Chapter 10
WITHIN LIVING MEMORY

We get glimpses of nineteenth-century Morley from the Reverend Charles Kerry, author of two books on Smalley (which with Kiddesley Park was a chapelry of Morley until 1877). He also made copies of the Morley and Smalley Church Regis¬ters which are in the Derby Borough Library and to which he adds his own comments.

Morley Wakes were at one time a very grand affair and were held on September 21st feast of St. Matthew, patron saint Of the Church, and the Reverend Mr. Kerry describes them thus:

Morley Wakes

'About the commencement of the nineteenth century when asses were much used for pack-saddle purposes, a year¬ly show of these animals was held during the Wakes Week at Morley Smithy, when many of them changed hands; and races were instituted to exhibit their quality. The com¬petition was open to the neighbourhood and great was the rural excitement.

Mine host of the 'Three Horse Shoes' provided a cup for the winner, and Mr. Paul Fisher of Brackley Gate was steward and master of the course. Paul was a great man on these occasions. Attired in 'cock-and-pinch' hat, long waistcoat, knee boots and short breasted coat, riding whip in hand, his presence was felt everywhere. It was 'Mr Fisher' from every quarter, though plain Paul on all other occasions. He was a great wag, full of humour; a genial companion, and half the life of the-countryside.

Handbills of the races were printed, headed with an appropriate woodcut of grandstand, winning post, scales for weighing the jockeys etc. One of these printed in 1817 is now in the possession of Sir Henry H. Bemrose. Paul's donkey was named 'Ling Croppers' from its pasturage on the moor. Tailor Wheatcroft's steed was 'Prick-stitch' by 'Cabbage' and so on of the rest.

On one of these occasions a Smalley youth was seen struggling with his ass in a deep dyke by the roadside, into which the animal had conveyed his rider instead of securing the honours of the race, and despite all urging and coaxing, the creature would not move. "Hello, my lad" said the squire, who happened to be passing at the time "When do the races begin?", "We are running now sir" was the jockey's response.

It was great sport on-these occasions for the Morley youths to thwart or impede any outside competitors; a favourite trick being to push both steed and rider into some dyke or pond; and no doubt the Smalley candidate had been favoured with their attentions.'

By the beginning of this century however the donkey races-had ceased, although there was still a gathering of the clans on Wakes Day. It is recalled that the 'Oddfellows Club' band set¬ting off from the Rose and Crown 'played' their way down to the Three Horse Shoes where everyone waited impatiently for the Wakes to begin. Every¬one joined in the fun and games, and the chil¬dren ran races or made themselves dizzy on the roundabouts. The menfolk met for a reunion at the 'Smithy', where they challenged each other at skittles and feasted on beer and bread and cheese. During the celebrations one or two of the local 'big-nobs' would look in and pay for the jug to be filled up and passed round. Alas! the outbreak of the war in 1914 brought all such festivities to an end, and the Morley Wakes have never been revived.

Cheavening

An interesting job that was done by women to make a little extra money was cheavening. Mrs. Whiteman who died in 1943 at the age of ninety did this, and we had a record of her work from a member of the group.

Mrs. Whiteman lived in one of the almshou¬ses in her later years and received work from Ilkeston, Woodhouse and Belper firms. She had learnt how to do it at the age of nine when her mother had pinned a sock to her arm to get the tightness that was essential for the work. A special fine round eye needle was used and in the early days the design was always of white silk, but later coloured silks were introduced to give a better effect. The designs of daisies or bells or such patterns were worked at the ankle and up the leg. For some stockings only sixpence a dozen was paid, even though these were quite good stockings, but others would fetch a shilling a dozen pairs, depending on how neat¬ly they were worked and on the intricacy of the design. One tree design or 'point' took perhaps a week or more to do and for this three shillings was paid, but this was a very special job. All the work had to be done very neatly, no knots were allowed and each length of thread was sewn back in. Sometimes Mrs. Whiteman would have to sit up all night to finish a consignment if the next lot of work was due the following day. On an average she earned seven shillings a week for this work.

Obviously 'working at night by artificial light was difficult on such fine patterns. This was overcome by filling a 3 lb. jam jar with water and placing it on a pile of books near the paraffin lamp. The flame was in this way reflec¬ted and threw more light on her work, and the jar moreover made a good magnifying glass.

Although this is one of the few skilled jobs that could be done by women it their homes that have lasted into this century, there must have been many women in Morley who helped in some such way to increase the family income.

The Stone Quarry, Morley Moor

The stone is described in Glover's History of Derbyshire as salmon coloured grit. Some of the best scythe stones were made here, also grindstones varying in diameter from eighteen inches to four feet and which sold at about for¬ty shillings per ton, and about twelve hands were usually employed.

How these grindstones were made had been described by Mr. F. Wain who worked there as a young boy. 'After the top soil was cleared, a search would be made for any faults that appeared on the surface of the rock. Each man had eight wedges and a hammer and he would lightly tap the fault in the rock with the wedge until a crack was made, and it was then carefully levered out and down over the edge. The boys of the village would work by candlelight, first dipping the stones into a trough of water and than rub¬bing them against a rough stone in order to make them smooth. When the four sides were smooth, they were put into stacks called 'castles' and they usually completed about three dozen in a week. They were paid a penny for each stone com¬pleted.

Mr. F.S. Ogden remembers seeing the stone dressed. The dressing tool or 'pick' was a heavy iron head about nine or ten inches long with an approximate two inch square section slightly ta¬pered. On one end was welded a projection rather like a bird's beak. The dresser worked standing astride the stone. He also saw evidence of a seam of coal in the extreme bottom towards the west.

The quarry closed down about 1917 and a house 'The Potlocks' was built on the site by Mr. R. Needham. The chains used at the quarry were laid in the foundations and the props, made of pitch-pine, were used in the timbers of the roof.

Ferriby Brook

A George 'Ferrebie' is mentioned in the Parish Registers in 1622 but whether this name is in any way connected with Ferriby Brook and House we have not been able to verify. The first mention of Ferreby Brook House is in 1767.

The present house stands on the main road near to the brook on the Morley/Breadsall boun¬dary and has a date on it of 1857. One of the Derbyshire Journals of that year states that there was a beer house at Ferriby, and in 1891 a market gardener, florist and nursery man resided here. One of Morley's Church Wardens, (c.1856), Mr. Joseph Whittaker F.R.G.S. a. widely travelled an and a distinguished botanist, started a school here for boys. About twelve Scholars at¬tended usually after leaving school on the Moor at the age of eleven. There is a lectern to his memory in the church dated 2nd March 1894.

A Mr. Larcombe lived here for many years until his death in 1947. He was a collector and an authority on antique china, and many were the distinguished visitors who came to Ferriby to view his collection.

For a picture of the village in the latter part of the nineteenth century we are indebted to the memories of those, who Morley 'born and bred' were willing to recall for us scenes and tales of their youth.

The Postman

Mrs. Eliza Day who died at the age of 92 in 1969 vividly remembered the postman, Mr. James Hall, who ' in the 1880s walked from Derby with the local mail. This journey took him along the Breadsall road past the Priory, up to Brackley Gate, then on down Cloves Hill to the Rose and Crown where he stayed until his return journey about 4.30 pm. He took a slightly different route back. Leaving the Rose and Crown he pas¬sed Morley Manor, the Three Horse Shoes and Morley Bridge, where he cut off past the Mound and Tootle Pond along the lane to Mason Field, where he would give a loud blast on his whistle to announce his arrival at the far end of Bread¬sall Moor.

Mrs. Day remembered, being sent to buy stamps from the postman as he passed down the Moor, and recalled how one had to pay for them, stick them on the letters and hand the letters back for posting. All this time she had to run along be side him to keep up with his big strides - the postman himself refusing to stop for anything or anyone. Anyone who wanted anything therefore made a point of being at the top end of the Moor to meet him when they heard his whistle blow in Mason Field.

The first record of a Post Office is in Kelly's Directory in 1891, and this gives a Mr. Charles Chapman as receiver. In 1895,he is lis¬ted as 'sub-postmaster, blacksmith and wheel¬wright, letters through Derby arriving at 8 am. and dispatched at 6 pm., Posta1 Orders were is¬sued but not paid.' Mr. Chapman lived in one of the cottages on Morley Bridge.

Mrs. Swindell of Church Farm became post¬mistress in 1900 followed by her grand-daughter Mrs. A. Parkinson. The present postmistress is Mrs. M. Marshall of Brick Kiln Lane, Morley who was appointed on 1st January 1972.

Mr. H. Hunt who died this year at the age of 92 came of an old Morley family and many were the stories he recalled of events and everyday happenings in the village towards the end of the last century.

He remembered how his grandfather regular used the old footpath to Stanley over the bridge. It was a good paved footpath and would easily take a horse and cart, and many journeys we made taking grain by pack-saddle to the windmill at Dale for grinding.

A fine avenue of oak trees grew alongside the path, and when felled towards the end of t 1914-18 war they were reported to be at least three hundred years old.

Mr. F.S. Ogden whose home was at Stanley wrote the following account of some of his earliest memories connected with Morley Church and Lane:

Church Lane and Bridle Road to Stanley

My parents 'settled' at Morley Church when a very small boy. The way to the Church from Stanley was over the railway bridge at 'Klondike'. 'Klondike' did not then exist as was only the old cottage at the foot of bridge approach.

'Skevington's Houses' were the first to be built by the owners of the land of that name. The bridle road was then well-used, also as a footpath and occasionally by vehicles. At the foot of the bridge approach on the Morley side a hunting gate and a vehicle gate, the latter -kept locked, which belonged to the Railway Company and were kept well painted white. There a good stone paved ford across the brook as well as a footbridge. The down-stream edge of the paved ford was two or three feet above the level of the stream below so there was usually quite a waterfall except in a dry summer. I have seen trout in the stream below.

