England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Horsley St Clement

The Parish

The parish of Horsley lies in eastern Derbyshire roughly 6 miles north of the county town of Derby. Horsley sits a quarter mile east of the A38 road which links Derby through to the M1 motorway and Alfreton. The village of Horsley, which holds the parish church, is just one of the villages within the parish, it is a curve of properties on a spur of a hill culminating in the church at its western end, to the east sits Horsley Woodhouse and to the north Kilburn both linear settlements along the A609 road between Belper & Smalley. The area has a long history, to the south of Horsley sits the site of Horsley (or Horston) Castle which existed as early as the mid-12th century and stands on the western end of a spur overlooking the valley below, the stonework has been robbed over the centuries leaving merely the earthworks as a reminder. Much of the parish was set to pasture but the quarries hereabouts also tell of much extraction of the local stone and not just from the castle. Like many East Midlands communities the ubiquitous framework knitting trade also employed many in Horsley. Modern developments have come to the parish both exploiting the tributary valley of the Derwent below the village, the railway line which followed this feature is now closed but the A38 has been upgraded to fast dual-carriageway highway speeding traffic from eastern Staffordshire as well as Derbyshire to the M1. Horsley is drained southwards by that tributary which joins the Derwent at Little Eaton, the Derwent passes through Derby, turns southeast and meets the Trent to join that river's long journey back north to the North Sea through the Humber Estuary. Horsley is sited at around 100 metres above the sea with the subsidiary villages perhaps 10-20 metres higher in undulating terrain, to the south Drum Hill (156 metres) is the highest ground around. Covering just under 2,700 acres Horsley parish was typical of this area in being more extensive, it would have supported a population of close to 2,250 parishioners. Domesday Horsley was a much smaller place held by Ralph de Buron it had just 23 households and mustered 8 ploughs backed by some meadows and woodland.

The Church

St Clement's church stands at the western end of the village of Horsley at the end of the dead-end lane of Church Street. The church is a product of the 14th & 15th centuries, originally built in the early 14th century style of the Decorated, shown well by the southern doorway and the southern arcades but it the western tower that characterises the style best of all with classic Decorated styling shown in its bell-opening tracery. The church received a re-dedication in 1450 after it had undergone extensive rebuilding in the Perpendicular period, the northern aisle was remodelled, the southern rebuilt, the clerestory inserted and the crenellating completed. Inside one can see the former roof line before everything was raised to accommodate the clerestory, it was successful as the church is often praised for its wide and light interior. Like most churches there was a Victorian restoration, a lengthy phase between 1858 & 1860 but at least the work failed to spoil the splendid view of the east end as one enters the churchyard. Church Street is narrow with little room for turning but well used by locals for parking. The churchyard is very busy with trees which remove almost all views except those from the east and southeast leaving a very limited portfolio for the photographer.