Whittington

The Old Whittington Library at Swanwick Memorial Hall on High Street is normally open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. They have a Local Studies and Family History section to help you with your search.

J. THOMAS has a photograph of the Library and information centre, Old Whittington on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2015.

New Whittington hamlet is served by the Mobile Library on route N, which makes a stop every fourth Wednesday just after noon at Devonshire Avenue North.

• BATES, Tom - A History of Old Whittington. New Age Poetry Press, 2008. ISBN 09522108 6 X.

Andrew HILL has a photograph of the Churchyard, Old Whittington on Geo-graph, taken in October, 2012.

We have a pop-up window of Whittington burials in a file for your review. Your additions and corrections are welcomed.

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

• The Anglican parish church is dedicated to Saint Bartholomew.
   
• The church was built in 1863, near the site of the old church, pulled down that same year.
   
• The church seats 610.
   
• A brick mission chapel was built in the hamlet of New Whittington, dedicated to Saint Barnabas.
   
• An iron mission chapel was built in the hamlet of Broomhill Park.

• The Anglican parish register dates from 1620 but have been damaged by fire.
   
• The church was in the rural deanery of Dronfield.
   
• The Wesleyan Methodist chapel was built in 1828.
   
• The Primitive Methodist chapel was built in 1849 at Old Whittington and replaced in 1865.
   
• A Free Methodist chapel was built at Whittington Moor.
   
• A Seventh Day Adventist Church was built on North Church Road, but no history is available.
   
• J. THOMAS also has a photograph of the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Geo-graph, taken in March, 2015.
   
• The Baptist Chapel at New Whittington was built in 1862 to seat 300. .
   
• Richard VINCE has a photograph of the former Baptist Chapel in New Whittington on Geo-graph, taken in January, 2017.

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

"WHITTINGTON is a small parish, in the same hundred as Staveley, about three miles and a half west from that village, and about two and a half north from Chesterfield. The village is one to which some note is attached, as having been the place where the Earl (afterwards Duke) of Devonshire, the Earl of Derby (afterwards Duke of Leeds), Lord Delamere, and Mr. John Darcy, eldest son of the Earl of Holderness, assembled to concert measures for effecting the revolution of 1688."

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

The parish covers almost 1,600 acres and includes the hamlets of New Whittington, Whittington Moor and Sheepbridge.

Passenger bus service is available from Chesterfield.

• Geograph
• Flickr

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

From "A Topographical Dictionary of England", by Samuel LEWIS, 7th Edition, 1848, Vol 4, p.557:

"WHITTINGTON (St Bartholomew), a parish, in the union of Chesterfield, hundred of Scarsdale, northern division of the county of Derby, 2 1/4 miles north from Chesterfield; containing 751 inhabitants [in 1848].

A former public-house here is distinguished by the name of the Revolution House, from the adjournment to it of a select meeting of friends to liberty and the Protestant religion, held on Whittington moor early in 1688, at which the Earl (afterwards Duke) of DEVONSHIRE, the Earl of DERBY (afterwards Duke of Leeds), Lord DELAMERE, and Mr. John D'ARCY, eldest son of the Earl of Holderness, attended. When the centennary anniversary of that event was commemorated in Derbyshire, in 1788, the committee dined on the preceding day at this house; and on the anniversary, a sermon was preached in the parochial church by Dr. PEGGE, the celebrated antiquary, then Rector, before the descendants of those illustrious persons, and a large assemblage of the most distinguished families of the county, who afterwards went in procession to take refreshment at the Revolution House, and then proceeded to Chesterfield to dinner. The house, with the venerable chair which has stood in the "Plotting Parlour" since 1688, and which was occupied by the Earl of DEVONSHIRE during the memorable conference, was recently sold for 725 pounds. The building is in a most dilapidated state, and has long ceased to be available for an inn : its sign is now borne by a substantial newly-built house adjoining.

The PARISH comprises 1,573 acres 2 rods and 25 perches, a considerable portion being uninclosed moor, on which the Chesterfield Races are held; potters' clay of good quality is found, and the manufacture of earthenware is carried on to a considerable extent. The Chesterfield canal and the Midland railway pass through the parish.

The living is a rectory, valued in the King's Books at 7 pounds 10 shillings and 10 pence; net income, 302 pounds; patron, the Bishop of Lichfield. The tithes were partly exchanged for corn-rents, under an act of inclosure, in 1821, and the remainder have been lately commuted for a rent-charge of 183 pounds 6 shillings; the glebe comprises 33 acres. The church is an ancient structure; the chancel was rebuilt in 1827. There is a place of worship for Wesleyans. A free school was founded in 1674, by Peter WEBSTER, who in 1678 gave 200 pounds to purchase land for it; and Joshua WEBSTER, in 1681, gave some land for teaching ten children: the total income is 73 pounds. A chalybeate spring here was formerly much resorted to."

