Ellastone
Encyclopedia
Ellastone is a village in central England
on the Staffordshire
side of the River Dove
, between Uttoxeter
and Ashbourne
.
, is situated close to the River Dove, on the border between Derbyshire
and Staffordshire. During World War II
, the bridge over the river was an important crossing point, guarded by two pill-boxes, one on each bank. Both are still visible today, however the box on the western side of the bridge is harder to spot as it is currently serving as a shelter for the cows, but camouflage paint
is still visible above the entrance.
The Dove is the boundary between the two counties. Although Ellastone is on the Staffordshire side of the border, it has a Derbyshire postal address because Ashbourne
, the nearest postal town, is in Derbyshire. The village, despite being on the busy B5032, misses out on the majority of the traffic for the often crowded Alton Towers
theme park, which leaves the road just to the south at the J. C. Bamford
World Headquarters in Rocester. Due to this, Ellastone residents do not receive free Alton Towers tickets despite its proximity to the attraction.
The village also lies near the southern end of the Limestone Way
, a long distance bridleway.
The village itself dates back to Anglo Saxon times and features in the Domesday Book
, where it is listed as Edelachestone, Elachestone and Princestone (after the great Prince James who fought in the battle of Ashbourne (1066) against the marauding Bainbridge hoardes of the Northern territories.) The local church of St. Peter's dates back to the 16th century with the year 1586 displayed on the tower. Ellastone Old Hall, formerly the Bromley Arms pub, dates from the seventeenth century and is situated close to the current pub, the Duncombe Arms. There used to be a petrol station in the village and its presence can be noted through the unusual drives of the two bungalows closest to the pub, which very much resemble the entry/exits of a petrol station forecourt.
Ellastone was served by a railway station (shared with Norbury
) which was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway
on May 31, 1852.
For a small village, Ellastone's amenities are more than adequate; despite the closure of the village shop and post office on April 15th 2006. On Church Lane there is a tennis court, bowling green, park and snooker club. In addition there is the village hall which played host to a five a side football tournament (won by a team of local sixth-form students) and party in celebration of the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002.
Ellastone Parish is quite extensive, and includes the hamlets of Ramshorn
, Wooton, and Prestwood. The Weaver Hills
, about 4 miles north-west, lie just outside the Parish.
's Adam Bede
, published in 1859. It earned this recognition because the author's father spent the early part of his life in the village working as a carpenter. There is an Adam Bede cottage in the village but of course the attribution is fictional. The Methodist references in Adam Bede fit this locality very well. The hamlet of Ramshorn (known as Ramsor
in Methodist documents) at the western end of the Parish
of Ellastone was very significant in early Primitive Methodist
history. However the reality of the conversion of Hetty (a character in Adam Bede) is suspect in the light of early Primitive Methodist histories.
was one of the abbey's guests on several occasions and it has been suggested that it may have inspired some of his most important pieces such as "Messiah
" and the "Water Music
".
One of the village cottages was once owned by William Cecil
, the influential politician and confident of Elizabeth I
.
Nearby is Wootton Hall, now rebuilt as the residence of the Hon. Johnny Greenall
(brewing family), but formerly visited by the French philosopher Rousseau. Arthur Mee notes that this visit was not entirely a happy one.
Also within the Parish is Wootton Lodge
, a 17th century house with deer park, owned by the Bamford family (JCB
). Fleeing from Cromwell's army during the Civil War
, one owner of Wooton Lodge took refuge in the coal cellar of Lower House at Prestwood. This had just been built by William Orpe, a member of one of Ellastone's oldest families. The Orpes provided shelter for their Royalist friends.
One of the Orpes had been a monk at Croxden Abbey
about 5 miles south-west of Ellastone. His name appears on the Deed of Dissolution of the Abbey in 1538. The Ellastone Parish Register records the marriage of this former monk, along with a cousin, also named John Orpe, and then the baptisms of their respective children almost at the same time.
and is a hive of fluvial activity. Two small brooks (Sandford Brook and Tit Brook) flow directly into the River Dove. Additionally there is a natural spring, still officially known as Bentley Well which flows into the Tit and sits on former farmland which is now occupied by a new development, Bentley Fold.
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...
on 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...
side of 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...
