Castleton and Its Old Inhabitants.

Chapter 3. A Feast of Facts and Curious Tales.

The Menagerie 1855.

Travelling menageries with their exotic wild animals would tour the countryside visiting towns, cities

and fairgrounds. In 1855, “Edmond’s, late Wombwell’s, Windsor Castle Menagerie” was travelling

between Sheffield and Manchester when it came to Castleton on April 5th. One can only imagine the

colourful scene and excitement in the village that day.

Tigers, giraffes, lions and “double-headed snakes”

were amongst the exhibits, and some were made to

perform; the huge Burmese elephant would stand on

his own head. Creatures from the Amazon were

exhibited including a giant boa constrictor that had

been in the process of swallowing a whole goat as it

was captured on the banks of the river.

Admission was a shilling, sixpence for children.

Right; hand-painted print (circa 1848-50) of

Wombwell’s visit to Windsor Castle;

produced by G. Webb and Co., London. *

Reproduced by kind permission of

Matthew Ford.

www.GeorgeWombwell.com

Left; advertisement for “Edmond’s, late

Wombwell’s, Windsor Castle Menagerie”

which was to exhibit at Castleton 5th April

1855.

Sheffield Independent 31 March 1855

Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000181/

18550331/002/0001

Menageries were certainly not to everyone’s taste and they gradually became attached to circuses.

However, the image of these exotic animals travelling through the village in Victorian England would

still have been a grand sight; it would have been wonderful if someone had captured the scene on

camera.

*Wombwell’s menagerie had been exhibited at Windsor Castle, seen by Queen Victoria and her

family. It was renamed “Edmonds, late Wombwell’s, Windsor Castle Menagerie” after it was

inherited by Wombwell’s niece around 1850; that was its name when it came to Castleton in 1855.

A Curious Castleton Phenomenon 1783.

In 1783, whilst many natural disasters were happening across the world, the Derby Mercury chose to

add Castleton’s own curious little tale to the theory that the axis of the Earth may have shifted. It

was generally suspected that our planet must have undergone some great change that would

account for these global disasters – Castleton’s “old inhabitants” could prove it!

They describe

Castleton as being

situated at the north

of a “very steep

mountain”, the

shadow of which

covered much of the

village throughout the

winter.

Some houses had no

sunshine at all for

weeks.

Above; detail from the advertisement in 1855. Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0000181/18550331/002/0001

Above; Castleton lying at the foot of a “very steep mountain” circa 1900.

Image reproduced courtesy of Castleton Historical Society.

Many of the “ancient persons”

who dwelt in these houses

said that, after the shortest

day of the year, sunshine now

entered their homes several

days earlier than it did some

fifteen years ago.

Also a meadow near the foot

of the mountain that they

remember always being in

shadow, was now never

totally shaded.

They were convinced, without

a doubt that the axis of the

Earth had indeed shifted.

Although the hill had not changed, nor the axis of the Earth, there were changes made to the English

calendar in 1751 and 1752. Eleven days were “lost” in September 1752 when we adopted the

Gregorian calendar – but whether this would account for this phenomenon observed by the old

inhabitants – I have absolutely no idea!

Right; read this curious

tale for yourself. Derby

Mercury 11 September

1783. Image©THE BRITISH

LIBRARY BOARD. ALL

RIGHTS RESERVED.

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.

co.uk/viewer/bl/0000189/17830911/

002/0001

Left; Castleton nestling at the

foot of Castle Hill and Peak

Cavern Gorge, leaving many

cottages shaded throughout

the winter months.

“Peak Cavern, Derbyshire”

1864 by Robert Gallon (1845-

1925).

Photo Credit - Lancaster City

Museums.

From the Castleton Burial Registers.

Our Parish Burial Registers are fascinating, and offer us a window through which we may glimpse the

past. The following entries reflect both life and death in Castleton many years ago.

Anna Hall 1719.