The house at the bottom of 'Potter's Lane' came to be known later as 'the Burnt House' because it was eventually burned down and remained derelict. It was then occupied by the Martin family. There was Mrs. Martin senior, a tall somewhat gaunt old lady, her son and his wife and a niece (Miss Palfree). All regularly attended Church and the old lady and the niece were in the Choir. Below the 'Burnt House' alongside the footpath was a well-stocked apple orchard and behind that a large damson orchard. There was a deep well close to the gate into the land with the usual stone head and waller (the wooden roller and handle for lowering and raising the bucket).

The house at the top of the land opposite Mosses Lane was occupied by an elderly couple. On particularly hot Sundays the old gentleman used to walk up Church Lane in his shirt sleeves (white starched) as far as the Rectory wall and then don his coat.

It was at first too far for me to walk all the way to church, so the first part of the jour¬ney was made in a two-wheeled vehicle of some prestige called 'The Peerless Car'. It was built to last and is still in going order! It used to be put in Mr. Hinds' joiners shop at the bottom of the land and from there the journey was com¬pleted on foot.

My mother remembered the Reverend H.H.Brad¬shaw as Rector and was present in Church when the Reverend C.J.Boden 'read himself in'. Consequently she knew the six consecutive Rectors each of whose names began with the letter 'B'.

Sheep wash

On the opposite side of the land from the joiner's cottage and a little higher up there was the sheep wash. A hand gate on the roadside led into a walled enclosure in which was the sunk 'wash' lined and paved with stone. The wash was fed from the ditch bringing the water from a spring in 'Donkey Hollow', from the cattle trough and the overflow of the Fishponds. The ditch was stopped and the water turned into the wash when required.

The Portway

An alternative return route for us was to turn off the lane through a stile almost oppo¬site Moses Lane and go along the footpath on the line of the old Portway over the railway, and by footpath over the brook and eventually out into the lane near home. This however was only an occasional variation and strictly for dry wea¬ther. The first part of the Portway was between hedges and although a 'grass road' was hard un-derneath. It was said to have been used a good deal during the construction of the railway. There were a number of old oak trees in the hedges and I have a water-colour of the largest, a very fine tree, which proved to be about 280 to 300 years old. Most of them were cut down when the Derby Co-op bought the Jesse Farm.

In those days there was quite a procession up Church Lane to morning service on Sundays. Four or five Martins from the bottom house; the top cottage; Deppers; Hunts; Hinds; Boswell and about five Skevingtons from Jesse Farm.

Another family the Whittaker's were staunch 'Victorians' and Mrs. Whittaker wore the Victorian shawl on most occasions. It is on record that twice a year at any rate one could be sure of the date and that was when Mrs. Whittaker Changed from summer shawl to winter shawl and vice versa, regardless of the weather.

A regular member of the congregation who used to sit in a seat behind the door (where the font is now) was an old man rather deformed and very lame who got about with difficulty on crut¬ches. I think he used to go down to the Rectory every Sunday after service for a meal. He was known to us for identification as 'the old crip¬ple'. At that time we had a young house boy who was fond of using any unusual and impressive words which he got hold of without regard to fitness. He also sat in a seat behind the door and one Sunday he returned from Church and ann¬ounced that the 'old hypocrite' was not there.

Organ

The organ was blown by hand. A 'tell-tale' on the organ indicated when the wind was running out and also when the bellows or rather the 'wind box' was full - the latter condition also being announced by a 'mighty rushing wind' heard above the music. In the case of one blower whose at¬tention used to wander a bit from the 'tell-tale' the first condition was not infrequent, and the organ would wail into silence and then burst out into sound quite likely well behind the choir.

Peafowl

Peafowl were kept at the Rectory and we occasional and rather unwelcome visitors on the thatched roofs of stacks and also of a portion of Martin's house. During summer the church door was usually open during service and it was no uncommon thing to hear the Rector's voice answered from the porch or nearby by the rather piercing reply from a peacock. I remember one morning when only a quick sortie by someone near the door prevented some young pigs joining the congregation.

The Mausoleum

The building of the Sacheverell-Batesman mausoleum created a great deal of interest. The exhumation from the vault in the churchyard installation of the coffin in the new build. possibly created still more interest, certainly according to gossip, to one inhabitant, Mr.Bickerstaff. He was somewhat of a character apparently and determined to see what transpired. He is said to have climbed into one of the trees, which it is not stated, and from that point of vantage to have kept an eye on the proceedings, but there does not seem to be any record of what he saw!

Beating the Bounds

One of the annual ceremonies was the walking of the boundaries which took place in most parishes to ensure that the boundaries were exactly known and that no parish infringed on another's land. A few of the older Morley families recall that the party 'beating the bounds' set off armed with spades, and at various points of boundary a hole would be dug and one of young lads seized and stood in the hole head first. This was to impress upon him the exact boundary so that he would always remember it and he was given a halfpenny or a penny piece as a consolation. The last time this took place was around 1870.

Harvest Supper

One of the great occasions of the year were the Harvest Suppers given by the farmers for their workers and Mr. Hunt remembered his father talking about those that were held in the stable yard at the Hall by invitation of Mr. R. Sitwell after the harvest had been gathered in.

The menu consisted of good roast beef, bread potatoes and home-brewed beer, and the enter¬tainment was provided by Mr. Joseph Moss of Smalley, a violinist of some ability and a nota¬ble singer. One of his songs was 'The Beggars Ramble' - this included in its verses a mention of all the Surrounding villages and inns, and the 'Smithy' and beer house at Ferriby Brook are duly mentioned. Mr.Hunt had a copy of this song which belonged to his father.

The Annual Flower Show

The Flower Show was organised by the Rector, Mr. Boden, and the last one took place in 1914. Local competition was strong and entries came in too from surrounding villages. There was a display of hothouse plants from the 'big-houses' - Broomfield, the Manor and the Priory, and the Rector gave a prize for the best kept cottage garden.

The Rectory grounds were filled with swing boats and coconut shies, and entertainers and acrobats from Derby added to the fun, whilst the village children showed their skill in dancing round the maypole.

A band from Dale Abbey came on foot up Church Lane to play during the afternoon. They returned in the evening full of goodwill after the lavish refreshments, and played all the way down the lane to the great delight of the children who marched with them - a favourite tune being "The girl I left behind me".

Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee

The Diamond Jubilee celebration was recalled by Mr. Hunt. It was a day of great excitement with a tea-party in the Park followed by games and children's races. A brass band (probably from Dale) played throughout the afternoon and everyone was presented with a special Diamond Jubilee mug. Each child was given a newly min¬ted sixpence - a gift to each child in the Ilkeston constituency by Mr. T.H.Hooley (philan¬thropist) who was putting up for parliament at the time. Mr.Hunt treasured his sixpence all his life.

A fountain with drinking cup and chain toge¬ther with a horse trough were erected at the junction of Church Lane. These were the gifts of the Rector, Mr.C.Boden, and his sister in honour of the occasion.

Choirboys' Outing

Mr. Hunt also remembered how the usual outing was a day trip to Skegness by train. All this sounds quite modern but in 1897 and probab-ly because of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations the trip was a local one to Matlock. Two horse-drawn wagonettes filled with choirboys set off from Morley, going round by Breadsall to avoid the steep hill at Little Eaton. Such a trip is hard to imagine today, but they went on to do what a similar party today would do - climbing about on the rocks and then going to tea in one of the hotels. After the tea a marble clock was presented to the organist, Mr. Arnold, for his twenty-five years of service at Morley.

King Edward VII's Coronation

This was recalled by a member of the group who was a child at the time and it followed much the same pattern as the Jubilee. The King himself was dangerously ill but the national festi¬vities went' on although the Coronation itself had to be postponed. The most memorable moment of the day was when the Rector announced that news had come through that the King was out of danger.

Mr. Hunt himself was lucky to survive for he recalled a tale told him many times by his mother: In a small low-roofed cottage in Church Lane (now derelict) lived the parish clerk Mr.Boswell and his family. After the wedding of his school-teacher daughter to a local stonemason named Slater, all the relatives, friends and neighbours crowded into the tiny cottage for the reception includ¬ing Mrs. Hunt with young Henry in her arms. This was too good an opportunity to be missed for a local practical joker named Beardsley, for after wedging the door of the cottage so that it couldn't be opened, he climbed up the sloping roof and hastily began to block up the chimney with grass clods. As can be imagined the room very quickly filled with smoke, and as it was sometime before the door could be forced open, several guests were overcome by fumes' and collapsed, and great anxiety was felt for Mrs.Hunt's young baby. How¬ever he duly recovered and continued to thrive!

Memories of Morley School(recalled by Mrs. Day and Mr. Hunt)

In the latter part of the, last century the headmistress was Miss Taylor. with Miss Lakin as her assistant. Miss Taylor had a schoolmaster brother at Breadsall, but she lived with her mot¬her at the School House at Morley. Mrs. Esther Taylor is remembered as a very kind old lady and the children were very fond of her. Each year on her birthday she baked a good big batch of gingerbread and gave all the chil¬dren a neatly wrapped packet to take home with them for tea.

Mrs. Esther Taylor knew the children well for she taught many of them at Sunday School which was held in the schoolroom on Sunday morn¬ings. The Rector, the Reverend Charles Boden, taught the older children, many of whom had left school and were now working, but they still en¬joyed their Sunday school. They would practice the hymns to the playing of the Harmonium before walking in pairs over the Park to Church, the Reverend Mr. Boden leading the way.

Several Sunday School parties are remem¬bered. Some at the Priory and others at Broom¬field Hall by invitation of Mr. and Mrs. Schwind. There would be sports and prize-giving and the excitement of trying to keep perfectly still while a photograph was taken. Some of the old photographs have survived and show the boys neat and tidy and the girls fresh and shining with their hair done up in ribbons. Afterwards they would go inside the big house for tea. The won¬derful scent of the roses in the glasshouses is something Mr. Hunt looked back on with nostalgia.

Mrs. Eliza Day had a sampler she made at school in 1891 at the age of fifteen, having been allowed to stay on to make up for time lost whilst in hospital. On numerous occasions she received the yearly prize of half a sovereign for needlework (given by the Rector Mr. Boden).

