Church Gresley, or Gresley, is
thirteen miles from Derby, and six from Ashby-de-la-Zouch, and contains
Drakelow hall, the seat of Sir Roger Gresley, baronet. The potteries and
coal works in the parish are the only branches of trade here. The village
contains about 300 inhabitants, and the parish, with its other dependent
townships and hamlets, about 2,000. Directory
Listing
Extracted from: Pigot's Derbyshire Directory, 1821-1822 (on microfiche
publ. by the Derbyshire Family History Society)
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Church Gresley, a village,
township and parish in the Hundred of Repton and Gresley. Directory
Listing
Extracted from: The Directory of the County of Derby, by Stephen
Glover, 1829 (on microfiche publ. by the Derbyshire Family History Society)
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Church Gresley, is a parish, in the hundred
of Repton and Gresley, 13 miles S. from Derby, 6 W. from Ashby-de-la-Zouch,
and 5½ S.E. from Burton-upon-Trent - the last-named being the nearest
post town. The coal works and potteries of this parish and neighbourhood
are rapidly rising in importance, and from discoveries recently made in
the mines hereabout, highly beneficial results are anticipated. The living
is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of Sir Roger Gresley, Bart. Whose
remote ancestor founded a priory of canons of the order of St. Augustine,
in the reign of Henry I, and dedicated it to St. Mary and St. George. The
parish contained, at the last census, 2,543 inhabitants, and the township
671 of that number. Directory
Listing
Extracted from: Pigot and Co.'s National Commercial Directory of
Derbyshire, 1835 (on microfiche publ. by the Derbyshire Family History
Society)
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Church Gresley, parish and township,
contains also the townships of Castle Gresley, Donisthorpe, Drakelow, Linton,
Oakthorpe, and Swadlincote, comprising together 6,700 acres of land, 2,764
inhabitants, and is partly situated in Leicestershire.
Church Gresley, a township and considerable village on the Leicestershire
border, 5 miles S.E. b. S. from Burton-on-Trent, and 5 miles W. b. N. from
Ashby-de-la-Zouch, contains 1,165 acres of fertile land, 193 houses, and
993 inhabitants, of whom 531 were males and 462 females; rateable value
£2,880. William Eaton Mousley, Esq., is lord of the manor.
The other owners are - Marquis of Hastings, Lord Tynemouth, Court Granville,
Esq., Thomas Brown, Esq., Thomas Gee, Esq., and S.P. Wolverstone, Esq.
The church, dedicated to St. Mary and St. George, is a perpetual curacy,
valued in the king’s book at £5 16s. 8d., now £108, has been
augmented with £200 benefactions, £800 Queen Anne’s bounty,
and £1,300 parliamentary grant. Rev. George Wood Lloyd, D.D.,
is the patron and incumbent. The church is an ancient structure,
built in the reign of Henry I. by Nigel de Gresley, who founded here a
priory of Austin monks, and dedicated it to St. Mary and St. George.
It was endowed with lands chiefly in this parish, valued at the dissolution
at £39 13s. 8d. Of this building, which adjoined the parish
church, there are no remains. In 1842, a gallery was erected in the
church at a cost of £70, raised by subscription. Here are some
ancient monuments to the Aleyne and Gresley families. King Henry
VIII. granted the site in 1543 to Henry Criche ; in the year 1556, Sir
Christopher Aleyne, Knt., purchased this estate, with the manor of Church
Gresley, of the Seymours. It was afterwards in the Meynells, of whom
it was purchased, about the year 1775, by Sir Nigel Gresley, Bart.
A national school for boys and girls was erected in 1818, and enlarged
in 1824, at a cost of £300, paid by the late Edward Smith, Esq.,
of Burton-on-Trent. Joseph Leedham left £10; the interest is
applied to the use of the school; about 120 attend. Here are extensive
collieries and considerable potteries, which give employment to a large
number of persons. The clay is of excellent quality, and considerable
quantities of it are sent to Sheffield and other places, for making casting
pots for founders and steel refiners. The Hall, ¼ mile N.W.
now a farm house, is subject to a payment to the incumbent of the church
of £5 13s. 4d. The other scattered farms are the Cottage,
½ mile S.E. ; Earthcote, 1 mile N.W. ; Far Lees, 1½
miles N.W. ; Park Farms, 1 mile S.W. ; and Wood Farm, ¾
mile N.
CHARITIES. - John Adams, by will, 1682, gave 40s. a year, to be paid
out of his lands in Gresley Park, to various places, but it does not appear
any such payments were ever made. The greater part of these lands
now belong to Miss Worthington, whose agent states that the testator was
tenant in tail only, that the estate had become the subject of partition
in 1737 and in 1767. Under the circumstances above stated, it would
be extremely difficult to substantiate a claim in behalf of the charity.
GRESLEY TOWNSHIP. - In the parliamentary returns of 1786 it is stated,
that the sum of £10 then vested in Richard Smith, and producing 8s.
per annum, had been given to the poor of Gresley, by some person unknown.
In 1819 it was expended, with the addition of £1 advanced by the
township, in the purchase of a piece of land called the Bottom Croft, containing
400 square yards or thereabouts. The land is let for 8s. a year,
the overseer receives the rent and distributes it to the poor ; at the
time of our inquiry, August, 1826, he had 16s. in hand, but it was proposed
to distribute this sum, with another year’s rent which had not been paid,
at Christmas. Directory Listing
Extracted from: History, Gazetteer and Directory of Derbyshire,
by Samuel Bagshaw, 1846 (Collection of C.B. Payne)
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GRESLEY, CHURCH : a parish, in the union of
Burton-upon-Trent, hundred of Repton and Gresley, Southern Division of
the county of Derby, 5 miles south-east from Burton; comprising the townships
of Church-Gresley, Drakelow, Linton, and Swadlincote, the hamlet of Castle-Gresley,
and part of the hamlets of Donisthorpe and Oakthorpe; and containing 2,764
inhabitants.
