Risley

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

Mike SPENCER has provided a partial extract of Burials at Risley.

Stephen McKAY has a photograph of the Churchyard cemetery at Geo-graph, taken in February, 2016.

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

• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to All Saints.
   
• The church was built in 1593 in the Early English style, but wasn't consecrated until 1632.
   
• The ecclesiastical parish was created from Breaston St. Michael in October, 1897.
   
• The church was thoroughly restored in 1897 and an organ was presented to the church by Ernest T. HOOLEY.
   
• The church seats 150.
   
• The church was designated as Grade II* by English Heritage in 1967.
   
• Richard CROFT has a photograph of All Saints Church on Geo-graph, taken in August, 2011.

• The Anglican parish register dates from 1707.
   
• Marriages at Risley, 1720-1812 are available in Nigel BATTY-SMITH's database of scanned images of Phillimore's Parish Registers..
   
• The church was in the rural deanery of Ilkeston.

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

"RISLEY is a small village and township, partly in the parish of Sawley, and partly in that of Sandiacre, in the same hundred as Ilkeston, about four miles, south, from that town, one and a half, north, from Breason, and about seven and a half, east, from Derby. This manor was formerly held by Sir Hugh Willoughby, the celebrated navigator, who sailed on the 10th of May, 1555, with three ships, in search of a north-east passage, and was frozen to death, with all his crew, in the January following, in the Frozen Ocean."

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

J. THOMAS has a photograph of the local B5010 Bus stop on Derby Road on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2019.

• Geograph
• Flickr

• A Description of Risley has been transcribed by Heather FAULKES from Pigot's Directory of 1828.
   
• Rosemary LOCKIE provides a transcription of the Risley entry under Ilkeston from Pigot & Co's Commercial Directory for Derbyshire (1835).
   
• Ann ANDREWS provides a transcription of the Risley township entry under Breason from Kelly's Directory of the Counties of Derby, Notts, Leicester and Rutland (1891).

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

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

Jonathan CLITHEROE has a photograph of The Risby Park Pub. (formerly Blue Bell) at Geo-graph, taken in August, 2013.

William WALLS was the proprietor of the Blue Bell PH in 1912.

Risley Hall has a history that goes back to the 11th century. The present Hall started out in 1524 and was extensively modernized and extended in early 18th century. In the early 20th century it was a home for youthful offenders. It has recently been converted to a "country house" Hotel.

Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the entrance to Risley Hall at Geo-graph, taken in May, 2014.

Garth NEWTON has a photograph of the Risley Hall Hotel on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2005.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK456362 (Lat/Lon: 52.921137, -1.323859), Risley 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.

In the church of All Saints is a white marble tablet on a black slate backboard. On it is this inscription (some letters are faint):

THIS TABLET IS INSCRIBED BY
THE REVD JOHN HANCOCK HALL, OF RISLEY HALL,
AND ROBERTA MARY HIS WIFE,
TO THE MEMORY OF
CATHERINE, THEIR THIRD DAUGHTER,
WHO DIED ON THE 5TH. DAY OF JULY 1820, AGED 21 YEARS
AND WAS BURIED AT DAWLISH IN DEVONSHIRE,
EDWARD HANCOCK, THEIR FOURTH SON,
A LIEUTENANT IN THE HONBLE. E. I. COMPANY'S SERVICE
WHO DIED IN THE PRESIDENCY OF MADRAS,
ON THE 5TH. DAY OF JULY 1821, AGED 18 YEARS,
ROBERT HAYHURST, THEIR FIFTH SON,
WHO DIED ON THE 10TH. DAY OF FEBRUARY 1827,
AGED 21 YEARS.
MARY ROBERTA THEIR ELDEST DAUGHTER
WHO DIED ON THE 26TH. DAY OF MARCH IN THE SAME YEAR
AGED 31 YEARS.
AND SARAH, THEIR SECOND DAUGHTER
WHO DIED ON THE 4TH. DAY OF MAY IN THE SAME YEAR
AGED 29 YEARS.
EDWARD THEIR THIRD SON
DIED THE 14TH. DAY OF MARCH 1803, AGED TEN MONTHS.
THE FOUR LAST ARE BURIED IN THIS CHURCH.
SOME FRUITS RIPEN QUICKLY AND ARE GATHERED ACCORDINGLY,
HAPPY ARE YE WHO IN A SHORT SEASON HAVE PREPARED FOR
THE HARVEST THAT IS TO COME. "YE SHALL BE MY SONS AND
DAUGHTERS SAITH THE LORD ALMIGHTY."
JOHN HANCOCK, THEIR ELDEST SON,
BORN DECR. 27TH 1797, DIED OCTR. 30TH. 1845.
WILLIAM HAYHURST, THEIR SECOND SON,
BORN NOVR. [20TH.] 1800, DIED FEBY. 16TH. 1864.
HENRY BANKS, THEIR SIXTH SON,
BORN MAY 25TH. 1807,DIED SEPTR. 10TH. 1875.
ANNE CHRISTIANA, THEIR FOURTH DAUGHTER
BORN DECR. 25TH. 1808, DIED SEPTR. 23RD. 1895.

