth Turton Borne.

1705 June 24th - Barbara ye daughter of John & Barbara Turton Baptised.

1706 Mar. 17th - Ann ye daughter of Joseph Turton Baptised.

1707 Nov. 25th - John ye son of John & Barbara Turton Baptised.

1710 Sep. 3rd - James ye son of John & Barbara Turton Baptised.

1711 Sep. 13th - Samuel ye son of John & Barbara Turton Baptised.

1714 Feb. 27th - Job son of John & Barbara Turton Baptised.

1720 Sep. 10th - Mary daughter of John & Barbara Turton Baptised.

1721 June 17th - George son of Joseph & Elizabeth Turton Baptised.

1729 July 26th - Abigail daughter of William & Rebecca Turton Baptised.

1731 May 21st - William son of William & Rebecca Turton Baptised.

1731 Nov. 5th - Joseph Turton & Sarah Bradley were married.

1741 Nov. 4th - Alexander son of William & Rebecca Turton Baptised.

1742 Nov. 24th - Henry Turton Baptised. 

1743 Mar. 14th - Mary daughter of Samuel & Sarah Turton Buried.

1744 Oct. 24th - Elizabeth daughter of William & Rebecca Turton Baptised.

1745 May 10th - Thomas Turton Baptised. 

1745 July 28th - Ellen Turton Baptised. 

1747 Jan. 2nd - Thomas Turton Buried.

1747 July 20th - John Turton Baptised.

1747 July 28th - John son of Samuel & Sarah Turton Baptised.

1747 Sep. 3rd - Sarah Turton Buried.

1747 Oct. 16th - Thomas Turton Buried.

1747 Nov. 17th - Hephzibah daughter of William & Rebecca Turton Baptised.

1748 Jan. 13th - Avice daughter of Joseph & Sarah Turton Baptised.

1749 June 29th - James son of Samuel & Sarah Turton Baptised.

1751 Oct. 19th - Betty daughter of Samuel & Sarah Turton Baptised.

1751 Dec. 9th - Robert son of Joseph & Sarah Turton Baptised.

1752 Mar. 8th - Robert son of Joseph & Sarah Turton Buried.

1754 Jan. 13th - Samuel son of Samuel & Sarah Turton Baptised.

1755 Oct. 31st - Elizabeth daughter of Anthony Turton of Heage Baptised.

1756 Jan. 12th - Elizabeth Turton widow Buried.

1756 Jan. 30th - Sarah dau. of Samuel & Sarah Turton of Ripley Baptised.

1757 Jan. 17th - Edward Moore & Ann Turton were Married.

1758 Aug. 23th - Job son of Samuel & Sarah Turton of Ripley Baptised. (First of the Smalley Turtons)

1759 July 12th - Ferdinando Turton & Mary Alsop of Wirksworth Married.

1760 May 12th - Sarah Turton of Ripley Buried.

1760 June 7th - Hannah daughter of Ferdinando & Mary Turton Baptised.

1760 June 17th - Mary Turton of Pentrich Buried.

1760 Nov. 7th - Samuel Cotes and Theodosia Turton were married in
presence of Samuel Turton and Joseph Clee.

1761 Jan. 31st - Barbara Turton of Ripley Buried.

1761 Sep. 9th - George son of William & Anne Turton of Ripley Baptised.

1761 Sep. 27th - Thomas son of Ferdinando & Mary Turton of Ripley Bapt.

1761 Dec. 13th - William son of Immanuel & Mary Turton of Ripley Baptised.

1761 Dec. 14th - Dolly daughter of Ferdinando & Mary Turton of Ripley Bapt.

1763 Dec. 28th - Dorothy Turton of Ripley (infant) Buried

1764 Feb. 1st - Joseph Turton of Ripley Buried.

1764 June 11th - Joseph Turton (stockinger) & Mary Barton Married.

1764 Aug. 19th - Dorothy dau. of Ferdinando & Mary Turton of Ripley Bapt.

1765 Mar. 5th - Rebecca Turton of Ripley Buried.

1765 Oct. 18th - Anne dau. of Ferdinando & Mary Turton of Ripley Baptised.

1767 April 24th - Joseph son of Joseph & Mary Turton of Ripley Baptised.

1768 Mar. 24th - William Willson of Pentrich & Ellen Turton Married
Witnessed by Anthony Turton and Joseph Clee.

Nov. 20th - Henry Turton & Anne Evans of Denby Married.

