Longford

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

J. THOMAS has a photograph of Longford Cemetery on Geo-graph, taken in July, 2014. It looks like they've taken good care of the cemetery.

We have a pop-up window of Parish Register burials in a file for your review. Your additions are welcomed.

You should also check the burial register of Alkmonton parish.

Chris MORGAN has a photograph of the Lychgate to Longford Cemetery on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2013. The lychgate was constructed in 1928.

• The parish was in the Ashbourne sub-district of the Ashbourne Registration District.
   
• The table below gives census piece numbers, where known:
   

• The Anglican parish church was dedicated to Saint Chad.
   
• The outer walls of the church were rebuilt at the beginning of the 14th century.
   
• The church seats 486.
   
• David STOWELL has a photograph of St. Chad's Churchl on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2009.

• The Anglican parish register dates from 1638 for all entries and is in fine condition.
   
• The Parish Register contains burials of several soldiers slain during the Civil War.
   
• Marriages at Longford, 1537-1837 are available in Nigel BATTY-SMITH's database of scanned images of Phillimore's Parish Registers.
   
• The church was in the rural deanery of Longford.
   
• The Wesleyan Methodists built a chapel in Rodsley township prior to 1891.

• Civil Registration began in July, 1837.
   
• The parish was in the Ashbourne sub-district of the Ashbourne Registration District.

"LONGFORD is a village and township, in the same hundred as Brailsford, four miles S.W. from that village, 6 S. by E. from Ashbourn, and 11 W. from Derby. The country around here presents many agreeable prospects, and the ancient and spacious mansion of 'Longford Hall', with its pleasant grounds, the seat of Edward Cooke, Esq. are ornaments to the scenery. The church, which is dedicated to St. Chad, is of good dimensions, and of considerable antiquity: its architecture exhibits some portion of the Norman style, and in the chancel are three stone stalls. The parish contained, in 1831, 1,233 inhabitants, being less, by 31 persons, than were returned at the preceding census: the township of Longford contained, in 1821, 573, and in 1831, 536 inhabitants,"

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

The parish of Longford contains the townships of Longford, Hollington and Rodsley.

David STOWELL has a photograph of the Village Hall on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2009. Visitors should stop in at the hall and ask for a schedule of forth-coming events.

• Geograph
• Flickr

• Rosemary LOCKIE provides a transcription of the Longford entry under Brailsford from Pigot & Co's Commercial Directory for Derbyshire (1835).
   
• Ann ANDREWS provides a transcription of the Longford entry from Kelly's Directory of the Counties of Derby, Notts, Leicester and Rutland (1891).

• The transcription of the section for Longford from the National Gazetteer (1868) provided by Colin HINSON.

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

Longford contains what they call "England's First Cheese Factory" - a Grade II listed timber building built in May 1870 under what was at the time a novel cooperative scheme headed by American Cheesemaker Cornelius SCHERMANHORN. It was the first purpose-built cheese factory in Britain.

Jonathan CLITHEROE has a photograph of the Cheese Factory on Geo-graph, taken in April, 2014.

Michael BARDILL has a photograph of the popular Ostrich Inn on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2006.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK218377 (Lat/Lon: 52.936259, -1.677095), Longford 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.

There is a War Memorial inside the parish church. A photograph can be found at Military Images.

The Churchyard Lychgate is also a Memorial to World War One. No names are inscribed on this memorial.

The War Memorial in St. Chad's Church is inscribed:

"To the glory of God and in memory of the Men of this parish who fell in the Great War 1914-18"