The Reverend Charles Boden

The Reverend Charles Boden was Rector of Morley from 1883 until his death in 1917. He never married but lived with his sister at the Rectory both sharing a keen interest in garden¬ing. Not only his own garden but the adjoining churchyard were delightful with their personal oversight and work. He was a real lover of nature and many will recall him standing on the lawn with the white fantails circling round, while at his feet would be two or three stately peacocks.

The peacocks were a great fascination for village children who loved to listen to their squawk as they strutted the turf, and now then displayed their beautiful fans and they would sit on the seat under the old tree at 'shedding time' eagerly watching for any of the tail feathers to fall. These would be carefully hoarded and brought out and admired for many a week after.

He was one 'given to hospitality' and many and various were the parties privileged to be entertained at the Rectory. 'Quiet Days' and conferences for clergy were frequently held here also Mother's Meetings, Boy Scouts and Girls' Friendly Societies from other parishes held their outings here and spent peaceful afternoons in the lovely gardens, so gay in the springtime with daffodils and fragrant in the summer with roses. Tradition has it that the first rambler type roses in the district were those planted by Mr.Boden at Morley.

Many of the entertainments and club activi¬ties that thrived in Morley at the turn of the century were organised and supported by the Rector, and he was President of the Cricket Club and interested too in Morley's very successful football team. He was himself a keen sportsman and would find time for occasional runs with the Meynell.

During the winter he organised weekly enter¬tainments at the Recreation Room - Whist playing, concerts, magic lantern shows, musical evenings, and the like. One of the older villagers recalls with nostalgia the music of the Peak Banjo Mandolin and Guitar Band which frequently came from Derby. There was also a library for the young boys, when books such as Robinson Crusoe and 'Tales of Darkest Africa' kept them spell-bound.

People from the neighbouring villages would also join in the activities, leaving their hor¬ses and traps at the nearby farms. The_ ladies would find something for their enjoyment in the Recreation Room and the men folk would play cards in the stable-room below.

At Christmas time a ball was held and one or two of the local youths would dress up in borrowed swallow tails and top hats. The Rector always attended but usually sat by the stove busy with his knitting, keeping a watchful eye for any rough play, and many of the village youths would be reprimanded for 'spinning the ladled off their legs' in the Lancers or Quad¬rilles'.

His knitting would often be for the choir-boys, for on Christmas morning after the service the, boys would go to the Rectory where they were given a mince-pie, an orange and pair of gloves, socks or a scarf knitted by the Rector.

One local event that caused quite a stir in Morley was the burning of the church in the neighbouring village of Breadsall in June 1914. No-one was ever convicted for the outrage but suffragettes were blamed. People had been seen loitering near the churchyard although descrip¬tions were very conflicting. The day before the burning two strange women were seen near Morley church and were kept under close observation by the Rector, Mr. Boden, and his staff until they were safely off the premises. After the Breadsall church fire the Rector hastily summoned a meeting and formed a band of volunteer watchmen to patrol and guard the church at Morley until the danger subsided. Mr. Allsop recalls that one night whilst they were patrolling a warning shot was heard. Everyone immediately hurried to the scene ready to detain the 'suffragettes' only to find a very red faced volunteer watchman, who arriving late for duty had in his haste stumbled over one of the trip wires and caused one of the guns to fire.

The 1914 war brought many changes, in the life of the village with many of its young men away, and everyone must have felt grateful to Mrs. Lister-Kaye for her part in bringing Morley so early into the war effort, for the Derbyshire Advertiser of October 1914 reports:

'Mrs. Lister-Kaye has turned Morley Manor into a hospital and it is attached to one of the base hospitals in the Northern Command, being now full of wounded men from the recent battle of the Aisne. They arrived at Derby Midland Station on Monday and were cheered by a large crowd outside, whilst the whole of Morley village turned out to bid them welcome.'

A cross and roll of honour was erected in the churchyard and a memorial plaque in the Church and Recreation Room in honour of those who gave their lives in the Great War. An in¬scription reads:

Leiut. H.A.C. Topham Indian Army Attd. Welsh Regt.
Leiut. Ronald Greenfield 1st Batt. The Rifle Brigade.
Capt. W.K.S. Haslam R.F.A.
Pte. Frederick T. Legge 5th Dorsetts.
Pte. George R. Clowes 4th Worcesters.
Gnr. John Allsop R.F.A. Gnr.
John Skevington R.G.A.
Pte. Charles Hunt Durham Lt. Infy.
Gnr. William Radford R.F.A.
Lce. Cpl. Frank Daws K.R.R.
Pte. Harry Pepper South Staffs.
Pte. William T. Clowes 3rd Sherwood Foresters
Pte, Percy Lowe Lancs. Fusiliers, Emdr. William Hunt R.F.A.

1939-45

Gnr. C.R. Wesley - 1 - 16 - H.A..- R.A.
Sgt. V.P. Thompson W.O.P. A.G. - R.A.F.V.R.

War-time incident

During the 1939-45 war a lone German plane flew across on a line roughly in the direction 'Three Horse Shoes' - Jesse Farm. No-one could imagine why the occupants should decide to drop bombs on that line but two were sent down. One was a 'firebomb' and the other a medium high-explosive of the 'whistling type'. The former which was of the 'petrol drum' kind landed in the middle of a field between the Jesse Farm and the railway. It made a sizeable dint in the ground and burnt out harmlessly. The other hit the railway embankment on the side towards the farm and scooped out a hole but without actually damaging the lines other than moving them sligh¬tly. The appearance and sound of the falling bombs quite belied the amount of damage.

A 'Comforts' Fund was organised by the vil¬lagers during the last war for the men away in the forces. They were sent money at Christmas and also at Easter if funds allowed. The money was raised chiefly by whist drives held in the homes of supporters, and the accounts for 1940 show that twenty-four men were each sent ten shillings at Christmas.

Relics from the past

A late bronze age hollow-bladed riveted spearhead dating from 1200 - 1000 B.C. was in the early 1960s found on Morley Moor and was identified at Derby Museum where it is now on show. Several flint arrowheads, roman coins and fragments of early pottery were also uncovered in the area.

A number of stone figure-heads which have been in a garden of a house near to the Church for well over a hundred years were photographed and the prints studied by an expert who expres¬sed an opinion that they were probably early sixteenth century although a personal inspection would be necessary before a definite opinion could be given.

How the figure-heads came to be in the gar¬den and where they originally came from is open to conjecture. Whether they were from the Old Hall which was dismantled about the middle of the eighteenth century or whether they came from Dale Abbey with some of the treasures to the church it is not yet known. So they remain - interesting relics that have survived the years.

We get glimpses of nineteenth-century Morley from the Reverend Charles Kerry, author of two books on Smalley (which with Kiddesley Park was a chapelry of Morley until 1877). He also made copies of the Morley and Smalley Church Registers which are in the Derby Borough Library and to which he adds his own comments.

Morley Wakes were at one time a very grand affair and were held on September 21st feast of St. Matthew, patron saint Of the Church, and the Reverend Mr. Kerry describes them thus:

Morley Wakes

'About the commencement of the nineteenth century when asses were much used for pack-saddle purposes, a yearly show of these animals was held during the Wakes Week at Morley Smithy, when many of them changed hands; and races were instituted to exhibit their quality. The competition was open to the neighbourhood and great was the rural excitement.

Mine host of the 'Three Horse Shoes' provided a cup for the winner, and Mr. Paul Fisher of Brackley Gate was steward and master of the course. Paul was a great man on these occasions. Attired in 'cock-and-pinch' hat, long waistcoat, knee boots and short breasted coat, riding whip in hand, his presence was felt everywhere. It was 'Mr Fisher' from every quarter, though plain Paul on all other occasions. He was a great wag, full of humour; a genial companion, and half the life of the-countryside.

Handbills of the races were printed, headed with an appropriate woodcut of grandstand, winning post, scales for weighing the jockeys etc. One of these printed in 1817 is now in the possession of Sir Henry H. Bemrose. Paul's donkey was named 'Ling Croppers' from its pasturage on the moor. Tailor Wheatcroft's steed was 'Prick-stitch' by 'Cabbage' and so on of the rest.

On one of these occasions a Smalley youth was seen struggling with his ass in a deep dyke by the roadside, into which the animal had conveyed his rider instead of securing the honours of the race, and despite all urging and coaxing, the creature would not move. "Hello, my lad" said the squire, who happened to be passing at the time "When do the races begin?", "We are running now sir" was the jockey's response.

It was great sport on-these occasions for the Morley youths to thwart or impede any outside competitors; a favourite trick being to push both steed and rider into some dyke or pond; and no doubt the Smalley candidate had been favoured with their attentions.'

By the beginning of this century however the donkey races-had ceased, although there was still a gathering of the clans on Wakes Day. It is recalled that the 'Oddfellows Club' band set¬ting off from the Rose and Crown 'played' their way down to the Three Horse Shoes where everyone waited impatiently for the Wakes to begin. Every¬one joined in the fun and games, and the chil¬dren ran races or made themselves dizzy on the roundabouts. The menfolk met for a reunion at the 'Smithy', where they challenged each other at skittles and feasted on beer and bread and cheese. During the celebrations one or two of the local 'big-nobs' would look in and pay for the jug to be filled up and passed round. Alas! the outbreak of the war in 1914 brought all such festivities to an end, and the Morley Wakes have never been revived.

Cheavening

An interesting job that was done by women to make a little extra money was cheavening. Mrs. Whiteman who died in 1943 at the age of ninety did this, and we had a record of her work from a member of the group.

