Great Longstone
Encyclopedia
Great Longstone with Little Longstone is one of two villages in the local government district
of Derbyshire Dales
in Derbyshire
, England
.
as belonging to Henry de Ferrers
and being worth thirty shilling
s; this is considered to be Great Longstone.
The church of St Giles, in Great Longstone, dates from the thirteenth century. A medieval cross
lies in the churchyard, and the head of a cross is built into the wall of the vestry
.
The manor house, Longstone Hall, has its origins in the following century, but was rebuilt in the mid 18th. That century was one of prosperity, with lead-mining and shoemaking. There are two public house
s in the main village: The Crispin Inn, named after St Crispin
, the patron saint of shoemakers, and The White Lion.
The manors of Great and Little Longstone passed through many hands over the years. Walter Blount, Lord Mountjoy, was Lord of the Manor
on his death in 1474, when the lordship passed to Robert Shakerley and his wife Margaret, daughter and heiress of Roger Levett
. The two families' coats of arms
adorn the church of St Giles. In subsequent years, Shakerley descendants sold the manor to the Countess of Shrewsbury
.
A market cross
lies on the village green
.
Little Longstone is further west, with a manor house from the seventeenth century and still has its village stocks
.
To the north is Longstone Edge
, a limestone ridge some 1,300 feet in height, on an upfolding of the Derbyshire limestone known as the Longstone Anticline
. It has been, and is, intensively quarried for galena
, fluorspar
, barytes and, more controversially, limestone
. Since Longstone Edge is a noted beauty spot and is within the Peak District
National Park there is strong local pressure for quarrying to stop altogether. Some of the quarrying is strictly controlled by the Peak District National Park Authority, which has been conducting a lengthy legal battle to try to stop other quarries which are operating outside the authority's guidelines.
Further north is the White Cliff, where the exposed limestone contains fossilised coral
s.
There was a railway station, built by the Midland Railway
in 1863, when it extended the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway
towards Buxton
. Originally known as "Longstone", in 1913 it was renamed "Great Longstone for Ashford" (Ashford in the Water). It closed in 1962, but the building, designed to match the nearby Thornbridge Hall
, survives as a domestic residence, and the trackbed through the station is part of the 8.5 mile Monsal Trail
, a walk and cycleway.
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
of Derbyshire Dales
Derbyshire Dales
Derbyshire Dales is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. Much of the district is situated in the Peak District, although most of its population lies along the River Derwent....
in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
History
A place called Longsdune was mentioned in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as belonging to Henry de Ferrers
Henry de Ferrers
Henry de Ferrers was a Norman soldier from a noble family who took part in the conquest of England and is believed to have fought at the Battle of Hastings of 1066 and, in consequence, was rewarded with much land in the subdued nation.His elder brother William fell in the battle. William and Henri...
and being worth thirty shilling
Shilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
s; this is considered to be Great Longstone.
The church of St Giles, in Great Longstone, dates from the thirteenth century. A medieval cross
Cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run obliquely, the design is technically termed a saltire, although the arms of a saltire need not meet...
lies in the churchyard, and the head of a cross is built into the wall of the vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
.
The manor house, Longstone Hall, has its origins in the following century, but was rebuilt in the mid 18th. That century was one of prosperity, with lead-mining and shoemaking. There are two public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s in the main village: The Crispin Inn, named after St Crispin
Crispin
Saints Crispin and Crispinian are the French Christian patron saints of cobblers, tanners, and leather workers. Born to a noble Roman family in the 3rd century AD, Saints Crispin and Crispinian, twin brothers, fled persecution for their faith, ending up in Soissons, where they preached Christianity...
, the patron saint of shoemakers, and The White Lion.