1. AUSTIN Algernon. (Algie Reginald), Private 1800, 1/1st Service Derbyshire Yeomanry, died 20th August 1916 age 27. Son of Philip Austin, of Hollington, Brailsford, Derby. Buried at Struma Military Cemetery, Greece.
2. COPE George, Gunner 85844 S Battery, 99th Brigade Royal Field Artillery died at Salonika 31st May 1918. Native of Brailsford near Longford and is buried at Taranto Town Cemetery Extension, Italy.
3. JACKSON Frederick. Unable to locate the correct record listed with the CWGC.
4. JACKSON Thomas. Unable to locate the correct record listed with the CWGC.
5. JACKSON William Edward (memorial has William) Private 240681, 2/6th Sherwood Foresters Notts & Derby Regiment killed in action 21st March 1918 age 21. Son of Mrs Louisa Jackson of Blackwater Cottage, Longford, Commemorated on the Arras Memorial, France.
6. MORLEY Frank William, Gunner 23080, 107, Howitzer Battery, 7th Brigade, Australian Field Artillery, killed 19th October 1917 age 28. Son of James & Hannah, of Hollington near Longford, Derbyshire.
7. MURRAY Ernest, Private 2127, 44th Australina Infantry died 13th October 1917 age 23. Son of John & Mira of Hollington near Longford and brother of John who also fell. Commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium.
8. MURRAY Jack (John) Private 5875, 17th Australian Infantry died 15th April 1917 age 28 Son of John & Mira of Hollington near Longford and brother of Ernest who also fell. Commemorated on the \villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Somme, France.
9. REDSHAW William, Rifleman 70631, D Coy, 16th Sherwood Foresters Notts & Derby Regiment died 23rd November 1917 age 22. Son of Charles & Mary of Rodsley near Longford. Buried at Wimereux Communal Cemetery, France.
10. STONE Ernest, Corporal 75224, 35th Division, Signal Coy, Royal Engineers died 5th April 1918 aged 27. Son of Thomas of Longford and is buried at Querrieu British Cemetery, Somme, France.
11. WRIGHT Edward, Private 20832, X Coy, 6th King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry died 15th September 1916 aged 25. Son of William & Emma of Hollington near Longford. Buried at Delville Wood Cemetery, Longueval Somme, France.
12. WRIGHT George, Driver 152486, Royal Field Artillery died 26th July 1917 age 21. Son of William & Emma of Hollington near Longford. Commemorated on the Amara War Cemetery, Iraq.

Their name liveth for evermore
1939 - 1945

1. SHAW Arthur, Private 14984732, 10th Green Howards (Yorkshire Regiment) attached to the 12th Parachute Regiment died 3rd April 1945 aged 19. Son of Harry & Edna May of Rodsley near Longford. Buried at Ruchswald Forest War Cemetery, Kleve, Germany.

On the north side of the church chancel is a magnificent marble monument to Anne Amelia, Countess of Leicester, d. 22 July, 1844.

There is also a fine and costly monument to Thomas William COKE, Earl of Leicester (1837), who died at Longford 30 June, 1842

Jane TAYLOR in Redcar contributes this snippet from the Derby Mercury of 8 December, 1803, MARRIED: "On Tuesday se'nnight, at Londford, Mr. GARRATT, of New-Inns, to Miss GILMAN, daughter of Mr. Thomas GILMAN, of Thurvaston, both in this county." I suspect that should be "Longford", as there is a 22 Nov. 1803 wedding of Thomas GARRATT ro Elizabeth GILMAN recorded in the parish register for Longford.

Jane TAYLOR provides this extract from the Derby Mercury of 2 May 1805: MARRIAGES: "On Wednesday last, Mr. Robert GILMAN, to Miss HELLABY, both of Longford. And at the same time and place, Mr. John GILMAN, of Hollington, to Miss Ellen HELLABY, of Longford, both in this county."

Jane TAYLOR in Redcar contributes this snippet from the Derby Mercury of December 8, 1803: DIED: "On Thursday last at Ardley, near Longford, in this county, aged 67, Mr. Thomas WILKINS, steward to Edward COKE, Esq. in which situation he and his father had served that family upwards of a century with integrity and credit. He was kind to the poor, a sincere friend, and good companion; his death therefore will be regretted by a large circle of acquaintance."

• This place was an ancient parish in Derby county and became a modern Civil Parish when those were established.
   
• This parish was in the ancient Appletree Hundred (or Wapentake) in the western division of the county.
   
• Hollington Township was split off as a separate Civil Parish in December, 1865. In August, 1882, additional land was allocated to the new Hollington Civil Parish.
   
• In March, 1887, one acre of the Paper Mill Houses was gained by Longford Civil Parish from Alkmonton Civil Parish.
   
• You may contact the local Longford Parish Council regarding civic or political issues, but they will NOT do family history searches for you.
   
• District governance is provided by the Derbyshire Dales District Council.

• Bastardy cases were heard at the Ashbourne petty sessional hearings every Saturday.
   
• The Coke Almshouses, just north of the village off Long Lane, are listed as Grade II on the National Heritage List. They were founded in 1687 by Sir Robert COKE, bart.
   
• With the passage of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act reforms, this parish became a member of the Ashbourne Poorlaw Union.

In 1876 a National School (mixed) was built here for about 70 students.

Chris MORGAN has a photograph of the Church of England Primary School on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2013.