Derbyshire

For other uses, see Derbyshire (disambiguation).

Derbyshire (helping sheep over fences)

Geography
Status	Ceremonial & (smaller) Non-metropolitan county
Region	East Midlands
Area - Total - Admin. council - Admin. area	Ranked 21st 2,625 km2 (1,014 sq mi) Ranked 20th 2,547 km2 (983 sq mi)
Admin HQ	Matlock
ISO 3166-2	GB-DBY
ONS code	17
NUTS 3	UKF12/13
Demographics
Population - Total (2022) - Density - Admin. council - Admin. pop.	Ranked 21st 1,066,954 406/km2 (1,050/sq mi) Ranked
Ethnicity	96.0% White 2.3% S. Asian 1.7% Black, Mixed Race or Chinese
Politics
Arms of Derbyshire County Council Derbyshire County Council http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/
Executive
Members of Parliament	Margaret Beckett (L) Jessica Lee (C) Natascha Engel (L) Toby Perkins (L) Chris Williamson (L) Andrew Bingham (C) Nigel Mills (C) Patrick McLoughlin (C) Dennis Skinner (L) Heather Wheeler (C) Pauline Latham (C)
Districts
Click on image 1. High Peak 2. Derbyshire Dales 3. South Derbyshire 4. Erewash 5. Amber Valley 6. North East Derbyshire 7. Chesterfield 8. Bolsover 9. Derby (Unitary)

Derbyshire (/ˈdɑːrbʃər/ DAR-bi-shər or /ˈdɑːrbɪʃɪər/ DAR-bi-sheer) 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. 225 miles, part of the National Forest, and borders on Greater Manchester to the North West, West Yorkshire to the North, South Yorkshire to the North East, Nottinghamshire to the East, Leicestershire to the South East, Staffordshire to the West and South West and Cheshire also to the West. In 2003 the Ordnance Survey placed Church Flatts farm, approximately 35 kilometres (22 mi) north, at Coton in the Elms, Derbyshire, as the furthest point from the sea in Great Britain.

The city of Derby is now a unitary authority area, but remains part of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. The non-metropolitan county contains 30 towns with between 10,000 and 100,000 inhabitants. There is a large amount of sparsely populated agricultural upland: 75% of the population live in 25% of the area.

History

The area that is now Derbyshire was first visited, probably briefly, by humans 200,000 years ago during the Aveley interglacial as evidenced by a Middle Paleolithic Acheulian hand axe found near Hopton.

Further occupation came with the Upper Paleolithic and Neolithic periods of the Stone Age when Mesolithic hunter gatherers roamed the hilly tundra. The evidence of these nomadic tribes is centred around limestone caves located on the Nottinghamshire border. Deposits left in the caves date the occupancy at around 12,000 to 7,000 BCE.

The henge monument at Arbor Low

Burial mounds of Neolithic settlers are also situated throughout the county. These chambered tombs were designed for collective burial and are mostly located in the central Derbyshire region. There are tombs in Minning Low, and Five Wells, which date back to between 2000 and 2500 BCE. Three miles west of Youlgreave lies the Neolithic henge monument of Arbor Low, which has been dated to 2500 BCE.

It is not until the Bronze Age that real signs of agriculture and settlement are found in the county. In the moors of the Peak District signs of clearance, arable fields and hut circles were discovered after archeological investigation. However this area and another settlement at Swarkestone are all that have been found.

During the Roman invasion the invaders were attracted to Derbyshire because of the lead ore in the limestone hills of the area. They settled throughout the county with forts built near Brough in the Hope Valley and near Glossop. Later they settled around Buxton, famed for its warm springs, and set up a fort near modern-day Derby in an area now known as Little Chester.

Several kings of Mercia are buried in the Repton area.

Following the Norman Conquest, much of the county was subject to the forest laws. To the northwest was the Forest of High Peak under the custodianship of William Peverel and his descendants. The rest of the county was bestowed upon Henry de Ferrers, a part of it becoming Duffield Frith. In time the whole area was given to the Duchy of Lancaster. Meanwhile the Forest of East Derbyshire covered the whole county to the east of the River Derwent from the reign of Henry II to that of Edward I.