A Priory of Canons, of the order of St Augustine, was founded here
in the reign of Henry I by one of the GRESLEY family, and dedicated to
St Mary and St George; its revenue at the Dissolution was valued at £39
13s. 8d. Henry VIII granted the site in 1543 to Henry CRICHE.
In 1556 Sir Christopher ALEYNE, Knt, purchased the estate, with the manor
of Church-Gresley, of the SEYMOURS; and it was afterwards in the MEYNELLS,
of whom it was purchased, about 1775, by Sir Nigel GRESLEY, Bart.
The parish is partly bounded on the north by the River Trent, and comprises
4,712 acres 2 roods and 13 perch, in about equal portions of arable and
pasture; the soil is generally a strong clay, and the scenery is of pleasing
character, in some parts richly embellished with woods and plantations.
The substratum abounds with coal and various kinds of clay, of the
former of which an extensive mine is in operation in the township of Church-Gresley,
and four others are wrought in the hamlet of Swadlincote. A very
extensive manufacture of earthenware is carried on, affording employment
to more than 300 persons; a peculiar vein of clay is found, for making
fire-bricks; and there is an abundance of common clay for bricks, in making
which a great number of the population is engaged. Ironstone is raised
for the roads; and there is a quarry of soft stone, which is used in the
coal-mines, and, when pulverised, is substituted for sand. Tramways
have been formed to the Ashby Canal.
The Living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £108, with a good
residence, built in 1837; patron, the Rev George Wood LLOYD, DD.
The church is an ancient structure, of which the tower is in the Norman
style, and the remainder of more modern date. At Donisthorpe, a church
was built and endowed by three ladies of the name of MOORE, in 1838; and
another church has been built at Swadlincote.
There are places of worship for Primitive Methodists and Wesleyans;
and a national school supported by subscription.
Extracted from: Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis,
7th edition, 1848, Vol 4, p.661, Transcription by kind courtesy of
Sonia Addis-Smith
Back to Top
Church Gresley, is a parish and village
- the latter 13 miles S. from Derby, 6 W. from Ashby-de-la-Zouch, 5½
S.E. from Burton-upon-Trent, and about 1 mile from Castle Gresley, a station
on the Leicester, Burton and Birmingham line of railway. The coal works
and potteries of this parish and neighbourhood, were formerly of considerable
importance, the latter branch has much declined within these few years,
but the coal mines are still in a flourishing state. The living of this
parish is a perpetual curacy, in the gift of Sir Roger Gresley, whose remote
ancestor founded here a priory of canons of the order of Saint Augustine,
and dedicated it to Saint Mary and Saint George. The population of Church
Gresley township… in 1841 was 993. Directory
Listing
Extracted from: Slater's Directory of Derbyshire, 1850 (on microfiche
publ. by the Derbyshire Family History Society)
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Church Gresley, parish, contains the
townships of CHURCH GRESLEY, CASTLE GRESLEY, DONISTHORPE with OAKTHORPE,
DRAKELOW, LINTON, and SWADLINCOTE, containing together 5510A. 3R. 33P.
of land, and in 1851 had 660 houses, and 3,300 inhabitants, of whom 1,691
were males, and 1,609 females; rateable value £11,769 15s. 7d.
CHURCH GRESLEY, is a scattered village and township, on the Leicestershire
border, 5 miles S.E. by S. from Burton-on-Trent, and 5 miles W. by N. from
Ashby-de-la-Zouch, contains 1,075 acres of land, and in 1851 had 258 houses,
and 1,257 inhabitants, of whom 655 were males, and 602 females; rateable
value £2,890. The principal land owners are, the Marquis of Hastings,
Lord Tynemouth, S.P. Wolverstone, Esq., and the Rev. Charles William, of
Gedling, Nottinghamshire, who is also lord of the manor. The Church, dedicated
to St. Mary and St. George, is an ancient stone edifice, with low tower
and three bells, built in the reign of Henry I, by Nigel de Gresley, who
founded here a priory of Austin monks, and dedicated it to St. Mary and
St. Peter. It was endowed with lands chiefly in this parish, valued at
the dissolution at £39 13s. 8d. Of this building which joined the
parish church, there are no remains. In 1842, a gallery was erected in
the church, at a cost of £70, raised by subscription. Here are some
ancient monuments to the Aleyne and Gresley families. The living is a perpetual
curacy, valued in the King’s books at £5 16s. 8d., now £108,
has been augmented with £200 benefactions, £800 Queen Anne’s
bounty, and £1300 parliamentary grant. The Rev. George Wood Lloyd,
D.D., patron and incumbent, for whom the Rev. George Lloyd, M.A., officiates.
Keing Henry VIII. granted the site of the priory in 1543 to Henry Criche;
in the year 1556, Sir Christopher Aleyne, Knight, purchased this estate,
with the manor of Church Gresley, of the Seymours. It was afterwards in
the Meynells, of whom it was purchased about the year 1775, by Sir Nigel
Gresley, Bart. A National school for boys and girls was ereceted in 1818,
and enlarged in 1824, at a cost of £300, paid by the late Edward
Smith, Esq., of Burton-upon-Trent. Joseph Leedham left £10, the interest
is applied to the use of the school; about 130 attend. Here are extensive
collieries, which give employment to a large number of persons. The clay
is of excellent quality, and considerable quantities of it are sent to
Sheffield and other places, for making casting pots for founders and steel
refiners. The Primitive Methodists and the Latter-day Saints have chapels
here, the former was erected in 1831, and rebuilt in 1850. The Hall, ¼
mile N.W. now a farm house is subject to a payment to the incumbent of
the church of £5 13s. 4d. The other scattered farms are the Cottage,
½ mile S.E.; Earthcote, 1 mile N.W.; Far Lees, 1½ miles N.W.;
Park Farms, 1 mile S.W.; and Wood Farm, ¾ mile N. Directory
Listing
Extracted from: Directory of Derbyshire, by F. White & Co.,
1857
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Church Gresley, parish, contains
the townships of Church Gresley, Castle Gresley, Donisthorpe with Oakthorpe,
Drakelow, Linton, and Swadlincote, and in 1851 had 3,300 inhabitants.