1769 Aug. 10th - James Turton & Sarah Stafford of Pentrich Married.

1769 Dec. 25th - James son of James & Sarah Turton Baptised.

1770 July 17th - Mary Turton (infant) from Denby Buried.

1771 Mar. 14th - Jonathan Fletcher & Betty Turton of Pentrich Married.

1771 May 19th - Samuel son of Joseph & Mary Turton Baptised.

1772 May 9th - Dorothy Turton Buried.

1773 Feb. 14th - Rebecca daughter of Ferdinando & Mary Turton Baptised.

1773 May 7th - Henry Turton of Ripley Buried.

1775 July 10th - James son of John Turton and wife Baptised.

1775 Oct. 22th - Jonathan son of Jonathan Fletcher and wife Baptised.

1776 - John Harpur & Hephzibah Turton Married.

1776 Jan. 17th - William son of Jonathan Fletcher Buried.

1776 April 21st - George son of Joseph Turton and wife Baptised.

1776 Aug. 24th - John son of John Turton and Alice his wife Baptised.

1778 Nov. 24th - William Turton Buried.

1778 Nov. 30th - William Turton (infant) Buried.

1779 July 21st - John Prestridge & Sarah Turton Married.

1779 Oct. 6th - Lancelot Moore & Elizabeth Turton Married.

1780 Jan. 31st - Sophia daughter of John Turton and wife Baptised.

1781 June 27th - Sarah Turton Buried.

1783 Feb. 18th - Clementina daughter of Theophilus Turton Baptised.

1783 April 27th - Samuel son of John Turton and wife Baptised.

1783 July 6th - Robert son of Job Turton and his wife Baptised.

1783 July 7th - William Clarke of Duffield & Hannah Turton Married.

1783 Aug. 9th - Ann Turton Buried.

1783 Dec. 25th - Thomas Brassington & Dorothy Turton Married.

1784 Aug. 19th - Edward Anthony & Sarah Turton Married.

1785 Aug. 28th - Matthew son of John Turton and his wife Baptised.

1786 Jan. 27th - Sarah dau. of Theodosia Turton of Pentrich & wife Baptised.

1786 July 3rd - Samuel Katon of Duffield & Isabella Turton Married.

1786 Aug. 7th - Thomas Turton & Sarah Creswell were Married.

1787 Dec. 5th - Daniel Turner & Elizabeth Turton were Married.

1788 July 9th - Edward son of John Turton and wife Baptised.

1789 Feb. 9th - Samuel Turton & Martha Godkin were Married.

1790 Jan. 21st - Thomas Turton Buried.

1791 April 21st - Sarah daughter of John Turton and his wife Baptised.

1792 May 29th - Samuel Turton Buried.

1793 Jan. 14th - Samuel Turton & Sarah Bradley were Married.

1794 May 9th - Ann daughter of John Turton and his wife Baptised.

1795 May 27th - Samuel Turton & Elizabeth Waters Married.

1795 Oct. 8th - Mary daughter of Samuel Turton and wife Baptised.

1797 Feb. 20th - William Pickering & Rebecca Turton Married.

1797 April 6th - Elizabeth daughter of Samuel & Elizabeth Turton Died at
46 weeks. (g)

1798 Mar. 24th - Rhoda daughter of Samuel & Sarah Turton Baptised.

1798 May 27th - Mary daughter of Samuel Turton Buried.

1798 June 25th - William son of Thomas & Sarah Turton Baptised.

1799 Sep. 12th - Alexander son of Thomas & Sarah Turton Died at 6. (g)

1799 Sep. 24th - Elizabeth daughter of Thomas & Sarah Turton Died at 3. (g)

1799 Oct. 2nd - William son of Thomas & Sarah Turton Died at 1 year. (g)

1800 Sep. 4th - Mary wife of Ferdinando Turton Died at 72. (g)

1804 Dec. 17th - John Fletcher & Sophia Turton were Married.

1806 Oct. 20th - Joseph Booth & Martha Turton were Married.

1807 April 8th - James Turton & Rebecca Booth “a funny body” Married.
(with consent of her father) by licence.

