Home Page | Contact the Project
bonsallhistory@googlemail.com
Bonsall History Project - Publications
Bonsall - A Village and its History by The Bonsall History Project
Cost £10.00 plus £4 postage and packing (or US$20 plus US$14.00 post and packing). 381pp illustrated.How to order
The idea for a History of Bonsall emerged in 2002 from a series of meetings which identified various projects it was felt could enhance the life of the village. For several years a number of individuals had been beavering away collecting information about the village of Bonsall. What was lacking was a comprehensive history of the village. It was decided, therefore, that a group should be formed to bring much of this information together, to undertake further research, involving young and old, and through its work enhance the understanding of the rich heritage of just one Derbyshire village.
The book was completed in 2006 and through 17 Chapters and 381 pages covers: the dim and distant past, the growth of the village, institutions and organisations, physical features of the village, work, and war and play.
Published July 2006.
Bonsall at prayer (1066-1900) by John March, Dudley Fowkes and Pam McInally
Cost £2.00 (or US$5.00) including post and packing. 38pp illustrated.How to order
St James's Church dominates the village from its rocky perch above Yeoman Street. It is likely that this prominent site held a place of worship long before Christianity. Chapels too, played an important part in the village's history. The first half of this booklet charts some of the milestones in the religious history of Bonsall; the second half details the architectural development of the church.
Published May 2004.
Trackways, Trails, Transport and Trade by Gwen Wright, Peter Fellows, Peter Greaves and John March
Cost £2.00 (or US$5.00) including post and packing. 22pp illustrated.How to order
Even in the 21st century Bonsall seems more isolated than many of its neighbours, in fact, the village is criss-crossed by many different kinds of paths and trackways. These provided links with Cromford and Matlock, the lead mines and smelting works at Wirksworth, and with important lead, salt and calamine routes. Transport, trade and communications have always played an important part in the history of Bonsall, and it is perhaps not surprising that from the opening up of roads, railways and canals Bonsall continued to play an increasingly active role in the transport and haulage industries. Published March 2004.
Bonsall - A Thousand Years of Growth by Dudley Fowkes, Gwen Wright, Jenny March, Peter Fox, Peter Greaves and John March
Cost £3.00 (or US$6.00) including post and packing. 28pp illustrated.How to order
The population of Bonsall has hovered around a thousand from the end of the 17th century until the present when it has settled at around 850. But when lead mining was an important national industry Bonsall flourished, at one point being larger than Matlock. In the Industrial Revolution it reached its maximum of 1496 people. Beginning with the settlement's entry in the Domesday Book of 1086, this booklet examines surviving historical documents outlining the people who lived in Bonsall through the centuries and attempts to trace the growth of the village over the best part of a thousand years. Published January 2004.
Bonsall at Work by Peter Fellows
Cost £3.00 (or US$6.00) including post and packing. 80pp illustrated.How to order
Nowadays when many villages struggle to support a single shop it's easy to forget that within living memory a village like Bonsall would have been virtually self-sufficient, alive with a variety trades and traders; from bakers and butchers, coopers and cobblers, to fish and chip shops, a milliners, frameknitters and a dozen pubs.
Sub-titled 'Working with renewable materials', Peter Fellows' booklet examines Bonsall at work over the last 400 years. Among the trades it describes are leather working, rope making, food and drink production and sale, textiles, paper making, comb making and the wood industries. It's a fascinating journey through the village, crammed with stories of many different characters and the locations where they worked. Published November 2003.
Bonsall in the Dim and Distant Past by Bob Howie and Pam McInally
Cost £2.50 (or US$5.00) including post and packing. How to order
A settlement at Bonsall has existed for over a thousand years. Bonsall's distinctive landscape has contributed to and restricted the growth of the village at various times. This booklet looks at the way the topography of the area developed and at the existing evidence of the earliest settlements in and around Bonsall. The geology of the area is explained along with examination of the evidence for human settlement from Palaeolithic times through to the Iron Age, the Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings. A fascinating account summarising all that we know of the village and its surroundings before Bonsall first entered historical record. Published September 2003.
Bonsall in the Seventeenth Century by Gwen Wright, Dudley Fowkes and John March
Cost £2.50 (or US$5.00) including post and packing. How to order
The first in a series of booklets.
The seventeenth century is dominated by three major themes - Plague, the English Civil War, and the changes that took place in religion. This study looks at how these major themes affected the lives of ordinary people in the village, and at the ways they responded. At the same time, it paints a picture of the lives of Bonsall people at an important time of transition. In the past was a medieval society based on agriculture and obedience to the lord of the manor. In the future lay the Industrial Revolution.
Bonsall had already made some steps towards the industrial future as villagers became involved in lead mining. During the seventeenth century Bonsall made strides away from its feudal past, establishing its independence by buying out the rights of the King to exact manorial obligations. Also, during the century the population of the village increased enormously. Published June 2003.
How to Order
Cost includes post and packing. Please send a cheque (or US$ in cash) to Bonsall History Project, The Fountain, Bonsall, Matlock, Derbyshire DE42AA, UK. Please make cheques payable to 'Bonsall History Project'.
The Bonsall History Project has been supported by the Local Heritage Initiative
Top
Home Page | Contact the Society
bonsallhistory@googlemail.com