Longnor, Staffordshire
Encyclopedia
Longnor is a village
in the Staffordshire
Peak District
, England
. The settlement dates from early times, the first recorded Church building being in the Middle Ages. The village was named Longenalre in the Domesday Book. Located on a major crossroads, Longnor was a significant market town in the 18th century. It lies on the north bank of the River Manifold
, on a limestone ridge between the Manifold and the River Dove
.
to Buxton, about 6 miles (10 km) south of Buxton. It is at a cross roads with routes to Leek
and Macclesfield
to the west, and Bakewell
to the east.
West of Longnor is the Staffordshire Moorlands
, with a summit at Axe Edge Moor
towards the north, and Morridge further south. North and east of Longnor is the White Peak
section of the Peak District
, with the Dove flowing in a steep-sided limestone valley of which the famous Dovedale
is only a small part.
Longnor village looks towards the Manifold
, but lies on the southern slope of a limestone ridge between the two rivers.
Longnor is one of 13 parish
es in the Deanery of Alstonefield
, Lichfield
Diocese
.
of 1086 as Longenalre. It is distinguished from the other modern Longnor
near Shrewsbury
which is in the Domesday Book as Lege. According to local legend the village was burned during the reign of William II
as a punishment for the poaching of deer from the forests around Leek
.
The first written record cites the founding of St Bartholomew's Church in 1223 on the site of the present 18th century parish church, and over the next two centuries there were around 20 homes in the village.
The 1787 Cary
map of Staffordshire shows the village on a major crossroads. Cary wrote the name LONGNOR rather than Longnor, a style shared only with Leek and Cheadle in Staffordshire north of Stafford and The Potteries. This implies that Longnor was then a market town of some significance.
once preached at Longnor while passing through on a journey from Sheffield
, Methodist Preachers had established a Methodist Society
before this in 1769. The fuller story of early Methodism in Longnor is told by J B Dyson, along with a brief biography of Mrs Cecily Ferguson who later was hostess to John Wesley on his visit to Amsterdam. In 1784, Longnor Methodist Society had 42 members
In 1870, a new Methodist Circuit
was created, and named The Wetton and Longnor Methodist Circuit. The manse was built at Wetton
, along with a new chapel building. But the importance of Longnor was also recognised. The original Wetton and Longnor Circuit had been Wesleyan, and in 1932 took in some of the Primitive Methodist
chapels in the area. In 1969 the Circuit was closed and its chapels assigned to neighbouring Circuits.
The Methodist Chapel closed in the 1996, but some of the former members continued to meet for a while in a hired hall for a while, because the journey to Buxton Methodist Church was not practical.
was recorded here.
The church of St. Bartholomew, Longnor has a contemporary sculpture of St. Bertram by British Frink School
sculptor Harry Everington
.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
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....
, 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...
. The settlement dates from early times, the first recorded Church building being in the Middle Ages. The village was named Longenalre in the Domesday Book. Located on a major crossroads, Longnor was a significant market town in the 18th century. It lies on the north bank of the River Manifold
River Manifold
The River Manifold is a river in Staffordshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Dove ....
, on a limestone ridge between the Manifold and the River Dove
River Dove, Derbyshire
The River Dove is the principal river of the southwestern Peak District, in the Midlands of England and is around in length. It rises on Axe Edge Moor near Buxton and flows generally south to its confluence with the River Trent at Newton Solney. From there, its waters reach the North Sea via the...
.
Location and geography
Longnor is situated on the B5053 main road from CheadleCheadle, Staffordshire
Cheadle is a small market town near Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, with a population of 12,158 according to the 2001 census. It is roughly from the city of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Birmingham and south of Manchester...
to Buxton, about 6 miles (10 km) south of Buxton. It is at a cross roads with routes to Leek
Leek, Staffordshire
Leek is a market town in the county of Staffordshire, England, on the River Churnet. It is an ancient borough and was granted its royal charter in 1214.It is the administrative centre for the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council...
and Macclesfield
Macclesfield
Macclesfield is a market town within the unitary authority of Cheshire East, the county palatine of Chester, also known as the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The population of the Macclesfield urban sub-area at the time of the 2001 census was 50,688...
to the west, and Bakewell
Bakewell
Bakewell is a small market town in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England, deriving its name from 'Beadeca's Well'. It is the only town included in the Peak District National Park, and is well known for the local confection Bakewell Pudding...
to the east.
West of Longnor is the Staffordshire Moorlands
Staffordshire Moorlands
Staffordshire Moorlands is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, is based in Leek and is located between the city of Stoke-on-Trent and the Peak District National Park. The 2001 census recorded the population as...
, with a summit at Axe Edge Moor
Axe Edge Moor
Axe Edge Moor is the major moorland west of Buxton in the Peak District. It is mainly gritstone . Its highest point is at . This is slightly lower than Shining Tor .The moor is the source of the River Dove, River Manifold, River Dane, River Wye and River Goyt...
towards the north, and Morridge further south. North and east of Longnor is the White Peak
White Peak
The White Peak is the lower, southern part of the Peak District in England. In contrast to the Dark Peak, the underlying limestone is not capped by impervious millstone grit, so caves and dry river valleys are common features of the area...
section of 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....
