Derbyshire
In 1642 Derbyshire had over 70,000 inhabitants, more living in and around the fertile Trent Valley than in the moorlands and rocky peak districts further north. That said, the lead ore and coal mined in this forbidding terrain made a vital contribution to the county’s economy. Almost one third of the county’s adult population worked in mining or associated trades, supplying England with a large proportion of its lead.
That royalism would prove stronger in north Derbyshire than in the south was due not least to the local hegemony of the Cavendish family, who, together with allies such as the Stanhopes and the Freschvilles, proved remarkably successful in persuading even puritan miners to remain loyal to the crown. King Charles arrived in the area in September 1642, having raised his standard in Nottingham a fortnight earlier. He accepted an offer from local miners to form a royal lifeguard in return for an abolition of the hated lead tithe – a deal which saw around 1,100 men enlist, in addition to 500 volunteers from the Derbyshire Trained Bands. Those militia who refused to join the royalist colours were relieved of their weapons, whilst the recalcitrant townsfolk of Derby were coerced into contributing money to the royal war chest. Nevertheless, when the King and his embryonic royalist army marched away to recruit in Staffordshire, local parliamentarians took advantage of the ensuing power vacuum to assume control of Derby and the Trent Valley.
Sir John Gell of Hopton Hall, near Wirksworth, quickly emerged as the county’s leading parliamentarian. He was supported by his family, by relatives such as the Curzons of Kedleston Hall, and by John Manners, Earl of Rutland. Gell’s decision to support Parliament surprised many people, as he had been assiduous in collecting unpopular royal taxes during his tenure as county Sheriff in the 1630s. However, Gell had fallen out with neighbours such as the Stanhopes, and moreover had a strong financial interest in retaining the lead tithe. Some detractors, not least Lucy Hutchinson, would later cast aspersions on his motivation and character, but Gell seems to have been typical of the Presbyterian gentlemen who initially adhered to Parliament only to be repulsed by growing religious and ideological radicalism within the parliamentarian camp. Whatever the reasons behind his allegiance, Gell hurried to Hull to collect soldiers, before returning to garrison Derby. When Sir Francis Wortley led a band of Yorkshire royalists on a rampage through Derbyshire in October 1642, Gell was on hand to confront them. He trounced Wortley’s renegades outside Wirksworth and chased them out of the county. Royalist plundering, and Gell’s quick response, boosted the numbers volunteering for Parliament’s service.
Derbyshire parliamentarians thereafter fended off numerous royalist incursions, whilst mounting their own expeditions into enemy territory. Gell was preoccupied with the defence of Derby, but he frequently provided troops for various parliamentarian offensives elsewhere in the Midlands. There were several clashes in Derbyshire itself, at places such as Eggington Heath (February 1644), Staveley House (Spring 1644), Wilne Ferry (July 1644) and Bolsover (August 1644). Both sides recognised the strategic importance of Wingfield Manor, near Alfreton, which changed hands several times.
No significant fighting took place in the county during the Second Civil War, but several Derbyshire parliamentarians were killed and wounded at the battle of Willoughby-in-the-Wolds, just south of Nottingham on 5 July 1648. Gell had by this time become disenchanted with Parliament, and would be stripped of his commands in 1649. One of his old officers, Thomas Sanders, commanded a New Model Army regiment during the Third Civil War of 1650-1, fighting at the battle of Worcester. Sanders temporarily fell out of favour with the Commonwealth authorities, but he was reinstated in time to thwart an attempted royalist insurrection in Derby during Booth’s Rising in 1659.
Claimants resident in the county
Numbers, types and declared allegiances of claimants
Gratuities paid in Derbyshire
| Min | Max | Mean | Median | Mode | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maimed Soldiers | 2s 6d | £9 | £1 17s 4d | £1 | £1 | £48 10s |
| Royalists | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Parliamentarians | 2s 6d | £9 | £1 17s 4d | £1 | £1 | £48 10s |
| War Widows | 18s 8d | £30 | £3 1s 9d | £1 | £1 | £49 7s 4d |
| Royalists | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Parliamentarians | 18s 8d | £30 | £3 1s 9d | £1 | £1 | £49 7s 4d |
| Other Dependents | £1 | £2 | £1 10s | £1 10s | n/a | £3 |
| Royalists | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Parliamentarians | £1 | £2 | £1 10s | £1 10s | n/a | £3 |
| ALL | 2s 6d | £30 | £2 5s 10d | £1 | £1 | £100 17s 4d |
| Royalists | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Parliamentarians | 2s 6d | £30 | £2 5s 10d | £1 | £1 | £100 17s 4d |
Pensions paid in Derbyshire
| Min | Max | Mean | Median | Mode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maimed Soldiers | £2 | £5 4s 0d | £3 5s 4d | £2 12s 0d | n/a |
| Royalists | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Parliamentarians | £2 | £5 4s 0d | £3 5s 4d | £2 12s 0d | n/a |
| War Widows | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Royalists | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Parliamentarians | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Other Dependents | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Royalists | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Parliamentarians | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| ALL | £2 | £5 4s 0d | £3 5s 4d | £2 12s 0d | n/a |
| Royalists | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Parliamentarians | £2 | £5 4s 0d | £3 5s 4d | £2 12s 0d | n/a |
Further Reading
Andrew Polkey, Civil War in the Trent Valley (Derby, 1992)
Roy Sherwood, The Civil War in the Midlands 1642-1651 (Stroud, 1992)
Ron Slack, Man at War: John Gell in His Troubled Time (Chesterfield, 1997)
Brian Stone, Derbyshire in the Civil War (Cromford, 1992)
Andy Wood, ‘Beyond post-revisionism? The Civil War allegiances of the miners of the Derbyshire Peak Country, The Historical Journal, vol. 40, no. 1 (1997), pp. 23-40