Church Gresley is a scattered village, and township, on the Leicestershire
border, 5 miles S.E. by S. from Burton-on-Trent, and 5 miles W. by N. from
Ashby-de-la-Zouch. The church, dedicated to St. Mary and St. George, is
an ancient stone edifice, with low tower and three bells. The living is
a perpetual curacy: the Rev. George Wood Lloyd, D.D. patron and incumbent,
for whom the Rev. George Lloyd, M.A., officiates. The Primitive Methodists
and Latter-day Saints have each a chapel; here also is national school
for boys and girls. Here are extensive collieries and considerable potteries,
which gives employment to a large number of persons. Directory
Listing
Extracted from: Harrison, Harrod, and Co.'s Directory and
Gazetteer of Derbyshire, 1860 (on microfiche publ. by the Derbyshire Family
History Society)
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Church Gresley, is a parish and village,
in the union and county court district of Burton-on-Trent, hundred of Repton
and Gresley, archdeaconry of Derby, and rural deanery of Hartshorn. The
parish comprises the townships of Church Gresley, Drakelow, Linton, Swadlincote,
and part of the hamlets of Donisthorpe and Oakthorpe. It is partly bounded
on the north by the Trent, and comprises 4712A. 2R. 13P. the surface soil
being a strong clay, is admirably adapted for the growing of corn. Some
portions are luxuriently embellished with wood and plantations. The sub-stratum
abounding with clay extensive mining operations are carried on in all directions,
and the manufacture of earthen and terra cotta ware is also carried on
here and at Swadlincote. There is a peculiar kind of clay adapted for the
making of fire bricks, brown and sanitary ware. Ironstone adapted for road
making and other purposes is also raised in considerable quantities, also
a kind of silt stone which when pulverised is used in place of sand. The
Church dedicated to S. S. Mary and George, is an ancient building with
low tower and four bells. About a year ago it was thoroughly renovated
and restored at a cost of £1400, to which the countess of London
and Lady Sophia Des Voeux, were the chief contributors. The chancel was
entirely rebuilt, the tower repointed, and the interior fitted with open
seats. The living is a vicarage of the value of £200, with good residence
in the gift and possession of the Rev. Geo. Loyd. There are Primitive Methodist
and Congregational Chapels; also two of the Wesleyan body, supplied from
the Ashby circuit. One of these was built for the accommodation of the
people employed at the Pool works. There is a national school. The place
is lit with gas from the works at Swadlincote. The population in 1871 was
3759.
Ths. Mansfield, sub post master. Letters arrive at 6.30 a.m. and are
dispatched at 6.30 p.m. Money order and Telegraphic office, at Swadlincote
and Woodville, under Burton. Directory
Listing
Extracted from: C.N. Wright's Directory of South Derbyshire, October
1874 (on microfiche publ. by the Derbyshire Family History Society)
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Church Gresley is a parish, township and station
on the Midland railway, in the Southern division of the county, hundred
of Repton and Gresley, Burton-upon-Trent union and county court district,
rural deanery of Hartshorne, archdeaconry of Derby and diocese of Lichfield,
13 miles south from Derby, 6 west from Ashby-de-la-Zouch, 5½ South-east
from Burton-upon-Trent and 128½ from London. The church of St. Mary,
appropriated at an early date to the priory, formed part of the monastic
buildings, the nave being used by the parishioners and the chancel by the
Austin canons as the priory chapel : shortly after 1816 the church was
repaired, the ruins of the priory to the east being swept away, the outer
walls almost rebuilt, and windows and a door of debased character inserted
: the chancel had been destroyed soon after the Dissolution, and there
thus remained of the ancient church nothing but the aisle arcade and the
tower, placed at the east end of the north aisle : in 1839 the site of
the chancel was purchased as an addition to the churchyard, more land south
of the church being given for the same purpose in 1861 : and in both instances,
on excavation, many traces of the priory building were uncovered, and numerous
fragments of Norman, Early English and Decorated work found : the church
was restored in 1872, and a new chancel built on the original site : the
two arches of the aisle arcade, supported by an octagonal pillar, are Decorated
: the present embattled tower is of the fifteenth century, and contains
3 bells, dated 1639 : the church plate dates from 1726 : the oldest monument
now extant, standing at the east end of the north aisle, is that of Sir
Thomas Gresley (1699), with his kneeling effigy, beneath an arch, round
which are the impaled arms of every match of his ancestors : there are
other monuments of later dates to the same name, and one to John Alleyne
(1712). The register of baptisms dates from the year 1568, of marriages
from 1589, and of burials from 1584. The living is a vicarage, yearly value
£200 with residence, in the gift of Simeon’s trustees and held by
the Rev. Henry Theodore Cavell. There are chapels for Primitive Methodists
and Wesleyan Methodists. A school board has been formed, consisting of
13 members. Ther is a cemetery about 5 acres in extent, with a mortuary
chapel. The coal works, potteries, fire brick and ancaustic tile works
of this parish and neighbourhood are of great importance. William de Gresley
founded (1100-35) a small priory of canons regular of the order of St.
Augustine, dedicated to St. Mary and St. George. Sir Robert Gresley bart.
(a minor) is lord of the manor. The principal landowners are the Earl of
Loudon, James Woodward and John Richardson esqrs. The soil varies ; subsoil,
sand and gravel. The chief crops are wheat, barley and turnips. The acreage
is 6,700 ; rateable value, £16,869 ; the population in 1861 was 2,108
in the township, and 4,416 in the parish ; in 1871 the population was 3,297
in the township, and 6,243 in the parish.
POST & MONEY ORDER OFFICE & Savings Bank. - Thomas Mansfield,
receiver. Letters through Burton-upon-Trent, received 6.30 a.m. ; dispatched
6.30 p.m. ; Sunday 11.45 a.m.
