The History of Alderwasley |
ALDERWASLEY, (Allerwaslegh, Alerwash), 2m. E. of Wirksworth, 3m. S. of
Cromford, 6m. N. of Belper, and 14m. N. of Derby, is a scattered village,
township and chapelry, in the parish of Wirksworth, deanery of Ashbourn
and hundred of Appletree, containing 80 houses, 80 families, and 454
inhabitants. Sixty-two families are employed in agriculture, 17 in trade,
and one independent. There is an iron forge, conducted by Messrs. Mold
and Co. and a corn mill. There are 3024 acres of gritstone land in this
township, of various qualities, 700 acres of which is wood land. The
average rental is about 17s. per acre, and the estimated annual value of
the buildings and land amount to £2775. 11s. There are five freeholders
who own about 237 acres, the remainder is the property of Francis Hurt,
esq. The tithes belong to the dean of Lincoln, who has leased them to
G. H. Errington, esq. the latter gentleman re-lets them to Mr. Hurt.
The average poor rates and other parochial expenses for the last nine
years are £239. 19s. 10d. per annum. Mr. Hurt holds a court annually.
The steward of the court is Charles Clarke, esq. of Derby. A decree in
chancery was obtained, 19 Elizabeth, by William Blackwall, of Steeple,
county Derby, gent. John Storer, and Richard Wingfield, of Alderwasley,
copyholders of the manor, for themselves and others, against Edward Lowe,
esq. In consequence of which decree, the lords of this manor are not
entitled to heriots, nor more than one year's improved rent on admittance
of a customary tenant by descent or purchase. There are two Sunday schools;
one is supported by Mrs. Hurt, the other by
Miss Watkinson, of the Forge.
The Wesleyan Methodists have a chapel here. Alderwasley and Ashleyhay form
a joint constablery. From Alport hill and Alport stone, near the village
of Spout, it is said the Wrekin, in Shropshire, may be seen on a clear day.
"Though Alderwasley is parcel of the hundred of Appletree, yet it is within
the parish of Wirksworth, the site of which is in the hundred of Wirksworth.
The name is compounded of Alder (the Alnus or Alder tree) wash (a watering
place) and ley (a pasture). Its situation is in the northern angle of the
hundred. Alderwasley, Milnehay and the whole of Ashleyhay (excepting two
farms in Ashleyhay, the property of P. Gell, esq.) form one manor, and are
bounded by the lordships of Crich and Belper on the east; by the lordships
of Belper and Shottle on the south; by Alton on the west; and by Wigwell
grange and Wirksworth on the north.
"Alderwasley is not mentioned in the Doomsday Book; being probably at the
time when the record was compiled, accounted part of Belper, a dependant
manor of the great fee of Duffield. William de Ferrars, Earl of Ferrars
and Derby, and lord of the manor of Duffield, had a charter of free warren
in his demesne lands here, in the 36th year of king Henry III. The estates
of the family of Ferrars passed to the house of Lancaster under
circumstances which will be fully spoken of in the history of Duffield.
By the extent taken of the lands which were of Edmund, Earl of Lancaster,
the king;s brother, in anno 26 Edward I. it is found that he had in
Alerwash £20. 7s. 6 1/2d. per annum of rents of assize, of free and other
tenants at will and by the custom; and there was also a certain mill of
which the lord received annually 60s.: he had also other revenues, the
description of which is obliterated in the record, worth one year with
another £15.; tallage of his customary tenants to the amount of 60s. per
annum; ancient fines at his two great courts amounting to 10s. per annum;
and pleas and perquisites of courts worth per annum 20s. And the same year
Allerwaslegh, as a member of Duffield, was assigned to Blanche, queen of
Navarre, widow of Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, in dower. The manor continued
parcel of the possessions of the earldom and duchy of Lancaster to the
time of king Henry VIII. who (20th March, anno reg. sui 19) granted it
with all his lands, tenements, rents, reversions and services in Alderwasley
and Ashleyhay, parcel of his duchy of Lancaster, to Anthony Lowe, esq. and
his heirs, to hold by the yearly rent of £26. 10s. and fealty only for all
services. Out of this grant arose a noted cause which was argued in the
court of Wards, Trin. term, 7 Iac. I. and which is reported, by Sir Edward
Coke, under the title of "Anthony Lowe's Case." Anthony Lowe, before the
grant above mentioned, held lands in Alderwasley, of the manor of
Alderwasley, by knights' service, and suit to the court of the manor of
Bewraper (Belper) from three weeks to three weeks, of which manor of
Bewraper the manor of Alderwasley was parcel; and the whole being parcel
of the earldom and duchy of Lancaster, and being, before the manors came
to the crown, held of the king in capite by knights' service. Lowe held