THE FOUR LAST ARE BURIED
IN THIS CHURCHYARD.

• HMS Risley was a destroyer built in 1918 for the US Navy as USS Shubrick. In 1940 she was transferred to Great Britain and renamed as part of the Lend Lease program. In 1941 she saw action in the effort to sink the German pocket battleship Bismark. At war's end, she was sold and scrapped.
   
• There is a War Memorial outside All Saints' Church near the church gateway.
   
• There is a wooden bench in the churchyard commemorating VE Day and VJ Day.
   
• Garth NEWTON has a photograph of the War Memorial on Geo-graph, taken in November, 2005.
   
• Alan MURRAY-RUST also has a photograph of the War Memorial and churchyard gate at Geo-graph, taken in April, 2014.
   

These are the men commemorated on the Risley War Memorial (as per the IWM website):

There are two Commonwealth War Graves in All Saints churchyard:

1. Basil Terah HOOLEY, major, 7th Btln. Sherwood Foresters, age 26, died 28 Oct. 1918. Son of Terah HOOLEY.
2. Walter John Robert PACEY, fitter staff srgt., No. 2 depot, Royal Garrison Army, died 18 July 1916.

Also in the churchyard is a granite headstone on a family grave inscribed:

IN [LOVING MEMORY OF]
OUR DEAR FATHER AND MOTHER
[JAMES] AND [RACHEL] BAGSHAW,
[AT] REST, 9. 1. 1902 - 8. 11. 1929
AGED 58 AND [82 YEARS].
ALSO [ELLEN, DAUGHTER] OF THE [ABOVE],
AT [REST] 2. 8. 1883.
[ALSO JACK], SON OF THE ABOVE,
[SOMEWHERE] IN [FRANCE. 1917].
ALL OF [THIS PARISH.]
[Some letters damaged or missing.]

Jack Bagshaw was Pte 56045 John BAGSHAW, 1st Battn Sherwood Foresters, who died near Aisne, France on 27th May, 1918 aged 39.

There is a WW1 war memorial window in the north wall of the church aisle in All Saints:

To the Glory of God
and in loving memory of 
Basil Terah HOOLEY M.C.
Major. Tank Corps.
Died October 28th, 1918 Aged 26 years

Jane TAYLOR in Redcar contributes this snippet from the Derby Mercury of 10 November 1803: DIED: "On Sunday se'nnight, Mr. John BLUNSTONE, of Risley, in this county, aged 48."

• This place was an ancient Chapelry of Wilne parish in Derby county.
   
• In December, 1866, this Chapelry was incorporated as a separate, modern Civil Parish.
   
• This parish was in the ancient Morleston and Litchurch Hundred (or Wapentake) in the Ilkeston division of the county.
   
• You may contact the Risley with Hopwell 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.
   

• Bastardy cases would be heard in the Derby petty session hearings.
   
• There is a partial list of Risely Bastardy Papers held at the DRO on the Yesterdays Journey website. Select "Bastardy Papers" on the left side, then "Risely" from the list displayed.
   
• As a result of the Poorlaw Amendment Act of 1834 reforms, the parish became a member of the Shardlow Poorlaw Union.

• A LAtin school was founded here in 1583 by William WILLOUGHBY for 25 boys.
   
• A grammar school at Risley was founded in 1593 by Katherine WILLOUGHBY.
  (Ref: A History of Derbyshire, Gladwyn TURBUTT, 1999)
   
• Alan MURRAY-RUST has a photograph of the Grammar School at Geo-graph, taken in May, 2014.