Morley, Derbyshire

(Redirected from Morley Smithy)

Morley is a village and civil parish within the Borough of Erewash in Derbyshire, England.

Morley
St Matthew's Church
Morley is located in Derbyshire
Morley
Morley
Location within Derbyshire
OS grid referenceSK395408
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townILKESTON
Postcode districtDE7
PoliceDerbyshire
FireDerbyshire
AmbulanceEast Midlands
UK Parliament
Websitewww.morleychurch.co.uk
List of places
UK
England
Derbyshire
52°57′50″N 1°24′43″W / 52.964°N 1.412°W / 52.964; -1.412

It is on the eastern side of Morley Moor, with Morley Smithy to the north. The parish church of St Matthew is a grade I listed building[1] and stands near the (converted) Tithe Barn and dovecote of Morley Hall.[2] The church features a wall of stained glass depicting the story of Robert of Knaresborough along the north aisle which came from Dale Abbey in 1539, home of the fine Sacheverell tombs.

History

edit
 
Ancient carving at St Matthew's church

Morley is first certainly mentioned in 1009, as (in) Moreleage, though later copies of a 1002 document in which it appears as (æt) Morlege may be genuine. The name probably means "open ground by a moor", from Old English mōr "moor, clearing, pasture" + lẽah "open ground, clearing".[3] In 1009 Æþelræd Unræd (King Ethelred the Unready) signed a charter at the Great Council which recognised the position and boundaries of Westune.[4] The land described in that charter included the lands now known as Shardlow, Great Wilne, Church Wilne, Crich, Morley, Smalley, Weston and Aston-on-Trent. Under this charter Æþelræd gave his minister, Morcar, a number of rights that made him free from tax and to his own rule within the manor.[5]

Morley was mentioned in the Domesday book as belonging to Henry de Ferrers[6] and having woodland pasture that was four furlongs by three.[7]

Morley Park was one of the seven royal parks within Duffield Frith and is about five miles north in the parish of Ripley.[8]

Education

edit

Broomfield Hall of Derby College is located in Morley.[9]

Derby Japanese School (ダービー日本人補習校 Dābī Nihonjin Hoshūkō), a Japanese weekend school, holds its classes in Broomfield Hall.[9]

Notable residents

edit

Sir Streynsham Master who was involved in the early East India Company and who was High Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1712,[10] resided with his wife at Stanley Grange in Morley.[11] Joseph Whittaker (1815–1892), botanist, lived and died here.[12] Edward FitzWalter Wright, vice-Chairman of the Butterley Company and High Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1942 lived at Morley Manor.[13]

References

edit
  1. ^ Historic England. "Church of St Matthew (1205838)". National Heritage List for England.
  2. ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus. 1986. The Buildings of England: Derbyshire. pp 283-284. Harmondsworth, Middx. Penguin. ISBN 0-14-071008-6
  3. ^ Victor Watts (ed.), The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names, Based on the Collections of the English Place-Name Society (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004), s.v. MORLEY Derby.
  4. ^ Aston on Trent Conservation Area History Archived 2007-11-08 at the Wayback Machine, South Derbyshire, accessed 25 November 2008
  5. ^ Charter of Æthelred, The Great Council, 1009, accessible at Derby records
  6. ^ Henry was given a large number of manors in Derbyshire including Doveridge, Swarkestone, Sinfin and Breadsall.
  7. ^ Domesday Book: A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 2003. ISBN 0-14-143994-7 p.745
  8. ^ Turbutt, G., (1999) A History of Derbyshire. Volume 2: Medieval Derbyshire, Cardiff: Merton Priory Press
  9. ^ a b "ダービー日本人補習校 (Derby Japanese School) Archived 14 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine." Derby Japanese School. Retrieved on February 14, 2015. " c/o Derby College Broomfield Hall, Morley Ilkeston, Derby DE7 6DN UK"
  10. ^ The History of the County of Derby Stephen Glover (1829) Google Books
  11. ^ Codnor, Local History and Heritage Society, 11 December 2008
  12. ^ "Parish Heritage Walk 08". Morley Parish Council. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
  13. ^ Who's Who 1951