Morley, Derbyshire Genealogy

England Derbyshire



Parish History
Morley is an Ancient Parish in the county of Derbyshire. Smalley, Derbyshire is a chapelry of Morley. MORLEY (St. Matthew), a parish, in the union of Belper, hundred of Morleston and Litchurch, S. division of the county of Derby; containing, with Smalley chapelry, 1128 inhabitants, of whom 302 are in the township of Morley, 4½ miles (N. E.) from Derby. In Domesday survey this place is described as one of the manors of Henry de Ferrers. In 1235 the manors of Morley and Smalley were held by the abbot of Chester as of the fee of Hugh, Earl of Chester; and Morley was afterwards held by a family who took their name from the place. Their heiress brought it to Ralph Statham, who died in 1380; and an heiress of that family brought it to John Sacheverell, who was slain at the battle of Bosworth, in 1485: the last male heir of the Sacheverells died in 1714. The parish comprises 3381a. 2r. 37p., of which 1811 acres are in the township of Morley, and are partly of a clayey and partly of a sandy soil. Stone of good quality for building is quarried extensively, and a fine gritstone is found in one of the quarries, of which scythe-stones are made. The British road called the Rykneld-street, which the Romans repaired for their own use, passed through the township, and is easily traceable in many spots. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £13. 6. 8.; net income, £822; patrons, alternately, certain Trustees, and E. D. Sitwell, Esq. The tithes have been commuted for £320. 14. 4., and there are 111 acres of glebe in Morley township. The church is a large structure, built at different periods between the 12th and 15th centuries; the nave is a good specimen of Norman architecture, and the spire, which is lofty, was built by Goditha, the widow of Ralph Statham, and her son Richard Statham, in 1403. There are several interesting brasses of the Stathams and Sacheverells, and some monuments of more recent date of the latter family. The stained glass which adorned the cloisters of Dale Abbey, and after the Dissolution was transferred to this church (being presented by Francis Pole, Esq.), has been recently restored by the skill of Mr. Warrington. The principal subjects are, a legendary history of Dale Abbey, a history of the Holy Cross, and fulllength figures of St. Mary the Virgin, St. Mary Magdalene, St. Ursula, St. Elizabeth, the Four Evangelists, St. Peter, St. James, St. Robert of Dale, St. John of Bridlington, and William, Archbishop of York. Previously to their restoration, the figures were much mutilated, and many portions were misplaced; they now form perfect pictures, and the ancient glass has been so successfully imitated that the new parts can scarcely be distinguished from the old. The windows of the church are now highly interesting to the antiquary, and do great credit to the labour of Mr. Warrington and the liberality of Mr. Osborne Bateman, by the latter of whom the entire expense has been defrayed. At Smalley is a chapel of ease. A national school is supported by a small endowment, and by subscription. Almshouses for six men were founded in 1656, by Jacinth Sacheverell. There is a tumulus, apparently of Roman origin.

From: 'Morley - Morton-upon-Lug', A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 345-350. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=51160 Date accessed: 14 March 2011.

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.

Church records
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Census records
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Poor Law Unions
Belper Poor Law Union, Derbyshire

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Derbyshire Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Maps and Gazetteers
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 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Vision of Britain

Web sites
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