The letter ‘B’ seems to be a very popular one to start surnames with, and a number of significant local families come under this section.  What follows draws mainly on the Society’s transcripts of the Nineteenth Century Censuses and Brian Foden’s transcript of the Parish Registers.  Information on records outside Parwich is largely taken from the Mormon’s Family Search web-site (see references).  Given the number of significant local families with surnames beginning with ‘B’ (Beresford, Blackwell, Blore, Brownlee, Brownson and Bunting) this section will be spread across several Newsletters.  Further information on these or any other Parwich families would be welcomed for the Newsletter.  Despite the fact that some families such as the Allsops and the Brownsons have been here since the start of records, this section on the ‘B’s, illustrates how mobile people were in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries.  The main cause of movement into the Village in the Censuses is people coming from relatively near for farm work or to take up farm tenancies, and it is likely to be the same for the Eighteen Century.  Movement out of the Village requires more investigation, though in the families that we do have information for, such as the Allsops and the Brownsons, children seem to have moved away for employment opportunities, this is especially illustrated by Allsops and Brownsons moving to the Manchester area.

This old Derbyshire family has current links with Parwich through Mrs. M. Bagshawe, who owns the residue of her father’s estate in Parwich.  She was the eldest daughter of Sir John Crompton-Inglefield, but prior to her marriage the only other Bagshaw reference in the Parwich records was the burial of Elizabeth Bagshaw on 15^th July 1740.  She was the wife of John Bagshaw of Wetton.  This raises the question if she was living in Wetton why was she buried in Parwich?  There is no record of a John Bagshaw marrying in Parwich, but had he married a Parwich girl, who wished to be buried in her home village?  An Elizabeth Clarke married a John Bagshaw in Alstonefield Church, the parish church for Wetton, in 1698.  Could this be her?  The family name comes from the place name Bagshaw which is made up of two Anglo-Saxon elements, the personal name ‘Bacga’ and ‘sceaga’ meaning wood or copse.  The Bagshaw family has continued to be successful locally, with Bagshawe Hall in Bakewell being my favourite building in the town.

Although no Bainbridges appear in the Census, this name from the north east of England does occur several times in the Parish Registers.  The name Bainbridge comes from the North Yorkshire village of that name.  It is a fairly common surname in Yorkshire, Durham and Northumberland.  A William Brierly of Wirksworth married a Martha Bainbridge, also originally from Wirksworth, in Parwich on 16^th December 1708.  Possibly Martha was working here at the time of her marriage.

In the nineteenth century a Thomas Bainbridge married Matilda Mather on 2^nd February 1847.  Thomas is listed as the son of a Job Bainbridge, and the most likely candidate on the Mormon’s Family Search website is a Thomas Benbrick son of Job and Mary Benbrick  baptised in Warslow on 13^th July 1823.  This is consistent with the later 1881 Census entry where Thomas’ birthplace is given as Elkstone, which would have been served by Warslow Church.  The Mather family seems to have settled in Parwich from Wirksworth in the early 1800s (see article on Rose Cottage deeds in Newsletter issue 3 p. 8).  Thomas and Matilda had a daughter, Mary Ellen, baptised here on 4^th November 1849, and an infant Emma Bainbridge, presumably another daughter, was buried here on 13^th December 1852.  There is no mention of this family on the Parwich Censuses so presumably they did not live in the village, though Martha may have returned to her parents’ house to give birth.  They were in Liverpool in the 1850s for the birth of other children, and they appear in Yorkshire on the 1881 Census, where Thomas was farming 14 acres in a village called Northowran.

A Julie Ann Baird died at Gotham (which farm is not specified) aged two weeks, and was buried in Parwich churchyard on 17^th December 1868.  There are no other Bairds in the Parwich records.

A Sarah Baker died at Roston (Roystone Grange?), and was buried in Parwich Churchyard on 2^nd June 1790.

There were a number of Balls in Parwich from the late 1600s to the mid-1700s.  So far this family’s origin is not known, and they appear to have gone during the 1700s.  The entries in the Parish Registers do not give a clear view of how the individuals were related, if in deed they were related:

A Joseph and Mary Barber had their son Jasper baptised here on 21^st June 1812.  There does not appear to be any other mention of the family in the records for Parwich.

