| Morton | |
|---|---|
 Village Hall, Morton | |
  Morton Location within Derbyshire | |
| Population | 1,195 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | SK407601 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ALFRETON |
| Postcode district | DE55 |
| Police | Derbyshire |
| Fire | Derbyshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
Morton is a civil parish and village, three miles north of Alfreton in North East Derbyshire, Derbyshire, England. The civil parish population at the 2011 Census was 1,195. [1]
A hoard of Roman coins found between Hagg House Farm and Morton Lodge Farm is the first evidence of human activity in the Morton area. The coins have been dated at 210 AD. [2]
Morton is first documented in the will of Wulfric Spott in 1002 [3] and again mentioned in 1086 in the Domesday Book as one of the manors belonging to Walter D'Aincourt (Deincourt). [4]
The manor of Morton remained in the ownership of the Deincourts until the family line died out and then passed through several hands until being acquired by the Sitwells (of Renishaw) in 1749. The Sitwells disposed of the Morton estate in 1912.
There have been 33 barons of Morton. The current Baron of Morton resides in the United States and ascended to the barony on May 20, 2022 through issue of the 32nd Baron of Morton. [5]
The Midland Railway opened a station at Doe Hill in 1862.
In 1865 George Stephenson's Clay Cross Company opened their first colliery in Morton. Most of the houses now in Morton were built to house the colliery workers. [6]
See separate sections below for history of church, school and colliery.
According to the roadsigns entering Morton, the village is the geographical centre of England. Morton has a claim to be at the centre of England as it is midway along the longest North – South Axis (Near Berwick upon Tweed to Poole) and is also midway between the Welsh border (Close to Dodleston) and the East Coast (at Skegness). The Ordnance Survey define Fenny Drayton to be the Geographical centre of England, and Coton in the Elms to be the Farthest point from the Sea. Historically Meriden has been regarded as the centre of England for over 200 years, despite being closer to the South Coast than it is to Berwick-upon-Tweed. [7] [8] [9]
The position of the centre-of-England point is an oak tree opposite to no 69 Stretton Road (near the western end of the village). A plaque was erected by the Parish Council in the 1990s to identify the particular tree. [10]
Morton Church of the Holy Cross has a long history, although most of the current church building dates from 1850. The 1086 Domesday book identifies Morton as a parish with a church, but there is evidence of there being a church in Saxon times. The arcade dates from the thirteenth century and the tower (at the west end) from the fifteenth century. The remainder of the church results from a rebuild by T.C. Hine of Nottingham in 1850. The church is a Grade II* listed building. [6] [11]
The first Morton school opened in 1863. It was a single-room stone building known as the Old Dames School, near the church. It was replaced in 1884 by a building on the site of the current primary school. This school cost £600 and had an average attendance of 192 pupils. Most of the current school results from a 1927 rebuild to a design of George H. Widdows. A building extension, sympathetic to the Widdows design and costing £892,000 was officially opened in 2010. [6] [12] [13]
The mining industry transformed Morton from a small agricultural community into a much larger village based around the employment that its colliery offered. The colliery was opened by the Clay Cross Company in 1865 and it closed a hundred years later in 1965. At its peak, there were 1,033 employees (in 1956) and highest coal output was 390,472 tons (in 1955). There were 55 fatalities during the life of the mine. The pit-head baths were built in 1936. The baths were brick-built, with elements of Art Deco styling, and the pit-head buildings now form part of a small industrial estate. Water ingress was always a problem with this mine and the shafts were kept open and pumping of water was continued from the date of mine closure until 1990 to protect neighbouring operational pits from flooding. [14] [15]
As at March 2015, Morton has the benefit of:
Staveley is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England. Located along the banks of the River Rother. It is northeast of Chesterfield, west of Clowne, northwest of Bolsover, southwest of Worksop and southeast of Sheffield.
Donisthorpe is a village in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England, historically an exclave of Derbyshire.
Alfreton is a town and civil parish in the Amber Valley district of Derbyshire, England. The town was formerly a Norman Manor and later an Urban District. The population of the Alfreton parish was 8,799 at the 2021 Census. The villages of Ironville, Riddings, Somercotes and Swanwick were historically part of the Manor and Urban District, and the population including these was 24,476 in 2001.
Pleasley is a village and civil parish with parts in both Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. It lies between Chesterfield and Mansfield, 5 miles (8 km) south east of Bolsover, Derbyshire, England and 2.5 miles (4 km) north west of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The River Meden, which forms the county boundary in this area, runs through the village.