Mrs. Whiteman lived in one of the almshou¬ses in her later years and received work from Ilkeston, Woodhouse and Belper firms. She had learnt how to do it at the age of nine when her mother had pinned a sock to her arm to get the tightness that was essential for the work. A special fine round eye needle was used and in the early days the design was always of white silk, but later coloured silks were introduced to give a better effect. The designs of daisies or bells or such patterns were worked at the ankle and up the leg. For some stockings only sixpence a dozen was paid, even though these were quite good stockings, but others would fetch a shilling a dozen pairs, depending on how neat¬ly they were worked and on the intricacy of the design. One tree design or 'point' took perhaps a week or more to do and for this three shillings was paid, but this was a very special job. All the work had to be done very neatly, no knots were allowed and each length of thread was sewn back in. Sometimes Mrs. Whiteman would have to sit up all night to finish a consignment if the next lot of work was due the following day. On an average she earned seven shillings a week for this work.

Obviously 'working at night by artificial light was difficult on such fine patterns. This was overcome by filling a 3 lb. jam jar with water and placing it on a pile of books near the paraffin lamp. The flame was in this way reflec¬ted and threw more light on her work, and the jar moreover made a good magnifying glass.

Although this is one of the few skilled jobs that could be done by women it their homes that have lasted into this century, there must have been many women in Morley who helped in some such way to increase the family income.

The Stone Quarry, Morley Moor

The stone is described in Glover's History of Derbyshire as salmon coloured grit. Some of the best scythe stones were made here, also grindstones varying in diameter from eighteen inches to four feet and which sold at about for¬ty shillings per ton, and about twelve hands were usually employed.

How these grindstones were made had been described by Mr. F. Wain who worked there as a young boy. 'After the top soil was cleared, a search would be made for any faults that appeared on the surface of the rock. Each man had eight wedges and a hammer and he would lightly tap the fault in the rock with the wedge until a crack was made, and it was then carefully levered out and down over the edge. The boys of the village would work by candlelight, first dipping the stones into a trough of water and than rub¬bing them against a rough stone in order to make them smooth. When the four sides were smooth, they were put into stacks called 'castles' and they usually completed about three dozen in a week. They were paid a penny for each stone com¬pleted.

Mr. F.S. Ogden remembers seeing the stone dressed. The dressing tool or 'pick' was a heavy iron head about nine or ten inches long with an approximate two inch square section slightly ta¬pered. On one end was welded a projection rather like a bird's beak. The dresser worked standing astride the stone. He also saw evidence of a seam of coal in the extreme bottom towards the west.

The quarry closed down about 1917 and a house 'The Potlocks' was built on the site by Mr. R. Needham. The chains used at the quarry were laid in the foundations and the props, made of pitch-pine, were used in the timbers of the roof.

Ferriby Brook

A George 'Ferrebie' is mentioned in the Parish Registers in 1622 but whether this name is in any way connected with Ferriby Brook and House we have not been able to verify. The first mention of Ferreby Brook House is in 1767.

The present house stands on the main road near to the brook on the Morley/Breadsall boun¬dary and has a date on it of 1857. One of the Derbyshire Journals of that year states that there was a beer house at Ferriby, and in 1891 a market gardener, florist and nursery man resided here. One of Morley's Church Wardens, (c.1856), Mr. Joseph Whittaker F.R.G.S. a. widely travelled an and a distinguished botanist, started a school here for boys. About twelve Scholars at¬tended usually after leaving school on the Moor at the age of eleven. There is a lectern to his memory in the church dated 2nd March 1894.

A Mr. Larcombe lived here for many years until his death in 1947. He was a collector and an authority on antique china, and many were the distinguished visitors who came to Ferriby to view his collection.

For a picture of the village in the latter part of the nineteenth century we are indebted to the memories of those, who Morley 'born and bred' were willing to recall for us scenes and tales of their youth.

The Postman

Mrs. Eliza Day who died at the age of 92 in 1969 vividly remembered the postman, Mr. James Hall, who ' in the 1880s walked from Derby with the local mail. This journey took him along the Breadsall road past the Priory, up to Brackley Gate, then on down Cloves Hill to the Rose and Crown where he stayed until his return journey about 4.30 pm. He took a slightly different route back. Leaving the Rose and Crown he pas¬sed Morley Manor, the Three Horse Shoes and Morley Bridge, where he cut off past the Mound and Tootle Pond along the lane to Mason Field, where he would give a loud blast on his whistle to announce his arrival at the far end of Bread¬sall Moor.

Mrs. Day remembered, being sent to buy stamps from the postman as he passed down the Moor, and recalled how one had to pay for them, stick them on the letters and hand the letters back for posting. All this time she had to run along be side him to keep up with his big strides - the postman himself refusing to stop for anything or anyone. Anyone who wanted anything therefore made a point of being at the top end of the Moor to meet him when they heard his whistle blow in Mason Field.

The first record of a Post Office is in Kelly's Directory in 1891, and this gives a Mr. Charles Chapman as receiver. In 1895,he is lis¬ted as 'sub-postmaster, blacksmith and wheel¬wright, letters through Derby arriving at 8 am. and dispatched at 6 pm., Posta1 Orders were is¬sued but not paid.' Mr. Chapman lived in one of the cottages on Morley Bridge.

Mrs. Swindell of Church Farm became post¬mistress in 1900 followed by her grand-daughter Mrs. A. Parkinson. The present postmistress is Mrs. M. Marshall of Brick Kiln Lane, Morley who was appointed on 1st January 1972.

Mr. H. Hunt who died this year at the age of 92 came of an old Morley family and many were the stories he recalled of events and everyday happenings in the village towards the end of the last century.

He remembered how his grandfather regular used the old footpath to Stanley over the bridge. It was a good paved footpath and would easily take a horse and cart, and many journeys we made taking grain by pack-saddle to the windmill at Dale for grinding.

A fine avenue of oak trees grew alongside the path, and when felled towards the end of t 1914-18 war they were reported to be at least three hundred years old.

Mr. F.S. Ogden whose home was at Stanley wrote the following account of some of his earliest memories connected with Morley Church and Lane:

Church Lane and Bridle Road to Stanley

My parents 'settled' at Morley Church when a very small boy. The way to the Church from Stanley was over the railway bridge at 'Klondike'. 'Klondike' did not then exist as was only the old cottage at the foot of bridge approach.

'Skevington's Houses' were the first to be built by the owners of the land of that name. The bridle road was then well-used, also as a footpath and occasionally by vehicles. At the foot of the bridge approach on the Morley side a hunting gate and a vehicle gate, the latter -kept locked, which belonged to the Railway Company and were kept well painted white. There a good stone paved ford across the brook as well as a footbridge. The down-stream edge of the paved ford was two or three feet above the level of the stream below so there was usually quite a waterfall except in a dry summer. I have seen trout in the stream below.

The house at the bottom of 'Potter's Lane' came to be known later as 'the Burnt House' because it was eventually burned down and remained derelict. It was then occupied by the Martin family. There was Mrs. Martin senior, a tall somewhat gaunt old lady, her son and his wife and a niece (Miss Palfree). All regularly attended Church and the old lady and the niece were in the Choir. Below the 'Burnt House' alongside the footpath was a well-stocked apple orchard and behind that a large damson orchard. There was a deep well close to the gate into the land with the usual stone head and waller (the wooden roller and handle for lowering and raising the bucket).

The house at the top of the land opposite Mosses Lane was occupied by an elderly couple. On particularly hot Sundays the old gentleman used to walk up Church Lane in his shirt sleeves (white starched) as far as the Rectory wall and then don his coat.

It was at first too far for me to walk all the way to church, so the first part of the jour¬ney was made in a two-wheeled vehicle of some prestige called 'The Peerless Car'. It was built to last and is still in going order! It used to be put in Mr. Hinds' joiners shop at the bottom of the land and from there the journey was com¬pleted on foot.

My mother remembered the Reverend H.H.Brad¬shaw as Rector and was present in Church when the Reverend C.J.Boden 'read himself in'. Consequently she knew the six consecutive Rectors each of whose names began with the letter 'B'.

Sheep wash

On the opposite side of the land from the joiner's cottage and a little higher up there was the sheep wash. A hand gate on the roadside led into a walled enclosure in which was the sunk 'wash' lined and paved with stone. The wash was fed from the ditch bringing the water from a spring in 'Donkey Hollow', from the cattle trough and the overflow of the Fishponds. The ditch was stopped and the water turned into the wash when required.

The Portway

An alternative return route for us was to turn off the lane through a stile almost oppo¬site Moses Lane and go along the footpath on the line of the old Portway over the railway, and by footpath over the brook and eventually out into the lane near home. This however was only an occasional variation and strictly for dry wea¬ther. The first part of the Portway was between hedges and although a 'grass road' was hard un-derneath. It was said to have been used a good deal during the construction of the railway. There were a number of old oak trees in the hedges and I have a water-colour of the largest, a very fine tree, which proved to be about 280 to 300 years old. Most of them were cut down when the Derby Co-op bought the Jesse Farm.

In those days there was quite a procession up Church Lane to morning service on Sundays. Four or five Martins from the bottom house; the top cottage; Deppers; Hunts; Hinds; Boswell and about five Skevingtons from Jesse Farm.

Another family the Whittaker's were staunch 'Victorians' and Mrs. Whittaker wore the Victorian shawl on most occasions. It is on record that twice a year at any rate one could be sure of the date and that was when Mrs. Whittaker Changed from summer shawl to winter shawl and vice versa, regardless of the weather.

A regular member of the congregation who used to sit in a seat behind the door (where the font is now) was an old man rather deformed and very lame who got about with difficulty on crut¬ches. I think he used to go down to the Rectory every Sunday after service for a meal. He was known to us for identification as 'the old crip¬ple'. At that time we had a young house boy who was fond of using any unusual and impressive words which he got hold of without regard to fitness. He also sat in a seat behind the door and one Sunday he returned from Church and ann¬ounced that the 'old hypocrite' was not there.

Organ

The organ was blown by hand. A 'tell-tale' on the organ indicated when the wind was running out and also when the bellows or rather the 'wind box' was full - the latter condition also being announced by a 'mighty rushing wind' heard above the music. In the case of one blower whose at¬tention used to wander a bit from the 'tell-tale' the first condition was not infrequent, and the organ would wail into silence and then burst out into sound quite likely well behind the choir.