Clerk to the Burial Board, A
Shorthouse, Church Gresley
Clerk to the School Board, William Willshee, Ashby-de-la-Zouch
SCHOOLS :-
National, A Knighton, master
Board, for 450 children, Thomas Hanson, master; Mrs. Knighton,
girls' mistress; Miss Ann Fountain, infants' mistress. Directory
Listing
Extracted from: Kelly's Directory of Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire
& Rutland, and Derbyshire, 1881 (on microfiche publ. by the Derbyshire
Family History Society)
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Church Gresley, is a parish, township
and station on the Midland railway, in the Southern division of the county,
hundred of Repton and Gresley, Swadlincote petty sessional division, Burton-upon-Trent
union and county court district, rural deanery of Hartshorne, archdeaconry
of Derby and diocese of Southwell, 13 miles south from Derby, 6 west from
Ashby-de-la-Zouch, 3½ South-east from Burton-upon-Trent and 128½
from London. William de Gresley founded (1100-35) a small priory of canons
regular of the order of St. Augustine, dedicated to St. Mary & St.
George. The church of SS. George and Mary, appropriated at an early date
to the priory, formed part of the monastic buildings, the nave being used
by the parishioners and the chancel by the Austin canons as the priory
chapel : shortly after 1816 the church was repaired, the ruins of the priory
to the east being swept away, the outer walls almost entirely rebuilt,
and windows and a door of debased character inserted : the building is
of stone, and now consists of a chancel, nave, north aisle and western
tower : the chancel had been destroyed soon after the Dissolution, and
there thus remained of the ancient church nothing but the aisle arcade
and the tower, placed at the east end of the north aisle : in 1839 the
site of the chancel was purchased as an addition to the churchyard, more
land south of the church being given for the same purpose in 1861 : and
in both instances, on excavation, many traces of the priory building were
uncovered, and numerous fragments of Norman, Early English and Decorated
work found : the church was restored in 1872, and a new chancel built on
the original site : the two arches of the aisle arcade, supported by an
octagonal pillar, are Decorated : the present embattled tower is of the
fifteenth century, and contains 3 bells, dated 1639 : the church plate
dates from 1726 : the oldest monument now extant is in the north aisle,
and is that of Sir Thomas Gresley (1699), with his kneeling effigy, beneath
an arch, round which are the impaled arms of every marriage of his ancestors
: there are other monuments of later dates to the same name, and one to
John Alleyne (1712) : there are 300 sittings, all free. The register of
baptisms dates from the year 1568, of marriages from 1589, and of burials
from 1584. The living is a vicarage, net yearly value £285, including
34 acres of glebe with residence, in the gift of Simeon’s trustees, and
held since 1885, by the Rev. James Kilbee-Stuart M.A., of Queen’s College,
Cambridge. There are chapels for Primitive Methodists and Wesleyan Methodists.
There is also a cemetery about 5 acres in extent, with a mortuary chapel,
under the control of a burial board of 9 members. The coal works, potteries,
fire brick and encaustic tile works of the parish and neighbourhhood are
of great importance. Sir Robert Gresley, bart. is lord of the manor. The
principal landowners are the Earl of Loudoun and John Richardson esq. The
soil varies : subsoil, sand and gravel. The chief crops are wheat, barley
and turnips. The area of the township is 1, 169 acres, and of the parish
6,700 ; rateable value of the parish, £16,546. In 1881 the population
was 5,422 in the township, and 6,775 in the parish.
POST & MONEY ORDER OFFICE & SAVINGS BANK. - Thomas Mansfield,
receiver. Letters through Burton-upon-Trent, received 7.0 a.m. & 4.20
p.m. : dispatched at 8.20 a.m. & 7.20 p.m. : Sunday 11.45 a.m. Swadlincote
is the nearest telegraph office.
INSURANCE AGENTS
Commercial Union, J. Merriman
Phoenix Fire, W.J.P. Barton, Linton
A school board of 7 members was formed in 1875 : Wm. Willshee, Ashby-de-la-Zouch,
clerk to the board ; Edwin Adams, attendance officer.
SCHOOLS
Board, erected in 1877 for 219 boys, 219 girls, & 275 infants :
average attendance, 194 boys, 144 girls, & 240 infants. Thomas Hanson,
master ; Miss Isabella Lewis, girls’ mistress ; Miss Joanna Hogg, infants’
mistress.
National, mixed, & infants, erected in 1866, and enlarged in 1881,
for 176 mixed, & 176 infants ; average attendance, 175 mixed, &
145 infants ; Albert Knighton, master ; Mrs. Adeline Burton, infants’ mistress.
Directory Listing
Extracted from: Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, 1887 (on microfiche
publ. by the Derbyshire Family History Society)
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Church Gresley, is a parish and township,
with a station 1 mile north-east from the village on the Midland railway,
13 miles south from Derby, 6 west from Ashby-de-la-Zouch, 5½ south-east
from Burton-upon-Trent and 128½ from London, in the Southern division
of the county, hundred of Repton and Gresley, Swadlincote petty sessional
division, Burton-upon-Trent union and county court district, rural deanery
of Repton, archdeaconry of Derby and diocese of Southwell.
