Rodsley is a small village and civil parish about south of
Ashbourne in
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
. As the population of the village was less than 100 at the 2011 Census, details are included in the
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
of
Yeaveley.
History
Nearby Hollington and Rodsley (then spelt ''Redeslei'' or ''Redlesleie'') are included as manors in the 1086 Domesday Survey as belonging to
Henry de Ferrers
Henry de Ferrers (died by 1100), magnate and administrator, was a Norman who after the 1066 Norman conquest was awarded extensive lands in England.
Origins
He was the eldest son of Vauquelin de Ferrers and in about 1040 inherited his father's ...
, who was given a large number of manors in Derbyshire. His descendants became the
Earls of Derby
Earl of Derby ( ) is a title in the Peerage of England. The title was first adopted by Robert de Ferrers, 1st Earl of Derby, under a creation of 1139. It continued with the Ferrers family until the 6th Earl forfeited his property toward the en ...
and still owned land in
Shirley
Shirley may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Shirley'' (novel), an 1849 novel by Charlotte Brontë
* ''Shirley'' (1922 film), a British silent film
* ''Shirley'' (2020 film), an American film
* ''Shirley'' (album), a 1961 album by Shirley Bas ...
in the nineteenth century. Mention is also made of the
abbey of Burton as having an interest.
In 1881, Rodsley had a population of 136 people.
It has been calculated that in 1901, Rodsley represented the
population centre
In demographics, the center of population (or population center) of a region is a geographical point that describes a centerpoint of the region's population. There are several ways of defining such a "center point", leading to different geogr ...
of Britain. This centre has been travelling southwards through
Longford (in 1911) and was lying somewhere near
Appleby Parva
Appleby Parva, or Little Appleby (Known locally as Over-Town), part of the parish of Appleby Magna in Leicestershire, is a hamlet about south-west of Appleby church. It straddles the A444, south of the crossroads of the highways from Ashby de ...
on the Derbyshire to Leicestershire border in 2000.
Appleby Magna – centre of Britain
Notable residents
Saint Ralph Sherwin was born here in 1550. He was canonised (declared a saint) in 1970 and his feast day is 1 December – the day he died in 1581.
See also
* Listed buildings in Rodsley
Notes and references
External links
1840 Tithe Map for Rodsley
Villages in Derbyshire
Civil parishes in Derbyshire
Towns and villages of the Peak District
Derbyshire Dales
{{Derbyshire-geo-stub