Alstonefield

This ancient village, situated between the Manifold and the Dove Valleys, lies at the crossroads of several old packhorse routes and even had its own market charter granted in 1308. The market ceased in 1500 but the annual cattle sales continued right up until the beginning of the 20th century. The hamlet was also the site of England’s first co-operative cheese factory, which produced a variety of Derby cheese.

Its geographical location has helped to maintain the charm of Alstonefield. There has been no invasion by the canal or railway builders (it stands 900 feet above sea level) and it is still two miles from the nearest classified road. One hundred and fifty years ago Alstonefield was at the centre of a huge parish which covered all the land between the two rivers. There has been a church here since at least AD 892, when a visit by St Oswald is recorded, but the earliest known parts of the large Parish Church of St Peter are the Norman doorway and chancel arch. It was added to in the 15th century and restored in Victorian times. There is also plenty of 17th-century woodwork and a double-decker pulpit dated 1637. Izaak Walton’s friend Charles Cotton, and his family, lived at nearby Beresford Hall, now unfortunately no more, but their elaborate pew, with the Cotton coat-of-arms, is still in the church.

The village also retains its ancient Tithe Barn, found behind the late 16th-century rectory. The internal exposed wattle and daub wall and the spiral stone staircase may, however, have been part of an earlier building.

Nearby Alstonefield you will find Hanson Grange, an old farmstead, and the site of an ancient burial ground. The numerous reported sounds of violent fighting and cries of anguish are thought to stem back to the murder, in 1467, of a man named John Mycock. Four people participated in his death; John de la Pole of Hartington hit him on the side of his head; Henry Vigers of Monyash stabbed him in the chest; John Harrison shot him in the back with a bow and arrow; and Matthew Bland of Hartington struck him on the head with a club staff. Witnesses were too scared to testify, so the murderers never went to trial before the king. Maybe this is why the sounds of that fateful night can still be heard as this murder most foul has gone unavenged for centuries.