, between Uttoxeter
Uttoxeter
Uttoxeter is a historic market town in Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. The current population is approximately 13,711, though new developments in the town will increase this figure. Uttoxeter lies close to the River Dove and is near the cities of Stoke-on-Trent, Derby and...
and Ashbourne
Ashbourne, Derbyshire
Ashbourne is a small market town in the Derbyshire Dales, England. It has a population of 10,302.The town advertises itself as 'The Gateway to Dovedale'.- Local customs :...
.
Location and history
Ellastone, a linear villageLinear 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....
, is situated close to the River Dove, on the border between 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...
and Staffordshire. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the bridge over the river was an important crossing point, guarded by two pill-boxes, one on each bank. Both are still visible today, however the box on the western side of the bridge is harder to spot as it is currently serving as a shelter for the cows, but camouflage paint
Military camouflage
Military camouflage is one of many means of deceiving an enemy. In practice, it is the application of colour and materials to battledress and military equipment to conceal them from visual observation. The French slang word camouflage came into common English usage during World War I when the...
is still visible above the entrance.
Ashbourne, Derbyshire
Ashbourne is a small market town in the Derbyshire Dales, England. It has a population of 10,302.The town advertises itself as 'The Gateway to Dovedale'.- Local customs :...
, the nearest postal town, is in Derbyshire. The village, despite being on the busy B5032, misses out on the majority of the traffic for the often crowded Alton Towers
Alton Towers
Alton Towers is a theme park and resort located in Staffordshire, England. It attracts around 2.7 million visitors per year making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom. Alton Towers is also the 9th most visited theme park in Europe...
theme park, which leaves the road just to the south at the J. C. Bamford
J. C. Bamford
JCB is a global construction, demolition and agricultural equipment company headquartered in Rocester, United Kingdom. It is the world's third-largest construction equipment manufacturer. It produces over 300 types of machines, including diggers , excavators, tractors and diesel engines...
World Headquarters in Rocester. Due to this, Ellastone residents do not receive free Alton Towers tickets despite its proximity to the attraction.
The village also lies near the southern end of the Limestone Way
Limestone Way
The Limestone Way is a long-distance bridleway in Derbyshire, England. It runs through the White Peak of the Peak District National Park, from Castleton south east to Rocester over the county boundary in Staffordshire. It originally ran to Matlock, but was diverted to its current, longer route to...
, a long distance bridleway.
The village itself dates back to Anglo Saxon times and features in the Domesday Book
Domesday 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...
, where it is listed as Edelachestone, Elachestone and Princestone (after the great Prince James who fought in the battle of Ashbourne (1066) against the marauding Bainbridge hoardes of the Northern territories.) The local church of St. Peter's dates back to the 16th century with the year 1586 displayed on the tower. Ellastone Old Hall, formerly the Bromley Arms pub, dates from the seventeenth century and is situated close to the current pub, the Duncombe Arms. There used to be a petrol station in the village and its presence can be noted through the unusual drives of the two bungalows closest to the pub, which very much resemble the entry/exits of a petrol station forecourt.
Ellastone was served by a railway station (shared with Norbury
Norbury
Norbury is a town in the London Borough of Croydon, also crossing the London Borough of Merton. It shares the postcode London SW16 with nearby Streatham. Norbury is south of Charing Cross.-History:...
) which was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway
North Staffordshire Railway
The North Staffordshire Railway was a British railway company formed in 1845 to promote a number of lines in the Staffordshire Potteries and surrounding areas in Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Shropshire....
on May 31, 1852.
For a small village, Ellastone's amenities are more than adequate; despite the closure of the village shop and post office on April 15th 2006. On Church Lane there is a tennis court, bowling green, park and snooker club. In addition there is the village hall which played host to a five a side football tournament (won by a team of local sixth-form students) and party in celebration of the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002.
Ellastone Parish is quite extensive, and includes the hamlets of Ramshorn
Ramsor
The tiny hamlet of Ramsor in North Staffordshire played a significant part in the origins of Primitive Methodism. Listed in the Domesday Book as Ramshorn, this ancient hamlet is a typical example of the depopulation of the countryside. Very little now remains of this village apart from a few...
