WHAT's it all ABOUT?
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This website is my attempt to produce a
"One-Place-Study" for Wirksworth Parish,
and is aimed at a wide audience of Genealogists,
especially those living far from the Derbyshire Record Office.
It contains ALL surnames.
The aim is to help those with ancestors from
this Derbyshire Parish to build a Family tree.
It is mainly a very long list of names, places and dates covering
three hundred years of parish history.
Some local description, photos and statistics are added for interest.
The data is densely hyperlinked, thoroughly indexed, regularly updated and
corrected and can be confirmed at the County Record Office or Local Study
Libraries.
The website data is backed by and originates from the author's many large
private databases, which enable fast and complex searches to be carried out.
I have tried to make the information thorough, well organized, easy to
understand and use, comprehensive, interesting and without unhelpful clutter.
The website is necessarily a living creature, growing and maturing with time.
Many people
have helped add to this site with their time and skill.
I hope this will continue into the future.
Nothing will delight me more if this website encourages other enthusiasts
to build their own
"One-Place-Study"
for their favourite town or parish, recreating a
virtual community from the past.
 on 
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What's a One-Place-Study?
An OPS is an intense and very detailed study of a comparatively small area,
for example a parish or a town or even just a village.
All surnames are studied, and as many original vital records and history
listed as possible.
Unlike a book, a website OPS can be continuously expanded and edited,
and related data connected by hyperlinks.
See the list of other One-Place-Studies.
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Why Wirksworth?
My mother's family lived over 9 generations here, before leaving in 1840.
After tracing her ancestors, I got hooked on the people and history
of Wirksworth, now thousands of families feel like my own.
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Where's Wirksworth?
Before 1847 Wirksworth was a large parish in
central Derbyshire, England, containing
Wirksworth town and the hamlets of
Middleton, Cromford, Alderwasley, Ashleyhay, Idridghay, Hopton, Biggin,
Callow, Ible, Griffe Grange and Ivonbrook Grange.
Population was 5,000 in 1700 and the about area 30 square miles.
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What's the "Wirksworth Area"?
The term describes the area of my research after 1847.
See a Map of the Wirksworth Area.
It covers an area centred on Wirksworth and the following places:
Alderwasley, Ashlehay, Biggin, Bonsall, Brassington,
Callow, Carsington, Cromford, Griffe Grange, Hopton, Hulland Ward,
Ible, Idridghay, Ireton Wood, Ironbrook, Kirk Ireton, Matlock,
Middleton, Shottle, and Tansley
The population was 16,000 in 1851, and the area 40 square miles,
covering about
1/30 the area of Derbyshire.
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What's in the Database?
To study the ordinary people of Wirksworth Parish 1600-1900, I've built
large computer databases of Baptisms, Marriages, Burials, Pedigrees, Witnesses,
Tradesmen, Accounts, Census, Wills, Taxes, Inscriptions and Places.
The central indexes are the complete Parish Registers 1608-1899
and the complete Census 1841-1901.
There are a total of 70 indexes covering the Wirksworth Area.
Additions are made regularly, see What's new
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You are invited to browse this Wirksworth website to look for your ancestors
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Deciphered, transcribed, compiled, indexed, formatted, hyperlinked, encoded,
and copyright © 2003, John Palmer, All Rights Reserved.
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