Peafowl

Peafowl were kept at the Rectory and we occasional and rather unwelcome visitors on the thatched roofs of stacks and also of a portion of Martin's house. During summer the church door was usually open during service and it was no uncommon thing to hear the Rector's voice answered from the porch or nearby by the rather piercing reply from a peacock. I remember one morning when only a quick sortie by someone near the door prevented some young pigs joining the congregation.

The Mausoleum

The building of the Sacheverell-Batesman mausoleum created a great deal of interest. The exhumation from the vault in the churchyard installation of the coffin in the new build. possibly created still more interest, certainly according to gossip, to one inhabitant, Mr.Bickerstaff. He was somewhat of a character apparently and determined to see what transpired. He is said to have climbed into one of the trees, which it is not stated, and from that point of vantage to have kept an eye on the proceedings, but there does not seem to be any record of what he saw!

Beating the Bounds

One of the annual ceremonies was the walking of the boundaries which took place in most parishes to ensure that the boundaries were exactly known and that no parish infringed on another's land. A few of the older Morley families recall that the party 'beating the bounds' set off armed with spades, and at various points of boundary a hole would be dug and one of young lads seized and stood in the hole head first. This was to impress upon him the exact boundary so that he would always remember it and he was given a halfpenny or a penny piece as a consolation. The last time this took place was around 1870.

Harvest Supper

One of the great occasions of the year were the Harvest Suppers given by the farmers for their workers and Mr. Hunt remembered his father talking about those that were held in the stable yard at the Hall by invitation of Mr. R. Sitwell after the harvest had been gathered in.

The menu consisted of good roast beef, bread potatoes and home-brewed beer, and the enter¬tainment was provided by Mr. Joseph Moss of Smalley, a violinist of some ability and a nota¬ble singer. One of his songs was 'The Beggars Ramble' - this included in its verses a mention of all the Surrounding villages and inns, and the 'Smithy' and beer house at Ferriby Brook are duly mentioned. Mr.Hunt had a copy of this song which belonged to his father.

The Annual Flower Show

The Flower Show was organised by the Rector, Mr. Boden, and the last one took place in 1914. Local competition was strong and entries came in too from surrounding villages. There was a display of hothouse plants from the 'big-houses' - Broomfield, the Manor and the Priory, and the Rector gave a prize for the best kept cottage garden.

The Rectory grounds were filled with swing boats and coconut shies, and entertainers and acrobats from Derby added to the fun, whilst the village children showed their skill in dancing round the maypole.

A band from Dale Abbey came on foot up Church Lane to play during the afternoon. They returned in the evening full of goodwill after the lavish refreshments, and played all the way down the lane to the great delight of the children who marched with them - a favourite tune being "The girl I left behind me".

Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee

The Diamond Jubilee celebration was recalled by Mr. Hunt. It was a day of great excitement with a tea-party in the Park followed by games and children's races. A brass band (probably from Dale) played throughout the afternoon and everyone was presented with a special Diamond Jubilee mug. Each child was given a newly min¬ted sixpence - a gift to each child in the Ilkeston constituency by Mr. T.H.Hooley (philan¬thropist) who was putting up for parliament at the time. Mr.Hunt treasured his sixpence all his life.

A fountain with drinking cup and chain toge¬ther with a horse trough were erected at the junction of Church Lane. These were the gifts of the Rector, Mr.C.Boden, and his sister in honour of the occasion.

Choirboys' Outing

Mr. Hunt also remembered how the usual outing was a day trip to Skegness by train. All this sounds quite modern but in 1897 and probab-ly because of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations the trip was a local one to Matlock. Two horse-drawn wagonettes filled with choirboys set off from Morley, going round by Breadsall to avoid the steep hill at Little Eaton. Such a trip is hard to imagine today, but they went on to do what a similar party today would do - climbing about on the rocks and then going to tea in one of the hotels. After the tea a marble clock was presented to the organist, Mr. Arnold, for his twenty-five years of service at Morley.

King Edward VII's Coronation

This was recalled by a member of the group who was a child at the time and it followed much the same pattern as the Jubilee. The King himself was dangerously ill but the national festi¬vities went' on although the Coronation itself had to be postponed. The most memorable moment of the day was when the Rector announced that news had come through that the King was out of danger.

Mr. Hunt himself was lucky to survive for he recalled a tale told him many times by his mother: In a small low-roofed cottage in Church Lane (now derelict) lived the parish clerk Mr.Boswell and his family. After the wedding of his school-teacher daughter to a local stonemason named Slater, all the relatives, friends and neighbours crowded into the tiny cottage for the reception includ¬ing Mrs. Hunt with young Henry in her arms. This was too good an opportunity to be missed for a local practical joker named Beardsley, for after wedging the door of the cottage so that it couldn't be opened, he climbed up the sloping roof and hastily began to block up the chimney with grass clods. As can be imagined the room very quickly filled with smoke, and as it was sometime before the door could be forced open, several guests were overcome by fumes' and collapsed, and great anxiety was felt for Mrs.Hunt's young baby. How¬ever he duly recovered and continued to thrive!

Memories of Morley School(recalled by Mrs. Day and Mr. Hunt)

In the latter part of the, last century the headmistress was Miss Taylor. with Miss Lakin as her assistant. Miss Taylor had a schoolmaster brother at Breadsall, but she lived with her mot¬her at the School House at Morley. Mrs. Esther Taylor is remembered as a very kind old lady and the children were very fond of her. Each year on her birthday she baked a good big batch of gingerbread and gave all the chil¬dren a neatly wrapped packet to take home with them for tea.

Mrs. Esther Taylor knew the children well for she taught many of them at Sunday School which was held in the schoolroom on Sunday morn¬ings. The Rector, the Reverend Charles Boden, taught the older children, many of whom had left school and were now working, but they still en¬joyed their Sunday school. They would practice the hymns to the playing of the Harmonium before walking in pairs over the Park to Church, the Reverend Mr. Boden leading the way.

Several Sunday School parties are remem¬bered. Some at the Priory and others at Broom¬field Hall by invitation of Mr. and Mrs. Schwind. There would be sports and prize-giving and the excitement of trying to keep perfectly still while a photograph was taken. Some of the old photographs have survived and show the boys neat and tidy and the girls fresh and shining with their hair done up in ribbons. Afterwards they would go inside the big house for tea. The won¬derful scent of the roses in the glasshouses is something Mr. Hunt looked back on with nostalgia.

Mrs. Eliza Day had a sampler she made at school in 1891 at the age of fifteen, having been allowed to stay on to make up for time lost whilst in hospital. On numerous occasions she received the yearly prize of half a sovereign for needlework (given by the Rector Mr. Boden).

The Reverend Charles Boden

The Reverend Charles Boden was Rector of Morley from 1883 until his death in 1917. He never married but lived with his sister at the Rectory both sharing a keen interest in garden¬ing. Not only his own garden but the adjoining churchyard were delightful with their personal oversight and work. He was a real lover of nature and many will recall him standing on the lawn with the white fantails circling round, while at his feet would be two or three stately peacocks.

The peacocks were a great fascination for village children who loved to listen to their squawk as they strutted the turf, and now then displayed their beautiful fans and they would sit on the seat under the old tree at 'shedding time' eagerly watching for any of the tail feathers to fall. These would be carefully hoarded and brought out and admired for many a week after.

He was one 'given to hospitality' and many and various were the parties privileged to be entertained at the Rectory. 'Quiet Days' and conferences for clergy were frequently held here also Mother's Meetings, Boy Scouts and Girls' Friendly Societies from other parishes held their outings here and spent peaceful afternoons in the lovely gardens, so gay in the springtime with daffodils and fragrant in the summer with roses. Tradition has it that the first rambler type roses in the district were those planted by Mr.Boden at Morley.

Many of the entertainments and club activi¬ties that thrived in Morley at the turn of the century were organised and supported by the Rector, and he was President of the Cricket Club and interested too in Morley's very successful football team. He was himself a keen sportsman and would find time for occasional runs with the Meynell.

During the winter he organised weekly enter¬tainments at the Recreation Room - Whist playing, concerts, magic lantern shows, musical evenings, and the like. One of the older villagers recalls with nostalgia the music of the Peak Banjo Mandolin and Guitar Band which frequently came from Derby. There was also a library for the young boys, when books such as Robinson Crusoe and 'Tales of Darkest Africa' kept them spell-bound.

People from the neighbouring villages would also join in the activities, leaving their hor¬ses and traps at the nearby farms. The_ ladies would find something for their enjoyment in the Recreation Room and the men folk would play cards in the stable-room below.

At Christmas time a ball was held and one or two of the local youths would dress up in borrowed swallow tails and top hats. The Rector always attended but usually sat by the stove busy with his knitting, keeping a watchful eye for any rough play, and many of the village youths would be reprimanded for 'spinning the ladled off their legs' in the Lancers or Quad¬rilles'.

His knitting would often be for the choir-boys, for on Christmas morning after the service the, boys would go to the Rectory where they were given a mince-pie, an orange and pair of gloves, socks or a scarf knitted by the Rector.

One local event that caused quite a stir in Morley was the burning of the church in the neighbouring village of Breadsall in June 1914. No-one was ever convicted for the outrage but suffragettes were blamed. People had been seen loitering near the churchyard although descrip¬tions were very conflicting. The day before the burning two strange women were seen near Morley church and were kept under close observation by the Rector, Mr. Boden, and his staff until they were safely off the premises. After the Breadsall church fire the Rector hastily summoned a meeting and formed a band of volunteer watchmen to patrol and guard the church at Morley until the danger subsided. Mr. Allsop recalls that one night whilst they were patrolling a warning shot was heard. Everyone immediately hurried to the scene ready to detain the 'suffragettes' only to find a very red faced volunteer watchman, who arriving late for duty had in his haste stumbled over one of the trip wires and caused one of the guns to fire.

