England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Great Longstone St Giles

The Parish

The chapelry of Great Longstone, its mother parish being Bakewell, lies in northwestern Derbyshire roughly 3 miles north of its mother church. Great Longstone sits just over 2 miles north of the A6 road which links Bakewell with Buxton. Great Longstone is an upland village standing at over 200  metres above sea level in the White Peak, the limestone area of the Peak District. Great Longstone is a mid-sized village, two lanes fork from a single junction and most properties lies within the fork or south of the more southerly lane. To the west the subsidiary settlement of Little Longstone is merely an inn and a short run of properties lining the main lane. Two main themes dominate the local economy, farming is mainly that pertaining to sheep, the sweet turf formed over limestone being especially suitable for them. In addition the underlying rock is exploited both for the stone but also for its mineral richness which once saw the nearby Monsal Dale a hive of industrial activity, now only heritage remains. Modern developments came in the form of a railway line leaping Monsal dale in an iconic viaduct whilst heading from Bakewell to Buxton, today it is a well-used cycle track and hiking route. It is tourism which today drives much of the local economy with popular fishing rivers added to the hiking and similar outdoor activities. Great Longstone sits on porous limestone so there is no surface drainage until the nearby River Wye is met, that river drains through Bakewell before joining with the Derwent, after passing through Derby the Derwent becomes one of the major tributaries of the Trent which then continues on its lengthy way to the North Sea arriving through the Humber Estuary. As already mentioned Great Longstone stands at around 200 metres above the sea, sheltering the village to its north is Longstone Edge which reaches 395 metres just over 1 1/2 miles northwest of the village. A little over 3,000 acres was assigned to Great Longstone chapelry from the vast Bakewell parish, that acreage would have supported a population of around 500 parishioners, the volume of marriages recorded would tend to indicate some 150+ marriages have been lost with the register, a tragedy for those with family interests in this area. Whilst Great Longstone is mentioned in Domesday Book as a holding of Henry de Ferrers it is described as waste due to the suppression of northern areas during the "Harrowing of the North" in reply to attempted rebellion.

The Church

St Giles' church sits on the northern edges of the village on the western side of Church Lane. Whilst the church can claim its origins back to the 12th century any fabric related to that is confined to foundations of the northern aisle. The northern aisle is of the 13th century and carries the characteristic lancet styled windows of the Early English Gothic period, also contemporary is the southern doorway. At the western end stands the tower in the Decorated style of the early 14th century. The impressive 6-bay arcades are from the Perpendicular era as is the elaborate internal woodwork of the church. Somewhat late than is usual a clerestory was added to improve internal lighting, probably sometime in the 16th century or possible even later. A typical Victorian restoration of 1873 added the battlements in the style of the Perpendicular to the tower, created today's east window plus some others as well as generally refreshing the building. Church Lane is rather narrow but is used by locals, a rougher verge to the north of the site allows a single car to get mostly off-road. The main entrance from Church Lane is through a neat lychgate into a churchyard which has no obstacles whatsoever for the photographer.