DERBYSHIRE. 671 



Derby- themselves with great credit. Besides the two societies privilege which it enjoyed as e"arly as the reign of Ed- Derby- 

 shire, already mentioned, there are not less than eight or ten ward I. The assizes are held at Derby in the spring shire, 

 v — ' others, in this small town, formed for the circulation and autumn, and three of the quarter sessions are also """"'y - "'"' 

 of books, one of whicli is confined to the purchase of held there, the other at the town of Chesterfield. With 

 French works exclusively. respect to the common judicature, Derbyshire is includ- 



Derby has weekly markets on a Wednesday and Fri- ed in the midland circuit, 

 day, and seven annual fairs, which are generally very In ecclesiastical concerns, Derbyshire forms a part Ecclesiasei - 



numerously attended. It is 126 miles north north-west of the diocese of Lichfield and Coventry, and is divided cal state. 



of London, and is situated in Long. 1° 25' W. and into six deaneries, High Peak, Ashbourn, Castilar, 



Lat. 52° 58' N. Chesterfield, Derby, and Reppington. 



The following is an abstract of the population-return There is no other county in England which presents Genera' 



for 1811 : such a variety of scenery as Derbyshire; the northern aspect. 



-,,.,, „ fi . and southern parts exhibiting such a striking difference 



y-, ... ., . ' ' V. „*„,-., and contrast in geographical features. The former 



Fami hes that occupy them . 2,924 aboundg ^ ^ ^ ^ and often A gc . 



Families employed in trade and manufactures 2,382 .. i ur rp, . i n • 



■p.. . f / ' romantic and sublime. Ihe country gradually rises 



M1 ° ' " _ J? for about 1 5 miles northward, and then more abruptly, 



P , HftRR anc * afterwards begins to assume that mountainous ap- 



m , ' \ ' •' ' '■ ls i|" ' ' i'r\Ao pearance, which it continues to possess to its extremity. 



"" ; A chain of hills arises, which extends to the borders of 



. See Halton and Davies' Histories of Derby, (d. p. d.) Scotland. They are at first of small elevation ; but be- 



DERBYSHIRE, a midland county of England, ing in their progress piled on one another, they form 



situated about the centre of the kingdom ; being very elevated ground in the tract called the High Peak. 



at an equal distance from the German Ocean on the The most considerable, however, in height, are Axe 



east, and St George's Channel on the west; and on the Edge, 2100 feet higher than the level of Derby, and 



north and south, the extremities of Northumberland Kindu Scout, 1000 feet above the level of Buxton. The 



and Hants are nearly alike remote. On the north, it southern part of Derbyshire is a pleasant, fertile coun- 



is bounded by Yorkshire, and a part of Cheshire, which try, not distinguished in its appearance from the other 



is separated from it by the river Etherow ; on the midland counties. The banks of the Trent is a range 



south, by a part of Leicestershire; on the east, by the of low meadows, for the most part well cultivated, but 



county of Nottingham and another part of Leicester- presenting no variety of scenery. 



shire ; and on the west, it is divided from Staffordshire Like all other hilly countries, Derbyshire abounds in uiverfc 

 and Cheshire by the Trent, the Dove, and the Goyt. rivers. The principal are the Trent, the Derwent, the 

 It is included between the parallels of 52° 38' and 53° Dove, the Errewash, the Wye, and the Rother. The 

 27' North Lat. and between 1° 13' and 2° 3' 30" West most considerable rivulets are the Bootle, the Amber, 

 Long. It is the twentieth county in the order of mag- the Morledge, the Ecclesburn, the Bradford, and Lath- 

 nitudes, and the nineteenth in the order of popula- kil, the Noe, the Ashop, the Schoo, the Dane, and the 

 tion. . Goyte. This country also is not deficient in the advan- 

 Ancieut In the time of the Britons, Derbyshire is found in- tages of navigable canals. The first that was opened Canals, 

 state. eluded in the number of counties that made up the was the Grand Trunk canal, leading from the river 

 kingdom of the Coritani ; but the Romans, when they Trent to Wilden Ferry in Derbyshire. This was plan- 

 gained possession of the island, made a new division ned by Mr Brindley, about the year 1766. The Ches- 

 of it, and Derbyshire made a part of Flavia Ccesarien- terfield canal, completed in 1776, cut from that place 

 sis. Under the heptarchy, Derbyshire was included to Stockwith near Gainsborough, where it enters the 

 in the kingdom of Mercia. The figure of the county Trent. The Langley Bridge, or Errewash canal, the 

 is so irregular, and its outlines so variable, that it can act for which was obtained in 1777, is navigable from 

 hardly be said to bear a resemblance to any determi- Langley bridge to the Trent. The Peak Forest, pro- 

 nate figure. It approaches nearer to that of a triangle ceeding from the Ashton Under Line canal to the 

 than any other ; but its numerous curves and projec- northern parts of Derbyshire, was finished in the year 

 tions make the resemblance more imaginary than real. 1800. Cromford canal begins at Cromford, and joins 

 Its greatest length, from north to south, is about 56 the Errewash at Langley bridge. The Ashby-de-la- 

 miles, and its breadth, at the northern extremity, 33 ; zouch was completed in 1799> and the Derby canal in 

 but from thence it gradually diminishes, so that at its 1794. These six are the only canals hitherto formed in 

 southern extremity it narrows almost to a point. Its Derbyshire. 



circumference is about 204 miles, containing about The atmosphere and climate of Derby shire vary much Climate. 



972 square miles, or 622,080 statute acres, of which in its different districts. From its northern situation, 



above 500,000 are cultivated, arable, and pasture, even the southern part of the county is colder, and more 



whilst the remainder consists chiefly of bleak moun- frequently visited by rains than many of the more cen- 



tainous regions, heaths, and open commons. tral counties of England. Owing to the great eleva- 



Ciril di- The civil division of Derbyshire is into six hundreds; tion of the northern part, it is found much colder than 



vision. the High Peak hundred, Scarsdale hundred, Wirks- the southern. Some grain will not ripen at all in the 



worth Wapentake Appletree hundred, Molleston hun- Peak. It is not uncommon to. see oats out and uncut 



dred, and Reppington hundred. These are subdivided in October and even November. The winters, in ge« 



into parishes, (which are about 116) townships, and neral, are very severe ; and the frost continues so long 



hamlets. The county contains 1 1 market towns ; and in the ground, that it cannot be broken up until the 



the population (1811) amounted to 185,487, there being season is far advanced: the consequence is, that the 



then 35,658 houses inhabited by 37,440 families. The corn has seldom sufficient time to ripen, and is cut 



county of Derby sends two members to parliament ; a down and left to wither in the sun and to be dried by 