The manors of Great and Little Longstone passed through many hands over the years. Walter Blount, Lord Mountjoy, was Lord of the Manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
on his death in 1474, when the lordship passed to Robert Shakerley and his wife Margaret, daughter and heiress of Roger Levett
Levett
Levett is an Anglo-Norman territorial surname deriving from the village of Livet-en-Ouche, now Jonquerets-de-Livet, in Eure, Normandy. Ancestors of the earliest Levett family in England, the de Livets were lords of the village of Livet, and undertenants of the de Ferrers, among the most powerful of...
. The two families' coats of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
adorn the church of St Giles. In subsequent years, Shakerley descendants sold the manor to the Countess of Shrewsbury
Countess of Shrewsbury
Countess of Shrewsbury may refer to:*Bess of Hardwick *Mary Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury *Anna Maria Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury...
.
A market cross
Market cross
A market cross is a structure used to mark a market square in market towns, originally from the distinctive tradition in Early Medieval Insular art of free-standing stone standing or high crosses, often elaborately carved, which goes back to the 7th century. Market crosses can be found in most...
lies on the village green
Village green
A village green is a common open area which is a part of a settlement. Traditionally, such an area was often common grass land at the centre of a small agricultural settlement, used for grazing and sometimes for community events...
.
Little Longstone is further west, with a manor house from the seventeenth century and still has its village stocks
Stocks
Stocks are devices used in the medieval and colonial American times as a form of physical punishment involving public humiliation. The stocks partially immobilized its victims and they were often exposed in a public place such as the site of a market to the scorn of those who passed by...
.
To the north is Longstone Edge
Longstone Edge
Longstone Edge is a limestone ridge in the Peak District National Park, in Derbyshire, England.Longstone Edge is situated to immediately to the north of the village of Great Longstone, which is in turn about 3km north of the town of Bakewell. It runs from east to west for about 6km, from the...
, a limestone ridge some 1,300 feet in height, on an upfolding of the Derbyshire limestone known as the Longstone Anticline
Anticline
In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is convex up and has its oldest beds at its core. The term is not to be confused with antiform, which is a purely descriptive term for any fold that is convex up. Therefore if age relationships In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is...
. It has been, and is, intensively quarried for galena
Galena
Galena is the natural mineral form of lead sulfide. It is the most important lead ore mineral.Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It crystallizes in the cubic crystal system often showing octahedral forms...
, fluorspar
Fluorite
Fluorite is a halide mineral composed of calcium fluoride, CaF2. It is an isometric mineral with a cubic habit, though octahedral and more complex isometric forms are not uncommon...
, barytes and, more controversially, limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
. Since Longstone Edge is a noted beauty spot and is within the Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
National Park there is strong local pressure for quarrying to stop altogether. Some of the quarrying is strictly controlled by the Peak District National Park Authority, which has been conducting a lengthy legal battle to try to stop other quarries which are operating outside the authority's guidelines.
Further north is the White Cliff, where the exposed limestone contains fossilised coral
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
s.
There was a railway station, built by the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
in 1863, when it extended the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway
Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway
The Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway ran from a junction with the Midland Railway at Ambergate to Rowsley north of Matlock and thence to Buxton....
towards Buxton
Buxton railway station
Buxton railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Buxton in Derbyshire. It is managed and served by Northern Rail. The station is 25¾ miles south east of Manchester Piccadilly and is the terminus of the Buxton Line.-History:...
. Originally known as "Longstone", in 1913 it was renamed "Great Longstone for Ashford" (Ashford in the Water). It closed in 1962, but the building, designed to match the nearby Thornbridge Hall
Thornbridge Hall
Thornbridge Hall is a large English country house situated near the village Great Longstone in the local government district of Derbyshire Dales in Derbyshire. It is a grade 2 listed building.-History:...
, survives as a domestic residence, and the trackbed through the station is part of the 8.5 mile Monsal Trail
Monsal Trail
The Monsal Trail is a cycle, horse riding and walking trail in the Derbyshire Peak District.-Route description:It follows a section of the former Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway, built by the Midland Railway in 1863 to link Manchester with London...
, a walk and cycleway.