, Wooton, and Prestwood. The Weaver Hills
Weaver Hills
The Weaver Hills are a small range of hills in north Staffordshire, England.The Weaver Hills are about east of Stoke on Trent and about west of Ashbourne, Derbyshire, just south of the A52 road and north of the Churnet Valley...
, about 4 miles north-west, lie just outside the Parish.
Literary reference
Ellastone features as 'Hayslope' in George EliotGeorge Eliot
Mary Anne Evans , better known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, journalist and translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era...
's Adam Bede
Adam Bede
Adam Bede, the first novel written by George Eliot , was published in 1859. It was published pseudonymously, even though Evans was a well-published and highly respected scholar of her time...
, published in 1859. It earned this recognition because the author's father spent the early part of his life in the village working as a carpenter. There is an Adam Bede cottage in the village but of course the attribution is fictional. The Methodist references in Adam Bede fit this locality very well. The hamlet of Ramshorn (known as Ramsor
Ramsor
The tiny hamlet of Ramsor in North Staffordshire played a significant part in the origins of Primitive Methodism. Listed in the Domesday Book as Ramshorn, this ancient hamlet is a typical example of the depopulation of the countryside. Very little now remains of this village apart from a few...
in Methodist documents) at the western end of the 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...
of Ellastone was very significant in early 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:...
history. However the reality of the conversion of Hetty (a character in Adam Bede) is suspect in the light of early Primitive Methodist histories.
Other points of historical interest
The ruined Calwich Abbey is also situated nearby. An abbey was first built on the site in 1148, however the latest hall, built in 1848, was demolished in 1935, leaving only the stable block which is visible today. The composer HandelHANDEL
HANDEL was the code-name for the UK's National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. It consisted of a small console consisting of two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed....
was one of the abbey's guests on several occasions and it has been suggested that it may have inspired some of his most important pieces such as "Messiah
Messiah (Handel)
Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later...
" and the "Water Music
Water Music (Handel)
The Water Music is a collection of orchestral movements, often considered three suites, composed by George Frideric Handel. It premiered on 17 July 1717 after King George I had requested a concert on the River Thames...
".
One of the village cottages was once owned by William Cecil
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley , KG was an English statesman, the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer from 1572...
, the influential politician and confident of Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
.
Nearby is Wootton Hall, now rebuilt as the residence of the Hon. Johnny Greenall
Greenalls
De Vere Group is a hotels and leisure business which until the late 1990s was a brewing company known as Greenall's. It used to be listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
(brewing family), but formerly visited by the French philosopher Rousseau. Arthur Mee notes that this visit was not entirely a happy one.
Also within the Parish is Wootton Lodge
Wootton Lodge
Wootton Lodge is a privately owned 17th century country house situated at Wootton near Ellastone, Staffordshire, England. It is a Grade I listed building....
, a 17th century house with deer park, owned by the Bamford family (JCB
J. C. Bamford
JCB is a global construction, demolition and agricultural equipment company headquartered in Rocester, United Kingdom. It is the world's third-largest construction equipment manufacturer. It produces over 300 types of machines, including diggers , excavators, tractors and diesel engines...
). Fleeing from Cromwell's army during the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, one owner of Wooton Lodge took refuge in the coal cellar of Lower House at Prestwood. This had just been built by William Orpe, a member of one of Ellastone's oldest families. The Orpes provided shelter for their Royalist friends.
One of the Orpes had been a monk at Croxden Abbey
Croxden Abbey
Croxden Abbey was a Cistercian abbey at Croxden, Staffordshire, England.In 1179, Bertram de Verdun, the lord of the manor of Croxden, endowed a site for a new abbey, and 12 monks arrived from the Savigniac Cistercian mother house of Aunay-sur-Odon in Normandy to build the new abbey over the next 50...
about 5 miles south-west of Ellastone. His name appears on the Deed of Dissolution of the Abbey in 1538. The Ellastone Parish Register records the marriage of this former monk, along with a cousin, also named John Orpe, and then the baptisms of their respective children almost at the same time.
Geography
As mentioned above, Ellastone lies on the River DoveRiver 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...
and is a hive of fluvial activity. Two small brooks (Sandford Brook and Tit Brook) flow directly into the River Dove. Additionally there is a natural spring, still officially known as Bentley Well which flows into the Tit and sits on former farmland which is now occupied by a new development, Bentley Fold.