News & Views - February 1979 - Issue 4

HARTINGTON & BIGGIN “NEWS AND VIEWS” MID WINTER ISSUE NO.4

Dear Friends,

When Her Majesty the Queen signed an Order in Council at Buckingham Palace on the 25th July 1978, the parishes of Biggin and Hartington became what is known as a “United Benefice”. The two parishes will continue in all respects distinct but the new arrangement will make things much more straight forward each time a new Vicar is appointed.

The first joint venture of the two parishes will be an Historical Exhibition of Local Industries and Crafts to be held over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend. Whilst the displays will be set up in Hartington Church, I hope that every parishioner in both parishes will feel able to join in. We would like to feature lead and copper mining, transportation, railways, tourism, the retail trade, spinning, lime-burning, cheese-making, meermaking, brickmaking, stone-walling, sheep and dairy farming and the work of the blacksmith. So please turn out those drawers and rummage around those sheds and attics to see if you have any items that you would be prepared to loan to the organisers.

Yours sincerely,

DOUGLAS GIBSON

When as a child I laughed and wept.

When as a youth I waxed more bold.

When I became a full-grown man.

When older still I daily grew. Soon I shall find, in passing on.

0 Christ! wilt Thou have saved me then?

A Coffee Evening will be held at the Vicarage on Friday, 30th March at 7.30 p.m.  Tickets price 20p will soon be available from members

of the P.C.C*   Gifts towards the usual stalls will be most welcome.

Donations to Hartington Church have been gratefully received amounting to £107* 00 in memory of John Frank Kirkham and £92* 50 in memory of

Jane Ann Broomhead.

a weekly Lent Study Course will commence at the Vicarage on “Wednesday, 7th Sarah at 8 p.m.

A presentation was made at the end of last term to the Welfare •assistant Mrs H. Birds who was leaving Biggin School alter 18 years of loyal service.

HARTINGTON PARISH MAGAZINE 1894

The publication of the Hartington and Biggin “News and Views” has reminded me of the former Parish Magazine introduced by the Rev. W. Fyldes at Hartington in January 1894. This was composed of the Church Monthly – a National Church Magazine – and local news including a list of services, burials and baptisms and parish notices. In the first issue the latter contains “A Lecture on Brink” illustrated by the Magic Lantern, the “Reading Room” where books could be borrowed for a fortnight for one penny, the “Annual Entertainment” , “The Bible Class for Women” (proposed) and the Thrift and Clothing Clubs. Later issues have contributions on Lent and Easter and information on a Confirmation, the Choir Supper and Sunday School Treat, Lectures on Gardening, the format— -ion of a String Band, the Schools and the Band of Hope etc.

The Church Warden’s accounts from Easter 1893 to Easter 1894

Income              £. s. d.

Expenditure

£. s. d

Donations           23.10. 6

Insurance

1. 2. 6

(These ranged

Visitation fees

18. 0

from £5.5.0. to

Coals

3.11. 0

one shilling)

‘Work on Flint tomb

Bradbury’s (joiner) work

1. 4. 8

Offertories &

at Church

19. 8

contributions        5.13. 7½

Bellfield for oil and candles

4. 2

Flint’s Charity      4. 0. 0

Wilson’s account

8.16.11

Box in Church         1. 9. 4

Ringers

5. 2. C

Carting gravel

1.19. C

 

Sexton’s account

6. 0. 6

Last year’s balance 8. 9½

Sexton’s work in

 

 

churchyard

4. 1. C

 

Brushes etc.

5. 5½

 

Screw pins & nuts

2. 6

 

 

 

 

 

 

£35. 2. 3

 

make interesting reading.

 

Here is an abridged version:-

 

Sexton’s work included lighting lamps, cleaning roof, sweeping

 

 

flues, lighting fires, housing coals, cleaning bells, cleaning Walks, carting away stone etc.

Marjorie Brindley,

A MYSTERY SOLVED

In wartime I spent almost five years in the Armed Services. At that time, we had a few milk cows at home, which my wife was able to attend to. One day one of the cows went lame, so my wife waited until she could catch it lying down. When this happened, she was able to bathe round the claws of the cow on several occasions. Previous to this, about twelve months earlier, my wife had lost her wedding ring. So, with washing the cow’s foot the mystery was solved, for whilst bathing it one day out came the wedding ring. It must have been between the cow’s claw for twelve months. All this time the cow had been walking on the roads. It went on alright after the finding of the ring. Unfortunately, after this incident, my wife lost her wedding ring again, never to be found this time.

(Extract from memoirs of Bennett Buxton, Dale Head Farm, Biggin)

SHOW AND ICE – THEN AND NOW

At the time of writing, our roads have not been free of snow and ice for a single day this year. Villagers have been recalling the winters of 1963? 1947 and 1933. Here is an extract from a Derby newspaper dated February 1900 which Mary Stubbs has Preserved:-

“In common with the Peak District generally, Hartington experienced very extraordinary weather during the whole of last Week. In the early part of the week snow fell continuously for nearly 30 hours. The ground was covered to a depth of 13 inches. Fortunately, the snow plough was at work early on Monday morning and the main roads were available for traffic. On Thursday there was another immense fall of snow. The mail cart was unable to get through, and no letters were delivered. The railway traffic was disorganised on the new High Peak Lane, and the London train due at Hartington at 9.30 p. m. got off the line in trying to force a way through a drift in a cutting near the station.”

History repeats itself for on February 15th Radio Derby announced “Biggin-by-Hartington is cut off by snowdrifts”. The previous day a fearsome blizzard had started to blow on Station Hill, Hartington.

CHURCH SERVICES IN MARCH AND APRIL

A member of Gideons international will be speaking about the work of the movement at Hartington on March 18th at 10 a.m.

March 25th is mothering Sunday and special Family Services will be held at Biggin at 2.30 and at Hartington at 3.45 when children from our two primary schools will take part. The Guest speaker will be Anne Waghorn of Women’s action from York.

Annual Parochial Church Meetings will be held at Hartington on 6th April and at Biggin on 10th April.

The Bishop of Derby will visit Hartington on April 8th at 3 p.m. to dedicate the new churchyard seats. One has been given in memory of “Bob” Sherratt and the other is the gift of His Grace the Duke of Devonshire.

Supper service times commence on Easter Sunday, 15th April at Hartington. The evening service will be at 7.30 p.m. and there will be an early service of Holy Communion every Sunday at 8 a.m. A picture postcard showing an aerial view of Hartington Church and Vicarage is now on sale price 5p.