DESCRIPTION

In April we moved our Library into Birchwood Methodist Church from the United Reformed Church at Alfreton which had been closed and sold. The impressive Birchwood Methodist Church was built by John Smedley of Matlock and opened in 1853. It was lent to the Limited Wesleyan Methodist Free Church of Birchwood for 21 years. On 11th September 1874, after the death of John Smedley, the Church Members purchased the building for £800 from his widow.

A schoolroom was provided within the building and was open to all children of the village for a small fee. In 1910 the present schoolroom was built which was also used as a day school in wartime and during the strikes of the 1920's it was used as a centre for feeding children.

The graveyard attached to the Church has been extended, using land purchased in 1925 from James Oakes.

Our Library opens every Wednesday from 10.00a.m. until 1.30p.m. Visitors are warmly welcomed and will be able to browse through our ever-growing collection of transcriptions and other material. The number of people attending our Wednesday meetings has exceeded our expectations and we are very grateful to those who come along each week to help with indexing and filing.

Those people who have not yet visited us will be very welcome to come along and see what we hold on our Library shelves and to do any research. A map showing how to find us is given on the back page of this Newsletter.

LIST of SURNAMES from the Inscriptions

ADKINS	AMOS	ANSLOW	ANTHONY	ARMSTRONG
ATHERSYCH	ATTER	BAILEY	BALDWIN	BALL
BALLEN	BANKS	BARLOW	BARNETT	BETTSON
BEXTON	BILSON	BIRD	BISHOP	BLATHERWICK
BONSALL	BOWER	BOWMAR	BOWN	BRADFORD
BRADSHAW	BRAMLEY	BRAMWELL	BRENTNALL	BROCKLEHURST
BROMLEY	BROUGH	BROWN	BULLOCK	BURDETT
BURGESS	BURGIN	BURNALL/ELL	BURNHAM	BURT
BUSH	CARRIER	CARTLIDGE	CASTLE	CLARKE/E
COCKAYNE	COLLEDGE	COLLIER	COOK	COOPER
COTTON	COUPE	COXHEAD	CRESSWELL	CUMMINGS
DARRINGTON	DEAN	DOOLEY	DOUGLAS	DOWN(E)S
DURHAM	EALES	EATON	ELLIS	EVERLEY
FANTOM	FARNELL	FAZEY	FELL	FITCHETT
FLETCHER	FLINT	FLINTOFF	FOGERTY	FOULKES
FOWLER	FOX	FREARSON	FROGG	FROGGATT/ETT
FROST	FRYER	GADSBY	GASCOYNE	GENT
GIBSON	GILES	GODBER	GOODMAN	GOODWIN
GRANEY	GREATOREX	GREEN	GRUNDY	HALE
HALL	HALLSWORTH	HARD	HARDWICK	HARDY
HARRIS	HARTWELL	HARWOOD	HAWKINS	HAYES
HEMSLEY	HERBERT	HERROD	HICKINBOTHAM	HICKS
HICKTON	HILL	HINKS	HODSON	HOLLIDAY
HOLLINGWORTH	HOLMES	HOOLEY	HORTON	HOWARTH
HOWITT	HUCKERBY	HUDSON	HUMBERSTONE	HUNT
HURSTHOUSE	INGAMELLS	JACKSON	JAMES	JARRETT
JEPSON	JOHNSON	KEETLEY	KING	KITTS
KNOWLES	LADYMAN	LANE	LANGTON	LATHAM
LAW	LEAKE	LEESON	LIMB	LINEKER
LITCHFIELD	LITTLEWOOD	LLOYD	LOWE	LYCITT
MARRIOTT	MASON	MASSEY	MILES	MILLS
MOAKES	MORLEY	MORRIS	MORTON	MOSS
MYCROFT	McDONALD	NAYLOR	NICHOLLS	NOBLE
NORRIS	OCKLEY	OLNEY	OSBISTON	OSBORN/E
PARKER	PARKIN	PARNHAM	PARR	PATRICK
PEACH	PEGG	PICKBOURNE	PLATTS	POTTER
POXON	PRESSLAND	PRIDMORE	PRYOR	RADAGE
RADFORD	RAMPLING	RAYNOR	REEK	RHODES
RICHARDS	RICHARDSON	RILEY	ROBERTS	ROBINSON
ROGERS	ROSSINGTON	ROUND	ROWE	ROYCE
RYDER	SANDHAM	SANSAM/OM	SCARBROUGH	SCOTT
SEAR	SEVERN	SHARPE	SHAW	SHEPHERD
SHOOTER	SIMPSON	SLACK	SMITH	SMITHARD
SPENCER	SPERING	STEELE	STEEPLES	STEVENSON
STOKES	STONE	STOPPARD	STORER	TATAM
TAYLOR	TEBBUTT	THOMPSON	THORPE	TILLOTSON
TOMLINSON	TOWERS	TOWNDROW	TOWNSEND	TRUMAN
TURNER	TURTON	TWIGG	VARDY	WADE
WAGSTAFF/E	WAIN	WALKER	WALL	WALTERS
WARD	WARDLE	WARNE	WARRINER	WATERFALL
WATKINSON	WATTS	WEIGHTMAN	WELLS	WESTON
WHARTON	WHATTON	WHILDE	WHITE	WILBRAHAM
WILKINSON	WILLEY	WILLGOOSE	WILLIAMS	WILLIS
WILLMOTT	WILSON	WINSOME	WISEMAN	WOOD
WOODLAND	WOODLEY	WRAY	WRIGHT	WYNN

Contacting Derbyshire Ancestral Research Group

• DARG's records are not for sale, nor available on computer, but we are very happy to answer enquiries by post. No charges are levied, but donations are always welcome, either from fellow enthusiasts, or from those who benefit from our services.

• We can supply full details of specific memorial inscriptions in churchyards and cemeteries or from parish registers, etc. by post, provided they are accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Overseas enquirers please note that foreign stamps cannot be used as return postage, therefore please include a donation (in sterling) to cover - at least - the cost of return postage.

• We do not have an email address. All communications MUST be by post or by telephone; however as indicated above, we cannot answer queries by post without the cost of return postage. A list of current UK postal charges is available on the Royal Mail website.
  • For postal enquiries please write to Winifred Waterall, 86 High Street, Loscoe, Heanor, Derbyshire DE75 7LF, UK. We are unable to accept foreign cheques, so all donations must be in sterling. Please make cheques payable to "Derbyshire Ancestral Research Group" ("DARG" alone in not acceptable at our Bank) - thank you.

  • For telephone enquiries on Library holdings please call Margaret Brooksbank, telephone 01773 604916.

• Note: our offer of searches is restricted to our own transcripts and other material in our own Library (as listed on these pages). It does NOT extend to collections elsewhere.