It appears we had a “wise woman” living here three centuries ago. Anna Hall was a widow; she died

and was buried here in 1719. She was “commonly known as ‘Wisdom Nan’ of Castleton.”

This old Inhabitant of Castleton may have had knowledge of herbs used for medicines, been a

midwife or she may even have told fortunes. To date, nothing more is known about her than this.

Rebeccah Cock 1759.

Nicholas Cock was one of the supposed “Winnats Pass

murderers” of the Eighteenth Century. In April 1746 he

married Mary Barber in Castleton Church. They had

several children including a little girl, Rebeccah.

Rebeccah was only two years old when she “drowned

accidentally in the brook” in 1759.

Some of the Cock family lived up Goosehill, and also on

the Island – Rebeccah may have drowned in Peakshole

Water nearby.

Above; Anna Hall’s entry in the Burial Register 19th March 1719. The Latin “Vulgo vocat” means

“commonly known as.” Image reproduced courtesy of Revs Ian Davis & Jo Barnes, and Derbyshire

Record Office D1432 A/PI 1/1.

Above; Rebeccah Cock’s entry in the Burial Register 14th October 1759. Image reproduced courtesy

of Revs Ian Davis & Jo Barnes, and Derbyshire Record Office D1432 A/PI 1/2.

Right; Entrance to the Peak Cavern, Derbyshire 1814.

Engraved by S. Rawle from a drawing by I. Nixon.

©The Trustees of the British Museum.

Joseph Flinders 1762.

Joseph Flinders married Ann Barber in Castleton Church in 1747. Their son, also Joseph, died in the

smallpox outbreak here in 1759, aged 3. Joseph himself was run over and killed in 1762 - “he was

unfortunately killed by ye wheel of a cart running over him.”

William Oldfield 1770.

One of the most poignant entries has to be that of William Oldfield “who destroyed himself by

hanging, in ye Poor House” in 1770. No more is known of William’s life, to date, than his death entry

in the Burial Register. It could be suggested that he too may have been one of the “Winnats Pass

murderers”, possibly due to the nature and date of his death. Although his name was certainly not

mentioned in the “confession” by James Ashton in 1778 – one of the five supposed murderers has

not yet been traced with any accuracy.

Poor Houses were known to exist off Back Street; these

buildings were underneath where the current school and

yard is today.

Above; Joseph Flinders’ entry in the Burial Register 22nd June 1762. Image reproduced courtesy

of Revs Ian Davis & Jo Barnes, and Derbyshire Record Office D1432 A/PI 1/2.

Below; William Oldfield’s entry in the Burial Register 22nd February 1770. Image reproduced

courtesy of Revs Ian Davis & Jo Barnes, and Derbyshire Record Office D1432 A/PI 1/2.

Right; detail from a plan of Castleton in 1819 showing

part of Back Street. No. 178 refers to “Poor Houses and

garden” owned by the “Township of Castleton.” Plan &

Survey of Castleton 1819, B Staley D911 Z/P1-2.

Derbyshire Record Office.

This area looks very different today, but No. 179 shows

(today) Causeway House, and No. 154 in the bottom left

corner is (today) the Nag’s Head Dining Room.

Isaac Royse (also Rose) 1811.

Isaac Royse or Rose was buried on 7th June 1811. He died after being struck by lightning - “Isaac, son

of Joseph and Mary Royse, killed in the coe, situate in the Top-Linicar, by lightening.” A “coe” was a

small cabin above a mine shaft used for storing miner’s tools, clothes and food etc.

Isaac had been sitting with a woman in the coe when they were both struck by lightning - when the

woman came to, she found Isaac dead. The identity of the woman is unknown.

Isaac was 63 when he died; both his burial

record in 1811 and his baptism record in 1747

record him as “Royse”. For some inexplicable

reason his (and the rest of his family’s)

inscriptions on the gravestone record their name

as Rose. The newspaper article this story

appeared in also called him Rose.

