Cowers Lane
Appearance
Cowers Lane is a settlement in Derbyshire bordering Shottle near Belper, Derbyshire England along the A517 road. In Norman times, Shottle Park was one of the seven parks within Duffield Frith. [1]
It was the site of a large shelter for cattle belonging to the Duchy of Lancaster who owned the Frith. It is generally believed that the name is the local dialect equivalent of "Cow House Lane".[2]
References
- ^ Turbutt, G., (1999) A History of Derbyshire. Volume 2: Medieval Derbyshire, Cardiff: Merton Priory Press
- ^ Bland, J., (1922) Duffield: Village, Church and Castle, Derby: Harpur and Son
"Cowhouse Lane has a post-office, and the official Post-Office Guide prints the name "Cowers Lane." My father, who deplored the loss of old associations. once asked the then post-master there how this came about. His answer was to this effect: "One day a letter came from the head office, asking me which was the correct name, 'Cowhouse,' or 'Cowers,' so I counted the letters which had come that morning, and as there were more addressed ' Cowers' than 'Cowhouse,' I replied that Cowers was correct." It therefore became and remains, officially, Cowers Lane; so carelessly are place-names distorted and historical connections lost."