Elmton
Encyclopedia
Elmton is a linear village. It is located in the parish of Elmton-with-Creswell
in the Bolsover district
of Derbyshire
approximately equidistant between Bolsover Castle
and Creswell Crags
.
. The Victoria County History has published a detailed online account of the history of Elmton from ancient times.
In 1707, Jedediah Buxton
, the legendary mental calculator
, was born here (a blue plaque was erected in his honour in 2011 after a public poll).
Much of the village was rebuilt in the middle of the 19th C. when the local estate changed ownership: the 1886/7 Ordnance Survey map shows the village soon after this period. Although there has been some redevelopment and infilling since WW2, the village remains similar in size and form to this day. Once belonging to the Dukes of Portland of Welbeck Abbey
, the surrounding tenant farms today form part of the estates of Chatsworth House
.
Village wells are decorated with flowers in the Derbyshire well dressing
tradition in late June / early July each year.
Elmton has been voted Best Small Village in the East Midlands in Bloom competition in 2010 and 2011, with a Judges Award in 2011 for measures to protect the Bee Orchid
. The Elm Tree Inn, Elmton has been voted the Best Traditional Pub in Derbyshire at the Derbyshire Food and Drinks Awards 2011.
. The village is also close to the limestone valleys and gorges of Hollinhill and Markland Grips, a nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest managed by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust
.
denomination) is dedicated to St Peter. The church was rebuilt in 1773; it is a simple Georgian building with an unfinished tower and a pulpit with a sounding board. It contains an organ made by Charles Brindley of Sheffield in 1865, which was restored by Martin Goetze and Dominic Gwynn in 2005. The church also contains a drawing of Jedediah Buxton
made by a Miss Maria Hartley in 1764.
Elmton-with-Creswell
Elmton-with-Creswell is a civil parish in the English county of Derbyshire.Forming part of Bolsover district its main settlements are Elmton, Creswell and Creswell Model Village.- External links :*...
in the Bolsover district
Bolsover (district)
Bolsover is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. Its main town is Bolsover.There are fourteen town and parish councils within the district.In addition to the town councils of Old Bolsover and Shirebrook, there are the parish councils of:...
of 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...
approximately equidistant between Bolsover Castle
Bolsover Castle
Bolsover Castle is a castle in Bolsover, Derbyshire, England .-History:It was built by the Peverel family in the 12th century and became Crown property in 1155 when the third William Peverel fled into exile...
and Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags
Creswell Crags is a limestone gorge on the border between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, England near the villages of Creswell, Whitwell and Elmton...
.
History
There is evidence of human habitation since the Ice Age, including an Iron Age fort and possibly a Roman camp. It was named Elmton (Helmetune) in Anglo Saxon times after the large number of elm trees that were once a major feature. By the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086 the village was much the same size as today, as one of the manors belonging to Walter D'AincourtWalter D'Aincourt
Walter D'Aincourt accompanied William the Conqueror to England in 1066 and was rewarded with a large number of manors in a number of counties but particularly Nottinghamshire after the Norman conquest.-Biography:...
. The Victoria County History has published a detailed online account of the history of Elmton from ancient times.
In 1707, Jedediah Buxton
Jedediah Buxton
Jedediah Buxton was a noted English mental calculator, born at Elmton, near Bolsover, in Derbyshire. Although his father was schoolmaster of the parish, and his grandfather had been the vicar, his education had been so neglected that he could not write; and his knowledge, except of numbers, was...
, the legendary mental calculator
Mental calculator
Mental calculators are people with a prodigious ability in some area of mental calculation, such as multiplying large numbers or factoring large numbers...
, was born here (a blue plaque was erected in his honour in 2011 after a public poll).
Much of the village was rebuilt in the middle of the 19th C. when the local estate changed ownership: the 1886/7 Ordnance Survey map shows the village soon after this period. Although there has been some redevelopment and infilling since WW2, the village remains similar in size and form to this day. Once belonging to the Dukes of Portland of Welbeck Abbey
Welbeck Abbey
Welbeck Abbey near Clumber Park in North Nottinghamshire was the principal abbey of the Premonstratensian order in England and later the principal residence of the Dukes of Portland.-Monastic period:...
, the surrounding tenant farms today form part of the estates of Chatsworth House
Chatsworth House
Chatsworth House is a stately home in North Derbyshire, England, northeast of Bakewell and west of Chesterfield . It is the seat of the Duke of Devonshire, and has been home to his family, the Cavendish family, since Bess of Hardwick settled at Chatsworth in 1549.Standing on the east bank of the...
.
Village wells are decorated with flowers in the Derbyshire 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...
tradition in late June / early July each year.
Elmton has been voted Best Small Village in the East Midlands in Bloom competition in 2010 and 2011, with a Judges Award in 2011 for measures to protect the Bee Orchid
Bee Orchid
The Bee Orchid is an herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the family Orchidaceae.-Etymology:The name "Ophrys" derives from the Greek word "ophrys", meaning "eyebrow", while the Latin name of the species "apifera" refers to the bee-shaped lip.-Description: The Bee Orchid grows to a height of ....
. The Elm Tree Inn, Elmton has been voted the Best Traditional Pub in Derbyshire at the Derbyshire Food and Drinks Awards 2011.
Natural history
Most of the older properties in the village are built out of the local magnesian limestone (see, for example, the village church). The limestone has provided the village green with rare flora and fauna, such as the Bee OrchidBee Orchid
The Bee Orchid is an herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the family Orchidaceae.-Etymology:The name "Ophrys" derives from the Greek word "ophrys", meaning "eyebrow", while the Latin name of the species "apifera" refers to the bee-shaped lip.-Description: The Bee Orchid grows to a height of ....
. The village is also close to the limestone valleys and gorges of Hollinhill and Markland Grips, a nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest managed by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust
Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, Derbyshire, England, is a member of The Wildlife Trusts partnership. It was established in 1962 and has over 6,000 members.It manages 40 nature reserves totalling over of woodland, wetland and meadows...
.
Church
The church (Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
denomination) is dedicated to St Peter. The church was rebuilt in 1773; it is a simple Georgian building with an unfinished tower and a pulpit with a sounding board. It contains an organ made by Charles Brindley of Sheffield in 1865, which was restored by Martin Goetze and Dominic Gwynn in 2005. The church also contains a drawing of Jedediah Buxton
Jedediah Buxton
Jedediah Buxton was a noted English mental calculator, born at Elmton, near Bolsover, in Derbyshire. Although his father was schoolmaster of the parish, and his grandfather had been the vicar, his education had been so neglected that he could not write; and his knowledge, except of numbers, was...
made by a Miss Maria Hartley in 1764.