Wardlow
Encyclopedia
Wardlow is a parish
and linear village
in the Derbyshire Dales
two miles from Tideswell
, Derbyshire
, England
. The small village contains the church of the Good Shepherd, and within the settlement is the small hamlet of Wardlow Mires which contains a notable pub. Both Wardlow and Wardlow Mires were historically (1857) in two parishes.
was excavated, and surrounding these were seventeen other remains which spread out in a radial way, although another source says there were seventeen coffins, and gives the date that they were found during the construction of a turnpike road as 1759.
Black Harry was a highwayman
on the turnpike roads who troubled travellers on the moors around Wardlow and Longstone. In Stoney Middleton his name lives on in place names like Black Harry Gate and Black Harry House, but it was at Gibbot Field near Wardlow that he met his end when he was hanged, drawn and quartered
after being arrested by the Castleton Bow Street Runners
.
In 1815, on Gibbot field, near Wardlow the last man to be gibbet
ed in Derbyshire was displayed. The tollkeeper, Hannah Oliver, had been strangled, and the vital clue was her missing red shoes. The local cobbler, Mr Marsden of Stoney Middleton
, confirmed that shoes found at the house of 21-year-old Antony Lingard had been made for Hannah. This was the key evidence that led his to being hung in chains near the village. Lingard's body was displayed on April Fools' Day 1815, and remained there for some months. A poem by William Newton
, which imagined the anguish of the murderer's father having to gaze on this sight, was given much of the credit for the abolition of gibbeting in 1834.
A school was built in 1833, and was expanded in 1872 to serve 45 children. The school building still boasts a bell tower, and is used today as a village hall and Sunday school. In 1871 the census revealed the complexities of having a village in two parishes. The census returns show how the small number of inhabitants had to be divided into two different lists.
The church of the Good Shepherd was built in 1873 to seat one hundred people, and consists of a chancel, a nave, and a turret between the chancel and nave.
It was not until 1937 that piped water came to Wardlow, so it is fitting that the village still celebrates with a Well dressing
each September.
remains of a cat were exhibited in a glass case. The cat's remains were found during alterations to a chimney breast
and were thought to have been placed there for superstitious reasons.
Above Wardlow Mires is an unusual large rocky outcrop known as Peter's Stone. The name is believed to come from its resemblance to St. Peter's
in Rome
. The other more grisly name for Peter's Stone is Gibbet Stone for it was here that Lingard's body was displayed for the entertainment of visitors for several months.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
and linear village
Linear village
In geography, a linear village, or linear settlement, is a small to medium-sized settlement that is formed around a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Wraysbury, a village in Berkshire, is one of the longest villages in England....
in the 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....
two miles from Tideswell
Tideswell
Tideswell is a village and civil parish in the Peak District of Derbyshire, in England. It lies east of Buxton on the B6049, in a wide dry valley on a limestone plateau, at an altitude of above sea level, and is within the District of Derbyshire Dales...
, 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...
. The small village contains the church of the Good Shepherd, and within the settlement is the small hamlet of Wardlow Mires which contains a notable pub. Both Wardlow and Wardlow Mires were historically (1857) in two parishes.
History
In 1755, two stone coffins were found when a cairnCairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
was excavated, and surrounding these were seventeen other remains which spread out in a radial way, although another source says there were seventeen coffins, and gives the date that they were found during the construction of a turnpike road as 1759.
Black Harry was a highwayman
Highwayman
A highwayman was a thief and brigand who preyed on travellers. This type of outlaw, usually, travelled and robbed by horse, as compared to a footpad who traveled and robbed on foot. Mounted robbers were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads...
on the turnpike roads who troubled travellers on the moors around Wardlow and Longstone. In Stoney Middleton his name lives on in place names like Black Harry Gate and Black Harry House, but it was at Gibbot Field near Wardlow that he met his end when he was hanged, drawn and quartered
Hanged, drawn and quartered
To be hanged, drawn and quartered was from 1351 a penalty in England for men convicted of high treason, although the ritual was first recorded during the reigns of King Henry III and his successor, Edward I...
after being arrested by the Castleton Bow Street Runners
Bow Street Runners
The Bow Street Runners have been called London's first professional police force. The force was founded in 1749 by the author Henry Fielding and originally numbered just six. Bow Street runners was the public's nickname for these officers, "although the officers never referred to themselves as...