1809 April 4th - Robert Argill & Elizabeth Turton Married.

1810 Nov. 30th - Elizabeth daughter of Thomas & Sarah Turton Died at 10. (g)

1811 Dec. 15th - John Turton of Ripley Died at 64. (g)

1812 July 2nd - Elizabeth wife of Samuel Turton of Ripley Died at 64. (g)

1813 Feb. 20th - Sarah daughter of Joseph & Sarah Turton Baptised.

1813 Mar. 31th - Ferdinando Turton Buried.

1813 April 13th - Edwin son of John & Alice Turton Baptised.

1813 June 3rd - Ferdinand Turton & Ann Booth were Married.

1813 June 19th - John Beighton & Sarah Turton Married.

1813 Aug. 24th - Sarah wife of Thomas Turton Buried.

1813 Aug. 29th - Samuel son of Edward Turton (infant) Buried.

1814 Nov. 18th - Sarah daughter of Ferdinand & Anne Turton Baptised.

1815 Feb. 7th - Thomas Turton (victualler) of Ripley Buried.

1815 April 30th - Griffin son of John & Elizabeth Turton Baptised.,

1815 June 11th - Mary daughter of Edward & Mary Turton Baptised.

1815 Dec. 25th - Sarah daughter of John & Alice Turton Baptised.

1816 Nov. 10th - Thomas son of John & Alice Turton Baptised.

1817 Mar. 30th - Samuel son of John & Elizabeth Turton Baptised.

1817 Mar. 30th - John son of Samuel & Elizabeth Turton Baptised.

1817 May 18th - Mary daughter of Ferdinando & Anne Turton Baptised.

1817 Aug. 28th - James Turton of Ripley Buried at 68.

1819 Jan. 12th - Samuel Turton of Ripley Buried at 1 year.

1819 May 3rd - Elizabeth daughter of Samuel & Elizabeth Turton Baptised.

1819 May 16th - John son of John & Alice Turton Baptised.

1819 May 23th - Sophia daughter of John & Elizabeth Turton Baptised.

1821 July 7th - Ann daughter of Samuel & Elizabeth Turton Baptised.

1821 July 24th - Martha daughter of John & Alice Turton Baptised.

1821 Aug. 18th - Mary daughter of John & Elizabeth Turton Baptised.

1821 Sep. 18th - Joseph Turton of Ripley Buried at 84.

1823 July 6th - Barbara daughter of Samuel & Elizabeth Turton Baptised.

1823 Aug. 27th - Emmanuel Turton of Ripley Buried at 86.

1836 Aug. 21st - Samuel Turton of Portway House Ripley Buried at 82.

1837 July 23rd - Sarah Rebecca daughter of James & Sarah Turton Baptised.

1839 Mar. 6th - Joseph Turton of Ripley Buried at 71.

1839 July 16th - Barbara Turton of South Normanton, late of Ripley Buried at 16.

1840 Aug. 19th - Elizabeth, relict of Samuel Turton from South Normanton Buried at 59.

1842 Nov. 3rd - William Turton of Ripley Buried at 80.

1845 Oct. 31st - Alice Turton of Ripley Buried at 93.

1851 Dec. 18th - John Turton of Green Hillocks Buried at 74.

1853 Dec. 14th - James Turton of Ripley Buried at 78. 

Note:

Entries denoted with (g) have been taken from Gravestones in the Churchyard and not from the Church Register. 


TURTON FAMILY OF TURTON, LANCASHIRE

This is a list (and partial pedigree) of early members of the Turton family living in, near or connected to the place of Turton in Lancashire. Turton is a scattered village and small district located along the Bradshaw Brook valley about 4 miles north of the town of Bolton. At the time of the earliest known records of Turton, around 1200, the Manor of Turton was part of the Barony of Manchester and was held by descendants of the Lathom/Torboc family. The names of the Turtons are put down roughly in date order with place names and notes taken from various records. 