, with the Dove flowing in a steep-sided limestone valley of which the famous Dovedale
Dovedale
Dovedale is a popular dale in the Peak District, England. It is owned by the National Trust, and annually attracts a million visitors. The valley is cut by the River Dove and runs for just over between Milldale in the north and a wooded ravine near Thorpe Cloud and Bunster Hill in the south...
is only a small part.
Longnor village looks towards the Manifold
River Manifold
The River Manifold is a river in Staffordshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Dove ....
, but lies on the southern slope of a limestone ridge between the two rivers.
Village description
Longnor is one of the more significant villages in this corner of north Staffordshire, chiefly for the market.Longnor is one of 13 parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es in the Deanery of Alstonefield
Alstonefield
Alstonefield is a village and civil parish in the Peak District National Park and the Staffordshire Moorlands district of Staffordshire, England. It is about to the North of Ashbourne, drive East from Leek and south from Buxton...
, Lichfield
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
Diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
.
History
Records of the village's early history have been lost, but there is evidence of activity in the area from around 700AD. Longnor is listed in the Great 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...
of 1086 as Longenalre. It is distinguished from the other modern Longnor
Longnor, Shropshire
Longnor is a village and civil parish in the English county of Shropshire.It is located just off the A49 south of Dorrington and north of Leebotwood...
near Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
which is in the Domesday Book as Lege. According to local legend the village was burned during the reign of William II
William II of England
William II , the third son of William I of England, was King of England from 1087 until 1100, with powers over Normandy, and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales...
as a punishment for the poaching of deer from the forests around Leek
Leek, Staffordshire
Leek is a market town in the county of Staffordshire, England, on the River Churnet. It is an ancient borough and was granted its royal charter in 1214.It is the administrative centre for the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council...
.
The first written record cites the founding of St Bartholomew's Church in 1223 on the site of the present 18th century parish church, and over the next two centuries there were around 20 homes in the village.
The 1787 Cary
John Cary
John Cary was an 18th century English cartographer.Cary served his apprenticeship as an engraver in London, before setting up his own business in the Strand in 1783...
map of Staffordshire shows the village on a major crossroads. Cary wrote the name LONGNOR rather than Longnor, a style shared only with Leek and Cheadle in Staffordshire north of Stafford and The Potteries. This implies that Longnor was then a market town of some significance.
Methodist History
Built in 1780, the Methodist Chapel is one of the oldest in the area. While John WesleyJohn Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
once preached at Longnor while passing through on a journey from Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, Methodist Preachers had established a Methodist Society
Methodist Circuit
The Methodist Circuit is part of the organisational structure of British Methodism,or at least those branches derived from the work of John Wesley. It is a group of individual Societies or local Churches under the care of one or more Methodist Ministers. In the scale of organisation, the Circuit...
before this in 1769. The fuller story of early Methodism in Longnor is told by J B Dyson, along with a brief biography of Mrs Cecily Ferguson who later was hostess to John Wesley on his visit to Amsterdam. In 1784, Longnor Methodist Society had 42 members
In 1870, a new Methodist Circuit
Methodist Circuit
The Methodist Circuit is part of the organisational structure of British Methodism,or at least those branches derived from the work of John Wesley. It is a group of individual Societies or local Churches under the care of one or more Methodist Ministers. In the scale of organisation, the Circuit...
was created, and named The Wetton and Longnor Methodist Circuit. The manse was built at Wetton
Wetton, Staffordshire
Wetton is a village in the Peak District National Park, North Staffordshire, at the top of the east side of the Manifold Valley. The population recorded in the 2001 Census was 157. This article describes the location, some of the main features of the village, and a number of places of historical or...
, along with a new chapel building. But the importance of Longnor was also recognised. The original Wetton and Longnor Circuit had been Wesleyan, and in 1932 took in some of the Primitive Methodist
Primitive Methodism
Primitive Methodism was a major movement in English Methodism from about 1810 until the Methodist Union in 1932. The Primitive Methodist Church still exists in the United States.-Origins:...
chapels in the area. In 1969 the Circuit was closed and its chapels assigned to neighbouring Circuits.
The Methodist Chapel closed in the 1996, but some of the former members continued to meet for a while in a hired hall for a while, because the journey to Buxton Methodist Church was not practical.
Points of general interest
Some of the TV series Peak PracticePeak Practice
Peak Practice is a British drama series about a GP surgery in Cardale — a small fictional town in the Derbyshire Peak District — and the doctors who worked there. It ran on ITV from 10 May 1993 to 30 January 2002 and was one of their most successful series at the time...
was recorded here.
The church of St. Bartholomew, Longnor has a contemporary sculpture of St. Bertram by British Frink School
Frink School
The Frink School of Figurative Sculpture was named after Elisabeth Frink , British Sculptor, and was a small intimate academy with a specific discipline of study closer in spirit to a master and apprentice structure than an educational institution...
sculptor Harry Everington
Harry Everington
Harry Everington was co-founder of the former Frink School of Figurative Sculpture based in the towns of Stoke on Trent , Staffordshire...
.