The 1914 war brought many changes, in the life of the village with many of its young men away, and everyone must have felt grateful to Mrs. Lister-Kaye for her part in bringing Morley so early into the war effort, for the Derbyshire Advertiser of October 1914 reports:

'Mrs. Lister-Kaye has turned Morley Manor into a hospital and it is attached to one of the base hospitals in the Northern Command, being now full of wounded men from the recent battle of the Aisne. They arrived at Derby Midland Station on Monday and were cheered by a large crowd outside, whilst the whole of Morley village turned out to bid them welcome.'

A cross and roll of honour was erected in the churchyard and a memorial plaque in the Church and Recreation Room in honour of those who gave their lives in the Great War. An in¬scription reads:

Leiut. H.A.C. Topham Indian Army Attd. Welsh Regt.
Leiut. Ronald Greenfield 1st Batt. The Rifle Brigade.
Capt. W.K.S. Haslam R.F.A.
Pte. Frederick T. Legge 5th Dorsetts.
Pte. George R. Clowes 4th Worcesters.
Gnr. John Allsop R.F.A. Gnr.
John Skevington R.G.A.
Pte. Charles Hunt Durham Lt. Infy.
Gnr. William Radford R.F.A.
Lce. Cpl. Frank Daws K.R.R.
Pte. Harry Pepper South Staffs.
Pte. William T. Clowes 3rd Sherwood Foresters
Pte, Percy Lowe Lancs. Fusiliers, Emdr. William Hunt R.F.A.

1939-45

Gnr. C.R. Wesley - 1 - 16 - H.A..- R.A.
Sgt. V.P. Thompson W.O.P. A.G. - R.A.F.V.R.

War-time incident

During the 1939-45 war a lone German plane flew across on a line roughly in the direction 'Three Horse Shoes' - Jesse Farm. No-one could imagine why the occupants should decide to drop bombs on that line but two were sent down. One was a 'firebomb' and the other a medium high-explosive of the 'whistling type'. The former which was of the 'petrol drum' kind landed in the middle of a field between the Jesse Farm and the railway. It made a sizeable dint in the ground and burnt out harmlessly. The other hit the railway embankment on the side towards the farm and scooped out a hole but without actually damaging the lines other than moving them sligh¬tly. The appearance and sound of the falling bombs quite belied the amount of damage.

A 'Comforts' Fund was organised by the vil¬lagers during the last war for the men away in the forces. They were sent money at Christmas and also at Easter if funds allowed. The money was raised chiefly by whist drives held in the homes of supporters, and the accounts for 1940 show that twenty-four men were each sent ten shillings at Christmas.

Relics from the past

A late bronze age hollow-bladed riveted spearhead dating from 1200 - 1000 B.C. was in the early 1960s found on Morley Moor and was identified at Derby Museum where it is now on show. Several flint arrowheads, roman coins and fragments of early pottery were also uncovered in the area.

A number of stone figure-heads which have been in a garden of a house near to the Church for well over a hundred years were photographed and the prints studied by an expert who expres¬sed an opinion that they were probably early sixteenth century although a personal inspection would be necessary before a definite opinion could be given.

How the figure-heads came to be in the gar¬den and where they originally came from is open to conjecture. Whether they were from the Old Hall which was dismantled about the middle of the eighteenth century or whether they came from Dale Abbey with some of the treasures to the church it is not yet known. So they remain - interesting relics that have survived the years.

We get glimpses of nineteenth-century Morley from the Reverend Charles Kerry, author of two books on Smalley (which with Kiddesley Park was a chapelry of Morley until 1877). He also made copies of the Morley and Smalley Church Registers which are in the Derby Borough Library and to which he adds his own comments.

Morley Wakes were at one time a very grand affair and were held on September 21st feast of St. Matthew, patron saint Of the Church, and the Reverend Mr. Kerry describes them thus:

Morley Wakes

'About the commencement of the nineteenth century when asses were much used for pack-saddle purposes, a yearly show of these animals was held during the Wakes Week at Morley Smithy, when many of them changed hands; and races were instituted to exhibit their quality. The competition was open to the neighbourhood and great was the rural excitement.

Mine host of the 'Three Horse Shoes' provided a cup for the winner, and Mr. Paul Fisher of Brackley Gate was steward and master of the course. Paul was a great man on these occasions. Attired in 'cock-and-pinch' hat, long waistcoat, knee boots and short breasted coat, riding whip in hand, his presence was felt everywhere. It was 'Mr Fisher' from every quarter, though plain Paul on all other occasions. He was a great wag, full of humour; a genial companion, and half the life of the-countryside.

Handbills of the races were printed, headed with an appropriate woodcut of grandstand, winning post, scales for weighing the jockeys etc. One of these printed in 1817 is now in the possession of Sir Henry H. Bemrose. Paul's donkey was named 'Ling Croppers' from its pasturage on the moor. Tailor Wheatcroft's steed was 'Prick-stitch' by 'Cabbage' and so on of the rest.

On one of these occasions a Smalley youth was seen struggling with his ass in a deep dyke by the roadside, into which the animal had conveyed his rider instead of securing the honours of the race, and despite all urging and coaxing, the creature would not move. "Hello, my lad" said the squire, who happened to be passing at the time "When do the races begin?", "We are running now sir" was the jockey's response.

It was great sport on-these occasions for the Morley youths to thwart or impede any outside competitors; a favourite trick being to push both steed and rider into some dyke or pond; and no doubt the Smalley candidate had been favoured with their attentions.'

By the beginning of this century however the donkey races-had ceased, although there was still a gathering of the clans on Wakes Day. It is recalled that the 'Oddfellows Club' band set¬ting off from the Rose and Crown 'played' their way down to the Three Horse Shoes where everyone waited impatiently for the Wakes to begin. Every¬one joined in the fun and games, and the chil¬dren ran races or made themselves dizzy on the roundabouts. The menfolk met for a reunion at the 'Smithy', where they challenged each other at skittles and feasted on beer and bread and cheese. During the celebrations one or two of the local 'big-nobs' would look in and pay for the jug to be filled up and passed round. Alas! the outbreak of the war in 1914 brought all such festivities to an end, and the Morley Wakes have never been revived.

Cheavening

An interesting job that was done by women to make a little extra money was cheavening. Mrs. Whiteman who died in 1943 at the age of ninety did this, and we had a record of her work from a member of the group.

Mrs. Whiteman lived in one of the almshou¬ses in her later years and received work from Ilkeston, Woodhouse and Belper firms. She had learnt how to do it at the age of nine when her mother had pinned a sock to her arm to get the tightness that was essential for the work. A special fine round eye needle was used and in the early days the design was always of white silk, but later coloured silks were introduced to give a better effect. The designs of daisies or bells or such patterns were worked at the ankle and up the leg. For some stockings only sixpence a dozen was paid, even though these were quite good stockings, but others would fetch a shilling a dozen pairs, depending on how neat¬ly they were worked and on the intricacy of the design. One tree design or 'point' took perhaps a week or more to do and for this three shillings was paid, but this was a very special job. All the work had to be done very neatly, no knots were allowed and each length of thread was sewn back in. Sometimes Mrs. Whiteman would have to sit up all night to finish a consignment if the next lot of work was due the following day. On an average she earned seven shillings a week for this work.

Obviously 'working at night by artificial light was difficult on such fine patterns. This was overcome by filling a 3 lb. jam jar with water and placing it on a pile of books near the paraffin lamp. The flame was in this way reflec¬ted and threw more light on her work, and the jar moreover made a good magnifying glass.

Although this is one of the few skilled jobs that could be done by women it their homes that have lasted into this century, there must have been many women in Morley who helped in some such way to increase the family income.

The Stone Quarry, Morley Moor

The stone is described in Glover's History of Derbyshire as salmon coloured grit. Some of the best scythe stones were made here, also grindstones varying in diameter from eighteen inches to four feet and which sold at about for¬ty shillings per ton, and about twelve hands were usually employed.

How these grindstones were made had been described by Mr. F. Wain who worked there as a young boy. 'After the top soil was cleared, a search would be made for any faults that appeared on the surface of the rock. Each man had eight wedges and a hammer and he would lightly tap the fault in the rock with the wedge until a crack was made, and it was then carefully levered out and down over the edge. The boys of the village would work by candlelight, first dipping the stones into a trough of water and than rub¬bing them against a rough stone in order to make them smooth. When the four sides were smooth, they were put into stacks called 'castles' and they usually completed about three dozen in a week. They were paid a penny for each stone com¬pleted.

Mr. F.S. Ogden remembers seeing the stone dressed. The dressing tool or 'pick' was a heavy iron head about nine or ten inches long with an approximate two inch square section slightly ta¬pered. On one end was welded a projection rather like a bird's beak. The dresser worked standing astride the stone. He also saw evidence of a seam of coal in the extreme bottom towards the west.

The quarry closed down about 1917 and a house 'The Potlocks' was built on the site by Mr. R. Needham. The chains used at the quarry were laid in the foundations and the props, made of pitch-pine, were used in the timbers of the roof.

Ferriby Brook

A George 'Ferrebie' is mentioned in the Parish Registers in 1622 but whether this name is in any way connected with Ferriby Brook and House we have not been able to verify. The first mention of Ferreby Brook House is in 1767.

The present house stands on the main road near to the brook on the Morley/Breadsall boun¬dary and has a date on it of 1857. One of the Derbyshire Journals of that year states that there was a beer house at Ferriby, and in 1891 a market gardener, florist and nursery man resided here. One of Morley's Church Wardens, (c.1856), Mr. Joseph Whittaker F.R.G.S. a. widely travelled an and a distinguished botanist, started a school here for boys. About twelve Scholars at¬tended usually after leaving school on the Moor at the age of eleven. There is a lectern to his memory in the church dated 2nd March 1894.

A Mr. Larcombe lived here for many years until his death in 1947. He was a collector and an authority on antique china, and many were the distinguished visitors who came to Ferriby to view his collection.

