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Draycott

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DRAYCOTT, a liberty and township in the parish of Wilne, hundred of Morleston, in the county of Derby, 6 miles S.E. of Derby, its post town. Draycott is situated on the river Derwent, and is a station on the Midland Counties railway. The Wesleyans have a chapel, and there is a parochial school for both sexes. The Earl of Harrington is lord of the manor."

"LITTLE WILNE, a chapelry in the parish of Sawley, hundred of Morleston, county Derby, 8 miles S.E. of Derby. It includes Draycott liberty.”

from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868

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Archives & Libraries

Draycott is served by the Mobile Library on route 5, which stops at The Pines on every fourth Wednesday in the late morning.

The Derby Local Studies Library is an excellent resource with a Local History section and a Family History section.

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Cemeteries

  • The Draycott Cemetery, established in January, 1901, is just north of the village.
     
  • The Draycott Cemetery is managed by the Burial Board of the Draycott Parish Council.
     
  • Louis MILLS has provided a list of burials found in the grave indexes. Your additions and corrections are welcomed.
     
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Census

  • The parish was in the Spondon sub-district of the Shardlow Registration District.
     
  • The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
     
Census
Year
Piece No.
1851H.O. 107 / 2141
1861R.G. 9 / 2493
1871R.G. 10 / 3557
1891R.G. 12 / 2726
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Church History

  • The Anglican parish church (located in Wilne) is dedicated to Saint Chad.
     
  • The webpage author could not find an Anglican church in Draycott.
     
  • Saint Mary's is a mission church to Saint Chad's on Victoria Road, established in 1928.
     
  • In 1966, Saint Mary's moved into the former Wesleyan Methodist chapel.
     
  • Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of Church of St. Mary on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2017.
     
  • Saint Mary's has a churchyard, but the burial records would be in the Wilne registers.
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Church Records

  • The church was in the rural deanery of Ilkeston.
     
  • There are not a lot of burials recorded for Draycott. Most are recorded in Wilne parish.
     
  • The Wesleyan Methodists built a large chapel here in 1830 to replace an earlier smaller chapel from 1800.
     
  • Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of that earlier smaller chapel from 1800 on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2017.
     
  • Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the current Draycott Methodist Church on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2017.
     
  • The Primitive Methodists built a chapel here some time before 1891.
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Civil Registration

  • Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
     
  • The parish was in the Spondon sub-district of the Shardlow Registration District.
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Description & Travel

"DRAYCOTT is a village, in the joint liberty of Draycott and Wilne, in the parish of Sawley, about seven miles S.E. front Derby. A manufactory for spinning cotton gives employment to many of the inhabitants, but the majority are employed in agriculture. The number of persons in the liberty, in the year 1831, was 1,074."

[Description from Pigot and Co's Commercial Directory for Derbyshire, 1835]

The River Derwent forms the southwest boundary of the parish. The A6005 arterial road passes through the heart of the village from east to west. The railway runs just north of the village, but passenger service ended in 1966, so all you can do is wave at the village as the train rumbles through.

The village is dominated by the old Victoria Mill built in 1906. It has a tall clocktower which makes an excellent landmark. The mill has been closed for a number of years now, but about a third of the building (the part near the clocktower) was converted to apartments in 2008. The conversion is now completed

David LALLY has a photograph of Town-end side of the Victoria Mill on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2008.

Jonathan CLITHEROE has a photograph of Victoria Mill on Geo-graph, taken in December, 2013. You can see how it dominates the other buildings in the village.

Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the Victoria Mill clocktower on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2017.

You can see pictures of Draycott which are provided by:

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Directories

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Gazetteers

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History

  • The large Mill in the heart of the village was once the JARDINE family lace mill. It has been partially converted to apartments.
     
  • Peter SHONE has a photograph of the Rose and Crown Public House on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2005. This inn is over 100 years old.
     
  • David LALLY has a photograph of The Olympian pub. on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2008.
     
  • David LALLY has a photograph of the Coach and Horses on Geo-graph, taken in May, 2009. This inn is also over 100 years old.
     
  • Andrew ABBOTT has a photograph of The Victoria Pub.s on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2019.
     
  • Mat FASCIONE has a photograph of the disused Derby Canal on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2017. This image is just west of the village.
     

We have this notice of a Draycott lad's marriage as recorded in the "Derby Evening Telegraph," Monday 24 June 1940:

Marriage of MISS E. V. HARLEY
The Provost of Derby, the very REV P. A. MICKLEM, officiated at Derby Cathedral today at the wedding of MISS EVELYN VERA HARLEY, 11 St Mary’s gate, Derby, daughter of MR LORENZO HARLEY, of 2 Highfield Road, Derby, to MR DOUGLAS ERIC WATTS, son of Mr and Mrs B. WATTS, “Bank House”, Station Road, Draycott.
Given away by her father, the bride wore a white georgette crinoline gown with a plain tulle veil and orange blossom. She carried pale pink roses. The bridesmaids, Miss JUDITH CANNER and Miss PATRICIA SKEVINGTON, wore dresses of pink chiffon, in the crinoline style, pearl Juliet caps, and had posies of sweet peas. Mr LESLIE WATTS, of Long Eaton, was best man. Mr G. H. HEATH GRACIE, the Cathedral organist played wedding music.
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Manors

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK444332 (Lat/Lon: 52.894422, -1.341472), Draycott which are provided by:

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Medical Records

The Draycott Isolation Hospital was built around 1905 just off Hopwell Road, just north of the railroad tracks. The hospital appears to have closed around 1950.

Hospitals were not expected to archive patient records, but you may be able to find photograph and admission records in the archives.

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Military History

  • In 1911, Lieut.-Col. Hugh SCOTT resided here in Draycott House.  Colonel SCOTT was born in Draycott circa 1866.  He was the son of William H. SCOTT.
     
  • The War Memorial is a standing granite cross on Station Road (The A6005). There are 56 names listed for WWI and 12 for WWII.
     
  • A photograph of the War Memorial is at the Imperial War Museum site.
     
  • And there are more photographs at the Derbyshire War Memorial site.
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Military Records

The parish lost two men in the Great War who are buried in Draycott Cemetery:

  1. L. HINDS, 2/5 Btln., Yorkshire Regiment, died 24 Feb 1920
  1. John E. TOWLE, RFA, husband of Mary TOWLE, died 10 Oct 1917
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Names, Geographical

Draicote and Dry Cote are among its earlier names. It is mentioned in the 1086 Doomsday Book as Dry Cote (a ‘dry place’).

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Newspapers

Jane TAYLOR in Redcar contributes this snippet from the Derby Mercury of 18 November, 1802, MARRIED: "On Sunday last, Mr. Thomas BATE, of this place, baker, to Miss Sarah MOORLEY, of Draycot."

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Politics & Government

  • This place was an ancient Liberty of Wilne near Sawby in Derbyshire and was created as a modern Civil Parish in December, 1866.
     
  • This parish was in the ancient Morleston and Litchurch Hundred (or Wapentake).
     
  • You may contact the Draycott and Church Wilne Parish Council regarding civic or political issues, but they are NOT staffed to assist with family history searches.
     
  • District governance is provided by the Erewash Borough Council.
     
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Bastardy cases were heard in the Derby petty session hearings.
     
  • As a result of the Poorlaw Amendment Act reforms of 1834, the parish became a member of the Shardlow Poorlaw Union.
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Schools

A Public Elementary School (mixed and infants) was built here in 1905 for 300 children and 200 infants.