NOTES TAKEN FROM OLD RESEARCH (SOME DETAILS DIFFER FROM NEW RESEARCH, SEE PEDIGREES BELOW):

Sir William de Turton, Kt., living in 1203, is the earliest Lancashire Turton yet discovered. It is not known with any certainty who were his ancestors, but it was probably a branch of the Lathom/Torboc family, who were lords of Lathom, Turton, Roby, Huyton, Tarbock and other places in Lancashire in the later part of the 12th century. At that time younger sons of families sometimes adopted the name of the place where they lived. He was evidently a very important man, since in January, 1203-4, he was one of four knights appointed to select twelve men to form a Grand Assize to determine a suit between Robert Gresley and Richard de Pierpont. It is recorded that Sir William was a man of some position, and may have been Lord of Turton under the Lathoms, his manor passing to the Torbocs by a daughter’s marriage. If this is correct he probably owned or occupied Turton Tower , a stone built pele tower, which was first built at the beginning of the 12th century. The tower was mostly rebuilt around 1420. Sir William was married to Alice de Turton and is known to have had a son, William de Turton and a daughter.

A known record for William de Turton, Lord of Turton, is that in 1246, Alice de Turton charged William Blakshyre with the death of her son, William, in Salfordshire, a part of Lancashire which includes Turton. Now it so happens that, in the same year, 1246, Sir Henry Torboc is first recorded as Lord of Turton. This Henry was from a branch of the Lathoms/Torbocs living at Tarbock Hall in Merseyside, but he was sometimes called Henry de Torboc and de Turton. This points to the probability that Henry de Torboc’s father, Richard, married Sir William de Turton’s daughter. The daughter’s first name is not known, but this would explain everything, especially how Henry de Torboc became Lord of Turton the same year that the previous Lord, William de Turton, died.

Henry de Tarboc and de Turton married Ellen, daughter of Jordan de Sankey. Sankey is a village situated near Warrington, Lancashire. They had a son, Robert de Turton who had a daughter and heiress of Turton, Ellen (or Elena) de Turton. According to records this Ellen (or Elena) was born in Tarbock near Liverpool c1230. She married Henry de Lathom in Tarbock c1246, who became known as Henry de Torboc and de Turton.

This second Henry was the son of Robert de Lathom. The Lathom family, related to the Torbocs and probably later the Turtons, were a well-known Lancashire family. Dunning de Lathom is mentioned in the Domesday Book as holding the manor of Lathom and other places in 1086. He was the immediate successor and probably the son of Ughtred, who was an important thane in the time of Edward the Confessor (1042-1066) and held as many as seventeen manors in the West Derby hundred of Lancashire, Lathom being one of them. When Henry married Ellen (or Elena) de Turton he become Lord of Turton. This, it will be noticed, is the second time that Turton passed by marriage to a younger branch of the Lathoms. Their son, Richard, was also called Richard de Torboc and de Turton. In 1302 his mother Ellen (or Elena) de Turton, widow of Henry, held of Thomas Gresley the eighth part of one Fee in Thurton (Turton); and in 1303 there was a suit between her and Richard de Turton, son of Henry de Turton, as to 20 acres of land at Turton. Richard acknowledged that it belonged to Ellen, for which she paid him £20. He was probably a younger brother of her father, Robert de Turton. While a Thomas de Turton, son of Henry de Turton, who had a suit in 1278 with a Nicholas de Turton and Eva de Turton his wife, as to a way stopped at Turton, may have been another brother.

Other early Turton’s of Turton who cannot be fitted in the above line with any certainty:

We will commence with Gamel the White de Turton, living about 1250. He was a tenant of Turton under Henry de Torboc and de Turton. There is nothing to show who was the father of Gamel, but he was evidently a near relation of Sir William de Turton, and from the dates might have been a brother. He could not have been his son or grandson, for, if so, the Torbocs would have had no claim whatever to Turton Manor. Gamel had a son Ellis or Elias de Turton, who, in 1281 is mentioned as to land at Turton. In 1285 Ellis brought a suit against Henry de Torboc and de Turton,son of Robert, and Ellen his wife, and Richard, son of Henry de Turton and others, as to 200 acres of pasturage at Turton. Henry and Ellen say that they are chief Lords of Turton, that Ellis is their tenant and has ample pasture. Some years before, Gamel, father of Ellis, also brought a suit against the ancestors of Ellen, probably her grandfather Henry de Torboc and de Turton. The Torbocs seem to have had a lot of lawsuits, due, no doubt, to various members of the older family of the Turtons objecting to Turton Manor going to the Torbocs.

