Derbyshire Family History Society

30/09/2026

Derbyshire Record Office, Great Longstone, not everyone is equal .... https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6MHS-YCH?view=fullText&keywords=Derbyshire%2CDERBYSHIRE&searchForm=advanced&lang=en (register for free account)

26/09/2026

News from Derbyshire Record Office https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/2026/09/24/were-getting-ready-for-a-new-online-catalogue/?fbclid=IwY2xjawUkh1NleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mAXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR4fX6jAW_q9fq_CSDtxGLdBBo2heIYxwFkXtLTAUyILHR4iMPEUSAg06JvOvQ_aem_sjSpV_EkeE__AfA8x2KDEg

As many of you will know our online catalogue has become increasingly temperamental over the last couple of years, and we are pleased to announce that we will shortly begin the process of moving to…

14/09/2026

Britain used the Julian calendar for the last time, going to bed as Wednesday, 2 September and waking up the following morning as Thursday, 14 September, with the 11 days in between simply erased from history.
The switch to the more accurate Gregorian calendar was made to correct centuries of drift caused by the Julian calendar's slightly inaccurate leap year system, bringing Britain finally into line with most of Western Europe, which had already made the change back in 1582.
The popular story of furious mobs rioting in the streets demanding "give us our eleven days" is now largely considered a myth, likely inspired by a satirical William Hogarth painting rather than any real historical unrest.
Some people genuinely feared the government had somehow shortened their lives by 11 days, while the tax year end was shifted from 25 March to 5 April to ensure nobody was unfairly taxed on a shortened year, a quirk of the calendar reform still in place today.

10/09/2026

For all disappointed viewers, Eyam The Plague Village now on Channel 5, 9.00pm TODAY 10th September

09/09/2026

1881 Census Stretton - John Rooth 65 head, farmer of 96 acres, Harriott Rooth 68 wife, Sarah Smith 17 servant all born Stretton. Harriott died in 1884. Diaries of Eliza Hodgson (|1834-1919) of Ashover, Thursday 22nd April 1886 Old John Rooth took his own life.

05/09/2026

Well, after a glorious, sunny summer, we have now reached September, the restart of our talks. On September 16th we welcome a firm favourite at our meetings, Robert Mee. This time, he will be telling us about Almshouses, Past and Present. Please join us at the Museum (members and visitors) or ZOOM (members only).

02/09/2026

Possible henge site in Monyash, Derbyshire, Peak District, with ditch feature and crop marks - Mick Parker LiDAR and Aerial Archaeology facebook group -
I have had a reply from Anna Badcock at Peak District Archaeology, she thinks it stands a good chance of being another henge! Obviously it needs investigating a little further before that can be confirmed.
I took the drone over to see if there were any crop/parch marks seeing as it has been so dry. I think you will agree that while the marks are faint, they are there. I see a ditch feature between 3-5m wide running around the site, there are also other features within and without that will also need some geophys I would think.
The village of Monyash has interesting geology. While sitting within the free draining landscape of the limestone, an area in Monyash has a clay deposit fed by springs which means it can form ponds. Only one of these ponds still exists (Fere Mere) although there were five until relatively recently and perhaps more in the distant past. These ponds served the local community up until piped water was fed in. Monyash's village name is derived from 'many waters'.
I suspect the proximity to water was one of the reasons the poss. henge was located in this spot, it being only a couple of fields away from the ponds. Beyond Its obvious importance for people and their livestock, watery places seemed to have a draw for the prehistoric peoples.

31/08/2026

In the days before man made fibres when Cotton Was King

30/08/2026

Eyam, The Plague Village 2/9/2026 Channel 5