Glossop - by Daniel and Samuel Lysons, 1817

GLOSSOP: In the hundred and deanery of High-Peak, lies in the extreme Northern part of the county, on the borders of Yorkshire, and Cheshire, about ten miles north from Chapel-en-le-Frith.

This extensive parish, which is upwards of sixteen miles in length, and upon an average, perhaps about five in breadth, comprises the township of Glossop, including the vills or hamlets of Hadfield, Padfield, Whitfield, Chunall, Dinting, Simondley, and Charlsworth; besides those which are in the parochial chapelries of Hayfield and Mellor.[1]

There is a fair at Glossop on the 6th of May, for horned cattle, wooden and tin wares.

The manor of Glossop, which extends over Glossop and its seven hamlets, belonged, as parcel of the Lordship of Longendale or Longdendale, to the crown, at the time of taking the Domesday Survey. King Henry I. granted it as part of a still larger district, his domain of the Peak, to William Peverel, on the attainder of whose son it reverted to the crown. King Henry II. gave the manor of Glossop, with the church and its other appurtenances, in the year 1157 to the abbey of Basingwerk. King Henry VIII. gave this manor, in 1537, to George Earl of Shrewsbury. It now belongs to the Duke of Norfolk, as descended from one of the coheiresses of Gilbert Earl of Shrewsbury, who died in 1616. This estate had been settled on a younger branch of the Howard family, and belonged to the present Duke before his accession to the title, when he occasionally resided at Glossop-hall, which is in the occupation of his Grace's agent.

In the parish church are the monuments of Joseph Hague, Esq., of Park-hall, near Hayfield, who died in 1786, aged 90, (with his bust by Bacon); Thomas Wagstaffe, Esq., of London, merchant, 1771; and Miss Mary Doxon, of Manchester, 1816.

Mr. Hague founded the school at Whitfield, and left the interest of 1000 £ to be laid out in clothes for twelve poor men and twelve poor women, of the eight townships of Glossop, besides other charities to Glossop, and the chapelry of Hayfield.

The church of Glossop was appropriated to the abbey of Basingwerk. The Duke of Norfolk is now impropriator and patron of the vicarage.

There are chapels belonging to the Independents at Charlsworth and Hadfield; and the Wesleyan Methodists at Glossop and Whitfield.

At Glossop is a grammar school, of the foundation of which little is known. The endowment, a great part of which is lost, in now only 40s. a year. The duke of Norfolk gives an annual benefaction of 10 £.

There are twenty four cotton mills within the manor of Glossop and above thirty in other parts of the parish; four or five extensive calico or print works at Thornsett and elsewhere; two clothing mills in the manor of Glossop; and a mill for making brown paper, and a cloth manufactory at Hayfield.

The population of this parish, from the increase of manufactures, has been doubled within the last five and thirty years. It appears that the number of inhabitants had increased from 8873 to 10,797, between the years 1801 and 1811.

Charlsworth, which lies about three miles from Glossop and about five from Hayfield, had formerly a market on Wednesdays, and a fair at the festival of St. Mary Magdalen, granted in 1328, to the Abbot of Basingwerk. That monastery acquired considerable landed property in Charlsworth, Chunall, and Simondly, in the years 1307 and 1308. There is now a cattle fair at Charlsworth on the 25th of April.

The chapel at this place belonged formerly to the establishment, and in the Liber Regis it is described as a chapel of ease to Glossop; but more than a century ago, it was, by permission of the Howard family, in the hands of the Presbyterians. In 1716, Mr. John Bennet left the interest of 20 £ for the benefit of the Presbyterian minister at Charlsworth. The chapel, which has been lately rebuilt, is now in the hands of the Independents.

Near Gamelsly is the Roman camp, called Melandra castle.

The manor of Whitfield was conveyed in 1330 by Thomas Le Ragged to John Foljambe: it has been long held with the manor of Glossop, and is now the property of his Grace the Duke of Norfolk.

The late Mr. Hague, who died in 1786, founded a school at Whitfield, the endowment of which is about 40 £ per annum.

An act of parliament for inclosing lands in the township of Whitfield passed in 1810.

The chapelry of Hayfield contains the hamlets or townships of Great Hamlet, Phocide and Kinder, Ollersett, Beard, and part of Thornset. The hamlets of Bugsworth and Brownside, and part of Chinley, on the southern part of the parish of Glossop, are esteemed also to be within this chapelry. The village of Hayfield, which lies about five miles from Chapel-en-le-Frith, is in the township of Phoside and Kinder. In the vale between Newmills and Hayfield are three calico print-works. There are annual fairs at Hayfield, May 11th for cattle, horses, and sheep, and July 23rd for sheep and wool.

The rood-loft in the chapel remains entire, but the upper part has been modernised; on the front is a painting of the crucifixion, with St. Peter and St. John, which bears the date of 1775. There are tablets giving a particular account of the endowment of the chapel and the school.

