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January 2008 Newsletter

Meetings
Review of Past Activities
For Your Information
Can Anyone Help?

A Happy New Year to all our members and friends. We have some very interesting events and meetings this year for you. Don't forget it is the 40th anniversary of our society on the 5th of July, so keep the evening free for an enjoyable time as the Dronfield Light Opera Society will be entertaining us. We will give you all the details at a later date.

Thank you for all the support and help you have given the society over the years and any offers of further assistance is hugely appreciated by the committee.

Meetings

Our new season of meetings start on JANUARY 24th. MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS IN CAPTIVITY. DAVID TEMPLETON will be giving an in depth talk about Mary's life at that unhappy time.

The next meeting will be on MARCH 27th. BARROW HILL ROUNDHOUSE. This talk will be given by MERVYN ALLCOCK. A fascinating look at our ancestors.

On APRIL 24th we have our ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING followed by a talk by DENIS CLAREBROUGH about SPORT in DRONFIELD. Should be fun!

Our meeting on MAY 22nd should prove to be interesting. It will be about EDWARD CARPENTER of MILLTHORPE and SUZANNE BINGHAM will tell us his life story.

All meetings take place at 7.30 p.m. in the Edward Lucas Hall of the Peel Centre which is accessible by stair lift via the fire escape stairs to the left of the main entrance. Please ask a committee member for access either before or at the meeting. If you require transport to attend the meetings, please contact a committee member.

Review of Past Activities

27th SEPTEMBER 2007. CLIFF LEA spoke about A HISTORY OF OIL and an interesting DRONFIELD CONNECTION.
Cliff Lea was formerly technical manager for R.D.NICOLS and is now publicity and newsletter editor for N.E.D.I.A.S.
Cliff Lea took us through the surprising story of the oil industry in Derbyshire starting with the First World War and the need to find sources of energy at home for the war effort when imports were restricted by the blockade by the German Navy. It was also recognised that the U.S.A. oil industry was growing towards world domination. With the increasing use of petrol and lubricants for motor vehicles and industry this stimulated the exploration for oil. Surveys revealed that Derbyshire was ideal for deep drilling because oil is usually to be found near coal seams and at the end of the First World War work started on the Duke of Devonshire's estate at HARDSTOFT (near Hardwick Hall) where Nodding Donkeys began to appear on the landscape. Oilwells Nursery now occupies the site. R.D.Nicol and Co.Ltd. set up in Sheffield and on Callywhite Lane, Dronfield in 1916. The site can still be seen, but converted into other uses, this including a café. The core of the business was manufacturing lubricants for industry. The trade name was "DRAGONFLY" and "KASTROL". One experiment which is of interest today was to recycle and reprocess industrial oils. R.D.N. was taken over several times and finally bought in 1981 by SILKOLENE who closed the site in 1986. There are people living in Dronfield now who worked for the firm.

22nd NOVEMBER 2007. HARRY BARNES spoke about FROM THE CAVENDISHES TO COALMINERS, DRONFIELD M.Ps 1832-1950.
Harry Barnes was Labour M.P. for East Derbyshire from 1987 to 2005. Before that he was the Adult Education Tutor at Sheffield University and Further Education Lecturer in Worksop.

Harry Barnes gave an interesting talk about the Cavendish dynasty and their huge involvement in political activities from the early 1600s right up to1999 when The House of Lords Act 1999 removed the right of most hereditary peers to sit and vote in the Lords. The Cavendish family were very powerful and wealthy with land, property and minerals adding to their wealth. If you worked for a powerful dynasty it was difficult not to vote for them. Lists used to be kept about the way most freemen voted. It was sensible to vote for your employer! The 1872 Ballot Act when secret voting was introduced changed matters! Harry Barnes also touched on the agitation during the Industrial Revolution when in 1811 the Luddites smashed knitting machines. Anyone at that time found causing trouble or revolt were dealt with harshly. They were either executed or deported. The French Revolution was still fresh in many English minds. The Dronfield area was accustomed to having a former coal miner as their local M.P. and this was the pattern for 68 years between 1907 and 1987. This died out with the decline and disappearance of deep mined pits in Derbyshire. The first miners' M.P was William Edwin Harvey. He was born in 1852, at Hasland, near Chesterfield. A statue of him stands outside the former miners offices on Saltergate in Chesterfield. He won a by-election a 100 years ago and was elected to the Commons. Harvey went down the pit at the age of 10 and by the age of 17 became an active member of the local miners Trade Union. In 1907 M.Ps. didn't receive any wages, travelling expenses or accommodation. Money was obtained from Trade Union levies nationally. By having a limited number of candidates the newly formed Labour Party was able to manage their financial affairs. Harvey died in 1914. After his death Labour fell to the bottom of the poll. Labour had been too dependent on the Harvey name and with the coming of the 1914-1918 War patriotism rather than class struggle became more of the issue.

13th DECEMBER 2007. NICOLA WRIGHT spoke about EYAM HALL where she lived with her husband and family from 1990 to 2007.
Nicola Wright gave a fascinating talk about the renovations and changes made to the Hall since 1990. The Wright family have lived at the Hall since 1671 and following the death of some elderly cousins the Hall passed to Nicola's husband Robert. The Hall hadn't been touched for years and was very shabby, run down and needed a new roof. There were outbuildings, a stable block and 12 cottages and gardens to sort out as well. Not an easy task at all! We enjoyed seeing the before and after film slides showing how the work had been carried out. Floors, panelling, lintels, beams, and rotten wood had to be replaced. Death Watch beetles were found in some of the old wood and this too had to be renewed. The Hall was a cold, dark place and Nicola Wright hadn't a plan of action when she started tackling the transformation. The first room she started in was the Drawing Room and realised how alarming her task was going to be when she saw the scale of the work needed in that room alone! Wherever possible money was raised and grants applied for. It took two men four and a half months to rewire the Hall! Previous Wrights had been hoarders. Cupboards and drawers were eventually sorted and the interesting and valuable items cleaned and kept. Tapestries were in poor repair and following advice from Hampton Court these were cleaned and mended. They are now backed and hung on batons with velcrose fasteners for ease of removal for cleaning. Wherever possible, Eyam Hall has been tastefully returned to its former decoration. In 1901 an article on Eyam Hall told of the beauty of the white paintwork. This is now seen giving lightness to the Hall. Nowadays Nicola Wright's son Jeremy is living at the Hall with his partner Tamaryn and their dog Bailey. Nicola and her husband live in a bungalow a short distance away; a completely different way of life!

Since 1992 Eyam Hall has guided tours. There is a coffee shop, gift shop and restaurant facilities plus interesting shops and workshops in the outbuildings. The Hall also caters for civil weddings, wedding receptions, business meetings, plays and musical events. To find out more about Eyam Hall, visit the web-site on http://www.eyamhall.co.uk.

For Your Information

DRONFIELD WALKS We are hoping to launch our new leaflet showing two new walks in Dronfield and this should be ready for the 40th anniversary party in July.

Can Anyone Help?

Pat Mooney is trying to find out who lived at BULL CLOSE FARM, DRONFIELD from 1900 to 1930. If anyone can help please contact the site.

Mr Gratton has shown an interest in DUNCHILDERS PUB, UNSTONE. He would like to know how old it is, if it has always been called Dunchilders and where it is in Unstone. If anyone can help please contact the site.

Club members seeking information about people or places in Dronfield or the local area can include requests in subsequent newsletters -just contact any of the committee members.