Next we hear of this Ellis, son of Gamel the White de Turton, granting some land at Sharples near Turton, to his son Alexander de Turton, and in 1307 Alexander’s widow Margaret de Turton was granted some more land. Alexander died before 1296, since in that year, his widow Margaret made some claim against the Abbot of Cockersand. Ellis de Turton had two other sons, Thomas de Turton and William de Turton. Alexander de Turton lived until 1306, and had a son Thomas de Turton, who, in 1341, granted his land at Sharples to Thurston de Holland. In 1370 there was another Thomas de Turton, very likely his son, who had some land at Turton, with Margery de Turton, his wife. She is called a widow the next year, 1371. 

There was also a Pipot de Turton, who must have belonged to the earlier Turtons, since, in 1246, the eventful year when the younger William de Turton died, he is mentioned four times; on one occasion Henry de Torboc and de Turton paying a fine of three marks for him. He was, no doubt, some relation. Then there was Adam de Turton, son of Orme de Turton, who, in 1292, had a suit against Henry de Torboc and de Turton; no place for Adam is mentioned, but he was probably one of the Gamel Turtons, who, like some others, objected to Turton Manor going to the Torbocs. Another branch of the Turton family settled at Eccleshill only about 5 miles north of Turton, whilst others are recorded at Atherton about 10 miles south-west of Turton.

PEDIGREE NOTES TAKEN FROM NEW RESEARCH:

The Torboc and Turton Family:

Thomas Dunning de Torboc = Hulda Torboc
c1031-c1092 m1067, son:
Siward Dunning de Torboc = Mavis Lees
1067-1119 m1091, son:
Henry de Torboc = Elizabeth Huyton
b1091 m1116, son:
Richard de Torboc = Elizabeth Chambers
b1121 m1151, son:
Richard de Torboc = Mary Beauchamp
b1151 m1196, Lord of Turton in 1212, son:
(brother?: William de Turton = Alice
b1154 Lived at Turton, but probably not Lord?)
(brother's son: William de Turton 
died in 1246 William's Heir?)
Henry de Torboc/de Turton = Ellen Robey
1202-1256 m1223 (Lord of Turton in 1246), son:
Richard de Torboc/de Turton = Louisa de Winter
1224-1280 m1246, daughter?:
Ellen de Turton = Henry de Lathom
b c1247 m c1265 (Heiress of Turton)

The Lathom and Turton Family:

Dunning de Lathom = Marigard de Essex
c1031-c1092 m1068, son:
Siward Dunning de Lathom = Helga de Chester
1073-1095 m1092, son:
Henry Siward de Lathom = Alice Woodward
1093-1128 m1118, son:
Robert de Lathom = Dora Wimple Magnus
1135-1185 m1143, son:
Richard de Lathom = Alice Nelson
1172-1220 m1184, son:
Robert de Lathom = Amicia de Alfreton
1188-1250 m1225, son?:
Henry de Lathom = Ellen de Turton (Heiress of Turton)
c1228-c1300 m c1265, son: 
Richard de Lathom/de Turton
(sister?: Ellen de Lathom = Robert de Dalton)


TURTON TOWER, TURTON, LANCASHIRE

The original rectangular, stone pele (peel) tower dates to around 1420. The ground floor would also have been used as a place to keep livestock. The more peaceful Renaissance period saw the windows of the pele tower enlarged to allow light to flood into the rooms. 

During the early 16th century two cruck-framed buildings were added to the tower, turning it into a comfortable home. By the end of the 16th century, a further extension in the form of three half-timber box structures along the front of the house created the area which now includes the huge and imposing front door. Remnants of the Tudor architecture can be seen inside the building, including parts of the cruck structure and exposed, restored sections of the wattle and daub and lath and plaster wall panelling. 

Around 1596 the stone tower itself was altered to increase its height by a third. This was not to add an extra storey to the building but to raise the height of the floors that were already there. The difference in the stonework can be seen from outside, and on the top floor you can see traces of earlier windows on a level with your feet. During the Stuart period, the cruck buildings were clad in stone, and additional buildings such as the Great Barn and stables were built.

The Kay family bought the house in 1835, adding their own Victorian touches to the building. The interior of the Tower now captures the romantic Gothic style and later Arts and Crafts styles that were popular during the 19th century. The Kays also added a striking Dutch gable façade to the front northeast wing, which now forms the main visitor entrance to the house, and a castellated wall to screen the front lawn from the back gardens.