Economy

The rugged moorland edge of the southern Pennines at Kinder Downfall

Derbyshire is a mixture of a rural economy in the west, with a former coal mining economy in the northeast (Bolsover district), the Erewash Valley around Ilkeston and in the south around Swadlincote. The landscape varies from typical arable country in the flat lands to the south of Derby, to the hill farming of the high gritstone moorlands of the southern Pennines, which effectively begin to the north of the city. This topology and geology has had a fundamental effect on Derbyshire's development throughout its history. In addition it is rich in natural resources like lead, iron, coal, and limestone. The limestone outcrops in the central area led to the establishment of large quarries to supply the industries of the surrounding towns with lime for building and steel making, and latterly in the 20th century cement manufacture. The industrial revolution also increased demand for building stone, and in the late 19th & early 20th century the railways' arrival led to a large number of stone quarries to exploit the natural resources of the area. This industry has left its mark on the countryside but is still a major industry: a lot of the stone is supplied as crushed stone for road building and concrete manufacture, and is moved by rail. The Limestone areas of central Derbyshire were found to contain veins of lead ore, and these were mined from Roman times.

the Ruins of the Magpie Mine near Sheldon

Its remoteness in the late 18th century and an abundance of fast-flowing streams led to a proliferation of water power at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, following the mills pioneered by Richard Arkwright. For this reason, amongst others, Derbyshire has been said to be the home of the Industrial Revolution, and part of the Derwent Valley has been given World Heritage status.

Nationally famous companies in Derbyshire are Thorntons just south of Alfreton and JCB subsidiary JCB-Power Systems have an engine factory in South Derbyshire. Ashbourne Water used to be bottled in Buxton by Nestlé Waters UK until 2006 and Buxton Water still is. Other major employers in the county, especially around the Derby area, are Rolls-Royce plc, Bombardier Transportation and Toyota.

Politics

See also: Derbyshire local elections

Derbyshire has a three-tier local government since the local government reorganisation in 1974. It has a county council based in Matlock and eight district councils and since 1998, a unitary authority of Derby. Derby remains part of Derbyshire only for ceremonial purposes.

County Hall, Matlock

Derbyshire has become smaller during government re-organisation over the years. The Sheffield suburbs Mosborough, Totley and Dore were previously parts of the county, but were lost to South Yorkshire in the late 1960s. Marple Bridge was transferred to the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport in Greater Manchester. However, Derbyshire gained part of the Longdendale valley and Tintwistle from Cheshire in 1974.

At the third tier are the parish councils, which do not cover all areas. The eight district councils in Derbyshire and the unitary authority of Derby are shown in the map above.

These district councils are responsible for local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism. Education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and fire services, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning are the responsibility of the County Council.

The county is divided into ten constituencies for the election of Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons. As of May 2010, five constituencies are represented by Labour MPs, while the remaining five elected a Conservative MP. Derbyshire residents are part of the electorate for the East Midlands constituency for elections to the European Parliament.

Although Derbyshire is in the East Midlands, some parts, such as High Peak, are closer to the northern cities of Manchester and Sheffield and these parts do receive services which are more affiliated with northern England; for example, the North West Ambulance Service, Granada Television and United Utilities serve the High Peak and some NHS Trusts within this region are governed by the Greater Manchester Health Authority. Outside the main city of Derby, the largest town in the county is Chesterfield.

Education

One of many Victorian village schools in Derbyshire

For a list of individual schools see   Category:Schools in Derbyshire
The Derbyshire school system is comprehensive with no selective schools. There is selection by average house price in some areas.

The independent sector includes Trent College and The Elms School- junior school to Trent College are located near Derby.

Settlements

This is a list of the towns in Derbyshire.

Sport

The county has two football teams currently playing in the Football League:

• Derby County F.C.
• Chesterfield F.C..

There are also many non-league teams playing throughout the county, most notably Alfreton Town F.C. who play in the Conference National. The county is also now home to the world's oldest football club, Sheffield F.C. who have their home ground at Dronfield in North East Derbyshire.

Derbyshire also has a cricket team based at the County Cricket Ground. Derbyshire County Cricket Club currently play in Division two of the County Championship. There are also rugby league clubs based in the north of the county, the North Derbyshire Chargers and in Derby (Derby City RLFC). The County has numerous Rugby Union Clubs, including Derby, Matlock, Ilkeston, Ashbourne, Bakewell and Amber Valley

The county is a popular area for a variety of recreational sports such as rock climbing, hill walking, hang gliding, caving, sailing on its many reservoirs, and cycling along the many miles of disused rail tracks that have been turned into cycle trails, such as the Monsal Trail and High Peak Trail.

Local attractions

The scenic Derbyshire that attracts tourists

The county of Derbyshire has many attractions for both tourists and local people. The county offers spectacular Peak District scenery such as Mam Tor, Kinder Scout, and other more metropolitan attractions such as Bakewell, Buxton, and Derby. Local places of interest include Bolsover Castle, Castleton, Chatsworth House, Crich Tramway Museum, Peak Rail steam railway, Midland Railway steam railway, Dovedale, Haddon Hall, Heights of Abraham and Matlock Bath.

In the north of the county, three large reservoirs, Howden, Derwent and Ladybower, were built during the early part of the 20th century to supply the rapidly growing populations of Sheffield, Derby and Leicester with drinking water. The land around these is now extensively used for leisure pursuits like walking and cycling, as the surrounding catchment area of moorland is protected from development, as part of the Peak District National Park.