also of the manor of Alderwasley a capital messuage, &c. &c. in soccage,
by fealty and the rent of £3. 11s. And Lowe being so seized, the king, by
his letters patent under the duchy seal, 22 June, 15 Henry VIII. granted
to Anthony Lowe (ancestor of Anthony Lowe the plaintiff) and to his heirs
the said rent, and ratified the estate of the said Anthony in the lands and
tenements before mentioned, to hold to Anthony and his heirs, of the king,
his heirs and successors by fealty for all services. And after this grant,
the king made the grant to Lowe of the manor as is before stated. Upon
which this question was raised, Whether the lands first held by Lowe, of
the manor of Alderwasley by knights' service, were, after the grant of
the manor to Lowe, to be held by him of the king in capite by knights'
service, or by fealty. And it was determined that they should from
thenceforth be held by fealty. This cause was learnedly argued; but as
what was offered upon it would only be attended to by few readers of this
work, and those probably such as are possessed of the reports of the
celebrated lawyer whose authority I have cited, it would be superfluous
to say more upon it here. After this, upon a contest between the king
[Charles I.] and Edward Lowe, esq. (great grandson of the first Anthony)
in the chancery of the duchy of Lancaster, it appearing that there was
a defect in the making of livery and seisin upon the grant of King
Henry VIII. of the manor and lands in Alderwasley and Ashleyhay to
Anthony Lowe, and that the letters patent granting the same were therby
void, the King, after humble supplication, by his letters patent, under
the great seal of England and under the seal of the duchy, dated
14th April, anno regni sui 16 [Charles I.] granted to the before named
Edward, his heirs and assigns the manor of Alderwasley, alias
Allerwasleghe, with court leet, view of frank pledge, assize and assay
of bread, wine and beer, goods and chattels of felons and fugitives,
and other franchises, as amply as they were enjoyed by any Earl of Duke
of Lancaster owning the said manor: to hold of the king in soccage, as
of his manor of Enfield, in Middlesex, by the annual rent of £26. 10s.
From which time the manor hath continued with the grantee and his
descendants, and Francis Hurt, esq. is now the owner thereof.
"But the present lord of the manor has here an estate which has been in
his family from an earlier period that the manor, derived from his
ancestors of the name le Fowne or Fawne, one of whom, William, son of
Ralph le Fowne, about the time of Henry III. was a benefactor to the
canons of Darley.
"Edmund, Earl of Lancaster, on the 2nd of December, 13 Edward I. granted
to William, son of William Fawne [William le Fowne] and his heirs, a
parcel of land in Alderwasley, where the earl's chamber used to be; and
a parcel of land lying between Lowdebrooke and Millbrooke; to hold by the
yearly rent of 12d. and charged with the duty of sustaining the pales
between Lowdbrooke and Millbrooke by the view of the earl's foresters.
The earl's chamber it is probable was a seat used by the lords of Duffield,
when they took the diversion of hunting in this part of the forest of
Duffield frith; and I should presume it stood on the site of the present
manor-house. This grant is said to comprise (inter alia) what is now
called the Shyning Cliff park, which, in 2 Henry V. the homagers of the
manor presented to be held by John Fawne as a frank tenant. And in
7 Henry V. John Fawne enfeoffed Ralph, son of Peter de la Pole, in the
Shining Cliff, who granted it to John Sacheverell, esq. for life, with
remainder to Thomas Fawne, son of John, and his heirs. The male line of
the family of Fawne continued here till the reign of Edward IV. and then
terminated with the death of Thomas Fawne, who was in some way employed
in the service of Henry Stafford, the great Duke of Buckingham. Joan,
his daughter and heiress, was designed, in 29 Henry VI. to have been
married to Thomas Handford, son of William Handford, of Chorley, in
Cheshire, esq. In prospect of which marriage, Henry Lord Grey and other
feoffees then granted to Thomas Handford and Joan Fawne all the lands of
John Fawne, her grandfather, in Alderwasley and Ashleyhay, in Derbyshire:
Alcester and Ordesley, in Warwickshire, and elsewhere in those counties:
to hold to them and the heirs of their bodies, with remainder to Thomas
Fawne, her father, and his heirs. But this marriage did not take effect
[Handford dying] for on the 20th of November, 11 Edward IV. she 'in pura
virginitate sua et plena ætate existens viz vigenti et trium annorum,'
grants to William Sacheverell and Richard Cadman and their heirs the
same estates, and these feoffees, on the 24th of the same month,
granted them to Thomas Lowe, and the before mentioned Joan, in settlement.