The parish forms a ward of the Swadlincote District Urban Council and
is supplied with water from works the property of the Council, the supply
being derived from springs at Blackfordby, Leicestershire. The church of
SS. George and Mary, appropriated at an early date to the priory, formed
part of the monastic buildings, the nave being used by the parishioners
and the chancel by the Austin canons as the priory chapel : shortly after
1816 the church was repaired, the ruins of the priory to the east being
swept away, the outer walls almost entirely rebuilt, and windows and a
door of debased character inserted : the building is of stone, and now
consists of a chancel, nave, north aisle and an embattled western tower
of the 15th Century containing 3 bells, dated 1639 : the chancel had been
destroyed soon after the Dissolution, and in 1839 its site purchased as
an addition to the churchyard, but on the restoration of the church in
1872, a new chancel was built on the original site : of the priory church
only the tower and two Decorated arches of the arcade, supported by an
octagonal pier, now remain : the oldest monument now extant is in the north
aisle, and is that of Sir Thomas Gresley (1699), with his kneeling effigy,
beneath an arch, round which are the impaled arms of every marriage of
his ancestors : there are other monuments of later date to the same name,
and one to John Alleyne (1712) : the church plate dates from 1726 : there
are 300 sittings, all free. In 1861 land was purchased as an addition to
the churchyard, south of the church ; and on this site and on that of the
chancel many traces of the priory buildings were uncovered, and numerous
fragments of Norman, Early English and Decorated work found. The register
of baptisms dates from the year 1568, of marriages from 1589, and of burials
from 1584. The living is a vicarage, average tithe rent-charge £50,
net yearly value £252, including 34 acres of glebe, with residence,
in the gift of Simeon’s trustees, and held since 1892 by the Rev. Frederick
Richard Averill Hoare M.A. of Christ’s College, Cambridge. There are Baptist,
Primitive Methodist and Wesleyan chapels. There is a cemetery about 5 acres
in extent, with a mortuary chapel, under the control of a burial board
of 9 members. The People’s Hall, built in 1859, is used for public meetings
and entertainments, and will seat about 500 persons. A market hall was
erected in 1894, and a market for fruit, vegetables and meat is held on
Saturdays. The coal works, potteries, fire brick and encaustic tile works
of this parish and neighbourhhood are of great importance. Here was a priory
of Austin canons, founded c. 1135-40 by William de Gresley or Fitz-Nigel,
and dedicated to SS. Mary and George ; a portion of the arcade of the aisle
and the tower of the existing church are now the only remains. Lady Gresley
is lady of the manor. The principal landowners are the Earl of Loudoun
and John Richardson esq. The soil varies : subsoil, sand and gravel. The
chief crops are wheat, barley and turnips. The area of the township is
1, 169 acres, and of the parish, 6,700 ; rateable value of the parish,
£20,513 ; in 1891 the population was 6,309 in the township, and 7,653
in the parish.
Parish Clerk, Thomas B. Satchwell, Queen street
Post, M.O. & T.O., S.B., Express Delivery & Annuity & Insurance
Office - Miss Annie Dooley, sub-postmistress. Letters through Burton-upon-Trent
received 5.10 a.m. & 2.50 p.m. ; dispatched at 8.40 & 10.50 a.m.
& 7.40 p.m. ; Sunday 11.45 a.m.
Wall Letter Box, Church street, cleared at 7.33 p.m. ; Sundays at 11.48
a.m.
Wall Letter Box, Hastings road, cleared at 8.50 a.m. & 7.15 p.m.
; Sundays, 11.30 a.m.
SCHOOLS
A School Board of 7 members was formed 21 Dec 1875 : William Willshoe,
Ashby-de-la-Zouch, clerk to the board ; James Smith, attendance officer.
Board, erected in 1877, for 219 boys, 219 girls, and 275 infants ;
average attendance 219 boys, 219 girls, and 275 infants ; Thomas Hanson,
master ; Miss Greenhalgh, girls’ mistress ; Miss Joanna Hogg, infants’
mist
National (mixed and infants), erected in 1866 & enlarged in 1881
& in 1894, for 176 mixed & 176 infants ; average attendance, 166
mixed & 166 infants ; Herbert Parrans, master ; Miss Alice S. Baldwin,
infants’ mistress. Directory
Listing
Extracted from: Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, 1895 (on microfiche
publ. by the Derbyshire Family History Society)
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CHURCH GRESLEY This parish, situated in the south-western corner of the county, bordering on Leicestershire, comprises the townships of Church Gresley, Castle Gresley, Drakelow, and Linton, and formerly included Swadlincote, now a separate parish. It is in the hundred of Repton and Gresley; petty sessional division of Swadlincote; county court district and union of Burton-on-Trent; and deanery of Repton.
The township of Church Gresley contains, according to the ratebooks, 1,226½ acres of land, and is valued for rating purposes at £20,460. The population in 1891 was 6,309, an increase of 887 since 1881. The manorial rights, which are of considerable value, belong to Lord DONINGTON, and the principal landowners are his lordship, John HALL, Esq., C.C. OVERSALL, Robert BEARD, Esq, Lynn, the Executors of James WOODWARD and the Midland Railway Company own the land occupied by 3 miles 18 chains of railway.
Coal is abundant in the township and neighbourhood, and potter's clay is also plentiful. The former is wrought at the Church Gresley Colliery, which has been in operation about 70 years. There are two workable seams, one five feet thick and the other eight. About 250 hands are employed. The clay is of excellent quality, and is largely manufactured into all kinds of sanitary earthenware appliances, domestic utensils, fire bricks, encaustic tiles, &c. These potteries give employment to a large number of the inhabitants, and some of the goods produced are second to none in the market. This is notably the case with several kinds of water-closets and lavatories manufactured by Mr B. ROBINSON, which are deservedly held in high favour by architects and builders.
The village of Church Gresley is situated five miles south by east from Burton-on-Trent, about the same distance west from Ashby-de-la-Zouch, and about half a mile from the railway stations at Castle Gresley and Swadlincote. It is a place of considerable extent, and is rapidly increasing with the increasing prosperity of its local manufactures. For the better management of sanitary affairs, the parish was amalgamated with the Swadlincote Local Board district in 1893, and returns six members to the urban district council, which has taken the place of the old Local Board.
Waterworks to supply Church Gresley, Swadlincote and Ashby Wolds were erected by the Burton-on-Trent Sanitary Authority in 1879, at a cost of £14,000, and a further sum of £5,000 was spent the same year in sewering this village. The Wakes, or village feast, commences on the first Sunday in August, and is continued during the week.
