1 8 THE CHURCH OF ST. HELEN'S, DARLEY DALE. 



also then held the important command of the Castle of the 

 Peak. The date of his death is not known, but Reynolds's 

 notes on Darley Church say that he was living in 1321, and 

 we also believe him to be the same John de Darley who was 

 solemnly denounced (with other ecclesiastical offenders against 

 certain rights of the rector of Whittington), and suspended from 

 entrance to the church, by order of the Bishop, Roger de 

 Norbury, in August, 1322. But this ban must have been 

 removed before his death or he would not have obtained 

 sepulture within consecrated walls. John seems to have left 

 no heirs, and that part of the manor we are considering 

 reverted to the family of Robert. The following account of 

 the succession of the manor is taken from a manuscript pedi- 

 gree written about 1650, formerly in the keeping of the parish 

 clerk of Darley, which is entitled, " A true coppie of pedigree of 

 Darley as it hath been in antient writings recorded " : — 



(1) Robert Darley, de Darley, Esq., had issue ; (2) Sir Henery Darley 

 married to Sir John Vernon's daughter and had issue ; (3) Sir Nicholas 

 Darley married to Thomas HarthilPs daughter, of Harthill, Esq., and had 

 issue ; (4) Sir Robert Darley married to Sir John Fitzherbert's daughter and 

 had issue; (5) Sir Ralph Darley, in ye green close, Esq., marryed Frechvile, 

 Baron of Crytche's daughter, and had issue a daughter, a sole heyre and marryed 

 to Tho. Columbell of Darley, Esq. 



This is an error, for Agnes, the wife of Thomas Columbell, 

 was sister and heir to Sir Ralph Darley. Sir Ralph Darley 

 died in 1370. The family of Columbell was previously of 

 Sandiacre, but does not seem to have been of much import- 

 ance prior to the marriage with Darley. The pedigree from 

 which we have just quoted gives four generations previous to 

 Thomas, and adds : " Just before these was Thomas Columbell, 

 who had land in Codnor and deeds without date." The 

 manor of Nether Hall remained with the Columbells for eleven 

 generations in direct descent, when Roger Columbell, dying 

 without issue, left the estate to his only sister, Katherine, who 

 was married to William Marbury, of Marbury, Cheshire. 

 Dying without issue in 1687, she bequeathed Nether Hall to 

 Gilbert Thacker, who had married her late husband's sister. 

 After passing through several hands (Greensmith's, Beard's, etc.), 