We have only one Barker in the Parish Registers: a William Barker of Chaddesden married Hannah Dakin of Parwich here on 3^rd June 1829.  Both were aged 21 years when they married, and do not appear on any of the Censuses, so seem to have moved away after the wedding.

Again we have only one Barker in the Censuses: Josuha Barker was an agricultural labourer for John Tomson at Hill Farm (presumably Hill Top Farm).  Generally agricultural workers living on the farm are young lads starting out on their career, but Joshua, a widower, is 59 years old, when listed on the 1881 Census.  He was from Grindon in Staffordshire.  There was a second agricultural labourer here, aged 60, also from Grindon, and a lad aged 12 working there.  The household was all from Staffordshire, except perhaps the dairymaid (see below). 

Hill Top Farm was created relatively late on in the Nineteenth Century from land previously farmed from Hallcliffe in the centre of the Village, and it looks as if John Tomson brought a complete staff with him when he took over the farm.

The only Barton and the only member of the Hill Farm household not listed as from Staffordshire was Elizabeth Barton, dairymaid, aged 22 in 1881, but she was listed as from Alton in Derbyshire so this presumably was in error for Alton in Staffordshire.

More ‘B’s’ will follow in subsequent issues including sections on the following names :     Beresford, Blackwell, Blore, Brownlee, Brownson and Bunting.

            Imprimis. The said George Dakyn doth for himself, his heirs, executors and administrators, covenant and agree to and with the said Sir Richard Levinge, his heirs and assigns, that he the said George Dakyn, or his heirs, shall and will at any time within the space of six months next ensuing the date hereof, at the request of the said Sir Richard Levinge, convey or assure, or procure to be conveyed and assured in due form of law unto the said Sir Richard Levinge his heirs and assigns for ever. All That, his the said George Dakyn’s close of land in Parwich aforesaid, called, or known by the name of Hunger Hill, now in the possession of the said George Dakyn, with his Rights, Members and Appurtenances, containing by estimation, Seven acres of land, be the same more or less, and lately divided into two parts; and also one half Beastgate, or depasturing for one half beast at all times in the year, in, upon and through a common pasture in Parwich aforesaid called Hawkslow with all his, the said George Dakyn’s right and title to so much of the soil of the said pasture as is proportionable to the said half Beastgate; free and discharged from all the encumbrance or title, charge, or estate. In consideration thereof the said Sir Richard Levinge hath paid unto the said George Dakyn the sum of five pounds and ten shillings in hand, before the sealing hereof, and doth hereby for himself, his heirs, executors, and administrators, covenant and agree to pay unto him, the said George Dakyn, or to his use, within six months next ensuing, the further sum of one hundred and thirty pounds for the purchase of the premises.

There are surviving Land Tax returns for two years.  The Land Tax returns for 1705, totalling £98- 5s-9d,  show Richard Levinge as the largest landowner in Parwich, with Robert Dale and his sons second, Mr Garvin Corbin (father in law to Richard Levinge) was the third largest landowner. It is interesting to note that Catherine; the Queen Dowager also owned land in Parwich. Catherine or Catherine of Braganza was the daughter of the King of Portugal, she married Charles II in 1662, and although a Roman Catholic and bearing him no children remained his wife until his death in 1685. Catherine could have acquired her lands in Parwich through the Duchy of Lancaster. She died in 1705.

An assessment for the raising of Ninety Eight pounds Five shillings and Nine pence, upon the Liberty of Parwich in pursuance of an Act of Parliament entitled an Act for granting an aid for Her Majesty by Land Tax to be raised in the year 1705.

The Parwich Land Tax returns for 1711 remained at £98-5s-9d the same as in 1705, but the taxes paid by Sir Richard Levinge almost doubled from £19-11s-1d to £36-18s-11d. It could be that Sir Richard acquired the lands of his father in law Gavin Corbin and also of Thomas Buckley and Mathew Taylor all of who do not appear on the 1711 tax returns.

An assessment made by us whose names are hereto subscribed this first day of May 1711 for ye raising of Ninety Eight pounds Five shillings and Nine pence. Charged upon ye aforesaid Liberty for one years Tax pursuant to an Act of Parliament entitled an Act for granting an aid to Her Majesty to be raised by a Land Tax in Great Britain for ye service of ye year 1711.