The Church (Saints George and Mary) is an ancient building of stone, in the Gothic style, consisting of chancel, nave, and north aisle, with an embattled tower at the east end. Adjoining it was formerly a Priory of Augustinian Canons, founded by William de GRESLEY, in the early part of the 12th century, and to it was subsequently appropriated this church, and also that of Lullington. Later GRESLEYS gave lands in Heathcote, Church Gresley, Castle Gresley, Swadlincote, and Lullington to the canons, but the Priory was neither large nor wealthy, and is not noticed by DUGDALE in his 'Monasticon'. There is not a complete list of Priors forthcoming, but Mr COX, in his "Churches of Derbyshire", has given the names of several, and much other interesting information concerning the convent. The last Prior was John OKELY, in whose time the monastery was dissolved. The gross yearly revenue was returned at £39 13s. 8d., leaving a clear income, after deductions, of £31 6s. The Prior was allowed a pension of £5 16s. and 8d. The Priory and priory lands were sold by Henry VIII to Henry CRICHE, one of the traffickers in monastic estates, and shortly afterwards they were transferred to Sir Christopher ALLEYNE. The property remained with this family till last century, when it passed to the MEYNELLS, from whom it was purchased by the GRESLEYS of Drakelow, and was sold by the late Sir Roger GRESLEY in 1828.
All the monastic buildings, and also the choir or chancel of the church, which had been used by the canons as the conventual chapel, were pulled down soon after the dissolution of the Priory, but fortunately, the rest of the church, being for the use of the parishioners, could not be included in the sale of the priory lands, and thus escaped demolition. The edifice in its curtailed form was thenceforth used for Divine service. In 1786 its dilapidated condition called for speedy reparation, but the work was done without any regard to architectural harmony. The church was again restored in 1872; at the same time the present chancel was built on the site of the old one, and the nave reseated with open benches. The arcade of the aisle is 14th century work, but the arches are not uniform, the western one being smaller than the other two. The tower, which stands at the east end of the aisle, belongs to the 15th century, and was formerly open to the choir through a lofty arch. There are three bells, two of which bear the date 1639, and the other is probably a little older. The Church Goods Commissioners of Edward VI state in their report that there were four bells, whereof two were claimed by Henry CRICHE, the purchaser of the Priory.
The GRESLEYS were patrons of the Priory, and many members of that family were buried here; but all their pre-Reformation monuments have disappeared, nor does there remain a single inscribed momento to either prior or canon, though doubtless there were once many such within the sacred precincts. During some excavations in 1861, the foundation of a thick wall was discovered near the site of the choir or convent chapel; and close by were found three stone coffins, containing nearly perfect skeletons. The broken lid of one was ornamented with a floriated cross, but there was neither inscription nor heraldic device to show whose remains they were.
The oldest monument now remaining in the church is one to Sir Thomas GRESLEY, of Drakelow, who died June 5th 1699. It bears a life-size figure of the Baronet in alabaster, kneeling beneath an arch, with his left hand placed across his breast and his right hand extended, and around the arch are impaled the arms of all the family alliances, from the time of Nigel, their remote ancestor, downwards. There are also tablets to later members of the family. The ALLEYNES are represented by one monument, bearing the date 1712, and a long genealogical epitaph, now nearly obliterated. Above the pulpit is the funeral brass of the late Rev George Wood LLOYD, DD, who was for the lengthened period of 67 years incumbent of this parish, and died in 1860, at Stapenhill, in this county.
The font is dated 1872, and the organ was added in 1889. The first legible entry in the register is 1584; the baptism register commences in 1674, and that of marriages in 1813.
The living is a Vicarage, net yearly value £254, with residence in the gift of GIMEON's Trustees, and held since 1892 by the Rev F.R. Averill HOARE, MA, Christ Church College, Cambridge, and Merchant Taylors' School, London.
The churchyard was enlarged in 1839, and again in 1861. One of the stone coffins above mentioned is still preserved there. The headstones are all modern and deserve no special reference, excepting one, which bears melancholy evidences of the ravages of Death in one family. It is the memorial of the six children of William and Elizabeth POPE, of Castle Gresley, who died within a fortnight.
The members of the United Methodist Free Church have a place of worship in the village. It is a plain brick building, erected in 1876, at a cost of £600, and will seat 300. The Wesleyan Chapel was built in 1881, and will seat nearly 300. It is a plain building of brick, and cost, including the site, £600. The Primitive Methodists erected their present chapel in 1882. It is built of brick with stone dressings, and is excellently fitted up with galleries, affording a total accommodation for 600 persons. A fine organ, built by TAYLOR, of Leicester, at a cost of £340, was put in in 1892. The People's Hall has been purchased by the same body, and is used as a Sunday School. There are chapels belonging to the same sect in Wilmot Road and Coppice Side. The foundation stone of the Salvation Army Barracks was laid December 1st 1888.
The National School was erected on the present site in 1865, to supersede the old one built in 1818. It contains two departments, mixed and infants, and is endowed with the interest of £20, left by Joseph LEEDHAM. The Board Schools, consisting of three departments, were opened in 1877, and have been enlarged since. There is a total accommodation for 710 children, and there are 845 names on the rolls.
A Burial Board, consisting of nine members, was formed April 23rd 1877; and a cemetery, containing 6½ acres, was laid out at a total cost - including the erection of a Sexton's house and mortuary chapel - of £7,600.
A Floral and Horticultural Society was established in 1890, and so far its yearly exhibitions have been very successful.
A little north of the village is Gresley Old Hall, now let in tenements, but still retaining unmistakable evidences of its former splendour. It is supposed to have been built by Sir Christopher ALLEYNE out of the materials of the old Priory. The panelling in one room remains intact, but now painted over, and in the top rooms are the cock lofts - relics of a sport and an age now past. The Hall is the property of John HALL, Esq, CC, who purchased it from Lord DONINGTON about six years ago.
Merton Villa, the property and residence of Mr Alfred ELEY, was erected in 1874. It is delightfully situated on rising ground, and commands extensive views of the surrounding country. The spires of Lichfield Cathedral can be seen on a fine clear day, and also the smoke issuing from Cannock Colliery chimney, in Staffordshire.
Adjacent to the village is Gresley Common belonging to the freeholders, now about 24 in number. The common rights were granted to the freeholders about 150 years ago by the GRESLEY family, but the minerals were not included in the grant. In late years many encroachments have been made on the common, which has reduced its extent from 80 acres to 70; but efforts are now being put forth to recover the enclosed land, and to obtain the concession of the common for the benefit of all the parishioners. At present it is an unpicturesque waste, full of pits and hollows from which the clay has been taken, but if levelled and suitably laid out it would be an ornament to the village and an attractive recreation ground for the inhabitants.
