A look into monastic life in the county
Ashbourne Heritage Society
Ashbourne Heritage Society is still meeting despite covid. Although the remainder of the spring 2020 programme had to be cancelled after lockdown in March, the programme this autumn is a success with record attendances.
Meetings are now held via Zoom, with members sitting in the warmth and safety of their own homes. Visitors are welcome, as before.
Our latest meeting was a talk by
Sue Woore on Derbyshire Monastic Granges. Sue, with friend and colleague Muff Wiltshire, has researched the background to the monastic granges found in Derbyshire and they have published a book on the subject.
In addition to advertising the talk locally, details were also circulated to other historical societies such as the Derbyshire Archaeological Society and umbrella groups for heritage societies in Staffordshire and Cheshire.
Searching the internet also found contact details for other societies whose members were interested in medieval subjects. Notice of the lecture also made the front page of The British Agricultural History Society.
The end result was that Sue’s talk was attended by 100 people logging in. Allowing for the fact that there will have been two people watching in some households the actual audience probably numbered between 120 and 150 people.
This number could not have fitted in St Oswald’s Church Hall. The audience was not disappointed. Sue covered many aspects of the life and operation of granges around the county.
One important factor was access to a water supply. This was usually achieved by the natural features of springs, or dew ponds, some of which were physically enhanced or enlarged.
Reasonable transport routes were needed for moving the stock around and many granges were situated close to ancient track ways or Roman roads.
Granges were established by religious houses. Landowners would donate some of their landholding to a religious house in return for prayers being said perpetually for the soul of the donor and his family.
The recipient of the land need not be a religious house local to where the donor lived. Roughly two thirds of the 45 granges identified in Derbyshire had mother houses as far away as the other side of Chester, Louth in Lincolnshire and Dunstable Priory, 100 miles to the south of Ashbourne.
There were 27 out-of-county abbeys and priories involved. There is evidence in the landscape around some granges of deserted habitation.
Granges were often established on the fringes of manors, on marginal land that needed clearance. If the land donated was close to habitation there is some evidence to suggest that the religious house established the grange and removed the people to create space.
There is still evidence of the ancient grange system of farming in the landscape which can be seen today. Some boundaries are arc shaped or even circular.
Dry stone walls are built so that they funnelled the sheep from common grazing back to the grange farm. Stone walls can also be formed as sheep folds.
Evidence of the actual grange buildings is difficult to see. On some sites there is clear evidence that the stonework of modern buildings has been reused.
Many sites such as Hanson Grange and Newton Grange have substantial dwellings on them. It is possible that they stand on the footprint of medieval buildings.
Sue’s talk generated a number of questions and many expressions of appreciation.
Also some people arranged to buy Sue’s book. It can still be obtained through bookshops in the area.
Monastic Granges of Derbyshire: A gazetteer with maps, illustrations and historical notes by Mary Wiltshire and Sue Woore. Published by W&WP, priced at £15.99.
It can be ordered from: Sue Woore, Ashley, Belle Vue Rd, Ashbourne DE6 1AT. Postage is £3, or it can be collected at arm’s length!
Ashbourne Heritage Society’s December meeting will be on Tuesday, December 8, when the subject will be The visible heritage of the Dove and Manifold valleys.
Our speaker, Geof Cole, is well known as one of Ashbourne’s Town Heritage Guides.
In this talk, he will explore the history of Ashbourne and its surrounding area by looking at what be seen locally, with occasional trips further afield, from Ice Age cave art to modern wind turbines.
The meeting starts at 7.30pm and the Zoom link can be requested either via the society website or from ashheritagesoc@gmail.com. that the church will be allowed to continue with this plan.
Kits of the felt kings were delivered to members and the secretary, Lois Wilkes, demonstrated how to make them up.
In another first for us, we split into groups of four or five to chat while we stitched and some even managed to complete a king or two!
The next meeting will take place via Zoom on Thursday, December 19, when the speaker will be Carol Burnett.
Any members wishing to attend and who have not participated as yet in the Zoom meetings are asked to contact Stephanie Cole.