"On the 20th of November, in the sixth year of Henry VIII. the king
granted to Thomas Lowe, whom he styles his servant, license to impark
and impale Shining Cliff, and to make a free warren thereof,
notwithstanding its being within the metres of the forest of Duffield
frith. Anthony Lowe, the third son and heir of Thomas and Joan, was a
servant of King Henry VII. He was also standard-bearer and a gentleman
of the bed chamber to King Henry VIII. who, 22nd of June, anno
15 Henry VIII. appointed him an hereditary forester of Duffield frith;
and in consequence of his having received a wound in his head in the
loyal service, the king indulged him with the privilege of being covered
in his presence. [16th August, 23 Henry VIII. Joan Lowe, then a widow,
in consideration of a certain sum of money, conveys to her son, Anthony,
and his heirs, all the lands in Alderwasley that were her father's.] He
was continued in the service of King Edward VI. and Queen Mary, and died
in December, 1555. Bridget, his wife, was daughter of Sir John Fogge,
comptroller of the household, and privy counsellor to Henry VII. and was
herself maid of honour to queen Catherine. [Easter term, 1 Elizabeth,
Edward Lowe, esq. levies a fine of 27 messuages, 3 water-mills, 300 acres
of land, 300 acres of pasture, 300 acres of meadow, 1000 acres of wood,
and 400 acres of furze and heath, in Alderwasleigh, Ashleyheigh and
Wirksworth.] Anthony Lowe, their grandson, died the 23rd of June, 42
Elizabeth, seized of the manor of Alderwasley, and of 27 messuages,
5 cottages, 2 water-mills, 300 acres of land, 300 acres of pasture,
300 acres of meadow, 1000 acres of wood, and 400 acres of furze and heath,
in Alderwasley, leaving Edward Lowe, esq. his son and heir eight years
of age. This Edward, in the troubles between Charles I. and his parliament,
was a supporter of the royal cause, and raised a troup of horse for the
king, in which all his sons served; and the eldest of them [Anthony]
having command of it, lost his life in the service, at Gainsborough, on
the 30th of July, 1643, with Charles Cavendish (the Duke of Newcastle's
lieut-general of the horse) and was buried with him at Bolsover. We are
not to be surprised that the part taken by this family brought upon it the
displeasure of the parliament party; and the latter being generally
successful in Derbyshire, almost from the commencement of the troubles,
made the Lowes feel the weight of its resentment.
"Mr. Lowe was soon driven to seek relief from the king, whose cause he had
endeavoured to assist; and he petitioned his majesty to punish his enemies
by a sequestration of their estates and lands: a request which those who
are acquainted with the history of the times, need not be informed was
fruitless. Though, had it been in the power of the king to punish the
injuries complained of, there is little reason to doubt of his inclination.
Edward Lowe, of Alderwasley, esq. and his sons, John and Arthur, after
these troubles, compounded with the parliament for their estates by the
payment of £221.
"John Lowe, esq. grandson of Edward, was sheriff of Derbyshire in 1679, and
died without issue. Elizabeth, his sister and heir, carried this manor and
the other estates of the family in marriage to Nicholas Hurt, of Chasterne,
in Staffordshire, esq. whose son, Charles Hurt, esq. was sheriff of
Derbyshire in 1714, as was Nicholas Hurt, esq. son of Charles, in 1756;
Francis Hurt, esq. (son of Francis) (and nephew of the last Nicholas) in
1778, whilst his father was living; which Francis, the son, was (February
1797) owner of this a manor, and of a considerable estate, viz. 3149 acres
therin, partly derived from his ancestors, the Fawnes and Lowes, and partly
from the purchase of his father and others of his family from Nathaniel
Lord Scarsdale, and others at different periods. But that which was sold
by Lord Scarsdale [A.D. 1776] had before belonged to the family of Lowe,
and was given to a younger son as his portion.
"Alderswasley, Milnehay, and Ashleyhay contain together nearly 4400 acres
of land, in which, on the east side of the manor, adjoining the river
Derwent, is an extensive wood, called Shining Cliff, producing very
valuable oak timber. This wood has nearly a similar situation to that at
Richmond, in Surrey, formerly called West Sheene, which perhaps may explain
the origin of the name; Sheene, signifying, glittering or showy, which well
agrees with the briliant picture formed by these woods on the bosom of the
river. In the division of the remainder of the manor into arable, meadow
and pasture, the greatest proportion of arable is on the western part in
Ashleyhay, where the soil is a stiff cold clay. The richest part of the
meadow is towards the east, near the river Derwent; but the quantity of
meadow is small compared with the extent of the lordship. The pasture land
is for the most part light and sandy, and is in an elevated and bleak
situation; and though the whole of the pasture is enclosed, there is much
of it yet remains uncultivated"*
The Hall is a handsome and substantial built stone mansion, situate on
rising ground on the west bank of the river Derwent, surrounded by hanging
woods that crown the neighbouring hills. A deer park and rich lawn,
adorned with venerable oaks, spread before the mansion and affords many
beautiful landscapes. The gardens are well stored with excellent vineries,
pineries, &c. The timber on this estate is considered equal to any in the
kingdom; and trees of great magnitude have been felled. For many years
past Mr. Hurt has regularly cut down timber producing
upwards of £2000.
per annum.
The chapel is situate near the hall, and was built in the reign of
Henry VIII. by the contribution of Thomas Lowe, esq. and other principal
inhabitants. It is not subject to ecclesiastical jurisdiction, and has no
parochial duties performed in it, nor any endowment. The Rev. Emanuel
Halton is the present incumbent.
Over the door of the chapel, in a recess, is the following shield of arms
in alabaster:
Quarterly, 1 and 4, LOWE, Gules, a Wolf passant, Argent. 2 FAWNE, Argent,
a Bugle, Sable, between three crescents of the last, charged with a
besant.
CREST. A Wolf's head, erased.
* Blore's published Sheet of Alderwasley, 1797.
|
----