Shirland is a former
pit village in
Derbyshire, England. Together with the neighbouring villages of
Higham,
Stretton and
Stonebroom
Stonebroom is a village in the district of North East Derbyshire in Derbyshire, England. It is in the civil parish of Shirland and Higham.
Stonebroom lies to the east of the A61 between Alfreton and Clay Cross. It has a primary, nursery, pre-sc ...
, it forms part of the
civil parish of Shirland and Higham, which had a population of 4,802 at the 2011 Census. The
River Amber flows through the parish.
History
Shirland is mentioned in the
Domesday Book as ''Sirelunt'' in the
hundred of Scarsdale. According to this ancient document the manor was given to
William de Peveral after the
Norman conquest. Peveral inherited many manors around Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire including
Nottingham Castle.
The village is built around
St. Leonard's Church. The foundations of the church date to 1220, according to the inscriptions within the church. The church grounds contain many monuments to the De Grey family, who inherited the manor in the early 13th century. The church also contains memorials to the Revill family who were well-known Derbyshire landowners in the 15th century.
Gables Farm (now demolished) at Higham in Shirland Parish was built in 1696 by Thomas and Anne Clay on a 64-acre plot.
In 1868, the inhabitants were mostly involved with agriculture but a proportion were involved with
framework knitting
A stocking frame was a mechanical knitting machine used in the textiles industry. It was invented by William Lee of Calverton near Nottingham in 1589. Its use, known traditionally as framework knitting, was the first major stage in the mechan ...
. However, in 1864 a mine was founded, which by the end of the century employed 500 men. The community together with Higham increased from a population of 2,437 in 1871 to 3,415 in 1881. The mines shaped the community until 1965 when the mine closed. A golf course is now built on the former slag heaps.
[Shirlanduk.net]
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A new primary school was opened in September 2011, next to St. Leonards Church.Shirland Primary School
/ref>
Church
The buttressed west tower of St Leonard's Church is pictured above, alongside the A61 north of Alfreton. Parts of the church date from 1220 but the majority of the existing church is 15th-century. It is part of a Benefice with the Church of England churches in Stonebroom (St Peter's Church) and Morton (Church of the Holy Cross).
See also
*Listed buildings in Shirland and Higham
Shirland and Higham is a civil parish in the North East Derbyshire district of Derbyshire, England. The parish contains 42 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England
The National Heritage List for England (N ...
References
External links
Clays of Shirland
Villages in Derbyshire
Towns and villages of the Peak District
North East Derbyshire District
Grey family residences
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