DESCRIPTION

The tiny village of Thorpe lies 3 miles north of Ashbourne at the entrance to picturesque Dovedale and almost on the slopes of Thorpe Cloud, the well-known grassy hill with its craggy summit. Thorpe Cloud dominates the area, rising almost 1,000 ft. above sea level. The river Dove, which gives its name to the dale through which it flows, forms the border between Derbyshire and Staffordshire.

The narrow village road along which are scattered a few delightful cottages climbs towards the parish church with its squat Norman tower, once a chapelry of Ashbourne. The registers dating from 1538 are deposited at the County Record Office, Matlock. Recorded in the year 1605/6 are details of 29 burials in 3 months indicating that the village was visited by the plague at this time. There is also a memorandum stating that for 12 years (1643-1656) the registers were not kept, although a few names were inserted later. This would be during the time of Oliver Cromwell.

In the churchyard stands a sundial by Whitehurst of Derby, a famous clockmaker who lived from 1713 to 1788. The clock in the church tower is by John Smith & Sons of Derby, successors to the Whitehurst family business.

At the time of the Domesday Survey, Thorpe was in the possession of the Crown. It then passed through the hands of the Wythen, Cockaine, Milward and Adderley families until it was purchased by William Fit[z]herbert of Tissington in the mid 19th century. To the east of the village lies Broadlow Ash, once owned by the Milwards, mentioned in the Domesday Book as a Berewick or hamlet of Ashbourne of which only one farm remains. To the north of Thorpe is Hanson Grange which has passed through the hands of the Paget, Flacket and Boothby families until it became the property of William Gould in the early 19th century and is still owned by members of that family.

LIST of SURNAMES from the Inscriptions

ADAMS	BADNALL	BANKS	BARBER	BARKS
BARNES	BARNETT	BARRATT	BARRETT	BASSETT
BEARDSL(E)Y	BERISFORD	BLACKDEN	BLOUNT	BODEN
BOOTH	BOWLD	BOWLER	BRIDGWATER	BROWN
BURKILL	BUXTON	CHADWICK	DEAN	EDMONDS
EDWARDS	ELLIS	ETCHES	FINNEY	FISHER
FLETCHER	FOSTER	FROGGATT	FURBER	GAINS
GARLICK	GARRATT	GOLDSTRAW	GOULD	GRATION
GREATOREX	GREENSMITH	GRINDEY	GROVES	HALL
HARDING	HARDY	HARRISON	HAYWARD	HEALD
HEYS	HICHMOTT	HIGHAM	HODGKINSON	HOWELL
HUDSON	JAMES	JOHNSON	JORDON	KENT
KEWLEY	KNOWLES	LEES	LUCAS	MADGE
MANSFIELD	MELLOR	MILLER	MILLS	MILLWARD
MINTON	MITCHELL	MOTTRAM	MYNORS	NADIN
NEWCOME	PIDCOCK	POYSER	PRINCE	REDFERN
ROBERTS	ROE	ROWLAND	SARGISSON	SELLERS
SHIPLEY	SKEVINGTON	SMITH	STODDART	STONE
STUBBS	SUMMERS	THORNTON	TOMKINSON	TOMLINSON
TOMSON	TOWNSEND	TWIGGE	WALDRON	WARDLE
WATERFALL	WEBSTER	WESTHORPE	WHEELDON	WHEEN
WHITE	WIGLEY	WILLIAMS	WILLIAMSON	WINDER
WOODROFFE	WRIGHT

Contacting Derbyshire Ancestral Research Group

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