For a picture of the village in the latter part of the nineteenth century we are indebted to the memories of those, who Morley 'born and bred' were willing to recall for us scenes and tales of their youth.

The Postman

Mrs. Eliza Day who died at the age of 92 in 1969 vividly remembered the postman, Mr. James Hall, who ' in the 1880s walked from Derby with the local mail. This journey took him along the Breadsall road past the Priory, up to Brackley Gate, then on down Cloves Hill to the Rose and Crown where he stayed until his return journey about 4.30 pm. He took a slightly different route back. Leaving the Rose and Crown he pas¬sed Morley Manor, the Three Horse Shoes and Morley Bridge, where he cut off past the Mound and Tootle Pond along the lane to Mason Field, where he would give a loud blast on his whistle to announce his arrival at the far end of Bread¬sall Moor.

Mrs. Day remembered, being sent to buy stamps from the postman as he passed down the Moor, and recalled how one had to pay for them, stick them on the letters and hand the letters back for posting. All this time she had to run along be side him to keep up with his big strides - the postman himself refusing to stop for anything or anyone. Anyone who wanted anything therefore made a point of being at the top end of the Moor to meet him when they heard his whistle blow in Mason Field.

The first record of a Post Office is in Kelly's Directory in 1891, and this gives a Mr. Charles Chapman as receiver. In 1895,he is lis¬ted as 'sub-postmaster, blacksmith and wheel¬wright, letters through Derby arriving at 8 am. and dispatched at 6 pm., Posta1 Orders were is¬sued but not paid.' Mr. Chapman lived in one of the cottages on Morley Bridge.

Mrs. Swindell of Church Farm became post¬mistress in 1900 followed by her grand-daughter Mrs. A. Parkinson. The present postmistress is Mrs. M. Marshall of Brick Kiln Lane, Morley who was appointed on 1st January 1972.

Mr. H. Hunt who died this year at the age of 92 came of an old Morley family and many were the stories he recalled of events and everyday happenings in the village towards the end of the last century.

He remembered how his grandfather regular used the old footpath to Stanley over the bridge. It was a good paved footpath and would easily take a horse and cart, and many journeys we made taking grain by pack-saddle to the windmill at Dale for grinding.

A fine avenue of oak trees grew alongside the path, and when felled towards the end of t 1914-18 war they were reported to be at least three hundred years old.

Mr. F.S. Ogden whose home was at Stanley wrote the following account of some of his earliest memories connected with Morley Church and Lane:

Church Lane and Bridle Road to Stanley

My parents 'settled' at Morley Church when a very small boy. The way to the Church from Stanley was over the railway bridge at 'Klondike'. 'Klondike' did not then exist as was only the old cottage at the foot of bridge approach.

'Skevington's Houses' were the first to be built by the owners of the land of that name. The bridle road was then well-used, also as a footpath and occasionally by vehicles. At the foot of the bridge approach on the Morley side a hunting gate and a vehicle gate, the latter -kept locked, which belonged to the Railway Company and were kept well painted white. There a good stone paved ford across the brook as well as a footbridge. The down-stream edge of the paved ford was two or three feet above the level of the stream below so there was usually quite a waterfall except in a dry summer. I have seen trout in the stream below.

The house at the bottom of 'Potter's Lane' came to be known later as 'the Burnt House' because it was eventually burned down and remained derelict. It was then occupied by the Martin family. There was Mrs. Martin senior, a tall somewhat gaunt old lady, her son and his wife and a niece (Miss Palfree). All regularly attended Church and the old lady and the niece were in the Choir. Below the 'Burnt House' alongside the footpath was a well-stocked apple orchard and behind that a large damson orchard. There was a deep well close to the gate into the land with the usual stone head and waller (the wooden roller and handle for lowering and raising the bucket).

The house at the top of the land opposite Mosses Lane was occupied by an elderly couple. On particularly hot Sundays the old gentleman used to walk up Church Lane in his shirt sleeves (white starched) as far as the Rectory wall and then don his coat.

It was at first too far for me to walk all the way to church, so the first part of the jour¬ney was made in a two-wheeled vehicle of some prestige called 'The Peerless Car'. It was built to last and is still in going order! It used to be put in Mr. Hinds' joiners shop at the bottom of the land and from there the journey was com¬pleted on foot.

My mother remembered the Reverend H.H.Brad¬shaw as Rector and was present in Church when the Reverend C.J.Boden 'read himself in'. Consequently she knew the six consecutive Rectors each of whose names began with the letter 'B'.

Sheep wash

On the opposite side of the land from the joiner's cottage and a little higher up there was the sheep wash. A hand gate on the roadside led into a walled enclosure in which was the sunk 'wash' lined and paved with stone. The wash was fed from the ditch bringing the water from a spring in 'Donkey Hollow', from the cattle trough and the overflow of the Fishponds. The ditch was stopped and the water turned into the wash when required.

The Portway

An alternative return route for us was to turn off the lane through a stile almost oppo¬site Moses Lane and go along the footpath on the line of the old Portway over the railway, and by footpath over the brook and eventually out into the lane near home. This however was only an occasional variation and strictly for dry wea¬ther. The first part of the Portway was between hedges and although a 'grass road' was hard un-derneath. It was said to have been used a good deal during the construction of the railway. There were a number of old oak trees in the hedges and I have a water-colour of the largest, a very fine tree, which proved to be about 280 to 300 years old. Most of them were cut down when the Derby Co-op bought the Jesse Farm.

In those days there was quite a procession up Church Lane to morning service on Sundays. Four or five Martins from the bottom house; the top cottage; Deppers; Hunts; Hinds; Boswell and about five Skevingtons from Jesse Farm.

Another family the Whittaker's were staunch 'Victorians' and Mrs. Whittaker wore the Victorian shawl on most occasions. It is on record that twice a year at any rate one could be sure of the date and that was when Mrs. Whittaker Changed from summer shawl to winter shawl and vice versa, regardless of the weather.

A regular member of the congregation who used to sit in a seat behind the door (where the font is now) was an old man rather deformed and very lame who got about with difficulty on crut¬ches. I think he used to go down to the Rectory every Sunday after service for a meal. He was known to us for identification as 'the old crip¬ple'. At that time we had a young house boy who was fond of using any unusual and impressive words which he got hold of without regard to fitness. He also sat in a seat behind the door and one Sunday he returned from Church and ann¬ounced that the 'old hypocrite' was not there.

Organ

The organ was blown by hand. A 'tell-tale' on the organ indicated when the wind was running out and also when the bellows or rather the 'wind box' was full - the latter condition also being announced by a 'mighty rushing wind' heard above the music. In the case of one blower whose at¬tention used to wander a bit from the 'tell-tale' the first condition was not infrequent, and the organ would wail into silence and then burst out into sound quite likely well behind the choir.

Peafowl

Peafowl were kept at the Rectory and we occasional and rather unwelcome visitors on the thatched roofs of stacks and also of a portion of Martin's house. During summer the church door was usually open during service and it was no uncommon thing to hear the Rector's voice answered from the porch or nearby by the rather piercing reply from a peacock. I remember one morning when only a quick sortie by someone near the door prevented some young pigs joining the congregation.

The Mausoleum

The building of the Sacheverell-Batesman mausoleum created a great deal of interest. The exhumation from the vault in the churchyard installation of the coffin in the new build. possibly created still more interest, certainly according to gossip, to one inhabitant, Mr.Bickerstaff. He was somewhat of a character apparently and determined to see what transpired. He is said to have climbed into one of the trees, which it is not stated, and from that point of vantage to have kept an eye on the proceedings, but there does not seem to be any record of what he saw!

Beating the Bounds

One of the annual ceremonies was the walking of the boundaries which took place in most parishes to ensure that the boundaries were exactly known and that no parish infringed on another's land. A few of the older Morley families recall that the party 'beating the bounds' set off armed with spades, and at various points of boundary a hole would be dug and one of young lads seized and stood in the hole head first. This was to impress upon him the exact boundary so that he would always remember it and he was given a halfpenny or a penny piece as a consolation. The last time this took place was around 1870.

Harvest Supper

One of the great occasions of the year were the Harvest Suppers given by the farmers for their workers and Mr. Hunt remembered his father talking about those that were held in the stable yard at the Hall by invitation of Mr. R. Sitwell after the harvest had been gathered in.

The menu consisted of good roast beef, bread potatoes and home-brewed beer, and the enter¬tainment was provided by Mr. Joseph Moss of Smalley, a violinist of some ability and a nota¬ble singer. One of his songs was 'The Beggars Ramble' - this included in its verses a mention of all the Surrounding villages and inns, and the 'Smithy' and beer house at Ferriby Brook are duly mentioned. Mr.Hunt had a copy of this song which belonged to his father.

The Annual Flower Show

The Flower Show was organised by the Rector, Mr. Boden, and the last one took place in 1914. Local competition was strong and entries came in too from surrounding villages. There was a display of hothouse plants from the 'big-houses' - Broomfield, the Manor and the Priory, and the Rector gave a prize for the best kept cottage garden.

The Rectory grounds were filled with swing boats and coconut shies, and entertainers and acrobats from Derby added to the fun, whilst the village children showed their skill in dancing round the maypole.

A band from Dale Abbey came on foot up Church Lane to play during the afternoon. They returned in the evening full of goodwill after the lavish refreshments, and played all the way down the lane to the great delight of the children who marched with them - a favourite tune being "The girl I left behind me".

Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee

The Diamond Jubilee celebration was recalled by Mr. Hunt. It was a day of great excitement with a tea-party in the Park followed by games and children's races. A brass band (probably from Dale) played throughout the afternoon and everyone was presented with a special Diamond Jubilee mug. Each child was given a newly min¬ted sixpence - a gift to each child in the Ilkeston constituency by Mr. T.H.Hooley (philan¬thropist) who was putting up for parliament at the time. Mr.Hunt treasured his sixpence all his life.

