crich area community news
From the editor
It is gratifying to know that we shall have to wait over a hundred years before we have Easter as early again. This issue contains the usual hotchpotch of contributions thankfully received. I must repeat what has been said many times – we can only include what has been sent in. If there is nothing about your club, organisation, gathering or interest then it is because there has been no contribution received. The magazine is mainly about voluntary contributions to life and events in our local area.
This month there is a survey to help the possible setting up of a new bakery, cafe and deli in the village. Please support them as it would be lovely to have this service provided locally. You can complete the survey online, or use the hard copy in the centre of your magazine. Completed surveys to be dropped off in the CACN post-box or at the Post Office by the 30th June please.
Thank you to everyone who has given me feedback over what you enjoy about the magazine and for this observation made by a friend.
Offspring
A woman knows all about her children. She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favourite foods, secret fears, hopes and dreams.
A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.
- 17 Couvreur St.,
- Garran ACT,
- Australia
- +61 2 62812892
Dear Editor
My wife and I live in Canberra, Australia and we are researching my ancestors some of whom were centred on Crich and we are hopeful that you might publish my letter in the hope that we can make contact with Crich residents with whom we have a shared ancestry.
We have traced my Crich ancestors back to George Radford and Ann Austin (incorrectly recorded as Hosden) who married at Crich on 13 April 1817. At this time we are uncertain of George’s parents but Ann was baptized as Nanny Austin of Cromford on 17 July 1791 to John and Ellen (nee Wheeldon) Austin who married at Wirksworth on 17 January 1791. So far as we can establish John Austin was buried on 26 August 1791 and Ellen later married James Wetton at Crich. Ellen and James had a son, Samuel, who was a witness at the marriage of George Radford and Ann Austin.
George and Ann had Mary, who was baptized on 12 October 1817; George (17 January 1819); John (29 July 1821); Ellen (3 August 1823 and buried 15 March 1834); William Kirk (12 March 1826); James (22 June 1828 and buried 3 May 1840); Jane (1 August 1830); Emily (20 October 1833 and buried 3 August 1834); and Peter on an unknown date in 1837. The records of the baptism of several of George’s children describe him as a “Labourer and Greenwich pensioner” which we understand is evidence that he served in the Navy.
George Radford was buried at Crich on 5 March 1837, his age recorded as 63, and Ann was buried on 17 August 1869, her age recorded as 82 but that did not end my association with Crich. Mary, George and Ann’s first child, married James Sims there on 8 October 1838. James Sims was baptized in the parish of Duffield on 11 September 1814 to Samuel and Martha (nee Oliver) Sims.
James and Mary Sims had 9 children, only the first 2 of which were baptized at Crich; Martha on 21 July 1829 and George on 23 March 1841. Thereafter James and Mary Sims moved first to Tintwistle, Cheshire and then to Eston, Yorkshire and it was from there that one of James and Mary’s grandchildren emigrated to Australia in the late 19th century.
We would like to contact any person who fits into this ancestral structure and, of course, can shed any further light on the facts as we now know them.
Thank you for your anticipated assistance.
Ross & Monika Jones
France
Dear Editor
My friend, Mrs Sue Warboys, very kindly gave me a copy of the Spring edition of the magazine which included her letter about my time spent as an evacuee to Crich. She wrote about Mr Holgate and the time he spent there, which causes me to wonder whether or not he knows of the Evacuees Reunion Association. I am a member myself and receive the newsletter regularly. Apart from my book having been reviewed and thus Crich having been mentioned, I have written to the magazine seeking other ex-evacuees who were sent there, but there has been no response. Should Mr Holgate, or anyone else, be interested, the E R A’s website is www.evacuees.org.uk.
Just as a matter of interest, I have met someone here in the south of France whose two sisters left Essex when I did, from the same school, to the same school in Crich and one of whom now lives in the same street in which I lived before we all were sent away! I also have a new friend in New Zealand - similar story - thanks to Sue’s mother Joyce, Joyce’s Crich friend and CACN printing a small piece I submitted for the millennium issue. Another friend here, now sadly no longer living, was sent from Essex and attended the Herbert Strutt School two years or so before I did.
I now have quite a collection of the CACN, a magazine I thoroughly enjoy.
Yours sincerely,
Gloria Weston (nee Gossiaux)
The Essex schools which were sent to Derbyshire from Gloria’s area were from Southend-on-Sea, Leigh-on-Sea and Westcliff-on-Sea. Her book “Goodbye, Gloria” is available from Amazon. See also the archived letters page for more information. ED
Judy Mallaber MP – Village Post Offices
In the June 07 issue of CACN Ms Mallaber wrote in support of village post offices and the vital part they have to play in small communities. We know that Crich village post office provides a vital service for us, especially since the closure of Fritchley post office.
From Ms Mallaber’s own website: Post Office Review – dated 2nd October, 2007
Responding to the proposals published today for consultation by the Post Office on the future of the local post office network in the East Midlands, Amber Valley MP Judy Mallaber said:
“I am disappointed by the proposed closures of post offices in Amber Valley. Post offices play a vital role in local communities and we must retain a viable stable network which safeguards this essential service into the future for those that use it.”
It came as a surprise to find that she voted with the Government in support of their intention to close many village post offices. This was passed with a small majority. I wrote to her asking for an explanation for this apparent about-face. Sadly to date she has felt unable to reply. I sincerely hope her actions do not jeopardise the future of our post office and feel saddened that other small communities will lose theirs.
Peter Patilla
- 7 Dunadry
- Northern Ireland
Dear Editor
Just a brief note of re-introduction from us here in NI. Your quarterly journal has come into my possession and I have been asked to notify you that we are still in existence and will meet again on Thursday, 10th April at 7.45 pm in the Dunadry Hotel.
Sometimes we plough a lonely furrow, with about 10 stalwarts meeting about 4 times per year, with an annual dinner in the autumn and a community get together at Christmas in the Hotel. Dunadry has had several developments over recent years, with well over 100 new homes being created, unfortunately not all in keeping with the hamlet. The Hotel sold off some land which now has an estate of 60 houses alone.
We continue to fight against the large scale and unsuitable plans. But as you may be aware NI in recent years has become somewhat of a hotspot for housing prices, with the average house at the end of 2007 coming in at some £225K. Thankfully this vertical rise has come to an abrupt halt, with falls of up to twenty percent being reported. As such this has put a halt to some of the development, although Dunadry remains a very desirable area. However, as a result of this development, the community has become quite diverse and more of a commuter stop, where it is harder to engender a sense of community but we keep on trying to keep it together.
Hopefully now having re-established contact we can maintain the link.
Kind regards
Alex Graham Bowmer
- Rough Farm
- Chadwick Nick Lane
- Crich
Dear Editor,
The Dawes-Hamp and Dawes family would like to say a huge thank you to everyone for the generous donations given to their Christmas light fund during the festive season. The amount collected was £400 (Four Hundred Pounds), which was donated to the Nottingham Neonatal Service Trust at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham in memory of their loving son and grandson Alexander James Dawes-Hamp who sadly lost his fight for life at two days old in October. This was to show their appreciation for the intensive care he received from this unit during his short life.
Once again THANK YOU to everyone who gave.
The Dawes/ Dawes-Hamp Family.
Also received a letter of gratitude from Nottingham Neonatal Service Trust (Special Care for Special Babies) to the Dawes Family for the £400 donation – which will go towards purchasing much needed equipment for the Neonatal Unit at QMC, Nottingham. See below. ED
