DESCRIPTION

Peak Forest is situated about 5 miles north-east of Buxton and 4 miles from Chapel-en-le-Frith. It is easy to picture the small village of Peak Forest nestling amidst trees, but this is not so. The Royal Forest of the Peak from which the village takes its name, was founded in Norman times as a hunting ground for visiting royalty. Eventually, a 'park' was established and a house built for a ranger. Meetings of the Forest Court were held at the house which still survives and is now Chamber Farm. It is around the house that the village grew.

Lead mining, limestone quarrying and farming gave employment to the villagers. Some limestone quarrying still survives and farming remains the main occupation. However, the village is becoming a dormitory for workers from Buxton, Manchester and Sheffield and the busy A623 disturbes the peace.

The first church, dedicated to King Charles, King and Martyr was built in 1657 on land which remained part of the Royal forest. This meant that it was without any Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and became a Peculiar where couples who were not residents in the parish could marry without Banns being read. A separate register was kept for such marriages but was closed in 1804.

The present church was built between 1872 and 1876 by the 7th Duke of Devonshire. The registers of Baptisms and Marriages from 1698 and Burials from 1678 have been deposited at the County Record Office, Matlock and can be viewed on film. DARG has a copy of a transcript of the Marriages 1722-1815.

LIST of SURNAMES from the Inscriptions

ASHMORE	ASHTON	AUSTIN	BADDELY	BAGNALL
BAGSHAW	BALL	BARDSLEY	BARNSLEY	BATEMAN
BECKWITH	BEESLEY	BELL	BENNETT	BENTLEY
BEVERLEY	BLOER	BOWDON	BOWER	BRADBURY
BRADLEY	BRAMWELL	BRIANT	BRIDBURY	BRITNER
BRITTAIN	BROOMHEAD	BROUGH	BROUGHTON	CARR
CARRINGTON	CARTLEDGE	CASSON	CAVENDISH	CHAPMAN
CHATTERTON	CHINN	CL-FIELD	CLA(Y)T0N	CLAYE
CODDINGTON	COLLINS	CRITCHLOW	CROSS	CROSSLAND
DAKIN	DAVENPORT	DAWSON	DEVONSHIRE	DOCKERY
DODDS	DRABBLE	DUNCALF	EARLAM	EGERTON
ELEY	ELLIOT(T)	FIELD	FIRKINS	FLETCHER
FOX	FRITH	FURNISS	GALLAGHER	GARLICK
GISBORNE	GLOVER	GODDARD	GOODWIN	GREAVES
GREEN	GREGORY	HADFIELD	HALL	HALLAM
HALLARD	HAMBLETON	HANDLEY	HARTLE	HAWLEY
HEATHCOTE	HEGINBOTTOM	HIGGINBOTTOM	HILL	HOLGATE
HOLLAND	HORNBY	HOTCHKISS	HOW(E)	HOYLE
HUCKLE	HULME	JACKSON	JARVIS	JOHNSON
JOULE	JOWLE	KEELING	KEETON	KELSEY
KNELLER	LINTOTT	LOMAS	LONGDON(EN)	LOVET
LUMSDEN	MARCHINGTON	MARSHALL	MASON	MELLOR
MIDDLETON	MITCHELL	MOORCROFT	MORRISON	MORTEN
MYCOCK	NADEN(IN)	NAREJHO	NAYLOR	NEAVES
NEEDHAM	NORMAN	OAKES	OGLE	OLDFIELD
OUSEY	OWEN	PARKER	PEARSON	PICRUM
PINDER	POTT(S)	PROUDLOVE	PURSEGLOVE	READ
RILEY	RIPPON	ROBINSON	ROGERS	ROGERSON
ROOBOTHAM	ROSE	ROTHWELL	ROWBOTHAM	SETTLE
SHENTON	SHIPLEY	SHIRT	SHREWSBURY	SIDEBOTTOM
SIMMONDS?	SIMPSON?	SMITH	SPENCER	STEPHENS
STORER	TAYLOR	THOMPSON	THORNHILL	TRICKER
TURNER	VERNON	WAGSTAFF	WAINWRIGHT	WALKER
WARD	WARHURST	WARREN	WATERHOUSE	WATTS
WAYNWRIGHT	WEBSREL	WHITE	WILD	WILLIAMS
WILLSHAW	WILLSON?	WINTERBOTHAM	WINTERBOTTOM	WOOD
WORTHY	WRIGHT	WYNNE	YATES	YOUNG

STONE MASONS

ALFRED HILL, TIDESWELL	ASH E.
RENNIX B., BUXTON	BRIGHT JOHN
BRIGHTMORE & SONS	MOUNSEY C. & SON, BAKEWELL
MOUNSEY C. MEMORIALS, STATION YARD, BAKEWELL	COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVES COMMISSION
HILL E., TIDESWELL	HUNSTONE BROS., TIDESWELL
BURGESS J., NEW MILLS	HILL JAMES S., TIDESWELL
BRIGHTMORE JESSE & SONS	RENNIX M.B., BUXTON
PERCIVAL R.W., HEATH ST. BUXTON	HULME T., BUXTON
SHIMWELL W., YOULGRAVE	WALKER A., TIDESWELL

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.