A fountain with drinking cup and chain toge¬ther with a horse trough were erected at the junction of Church Lane. These were the gifts of the Rector, Mr.C.Boden, and his sister in honour of the occasion.

Choirboys' Outing

Mr. Hunt also remembered how the usual outing was a day trip to Skegness by train. All this sounds quite modern but in 1897 and probab-ly because of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations the trip was a local one to Matlock. Two horse-drawn wagonettes filled with choirboys set off from Morley, going round by Breadsall to avoid the steep hill at Little Eaton. Such a trip is hard to imagine today, but they went on to do what a similar party today would do - climbing about on the rocks and then going to tea in one of the hotels. After the tea a marble clock was presented to the organist, Mr. Arnold, for his twenty-five years of service at Morley.

King Edward VII's Coronation

This was recalled by a member of the group who was a child at the time and it followed much the same pattern as the Jubilee. The King himself was dangerously ill but the national festi¬vities went' on although the Coronation itself had to be postponed. The most memorable moment of the day was when the Rector announced that news had come through that the King was out of danger.

Mr. Hunt himself was lucky to survive for he recalled a tale told him many times by his mother: In a small low-roofed cottage in Church Lane (now derelict) lived the parish clerk Mr.Boswell and his family. After the wedding of his school-teacher daughter to a local stonemason named Slater, all the relatives, friends and neighbours crowded into the tiny cottage for the reception includ¬ing Mrs. Hunt with young Henry in her arms. This was too good an opportunity to be missed for a local practical joker named Beardsley, for after wedging the door of the cottage so that it couldn't be opened, he climbed up the sloping roof and hastily began to block up the chimney with grass clods. As can be imagined the room very quickly filled with smoke, and as it was sometime before the door could be forced open, several guests were overcome by fumes' and collapsed, and great anxiety was felt for Mrs.Hunt's young baby. How¬ever he duly recovered and continued to thrive!

Memories of Morley School(recalled by Mrs. Day and Mr. Hunt)

In the latter part of the, last century the headmistress was Miss Taylor. with Miss Lakin as her assistant. Miss Taylor had a schoolmaster brother at Breadsall, but she lived with her mot¬her at the School House at Morley. Mrs. Esther Taylor is remembered as a very kind old lady and the children were very fond of her. Each year on her birthday she baked a good big batch of gingerbread and gave all the chil¬dren a neatly wrapped packet to take home with them for tea.

Mrs. Esther Taylor knew the children well for she taught many of them at Sunday School which was held in the schoolroom on Sunday morn¬ings. The Rector, the Reverend Charles Boden, taught the older children, many of whom had left school and were now working, but they still en¬joyed their Sunday school. They would practice the hymns to the playing of the Harmonium before walking in pairs over the Park to Church, the Reverend Mr. Boden leading the way.

Several Sunday School parties are remem¬bered. Some at the Priory and others at Broom¬field Hall by invitation of Mr. and Mrs. Schwind. There would be sports and prize-giving and the excitement of trying to keep perfectly still while a photograph was taken. Some of the old photographs have survived and show the boys neat and tidy and the girls fresh and shining with their hair done up in ribbons. Afterwards they would go inside the big house for tea. The won¬derful scent of the roses in the glasshouses is something Mr. Hunt looked back on with nostalgia.

Mrs. Eliza Day had a sampler she made at school in 1891 at the age of fifteen, having been allowed to stay on to make up for time lost whilst in hospital. On numerous occasions she received the yearly prize of half a sovereign for needlework (given by the Rector Mr. Boden).

The Reverend Charles Boden

The Reverend Charles Boden was Rector of Morley from 1883 until his death in 1917. He never married but lived with his sister at the Rectory both sharing a keen interest in garden¬ing. Not only his own garden but the adjoining churchyard were delightful with their personal oversight and work. He was a real lover of nature and many will recall him standing on the lawn with the white fantails circling round, while at his feet would be two or three stately peacocks.

The peacocks were a great fascination for village children who loved to listen to their squawk as they strutted the turf, and now then displayed their beautiful fans and they would sit on the seat under the old tree at 'shedding time' eagerly watching for any of the tail feathers to fall. These would be carefully hoarded and brought out and admired for many a week after.

He was one 'given to hospitality' and many and various were the parties privileged to be entertained at the Rectory. 'Quiet Days' and conferences for clergy were frequently held here also Mother's Meetings, Boy Scouts and Girls' Friendly Societies from other parishes held their outings here and spent peaceful afternoons in the lovely gardens, so gay in the springtime with daffodils and fragrant in the summer with roses. Tradition has it that the first rambler type roses in the district were those planted by Mr.Boden at Morley.

Many of the entertainments and club activi¬ties that thrived in Morley at the turn of the century were organised and supported by the Rector, and he was President of the Cricket Club and interested too in Morley's very successful football team. He was himself a keen sportsman and would find time for occasional runs with the Meynell.

During the winter he organised weekly enter¬tainments at the Recreation Room - Whist playing, concerts, magic lantern shows, musical evenings, and the like. One of the older villagers recalls with nostalgia the music of the Peak Banjo Mandolin and Guitar Band which frequently came from Derby. There was also a library for the young boys, when books such as Robinson Crusoe and 'Tales of Darkest Africa' kept them spell-bound.

People from the neighbouring villages would also join in the activities, leaving their hor¬ses and traps at the nearby farms. The_ ladies would find something for their enjoyment in the Recreation Room and the men folk would play cards in the stable-room below.

At Christmas time a ball was held and one or two of the local youths would dress up in borrowed swallow tails and top hats. The Rector always attended but usually sat by the stove busy with his knitting, keeping a watchful eye for any rough play, and many of the village youths would be reprimanded for 'spinning the ladled off their legs' in the Lancers or Quad¬rilles'.

His knitting would often be for the choir-boys, for on Christmas morning after the service the, boys would go to the Rectory where they were given a mince-pie, an orange and pair of gloves, socks or a scarf knitted by the Rector.

One local event that caused quite a stir in Morley was the burning of the church in the neighbouring village of Breadsall in June 1914. No-one was ever convicted for the outrage but suffragettes were blamed. People had been seen loitering near the churchyard although descrip¬tions were very conflicting. The day before the burning two strange women were seen near Morley church and were kept under close observation by the Rector, Mr. Boden, and his staff until they were safely off the premises. After the Breadsall church fire the Rector hastily summoned a meeting and formed a band of volunteer watchmen to patrol and guard the church at Morley until the danger subsided. Mr. Allsop recalls that one night whilst they were patrolling a warning shot was heard. Everyone immediately hurried to the scene ready to detain the 'suffragettes' only to find a very red faced volunteer watchman, who arriving late for duty had in his haste stumbled over one of the trip wires and caused one of the guns to fire.

The 1914 war brought many changes, in the life of the village with many of its young men away, and everyone must have felt grateful to Mrs. Lister-Kaye for her part in bringing Morley so early into the war effort, for the Derbyshire Advertiser of October 1914 reports:

'Mrs. Lister-Kaye has turned Morley Manor into a hospital and it is attached to one of the base hospitals in the Northern Command, being now full of wounded men from the recent battle of the Aisne. They arrived at Derby Midland Station on Monday and were cheered by a large crowd outside, whilst the whole of Morley village turned out to bid them welcome.'

A cross and roll of honour was erected in the churchyard and a memorial plaque in the Church and Recreation Room in honour of those who gave their lives in the Great War. An in¬scription reads:

Leiut. H.A.C. Topham Indian Army Attd. Welsh Regt.
Leiut. Ronald Greenfield 1st Batt. The Rifle Brigade.
Capt. W.K.S. Haslam R.F.A.
Pte. Frederick T. Legge 5th Dorsetts.
Pte. George R. Clowes 4th Worcesters.
Gnr. John Allsop R.F.A. Gnr.
John Skevington R.G.A.
Pte. Charles Hunt Durham Lt. Infy.
Gnr. William Radford R.F.A.
Lce. Cpl. Frank Daws K.R.R.
Pte. Harry Pepper South Staffs.
Pte. William T. Clowes 3rd Sherwood Foresters
Pte, Percy Lowe Lancs. Fusiliers, Emdr. William Hunt R.F.A.

1939-45

Gnr. C.R. Wesley - 1 - 16 - H.A..- R.A.
Sgt. V.P. Thompson W.O.P. A.G. - R.A.F.V.R.

War-time incident

During the 1939-45 war a lone German plane flew across on a line roughly in the direction 'Three Horse Shoes' - Jesse Farm. No-one could imagine why the occupants should decide to drop bombs on that line but two were sent down. One was a 'firebomb' and the other a medium high-explosive of the 'whistling type'. The former which was of the 'petrol drum' kind landed in the middle of a field between the Jesse Farm and the railway. It made a sizeable dint in the ground and burnt out harmlessly. The other hit the railway embankment on the side towards the farm and scooped out a hole but without actually damaging the lines other than moving them sligh¬tly. The appearance and sound of the falling bombs quite belied the amount of damage.

A 'Comforts' Fund was organised by the vil¬lagers during the last war for the men away in the forces. They were sent money at Christmas and also at Easter if funds allowed. The money was raised chiefly by whist drives held in the homes of supporters, and the accounts for 1940 show that twenty-four men were each sent ten shillings at Christmas.

Relics from the past

A late bronze age hollow-bladed riveted spearhead dating from 1200 - 1000 B.C. was in the early 1960s found on Morley Moor and was identified at Derby Museum where it is now on show. Several flint arrowheads, roman coins and fragments of early pottery were also uncovered in the area.

A number of stone figure-heads which have been in a garden of a house near to the Church for well over a hundred years were photographed and the prints studied by an expert who expres¬sed an opinion that they were probably early sixteenth century although a personal inspection would be necessary before a definite opinion could be given.

How the figure-heads came to be in the gar¬den and where they originally came from is open to conjecture. Whether they were from the Old Hall which was dismantled about the middle of the eighteenth century or whether they came from Dale Abbey with some of the treasures to the church it is not yet known. So they remain - interesting relics that have survived the years.