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

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

Jon CANTRILL provides this announcement from the Derbyshire Tims of July 23rd, 1921: "Births: On July 19th at Hawthorne Villa, Old Whittington, To Mr. and Mrs. W. KIRK - A son.

In this village stands the small stone cottage known as "Revolution House," being the place where, in 1688 the Duke of Devonshire, the Earl of Danby and John D'Arcy esq. met and planned the rising which overthrew King James II.

• In 1857 there were five Inns in the parish:

In 1895 we have:

Neil THEASBY provides a photo of the Cock and Magpie at Geo-graph, taken in April, 2012.

Graham HOGG has a photo of the Rising Sun in New Whittington at Geo-graph, taken in April, 2016.

J. THOMAS has a photo of the Wellington on High Street in New Whittington at Geo-graph, taken in March, 2015.

Whittington Hall is the traditional Manor House of this parish.

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK386751 (Lat/Lon: 53.27149, -1.422665), Whittington 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.

• Alan HEARDMAN provides a photo of the War Memorial at Geo-graph. This memorial stands near the Cock and Magpie Public House.
   
• J. THOMAS provides a photo of the War Memorial at Geo-graph. This memorial stands on Brimington Road North near Whittington Moor.
   
• Gordon GRIFFITHS also has a photo of the Whittington Moor Cenotaph on Geo-graph.
   

These are the WWI Casualties:

World War II:

Jane TAYLOR in Redcar provides this notice from the Derby Mercury of 29 August 1804: "MISC: On Sunday last, as two persons of the names of Richard RIDER and William PARKINSON, were proceeding from Whittington, near Chesterfield, in this county, towards the race ground, the former having the curiosity to look into a coal shaft accidentally fell to the bottom and was instantly killed; the latter (wishing to render every assistance to his friend,) called to four or five boys who were at some distance from the place, stripped off his coat and hat, and desired them to let him down the shaft; one of them said to him "there is one dead, and if you go down you will share the same fate." Intreaties were vain, he placed himself in the bucket and was let down, and the damp or foul air being strong, he immediately became insensible and died. Every assistance was given, and some hundreds of persons were soon collected together to witness the shocking scene. An attempt was made to let a person down the shaft with a lighted candle, but before he had got three yards the candle went out, and he was immediately drawn up. RIDER was brought up by a hook let down the shaft which caught his clothes, and PARKINSON by a rope which caught his neck. On Tuesday last they were both buried in one grave at Whittington; PARKINSON being one of the Chesterfield Volunteers, was interred with military honours. What is singular, there is a coal mine within half a mile of the above, in which one man was lately killed, and three more dreadfully scorched by the foul air taking fire, which goes off similar to the explosion of gunpowder.

Rose KELLAND offers this notice from the Derbyshire Times & Chesterfield Herald of Wednesday, 18 November 1903:

"A Fatal Short Cut, Whittington man drowned at Staveley
P.C. SIDNEY HUMPHRIES
THOMAS ECCLES (deceased) 36 years, labourer of Station Road, New Whittington. “Strong man, in good health and seldom the worse for drink.”
Dr. GREEN district coroner
Brother was JAMES ECCLES
SARAH ANN STAMFORTH washed the body.
JOHN ARUNDEL, 25 Brewery Street, Chesterfield a pianist
MATTHEW ROBERTS (reported the body in the river)"

Stephen KIMBERLEY reports that the Derbyshire Times of 19th August 1999 has an obituary for: MELLORS Herbert 73 Whittington Moor.

• In the Domesday Survey, this place is described as a hamlet of Newbold.
   
• 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 Scarsdale Hundred (or Wapentake).
   
• In 1911, part of Newbold-cum-Dunston was amalgamated with this parish to form Whttington-with-Newbold Urban District.
   
• The Civil Parish was abolished in November, 1920, and all 1,581 acres incorporated into the Chesterfield Civil Parish.

• Bastardy cases would be held in the Chesterfield petty session hearings every Saturday.
   
• The Common Land was inclosed here in 1821.
   
• As a result of the 1834 Poorlaw Amendment Act reforms, this parish became a member of the Chesterfield Poorlaw Union.

Old Whittington (mixed) School. founded and endowed in 1679, rebuilt in 1849 and enlarged in 1871 and 1879 to hold 293 boys and girls and 150 infants. Average attendance in 1911, 290 boys and girls and 150 infants.

New Whittington (mixed) School. built in 1876 and enlarged in 1889 and again in 1890 to hold 600 children.

Alan HEARDMAN has a photograph of the New Whittington Primary School on Geo-graph, taken in June, 2008.

New Whittington Infants School. built in 1912 to hold 320 children.

Whittington Moor (mixed) School. built in 1876 and enlarged in 1893 to hold 400 children.

Whittington Moor (Infants) School. opened February 1911 to hold 430 infants.

The Bushes Endowed (Infants and junior mixed) School. built in 1910 to hold 224 children.