There are many properties and lands in the care of the National Trust, located in Derbyshire that are open to the public, such as Calke Abbey, Hardwick Hall, High Peak Estate, Ilam Park, Kedleston Hall, Longshaw Estate near Hathersage, and Sudbury Hall on the Staffordshire border.

County emblems

Flag of Derbyshire

As part of a 2002 marketing campaign, the plant conservation charity Plantlife chose the Jacob's Ladder as the county flower.

In September 2006, an unofficial county flag was introduced, largely on the initiative of BBC Radio Derby. The flag consists of a St. George cross encompassing a golden Tudor Rose, which is an historical symbol of the county. The blue field represents the many waters of the county, its rivers and reservoirs, while the cross is green to mark the great areas of countryside.

Demographics

Derbyshire Compared
UK Census 2001	Derby	Derbyshire	East Midlands	England
Total population	221,708	734,585	4,172,174	49,138,831
Foreign born (outside Europe)	6.7%	1.4%	4.5%	6.9%
White	87.5%	98.5%	93.5%	91.0%
Asian	8.4%	0.5%	4.1%	4.6%
Black	1.8%	0.2%	1.0%	2.3%
Christian	67.4%	77.0%	72.0%	71.7%
Muslim	4.5%	0.2%	1.7%	3.1%
Hindu	0.6%	0.1%	1.6%	1.1%
No religion	15.9%	14.7%	16.0%	14.6%
Over 65	16.1%	16.7%	16.1%	16.0%
Unemployed	4.0%	3.2%	3.3%	3.3%

In 1801 the poulation was 147,481 According to the UK Census 2001 there were 956,301 people spread out over the county's 254,615 hectares. This was estimated to have risen to 990,400 in 2006.

The county's population grew by 3.0% from 1991 to 2001 which is around 21,100 people. This figure is higher than the national average of 2.65% but lower than the East Midlands average of 4.0%. The county as a whole has an average population density of 2.9 people per hectare making it less densely populated than England as a whole. The density varies considerably throughout the county with the lowest being in the region of Derbyshire Dales at 0.88, and highest outside of the main cities in the region of Erewash which has 10.04 people per hectare.

Population since 1801
Year	1801	1851	1901	1911	1921	1931	1939	1951	1961	1971	1981	1991	2001
Derbyshire non-metropolitan county	132,786	223,414	465,896	542,697	565,826	590,470	613,301	637,645	651,284	666,013	687,404	717,935	734,585
Derby unitary authority	14,695	48,506	118,469	132,188	142,824	154,316	167,321	181,423	199,578	219,558	214,424	225,296	221,716
Total as a ceremonial county	147,481	271,920	584,365	674,885	708,650	744,786	780,622	819,068	850,862	885,571	901,828	943,231	956,301

In literature and popular culture

In Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice the country home of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Pemberley, is situated in Derbyshire. In that novel, Chatsworth House in Derbyshire is named as one of the estates Elizabeth Bennet visits before arriving at Pemberley. In the 2005 film adaptation of the novel Chatsworth House itself represents Pemberley.

The events of the play Arcadia, by Tom Stoppard, take place in the fictional country house of Sidley Park in Derbyshire.

Alfreton is mentioned in the novel Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence, when a character gets a train to Alfreton and walks to Crich to see a lover.

George Eliot's novel Adam Bede is set in a fictional town based on Wirksworth.

Georgette Heyer's detective/romance novel The Toll-Gate is set in 1817 around a fictional toll-gate in Derbyshire.

The 1986 film Lady Jane by Trevor Nunn, starring Helena Bonham Carter has scenes filmed at Haddon Hall.

The 1987 film The Princess Bride by Rob Reiner, starring Cary Elwes was filmed in Derbyshire, includes scenes at Haddon Hall and in the White Peak and Dark Peak.

The 1988 film Lair of the White Worm by Ken Russell, starring Hugh Grant was filmed in Derbyshire. The opening title sequence is of Thor's Cave in the Manifold valley.

See also

• Lord Lieutenant of Derbyshire
• High Sheriff of Derbyshire
• Derbyshire constituency list of MPs
• Derbyshire lead mining history
• Derbyshire Places of interest
• List of football clubs in Derbyshire

References

Further reading

• Smith, Roly (1999). Towns & Villages of Britain: Derbyshire. Cheshire: Sigma Press. ISBN 1850586225.
• Pevsner, Nikolaus (1953). The Buildings of England: Derbyshire. Middlesex: Penguin Books. ISBN 0140710086.
• Pevsner & Williamson, Elizabeth (1978). The Buildings of England: Derbyshire. Penguin Books. ISBN 0140710086.

External links

• Bygone Derbyshire - A history
• artsderbyshire.org.uk - Derby & Derbyshire arts guide
• Derbyshire Extensive Urban Survey English Heritage and Derbyshire County Council
• Template:Dmoz
• Flora of Derbyshire - Maps and information on vascular plant distribution