Biggin

Biggin village is served by the Mobile Library on route N, which makes two stops every fourth Wednesday in the early afternoon.

Just to the west of the village, the Ashbourne Library is an excellent resource with a Local History section and a Family History section.

• FEATHERSTONE, William (Peter), Biggin and Hartington Nether Quarter. date unk. Available at the local Pub.

You can read more about the Biggin Parish Cemetery at the parish council site.

• The parish was in the Brailsford sub-district of the Ashbourne Registration District.
   
• The parish was re-assigned to the Brassington sub-district of the Ashbourne Registration District before 1911.
   
• The Wirksworth website has the 1861 census transcripts for Biggin.
   
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
   

• This place once had a settlement of Cistercian monks from Garendon Abbey. The monks brought sheep farming to Biggin Grange.
   
• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Thomas.
   
• The church was built in 1847-48.
   
• The Chapelry of Biggin was formed from Hartington Nether Quarter in 1848.
   
• The church seats 350.
   
• NeIl THEASBY has a photograph of St Thomas's Church on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2012.
   
• Peter BARR has a different view of St Thomas's Church on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2010.

• The Anglican parish register dates from 1848.
   
• Mike SPENCER provides a partially extracted Parish Register burials for your review. Your additions and corrections are welcomed.
   
• The church was in the rural deanery of Buxton.
   
• The parish had two Primitive Methodist chapels in 1871.
   
• Ian CALDERWOOD has a photograph of one of the former Primitive Methodist chapels on Geo-graph, taken in February, 2016. The caption tells us that it opened in 1842 and closed about 145 years later.
   

• Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
   
• The parish was in the Brailsford sub-district of the Ashbourne Registration District.
   
• The parish was re-assigned to the Brassington sub-district of the Ashbourne Registration District before 1911.
   

Biggin was a township, a chapelry and a village in the Ashborne district of Derby.  The village is about 7 miles south-west of Bakewell and lies in the Peak District National Park.  There are TWO Biggins in Derbyshire.  This one is more properly known as "Biggin by Hartigan".  The other would be "Biggin by Hulland".

Biggin is just west off the A515 arterial road midway between Ashbourne and Buxton.

Jonathan CLITHEROE has a photograph of Biggin Village on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2012.

NeIl THEASBY has a photograph of Biggin Village Hall on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2012.  It can be useful to stop in and request a copy of the forth-coming events list. Look for lectures on local history and families.

• Geograph
• Flickr

• Ann ANDREWS provides a transcription of the Biggin entry from Kelly's Directory of the Counties of Derby, Notts, Leicester and Rutland (1891).
   
• Mel LOCKIE provides a transcription of the Biggin by Hartington entry from KELLY's Directory of Derbyshire, 1895.

In John Marius WILSON's "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales, 1870-72"  he describes:

"BIGGIN, a township and a chapelry in Ashborne district, Derby. The township is in Wirksworth parish; and lies near the Cromford and High Park railway, 7½ miles SW of Bakewell r. station. Acres, 595. Real property, £1,153. Pop., 133. Houses, 28. The chapelry was constituted in 1848. Post Town, Ashborne. Pop., 399. Houses, 84. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Lichfield. Value £40. Patron, the Duke of Devonshire. The church is modern. There are two Primitive Methodist chapels and a national school."

• Ask for a calculation of the distance from Biggin to another place.

• Biggin was once known as "Newbiggin".
   
• Biggin is typical of a White Peak village, running along a single street.
   
• Nearby Biggin Grange was once farmed by Cistercian monks.
   
• Travelers and locals are welcomed to The Waterloo Inn on Main Street. Caravan and camping facilities are available.
   
• Stephen G. TAYLOR has a photograph of The Waterloo Inn on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2004.
   
• Graham HOGG also has a photograph of The Waterloo Inn on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2011.
   
• These are the proprietors listed in various directories for The Waterloo Inn:
   

Biggin Hall is now the Biggin Hall Country House Hotel. Biggin Hall Country House stands in its own spacious grounds of eight acres and is a protected building of historic interest, Grade II listed. The present owners have completely renovated it, in keeping with its original character. Many of the stone mullioned leaded windows have only recently seen daylight again after their obliteration during the window taxes of the 1790's. The lounge has the date 1672.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK262479 (Lat/Lon: 53.028004, -1.610401), Biggin which are provided by:

• OpenStreetMap
• Google Maps
• StreetMap (Current Ordnance Survey maps)
• Bing (was Multimap)
• Old Maps Online
• National Library of Scotland (Old Ordnance Survey maps)
• Vision of Britain (Click "Historical units & statistics" for administrative areas.)
• English Jurisdictions in 1851 (Unfortunately the LDS have removed the facility to enable us to specify a starting location, you will need to search yourself on their map.)
• Magic (Geographic information) (Click + on map if it doesn't show)
• GeoHack (Links to on-line maps and location specific services.)

• All places within the same township/parish shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby townships/parishes shown on an Openstreetmap map.
• Nearby places shown on an Openstreetmap map.

• The Traces of War website shows us the parish has 2 Commonwealth War Graves from World War II.
   
• Alf BEARD has a photograph of the War Memorial on the Wishful-Thinking website, taken in June 2004.
   
• Mat FASCIONE has a photograph of the War Memorial on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2014. The Memorial stands on the corner of the Main Street and Drury Lane.

There are two Commonwealth War Graves in St. Thomas churchyard from World War II:

1. Charles RILEY, priv., Pioneer Corps, died 10 March 1946, age 19. Grandson of Mary RILEY.
    
2. Kenneth SIMS, priv., Royal Armoured Corps, 2nd Derbyshire Yeomanry, died 10 July 1941, age 20. Son of Alice SIMS.
    

These are the names on the War Memorial in Biggin:

1939 – 1945

Northern Ireland

Check out the Biggin News And Views on the Hartington Village website (Select "Community" on the Navigation Bar).

• The township of Biggin was incorporated as a separate, modern Civil Parish in December, 1866.
   
• This parish was in the ancient Appletree Hundred (or Wapentake).
   
• In 1887 Biggin parish was enlarged by 1 house gained from Hulland Civil Parish.
   
• Biggin is a village in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire.
   

• Bastardy cases were heard at the Ashbourne Petty Session hearings every Saturday.
   
• There is an index of Biggin Bastardy Papers held at the DRO on the Yesterdays Journey website. Select "Bastardy Papers" on the left side, then "Biggin" from the list of parishes displayed.
   
• With the passage of the Poor Law Amendment Act reforms of 1834, this parish became part of the Ashbourne Poorlaw Union.
   

A Public Elementary School was erected in Biggin prior to 1911 for 120 children. Average attendance in 1911 was 60.

A new school building was erected in the 1950's.

Mike SPENCER provides a list of School Admissions for Biggin School.