The interior of Turton Tower is a fabulous place to explore, with lots of ‘hidden’ architectural features to discover. Although many features have been lost in the alterations, some have simply been hidden behind wood panelling, and are now revealed for the visitor to see. The house is quite unique, in that it displays elements of interior design that relate to each period of its history. Some of the rooms demonstrate the grand Tudor style of decoration, with heavy, carved oak furniture and tapestries. 

During the Victorian period the Kay family refurbished much of the interior. To recreate a flavour of the 17th century they used reclaimed features from other houses that had been demolished, including stained glass and wood panelling which was salvaged from Middleton Hall. Other parts of the house such as the Bradshaw suite are decorated and furnished in the later 19th century Arts and Crafts style and clearly show the Victorian taste for pattern and detail. Wonderful plasterwork ceilings, as in the drawing room (originally installed by the Elizabethan Orrells) can now be seen restored to their former glory.

From 1200 to 1475 the De Torboc and De Lathom families owned the manor of Turton; both of which retained a claim on the manor until the 17th century. William Orrell married the heiress Elizabeth de Torboc and took over the manor from the 1420s. They began an extensive programme of renovations and extensions turning it into a large, comfortable home. However the Orrells were living beyond their means and as the cost of the refurbishment and redecoration began to take its toll, they were forced to sell the house. The Tower was sold to Manchester banker Humphrey Chetham in 1628, though the Orrells remained tenants until 1648. 

During the Civil War (1642-50), Humphrey Chetham sided with the Parliament against the Cavalier army of King Charles I. Chetham raised a local army and allowed Roundhead troops to use the Tower as a hostel. As he owned property elsewhere, both Chetham and his descendents seem to have spent relatively little time living in the Tower. The house passed to the Greene and Frere families, relatives by marriage to the Chethams, until the Kay family took ownership in 1835. The Kays can be described as antiquarians. They spent a great deal of time and money restoring and remodelling the house and gardens. The last owner Lady Nina Knowles left the house in the care of North Turton District Trust in 1930 after the death of her husband Sir Lees Knowles. The Tower was used as council offices with a small museum opening within it in the early 1950s. In 1974 Turton Tower became solely a historic house museum giving pleasure to the thousands of visitors each year that come to admire its splendour. 


TORBOC FAMILY OF TARBOCK AND TURTON, LANCASHIRE

TARBOCK 'TORBOC' HALL, LANCASHIRE 

Listed in the Doomsday book of 1086 as Torboc, but now known as Tarbock Hall, the earliest documentary references to the present site dates to the 13th Century when the Torboc family lived there. The Hall and part of the farm buildings were built on a rectangular moated site with the moat being fed from a small tributary of the Ochre Brook. The moat was finally filled in during the early part of the 20th century, although a bridge is still used to cross the moat today. A further entry on Saxton’s map (1577) of Lancashire, suggests the Hall was one of great importance, it makes reference to its own chapel which is thought to have been founded around 1290. The Torboc family also held the Manor of Turton, Lancashire.

The property remained in the Torboc family until 1611 when Sir Edward sold the Manor and Hall together with the park. It is understood that the hall was re-built in the late 18th century by the third Earl Sefton. 