.
In 1815, on Gibbot field, near Wardlow the last man to be gibbet
Gibbet
A gibbet is a gallows-type structure from which the dead bodies of executed criminals were hung on public display to deter other existing or potential criminals. In earlier times, up to the late 17th century, live gibbeting also took place, in which the criminal was placed alive in a metal cage...
ed in Derbyshire was displayed. The tollkeeper, Hannah Oliver, had been strangled, and the vital clue was her missing red shoes. The local cobbler, Mr Marsden of Stoney Middleton
Stoney Middleton
Stoney Middleton is a village in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England. It lies in the White Peak area of the Peak District southeast of Eyam and northwest of Calver, on the A623 road at the foot of the limestone valley of Middleton Dale....
, confirmed that shoes found at the house of 21-year-old Antony Lingard had been made for Hannah. This was the key evidence that led his to being hung in chains near the village. Lingard's body was displayed on April Fools' Day 1815, and remained there for some months. A poem by William Newton
William Newton (poet)
William Newton , the Peak Minstrel was born near Abney, in the parish of Eyam, Derbyshire on 28 November 1750. He was well regarded by other more notable writers and made his fortune as a partner in a mill in Tideswell; where he died in 1830. His poetry is said to have led to an end to gibbetting...
, which imagined the anguish of the murderer's father having to gaze on this sight, was given much of the credit for the abolition of gibbeting in 1834.
A school was built in 1833, and was expanded in 1872 to serve 45 children. The school building still boasts a bell tower, and is used today as a village hall and Sunday school. In 1871 the census revealed the complexities of having a village in two parishes. The census returns show how the small number of inhabitants had to be divided into two different lists.
The church of the Good Shepherd was built in 1873 to seat one hundred people, and consists of a chancel, a nave, and a turret between the chancel and nave.
It was not until 1937 that piped water came to Wardlow, so it is fitting that the village still celebrates with a Well dressing
Well dressing
Well dressing is a summer custom practised in rural England in which wells, springs or other water sources are decorated with designs created from flower petals...
each September.
Wardlow Mires
Wardlow Mires is a small hamlet with a single public house. The Three Stags' Heads in Wardlow Mires is like the front room of a farm house; a small stone flagged room with a cast iron range, whitewashed walls, a small bar and a couple of rickety tables and chairs. It is like a farmhouse might have been 200 years ago. For many years the mummifiedMummy
A mummy is a body, human or animal, whose skin and organs have been preserved by either intentional or incidental exposure to chemicals, extreme coldness , very low humidity, or lack of air when bodies are submerged in bogs, so that the recovered body will not decay further if kept in cool and dry...
remains of a cat were exhibited in a glass case. The cat's remains were found during alterations to a chimney breast
Chimney breast
A chimney breast is a portion of a wall which projects forward over a fireplace. Chimney jambs similarly project from the wall, but they do so on either side of the fireplace and serve to support the chimney breast. The interior of a chimney breast is commonly filled with brickwork or concrete....
and were thought to have been placed there for superstitious reasons.
Above Wardlow Mires is an unusual large rocky outcrop known as Peter's Stone. The name is believed to come from its resemblance to St. Peter's
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter , officially known in Italian as ' and commonly known as Saint Peter's Basilica, is a Late Renaissance church located within the Vatican City. Saint Peter's Basilica has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. The other more grisly name for Peter's Stone is Gibbet Stone for it was here that Lingard's body was displayed for the entertainment of visitors for several months.