LOCAL INFORMATION
Swadlincote, Church Gresley, and Newhall United Urban District Council
(Church Gresley Ward) - H.R. MANSFIELD, S.J. PARKHILL, MD, H. ORGILL, Ben
ROBINSON, H.J. STEVENS, Thomas Stanley GREEN.
Urban District Guardians - Stephen ADAMS, Levi MASSEY, and Henry ORGILL.
Church Gresley and District Floral and Horticultural Society (established
1890) - about 340 subscribers; Frederick G. MANSFIELD, Victoria Villa,
Secretary.
Church Gresley Burial Board (formed 1877) - Henry ORGILL, chairman;
William AULT, vice-chairman; Alfred ELEY, Arthur ERRINGTON, Archibald CROSS,
Stephen ADAMS, Levi MASSEY, Samuel Whalley JACKSON, and William LEEDHAM,
sen; Thomas BUCKLEY, clerk to the Board, Gresley Wood House, Swadlincote.
The Burial Board meet once a month at the cemetery.
Church Gresley Cemetery (1880) - The Freehold : Frederick BUBB, sexton
and superintendent.
Church Gresley Liberal Association - A. ERRINGTON, president; H.R.
MANSFIELD, secretary.
Church Gresley School Board - Henry ORGILL, chairman; William AULT,
Samuel H. ROWLEY, Godfrey HARDY, J. KIRK, F. MANSFIELD, and Samuel CROXALL;
William WILLSHEE, Esq, clerk to the Board, Rotherwood Place, Ashby-de-la-Zouch.
Conservative Club (established Oct 1890) - Co-operative Street; H.L.
ENSOR, Esq, president; W.N. CROSS, secretary; James SMITH, caretaker.
Gresley Footpath Association - J.H. STEVENS, secretary.
Poor Rate Collector for Church Gresley and Swadlincote - Edwin Adams,
Church Street.
School Attendance Officer - James SMITH, Co-operative Street.
The South Derbyshire Miners' Association - Registered office, Stanhope
Villas, Swadlincote; William BUCKLEY, secretary and agent.
Swadlincote and District Teachers' Association - T. HANSON, secretary,
Board School, Church Gresley.
Waterworks Engineer and Assistant Highway Surveyor - Jabez HARVEY;
home: Hallfield Cottage.
Post, Money Order and Telegraph Office, and Savings Bank, Common Side,
Church Gresley. Miss A. DOOLEY, postmistress. Letters for Church Gresley,
by Burton-on-Trent, arrive at 5.10 am and 2 pm, and are despatched at 8.40
and 10.55 am, and 7.40 pm. Delivery of letters, &c, begins at 7 am
and 2 pm. Sunday mail, 11.50 am.
Extracted from: History, Topography and Directory of Derbyshire,
by T. Bulmer and Co, 1895, pp.721-9 Transcription by kind courtesy
of Sonia Addis-Smith
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Church Gresley is a parish and township, with
a station 1 mile north-east from the village on the Midland railway, 13
miles south from Derby, 6 west from Ashby-de-la-Zouch, 5½ south-east
from Burton-upon-Trent and 128½ from London, in the Southern division
of the county, hundred of Repton and Gresley, Swadlincote petty sessional
division, Burton-upon-Trent union and county court district, rural deanery
of Repton, archdeaconry of Derby and diocese of Southwell.
The parish forms a ward of the Swadlincote District Urban Council and
is supplied with water from works the property of that Council, the supply
being derived from springs at Blackfordby, Leicestershire. The church of
SS. George and Mary, appropriated at an early date to the priory, formed
part of the monastic buildings, the nave being used by the parishioners
and the chancel by the Austin canons as the priory chapel : shortly after
1816 the church was repaired, the ruins of the priory to the east being
swept away, the outer walls of the church almost entirely rebuilt and windows
and a door of a debased charcter inserted : the building is of stone, and
now consists of a chancel, nave, north aisle and an embattled western tower
of the 15th century containing 3 bells, dated 1639 : the chancel had been
destroyed soon after the Dissolution, and in 1839 its site was purchased
as an addition to the churchyard, but on the restoration of the church,
in 1872, a new chancel was built on the original site ; of the priory church
only the tower and two Decorated arches of the arcade, supported by an
octagonal pier, now remain : the oldest monument now extant is that of
Sir Thomas Gresley (1699), with his kneeling effigy, beneath an arch, round
which are the impaled arms or every marriage of his ancestors : there are
other monuments of later date to the same name and one to John Alleyne
(1712) : the church plate dates from 1726 : there are 300 sittings.
In 1861 land was purchased as an addition to the churchyard, south of the
church ; and on this site and on that of the chancel many traces of the
priory buildings were uncovered and numerous fragments of Norman, Early
English and Decorated Work found. The register of baptisms dates
from the year 1568, of marriages from 1589, and of burials from 1584.
The living is a vicarage, net yearly value £320, including 34 acres
of glebe, with residence, in the gift of Simeon's trustees, and held since
1892 by the Rev. Frederic Richard Averill Hoare M.A. of Christ's College,
Cambridge, and surrogate. Holy Trinity church here was erected in
1903 at a cost of £5,000, on a site given by John Hall esq. of Overseal.
There are Baptist, Primitive Methodist and Wesleyan chapels. The cemetery,
about 5 acres in extent, with a mortuary chapel, is under the control of
a burial board of 9 members. The People's Hall, built in 1859, is
now used as a Sunday School. The coal works, potteries, fire brick
and encaustic tile works of this parish and neighbourhood are of great
importance. Here was a priory of Austin canons, founded c. 1135-40
by William de Gresley or Fitz-Nigel, and dedicated to SS. Mary and George
; a portion of the arcade of the aisle and the tower of the existing church
are now the only remains. Sir Robert Gresley bart. of Drakelowe,
is lord of the manor. The principal landowners are the Earl of Loudoun
and John Hall esq. The soil varies ; subsoil, sand and gravel.
