England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Ashover All Saints

The Parish

The parish of Ashover lies in the northern portion of central Derbyshire, an extensive parish covering much of the eastern Peak District. Ashover is located roughly 7 miles south of the industrial town of Chesterfield and sits a mile east of the A638 road which connects Chesterfield with Matlock. Whilst Ashover village holds the church and grants its name to the parish it is by far the only settlement in this diverse parish. Ashover, once a market town but having lost that status in favour of nearby Matlock, is a straggle of a village rising up-slope from the River Amber in a jumble of lanes for over a half mile. In addition smaller settlements can be found at Kelstedge on the A638, Fallgate further southeast on the Amber and more modern settlements on the eastern edges of the parish close to Clay Cross. Whilst within the area of the Peak District it was the extraction industries and manufacturing which employed most in the parish; indeed the Gregory lead-mine was once the richest in the land. In addition to lead there were also mines for coal and ironstone, millstone and gritstone were also quarried. Manufacturing of stockings and lace also employed many of the women of the parish whilst the wider parish was farmed through a mixture of pastoral grazing of both sheep & cattle and smaller patches of arable. Modern developments skirted the parish with the Derby to Chesterfield railway line headed through Clay Cross rather then Ashover. Ashover is drained southeastwards by the Amber which is soon captured within Ogston Reservoir before emerging again heading south and merging with the Derwent north of Belper, the Derwent continues south and then southeast after passing through Derby to meet the Trent close to Long Eaton from where the long journey to the North Sea culminates in the Humber Estuary. Ashover, as already mentioned, stretches over a long climb from its lower properties by the Amber at 160 metres to its higher part 100 metres higher whilst across the Amber to the west a spot height of 318 metres at Wire Stone marks the highest ground within this upland area. Covering 9,700 acres Ashover parish was one of the most extensive in its county and its diversity of settlements supported a population spread across its width of close to 3,500 parishioners. Ashover is mentioned in Domesday Book as a much smaller place than today, held by one Ralph a son of Hubert its assets of 4 ploughs, 2 leagues of woodland and a mill made for a modest rural holding.

The Church

All Saints' church sits in the lower end of Ashover close to the Amber and on the western side of Church Street adjacent to the Crispin Inn. The oldest feature of today's church is its southern doorway which is 13th century and from the Early English Gothic period, in date sequence it is followed by the chancel which is probably best described as Transitional being from the turn of 13th into 14th century. Much else is of the Perpendicular period and largely from a partial rebuild of the early 15th century. Typically Perpendicular is the northern arcade, however, which is 14th century and shows thin octagonal piers. The impressive western tower, complete with spire, has varying opinions as to its date, stories tell of its completion in 1419, either way it is very definitely early 15th century Perpendicular. Scars from a former roof-line also prove that the Perpendicular style clerestory was inserted at a similar date. A modest restoration of 1885 saw two additional features added whilst refreshing the general fabric, a vestry and organ chamber. Church Street begins as a narrow lane passing the church but opens out markedly north of the site allowing comfortable opportunities for on-road parking. The entrance sits alongside the Crispin Inn where wooden gates grant entry to a churchyard which has many obstacles for the photographer with trees prevalent along most of the southern face, a challenge to the acquisition of adequate images.