Horsley is a small village in the

Amber Valley Amber Valley is a local government district with borough status in the east of Derbyshire, England, taking its name from the River Amber. Its council is based in Ripley. The district covers a semi-rural area lying to the north of the city of ...

district of

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

, roughly 5 miles north of the City of

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, with a population of 973 at the 2011 Census. The parish church of St Clement and St John, which dates from the 13th century, was rededicated in 1450. It is noted for its fine peal of bells. The main street is Church Street which runs from east to west through the village. Horsley has three main focal points: the village green at the West side of the village, the crossroads of The Dovecote, French Lane and Church Street, and the junction of Church Street, Lady Lea Road and Smalley Mill Road (known locally as "the triangle"). Each of these points boasts a fountain, donated to the village in 1864 by Reverend Sitwell. The fountains were named Sophia, Rosamund and Blanche after the Sitwell family's daughters. The Sitwells of Horlsey, Derbyshire, were related to the Sitwell family of

Leamington Hastings Leamington Hastings is a small village and larger civil parish in Warwickshire, England. The civil parish covers Leamington Hastings itself, plus the nearby hamlets of Broadwell, Hill and Kites Hardwick. Its population in the 2011 census was ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

, where they had inherited the

lordship of the manor Lord of the manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England and Norman England, referred to the landholder of a historical rural estate. The titles date to the English feudal (specifically baronial) system. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the ...

on marrying a Wheler family heiress. The village pub is called the Coach and Horses. Horsley also used to have a second pub called the Ship Inn, but this has been a private house for many years. A recreation ground is situated off French Lane. The rec has a small football pitch and contains the local

crown green bowling Crown green bowls (or crown green) is a code of bowls played outdoors on a grass or artificial turf surface known as a bowling green. The sport's name is derived from the intentionally convex or uneven nature of the bowling green which is tradi ...

club. The remains of 12th-century Horsley (Horeston) castle are about a mile away from the village itself. Driving south from the village on Smalley Mill Road you will see Horsley Lodge and Horsley Lodge Golf Club. Opposite the golf club, Springwood Riding Club holds horse shows, on Sundays in the summer. Horsley was originally a feudal barony and though all rights and land were separated from the feudal title, the feudal title still exists. The 26th and current Baron of Horsley is American philanthropist Terry A. Perkins.

Coxbench Horsley is a small village in the Amber Valley district of Derbyshire, roughly 5 miles north of the City of Derby, England, with a population of 973 at the 2011 Census. The parish church of St Clement and St John, which dates from the 13th c ...

, which is a hamlet in the south of the parish, is supposed to have been the "Herdebi" mentioned in the

Domesday Survey Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

, as held under

Henry de Ferrers Henry de Ferrers (died by 1100), magnate and administrator, was a Normans, Norman who after the 1066 Norman conquest of England, Norman conquest was awarded extensive lands in England. Origins He was the eldest son of Vauquelin de Ferrers and i ...

; and the adjoining part of the manor of Horsley is supposed to have been the "Herdebi" held under Ralph de Burun. It was once served by

Coxbench railway station Horsley is a small village in the Amber Valley district of Derbyshire, roughly 5 miles north of the City of Derby, England, with a population of 973 at the 2011 Census. The parish church of St Clement and St John, which dates from the 13th c ...

on the

Midland Railway Ripley Branch The Midland Railway Ripley Branch connected Derby to Ripley, Derbyshire, Ripley in Derbyshire, England running from Little Eaton Junction on the Midland Railway line to Leeds. Origin In the late eighteenth century the valley running from the ...

References

External links

Horsley Parish Council

Horsley Lodge

Springwood Riding Club
Villages in Derbyshire Civil parishes in Derbyshire Geography of Amber Valley {{derbyshire-geo-stub

See also

References

External links