The chief crops are wheat, barley and turnips. The area of the township
is 1,240 acres ; rateable value, £30,824 ; the population in 1891
was 6,309, and in 1901, township, 8,618 ; parish, 10,288.
Parish Clerk, Thomas B. Satchwell, Queen street.
Post, M.O. & T. Office. - Miss Emma Wood, sub-postmistress. Letters
through Burton-upon-Trent received 5.20 & 10.35 a.m. 12 noon &
5.30 p.m. ; dispatched at 9 & 11.10 a.m. & 1.30, 4.45. 7.35 &
9.10 p.m. ; sunday, 6.15 p.m.
Wall Letter Box, Church street, cleared at 12.40, 4 & 7.30 p.m.
; sundays at 6.10 p.m.
Wall Letter Box, Hastings road, cleared at 8.50 a.m. & 1.10, 4.30
& 7.15 p.m. ; sundays, 7.30 a.m.
Public Elementary Schools.
Managed by a committee of 6 members, Alfred H Timms, Market place,
Swadlincote, correspondent to the managers; Raymond Craddock, Church street,
Swadlincote, attendance officer
Church Gresley (mixed & infants), erected in 1866 & enlarged
in 1881 & in 1894, for 190 mixed & 90 infants ; average attendance,
184 mixed & 98 infants ; Herbert Parrans, master ; Miss A. Prothero,
infants' mistress
York road, erected in 1877, for 273 boys, 237 girls & 240 infants
; average attendance, 269 boys, 237 girls & 232 infants ; Ernest Cousens,
master ; Miss Cooper, girls' mistress ; Miss Annie Dixon, infants' mistress
Hastings road (mixed), erected in 1898, for 420 children ; average
attendance 363 ; Thomas Hanson, master
Infants', erected in 1898, for 280 ; average attendance, 231 ; Miss
Mary Boulter, mistress. Directory
Listing
Extracted from: Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, 1912 (on
microfiche publ. by the Derbyshire Family History Society)
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Church Gresley is a parish and township,
with a station 1 mile south-west from the village on the Midland section
of the London, Midland and Scottish railway, 15 miles south from Derby,
6 west from Ashby-de-la-Zouch, 5½ south-east from Burton-upon-Trent
and 128½ from London, in the Southern division of the county, hundred
of Repton and Gresley, petty sessional diivision of Swadlincote, county
court district of Burton-on-Trent, rural deanery of Repton and archdeaconry
and diocese of Derby. The parish forms a ward of the Swadlincote
District Urban Council, and is supplied with water from works the property
of that Council, the supply being derived from springs at Blackfordby,
Leicestershire. There was a priory of Austin canons here, founded
c. 1135-40 by William de Gresley or Fitz-Nigel, and dedicated to SS. Mary
and George ; a portion of the arcade of the aisle and the tower of the
existing church are now the only remains. The church of SS. George
and Mary, appropriated at an early date to the priory, formed part of the
monastic buildings, the nave being used by the parishioners and the chancel
by the Austin canons as the priory chapel : shortly after 1816 the church
was repaired, the ruins of the priory to the east being swept away, the
outer walls of the church almost entirely rebuilt and windows and a door
of a debased charcter inserted : the building is of stone, and now consists
of a chancel, nave, north aisle and an embattled western tower of the 15th
century containing 3 bells, dated 1639 : the chancel had been destroyed
soon after the Dissolution, and in 1839 its site was purchased as an addition
to the churchyard, but on the restoration of the church, in 1872, a new
chancel was built on the original site ; of the priory church only the
tower and two Decorated arches of the arcade, supported by an octagonal
pier, now remain : the oldest monument now extant is that of Sir Thomas
Gresley (1699), with his kneeling effigy, beneath an arch, round which
are the impaled arms or every marriage of his ancestors : there are other
monuments of later date to the same name and one to John Alleyne (1712)
: the church plate dates from 1726 : there are 300 sittings. In 1861
land was purchased as an addition to the churchyard, south of the church
; and on this site and on that of the chancel many traces of the priory
buildings were uncovered and numerous fragments of Norman, Early English
and Decorated Work found. The register of baptisms dates from the
year 1568, of marriages from 1580, and of burials from 1584. The
living is a vicarage, net yearly value £470, with residence, in the
gift of Simeon's Trustees, and held since 1919 by the Rev. Edward Francis
Faulkner Despard B.A. of the Royal University of Ireland, and surrogate.
Holy Trinity church here was erected in 1903 at a cost of £5,000,
on a site given by John Hall esq. J.P. There are Baptist, Primitive
Methodist and Wesleyan Chapels. The cemetery, about 5 acres in extent,
with a mortuary chapel, is under the control of the Swadlincote Urban District
Council. The People's Hall, built in 1859, is now used as a Primitive
Methodist Sunday School. Facing the common is a granite monument,
on which are inscribed the names of the men of this parish who fell in
the Great War, 1914-1918. Part of the common was laid out as a park
and is now known as the Maurice Lea Memorial Park ; over £2,000 was
given for this purpose by H. Lea esq. to perpetuate the memory of his son,
killed in the Great War. The coal works, potteries, fire brick and
encaustic tile works of this parish and neighbourhood are of great importance.
Sir Robert Gresley bart. D.L., J.P. is lord of the manor. The principal
landowners are the trustees of the late Earl of Loudoun, the trustees of
the late Lord Donnington and John Hall esq. J.P. The soil varies
; subsouil, sand and gravel. The area of the township is 1,240 acres
; the population of the township in 1921 was 9,628, and of the ecclesiastical
parish in 1921, 11,985 ; the population of the Urban District ward in 1921
was 9,002.
Post, M.O., T. & T.E.D. Office, Market street. Letters through
Burton-upon-Trent
Conveyance. - Frequent omnibus services to Swadlincote, Burton-upon-Trent
& adjacent places Directory
Listing
Extracted from: Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, 1932 (on
microfiche publ. by the Derbyshire Family History Society)