The chapel of Hayfield was augmented by Queen Anne's bounty, procured by subscription, in 1733; in 1801 by lot; in 1805 by another subscription; in 1806, by a parliamentary grant; and in 1812 by a third subscription of the inhabitants; the whole of the augmentations amounting to the sum of 1700 l. The freeholders of the chapelry appoint the minister.

There is a Quakers meeting in this chapelry; chapels of the Wesleyan Methodists at Hayfield, the part of New-mills which is in this chapelry, and at Chinley. The Independents have a meeting house at Chinley.

Great-Hamlet, Phoside or Foreside, and Kinder; and the hamlets or vills of Chinley, Bugsworth, and Brownside, are within the manor of High-Peak, on lease to the Duke of Devonshire.

The manor of Beard belonged to the ancient family of Beard, of Beard-hall, and passed with the heiress of Richard Beard, the last of the elder branch to two brothers of the Leigh family, to whom she was succesively married; the Leighs appear to have been succeeded by the Duncalfes. John Earl of Shrewsbury was possessed of this manor in the reign of Henry VIII, and it has passed with Ollersett and Eyam to Lord George Cavendish. Beard-hall is now a farm-house. Ollersett-hall, formerly the seat of the Bradbury family is now a farm-house, belonging to Mr. George Newton.

The chapelry of Mellor lies about eight miles southwest from Glossop, on the borders of Cheshire, and about the same distance from Chapel-en-le-Frith. It comprises the vills, hamlets, or townships, of Mellor, Ludworth, Chisworth, Whittle, and part of Thornsett. The greater part of the populous village of New-mills, is in the hamlet of Whittle and in this chapelry: the villages of Raworth, Marple-bridge, and Mellor-moor-end, are also in this chapelry. Mellor and Whittle are part of the Lordship of Longdendale, on lease to the Duke of Devonshire. A subordinate manor of Mellor belonged, at an early period, to the ancient family of Mellor, one of whose coheiresses married Stafford in the 14 C. In the year 1704, Thomas Stafford of Stockport and Tristram, his son, sold the manor of Mellor, and Bothams-hall in Mellor to James Chetham, Gent., whose great grandson, Thomas Chetham, Esq.. of Highgate in Middlesex, sold the Bothams-hall estate, in 1787, to Samuel Oldknow, Esq., the present proprietor. Mr. Oldknow has large cotton works at Mellor, which employ 400 and 500 hands.

Mellor-hall, anciently the seat of the Mellor family, and afterwards of the Radcliffes, was purchased in 1686 by James Chetham, Esq. The Mellor-hall estate was purchased of Thomas Chetham, Esq., about 1797, by Mr. Ralph Bridge, whose son now occupies the hall as a farm house. Part of the land has been purchased with Queen Anne's bounty for the purpose of augmenting the living of Mellor.

In the chapel and chapel yard at Mellor are recorded several instances of longevity.[2] The minister of the chapel is appointed by trustees acting under the will of the late John Thornton, Esq., of Clapham. The appointment was in the Chetham family, and was purchased by Mr. Thornton of Thomas Chetham, Esq., in or about the year 1787. The income of the minister, which is now rather more than 100 £ per annum, arises partly from the rent of seats, and partly from augmentation. Queen Anne's bounty was first procured for it about the year 1764, when 200 £ was contributed by Thomas Chetham,Esq., and other inhabitants of the chapelry. In 1792, it had an augmentation of 200 £ by lot; in 1809 Miss Shaw of Mellor, bequeathed the sum of 200 £ for the purpose of procuring the bounty a third time. These sums have been laid out in the purchase of lands, parcel of the Mellor-hall etate, as above-mentioned.

The Independents have a small meeting house at Marple-bridge in this chapelry.

Thomas Walklate having left by will the sum of 160 £ for founding a charity school at Mellor, with that and other smaller sums, certain closes were purchased in the reign of Charles II., now let at 25 £ per annum. Seven of the principal inhabitants are trustees.

In the year 1345 Thomas le Ragged enfeoffed John Foljambe of two thirds of the manor of Chisworth, in 1360 the whole manor was conveyed by Richard Foljambe and Robert de Holt to the Abbey of Basingwerk; it has since been considered as parcel of the manor of Glossop. Ludworth is also parcel of that manor.

Notes:

[1]	These hamlets, together with Ludworth and Chisworth in the chapelry of Mellor, are commonly called the ten townships of Glossop-dale. There is only one constable for the whole of these. There is one overseer for Glossop and its seven hamlets.
[2]	Rebecca, widow of George Higenbottom, ob. 1758, aged 99; Sarah, wife of John Cooper, ob 1779 aged 97; Mary wife of Robert Beard, ob 1797, aged 101; Betty, wife of Samuel Fearnley, ob 1799, aged 94.

[From Lysons Topographical and Historical Account of Derbyshire, 1817.
Transcription kindly donated by Barbarann AYARS, 10th Jan 2001]