West Hallam is a large village and civil parish west of Ilkeston in the county of Derbyshire in the East Midlands region of England. West Hallam has had its own parish council since 1894 and, since 1974, has been part of the Erewash borough. The population of the civil parish was 4,829 at the 2001 census reducing to 4,686 at the 2011 census.
Eckington is a town and civil parish in North East Derbyshire, England. It is 7 miles (11 km) northeast of Chesterfield and 9 miles (14 km) southeast of Sheffield, on the border with South Yorkshire. It lies on the B6052 and B6056 roads close to the A6135 for Sheffield and Junction 30 of the M1. It had a 2001 population of 11,152, increasing to 11,855 at the 2011 Census.
Codnor is a village and civil parish in the Amber Valley district of Derbyshire, England. Codnor is a former mining village and had a population of 3,766 taken at the 2011 Census. It is approximately 12 miles from Derby and 14 miles from Nottingham. Codnor forms a built up area with nearby Ripley.
Glapwell is a rural village and civil parish on the A617 road in the Bolsover District of north-east Derbyshire, The village is at the top of a steep hill at an elevation of 176m, on the western edge of the Southern Magnesian Limestone] overlooking the valley of the River Doe Lea. It lies between Chesterfield, Mansfield, and Bolsover, and had a population of 1,503 at the 2011 Census.
Stonebroom is a village in the district of North East Derbyshire in Derbyshire, England. It is in the civil parish of Shirland and Higham.
Tibshelf is a village and civil parish in the Bolsover District in Derbyshire, England. It lies between the towns of Clay Cross, Shirebrook, Mansfield and Chesterfield and had a population of 4,348 at the 2021 Census. Tibshelf shares its boundaries with the villages of Morton, Pilsley, Newton, Teversal and Hardstoft.
North Wingfield is a large village and civil parish in the North East Derbyshire district in the county of Derbyshire, England. Located approximately 4½ miles south-east of Chesterfield, and 1 mile north-east of Clay Cross. The population of the civil parish as of the 2022 census was 5,885. The A6175 road from the M1 motorway to the A61 road runs through the village.
Breadsall is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Erewash in Derbyshire, England. The population of the village at the 2021 census was 792 Breadsall Priory is one of the oldest buildings in the village. The village is almost contiguous with both Derby to the south and southeast and Little Eaton to the north.
Breaston is a large village and civil parish in the Erewash district, in the south-east of Derbyshire and lies approximately 6.81 miles (10.96 km) east of the city of Derby and 8 miles (13 km) west of the city of Nottingham. The population of the civil parish as taken at the 2011 Census was 4,455. The settlement name Breaston means 'Braegd's farm/settlement': for a personal name and 'tūn' for either an enclosure, farmstead, village, etc.
Horsley is a small village in the Amber Valley district of Derbyshire, roughly 5 miles north of the City of Derby, England, with a population of 973 at the 2011 Census.
Shirland is a former pit village in Derbyshire, England. Together with the neighbouring villages of Higham, Stretton and Stonebroom, it forms part of the civil parish of Shirland and Higham, which had a population of 4,802 at the 2011 Census. The River Amber flows through the parish.
Pilsley is a village and civil parish in the district of North East Derbyshire in the county of Derbyshire, England, near the town of Chesterfield. At the 2011 Census the population was 3,487.
Newton is a village in the civil parish of Blackwell, in the Bolsover district of Derbyshire, England, about a mile south of Tibshelf.
Beighton is a village 6½ miles south-east of Sheffield's city centre, now classed as a historic township of the city. Due to much expansion, the village became a part of Sheffield city in 1967, and was transferred from Derbyshire to the newly created South Yorkshire, England. During much of the late 17th to 19th centuries the village was noted for its edge tool manufacturing, with Thomas Staniforth & Co Sickle works being based at nearby Hackenthorpe.
George H. Widdows was an English architect who pioneered changes to school building design to enhance the health of school children. He was also responsible for the design of about 80 schools in Derbyshire, where he became Chief Architect.
Shirland and Higham is a civil parish within the North East Derbyshire district, which is in the county of Derbyshire, England. Mainly built up with rural fringes, its population was 4,802 residents in the 2011 census. The parish is 120 miles (190 km) north west of London, 14 miles (23 km) north east of the county city of Derby, and 1+3⁄4 miles (2.8 km) north of the nearest market town of Alfreton. It shares a boundary with the parishes of Alfreton, Blackwell, Brackenfield, Morton, South Normanton, South Wingfield, Stretton, Tibshelf and Wessington.