However, given the unlikelihood of two men

with similar names both being struck dead by

lightning in Castleton on the same day, I think

this is just an example of the poor literacy of the

day?

Above; Isaac Royse’ entry in the Burial Register 7th June 1811. Image reproduced courtesy of

Revs Ian Davis & Jo Barnes, and Derbyshire Record Office D1432 A/PI 1/3.

Right; the gravestone of Isaac Rose (or

Royse) and his family. It is just to the right

as you enter the Churchyard through the

main gates.

Thomas Needham.

In 1862, Thomas Needham, of Castleton, was sent to prison for a month after being charged

with vagrancy;

Described as “an old man from Castleton”, he was in trouble again three years later,

charged with both vagrancy and drunkenness. Having already been cautioned several times,

he was given seven days hard labour.

However, a stroke of luck may have been coming this old gentleman’s way when the

following notice appeared in the papers in 1873;

Sadly it is not known what this “advantage” was, whether poor Thomas even saw the notice,

or ever benefitted from it.

The Bull Stake.

The term “Bull Stake” appears in very few old Castleton documents. It refers to the former

barbarous and cruel activity of Bull Baiting where a bull would be secured to a stake or ring

and teased or “baited” by dogs as a form of “entertainment”.

Above; Derby Mercury 10th September 1862. Image ©THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL

RIGHTS RESERVED. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000052/18620910/018/0005

Above; Sheffield Independent 28th July 1873. Image ©THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS

RESERVED. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000181/18730728/002/0002

Right; 17th Century inn sign showing Bull

Baiting with dogs taking place. Nottingham

Evening Post 6th August 1907. Image

©Local World Limited. Image created

courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/00003

21/19070806/041/0005

Micah Hall, a lead miner living at

the top of Castle Street/Market

Place in the 1800s, received a

letter addressed to him at “Bull

Stake, Castleton, Derbyshire” in

1855.

The 1861 Census also refers to this

area as the “Bull Stake”.

Florence Barber, who researched much of Castleton’s history, writes, “The Bull-Ring; called

the Market Place nowadays has not altered a great deal since the days when the better sort

of folk, usually the ladies, witnessed the Bull baitings from behind the parapet on the roof of

the Hall……”

Right; letter addressed to “Bull

Stake, Castleton, Derbyshire.”

Image reproduced courtesy of

Castleton Historical Society.

Left; the former “arena”

where Bull Baiting would

take place.

Left; Florence

Barber.

Image reproduced

courtesy of Castleton

Historical Society.

Right; Castleton Hall

would have provided

an ideal viewing

point for a cruel

sport.

The Rev. Brooksbank, Vicar of

Castleton in the early 1900s, also

refers to the former Bull Ring in his

history notes, where by repute, the

inhabitants of Castleton Hall could

watch in comfort.

Given the pieces of evidence here, this cruel “sport” was almost certainly partaken of by the

Old Inhabitants in centuries gone by. Any physical evidence, if it still exists, is now hidden

beneath the tarmac. Bull Baiting was finally banned in 1835.

Visitors and Drunken Violence.

In 1875, John Downs, a journeyman cabinet maker from Sheffield, was charged with being drunk and riotous at Castleton. He had been drinking at the George Inn, on Castle Street, where he had also assaulted landlord, Jarvis Swindell. He was fined a total of 15s and costs.

In August 1886 two Irishmen, Michael Mulligan and James Phillips, had been helping with the harvest. One night Sergeant Gray heard a noisy commotion coming from Back Street and found Mulligan and Phillips fighting at the church gates.

Right; Market Place and Bull Stake

area in the early 20th Century. Image

reproduced courtesy of Castleton

Historical Society.

Above; the George Inn on Castle Street.

Left; Affray in the Village Inn. G.W.Bonner after G.

Cruikshank, 1811-36. ©The Trustees of the British

Museum.