PEDIGREE OF THE TORBOC FAMILY OF TARBOCK AND TURTON c1031-1611 

1. DUNNING (b.Abt 1031;d.Abt 1092)
...sp: MARIGARD DE ESSEX (m.Abt 1068)*
...2. SIWARD (b.Abt 1073;d.Abt 1095)
......sp: HELGA DE CHESTER (m.Abt 1064)*
.......3. HENRY DE LATHOM (b.Abt 1093;d.Abt 1128)
..........sp: ALICE WOODWARD (m.Abt 1118)*
..........4. ROBERT DE LATHOM (b.Abt 1123;d.1198)
.............sp: AMABEL (2ND WIFE)
..........4. RICHARD DE LATHOM (ALSO KNOWN AS DE TORBOC) 
.............(b.Abt 1124;d.Abt 1164)
.............sp: ELIZABETH DE CHAMBERS (m.Abt 1151)*
.............5. RICHARD DE TORBOC (b.Abt 1151)
................sp: MARY DE BEAUCHAMP (m.Abt 1196)*
................6. HENRY DE TORBOC (b.Abt 1202;d.Abt 1256)
...................sp: ELLEN DE SANKEY (m.Abt 1223)
...................7. ROBERT DE TORBOC
......................sp: LOUISE DE WINTER (1ST WIFE) MAUDE HAYDOCK (2ND
...........................WIFE)*
......................8. ELLEN DE TORBOC (HEIRESS OF TARBOCK AND TURTON)
.........................(d.Abt 1332)
.........................sp: HENRY DE LATHOM (BECAME DE TORBOC) (1ST HUSBAND
.........................(d.Bef 1294)
..........................9. RICHARD DE TORBOC
.............................sp: MATILDA POOLE*
.............................10. HENRY DE TORBOC*
..................................sp: UNKNOWN 
..................................11. RICHARD DE TORBOC (d.Abt 1334)
.......................................sp: MAUD DE STANDISH (2ND WIFE)
.......................................12. HENRY DE TORBOC (b.Abt 1333;d.Abt 1380)
............................................sp: ISABEL DE CAPENHURST (2ND WIFE)
............................................13. RICHARD DE TORBOC (d.1386)
............................................13. HENRY DE TORBOC (b.Abt 1372;d.Abt 1418
.................................................sp: KATHERINE DE HALSALL (2ND WIFE)
......................................................(m.Abt 1397)
.................................................14. JOHN DE TORBOC (d.1420)
......................................................sp: CLEMENCY DE STANDISH (m.Abt 1410)
......................................................15. HENRY DE TORBOC (d.1421)
......................................................15. MARGERY DE TORBOC
...........................................................sp: THOMAS DE CORBET
......................................................15. ELIZABETH DE TORBOC
...........................................................(HEIRESS OF TURTON) (b.Abt 1421)
...........................................................sp: WILLIAM ORRELL
...........................................................(b.Abt 1393;d.1475)
...........................................................16. RALPH ORRELL (b.Abt 1440)
...................................................14. THOMAS DE TORBOC
...................................................14. WILLIAM DE TORBOC (b.Abt 1399;
.........................................................1399;d.Abt 1445)
.........................................................sp: CECILY DE NORREYS
.......................................................15. RICHARD TORBOC
............................................................sp: ELIZABETH DANIELL* 
............................................................16. HENRY TORBOC (d.1489)
............................................................16. WILLIAM TORBOC (b.Abt 1464
..................................................................1464;d.1505)
.................................................................sp: MARGERY STANLEY
.......................................................................(m.Abt 1490)
..................................................................17. HENRY TORBOC (d.Bef 1505)
..................................................................17. THOMAS TORBOC(b.Abt 1497;
.......................................................................d.1554)
.......................................................................sp: JANE (ELIZABETH) MOOR*
.......................................................................18. WILLIAM TORBOC 
............................................................................(d.Abt 1558)
............................................................................sp: KATHERINE 
.................................................................................GERARD DE BRYN*
.................................................................................19. FRANCES TORBOC
.................................................................................19. MARGARET TORBOC
........................................................................18. EDWARD TORBOC
.............................................................................(d.Abt 1608)
.............................................................................sp: DOROTHY DE
..................................................................................CUMBERMERE*
.............................................................................19. EDWARD TORBOC
..........................................................(SOLD TORBOC HALL IN 1611) (d.1617) 
..................................................................................sp: MARGARET NORRIS
.............................................................................20. THOMAS TORBOC
............................................................16. MARGARET TORBOC
............................................................16. JANE TORBOC
...................................................14. ROBERT DE TORBOC
...................................................14. ELIZABETH DE TORBOC
...................................................14. ELLEN DE TORBOC
...................................................14. ALICE DE TORBOC
.............5. ROBERT DE TORBOC
.............5. HENRY DE TORBOC (b.Abt 1159)
..........4. ROGER DE LATHOM (b.Abt 1139)

NOTES:

All names, other than those marked with *, have been obtained from "The Victoria History of the Counties of England, Lancashire Vol 3, 1907". These marked names and a few dates have been taken from other sources and are possibly less reliable. Torboc was the early regular spelling. Other name variants include Torbok, Torbock, Turboc, Terbock, Terboc, Torbec, Torboke, Tarbacke and finally Tarbock. Some sources suggest that Tarbock Hall was also the main home of the early Lathom family.


CONTACT AND PAGE REVISION

Robert Turton
BrownHawker@aol.com

Page last revised 06/08/23


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