England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Shirland St Leonard

The Parish

The parish of Shirland lies in eastern Derbyshire not too far from its border with neighbouring Nottinghamshire. Shirland is located roughly 2 miles north of the town of Alfreton and sits on the A61 road which connects Alfreton with Chesterfield. Whilst Shirland grants its name to the parish it is by far the only place within that parish, Shirlandis a linear settlement spreading from the A61 downhill towards the River Amber, in addition there is Higham, once the main settlement and a lapsed market town which was granted its charter in 1243 but which has lapsed. For much of its existence Shirland has been a farming parish, the heavy clay soils leading to a dominance by livestock grazing over arable. Whilst it was know from early times that coal seams underlay the parish it was not until late Victorian times that these began to be commercially exploited leading to a population growth and the construction of mining settlements within the parish. In addition to farming and mining the local East Midlands specialist manufacturing of cloth through framework knitting also employed many. Modern developments added the Derby to Chesterfield railway to the parish infrastructure but Shirland does not possess a station. Shirland is drained southwards by the River Amber which joins the Derwent to the north of Belper and then passes through Derby to join the mighty Trent for its long journey to the North Sea arriving through the Humber Estuary. Shirland is sited at around 130 metres above the sea at its parish church, lower properties sit at around 100 metres, across the Amber land rises steadily to reach 255 metres at Wheatcroft. Derbyshire parishes in the northern portion of the county are frequently fairly extensive and Shirland covering 3,000 acres was no exception, that acreage would have supported a population of close to 1,400 parishioners. In Domesday times Shirland was a much more modest place, held by William Peverel it mustered just a pair of ploughs and some woodland.

The Church

St Leonard's church stands on the eastern side of the A61 at the main staggered crossroads that forms the notional centre of Shirland. The church is almost entirely a product of the late medieval Perpendicular era with that style shown almost throughout the fabric. The window configuration shown by the church is that of the later part of that era which indicates certainly a build no earlier than the late 15th and more probably a 16th century build. The church's western tower, complete with a set of 8 pinnacles atop its typical battlementation, it the church's standout feature which sits flush to the A61 looming over that road. The tower appears to be earlier than the remainder of the church and probably is 15th century. Two phases of restoration are documented in 1848 and 1929 which did not materially add to the church's layout. The A61 (Main Road here) is quite busy so it is suggested the side road of Hallfieldgate Lane opposite is safer for on-street parking. The tower, sitting tight to the road is best viewed from the roadside, the remainder of the churchyard is well-stocked with trees which remove most of the favoured aspects, landscape images are only available shooting along the church from the extreme southeast.