Right; the churchyard gate and steps on Back Street.

Both were extremely drunk and violent. Help was needed to haul them down to the police cells where their boots were pulled off and the men kept apart.

They were charged at Chapel-en-le-Frith, before Mr. Robert How Ashton and Mr. Bagshawe, with being drunk and riotous. Both pleaded guilty and asked for leniency – Mulligan was fined 5s, and Phillips 2s 6d or seven days hard labour in gaol.

In 1898 travelling showman, William Partridge jnr, was charged with being drunk and disorderly in the Market Place. He violently assaulted both farmer George Hall and the local policeman. His defense was that George Hall had hit him first with a shovel. Found guilty, William Partridge jnr was fined a total of £6 15s after ten previous convictions were proved in many different parts of Derbyshire.

Bibliography and further reading.

Sheffield Independent 31st March 1855.The British Newspaper Archive.

Derby Mercury 11th September 1783.The British Newspaper Archive.

Castleton Parish Registers held at Derbyshire Record Office;

Register of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials (1662-1722) D1432 A/PI 1/1.

Register of Baptisms, Marriages (to 1773) and Burials (1722-1783) D1432 A/PI 1/2.

Register of Baptisms and Burials (1783-1812) D1432 A/PI 1/3.

Bury and Norwich Post 3rd July 1811.The British Newspaper Archive.

Left; local magistrate Robert How Ashton of

Losehill Hall.

Image reproduced courtesy of Castleton

Historical Society.

Right; the Market Place circa 1900.

Image reproduced courtesy of

Castleton Historical Society.

Derby Mercury 21st April 1785.The British Newspaper Archive.

Henderson, Mark. (2010) Murders in the Winnats Pass. Amberley.

Plan & Survey of Castleton 1819 B Staley D911 Z/P1-2. Derbyshire Record Office.

Castleton Censuses (CHS Archives and Ancestry.co.uk)

Derby Mercury 10th September 1862, Derby Mercury 4th January 1865, Sheffield Independent 28th July

1873.The British Newspaper Archive.

Castleton, Florence Barber’s history notes. (CHS Archives)

Brooksbank, Rev J.H. (1925) Transactions of the Hunter Archaeological Society. Vol III, No. 1, Castleton: Its

Traditions, Sayings, Place-Names, Etc. Sheffield: printed by J.W. Northend Ltd.

Sheffield Daily Telegraph 17th September 1875, Sheffield Independent 17th August 1886, Derbyshire Times 18th

August 1886, Sheffield Daily Telegraph 20th May 1898.The British Newspaper Archive.

Acknowledgements.

I wish to acknowledge the following with thanks;

The Derbyshire Record Office for permission to both see and photograph our real Parish Registers, their

permission and Reverends Ian Davis and Josephine Barnes permission to reproduce images from the Registers.

The Castleton Historical Society Trustees for permission to reproduce images from our Archives. Sometimes

the origins of old photographs have been lost over time and cannot be traced – if this is the case in any

pictures used in this history, then please contact our Historical Society so the correct credit/acknowledgement

etc. may be given where appropriate. My thanks to Matthew Ford for his kind permission to reproduce

Wombwell’s Windsor Castle Menagerie print, and to Shaun Everett for his assistance with enabling this. The

images from the newspapers are reproduced with the kind permission of the British Newspaper Archive

(www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk). My thanks to Karen Green for her assistance with Latin translation. My

thanks to the Trustees of the British Museum for permission to reproduce their images which remain their

copyright. Thanks to Heather Dowler from the Lancaster City Museums for permission to include their image

of Robert Gallon’s painting of “Peak Cavern, Derbyshire” on this website. My thanks go also to Audrey

Middleton for permission to use quotations from Florence Barber’s Castleton history notes. Many thanks also

to Val and Ian Burgess for assistance with editing and putting this article on the CHS Website. All modern

images are my own unless otherwise stated.

Kay Harrison November 2014.