Duffield Frith facts for kids
Duffield Frith was a large, special area in Derbyshire, England, during medieval times. It was given to a powerful Norman lord named Henry de Ferrers by King William. This area was managed from his castle, Duffield Castle. Later, in 1266, it became part of the Duchy of Lancaster, which was owned by the royal family. From 1285, it was officially a Royal Forest, meaning it had its own special Forest Courts to manage it.
The Frith stretched from the village of Duffield all the way to Wirksworth. It also went from Hulland to Heage. Most of this area became the old parish of Duffield. This parish included smaller areas like Hazlewood, Holbrook, Makeney and Milford, Shottle, and Windley. It also had chapels in Belper, Heage, and Turnditch. The chapel in Belper, also called "Beaureper," was built by the Duke of Lancaster for the people who worked in the forest. For many centuries, this area was known for its many deer, mostly fallow deer. There were also wild boars. Wolves lived there too, at least until the late 1200s.
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Norman Control of Duffield
After the Norman Conquest, Henry de Ferrers received huge amounts of land across England. These lands were in places like Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Northamptonshire, Essex, and Wiltshire. In 1070, he also gained control of a large part of south Derbyshire, called the Wapentake of Appletree. His main base was Tutbury Castle.
Henry de Ferrers also took over lands from an Anglo-Saxon lord named Siward Barn after a rebellion in 1071. This gave him even more land in Berkshire, Essex, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Nottinghamshire, and Derbyshire. Besides Tutbury Castle, he built two more castles. These were likely simple timber castles known as motte and bailey castles. Many areas in the county were destroyed during the Harrying of the North, as recorded in the Domesday Survey. Pilsbury Castle, by the River Dove, probably protected his lands nearby. Duffield Castle was built to guard an important crossing over the River Derwent. It also watched over the lands that would become Duffield Frith. Much of this land was given to knights who served Henry, including the Curzons of Kedleston Hall.
Rules of the Forest
The de Ferrers family controlled a large area between the rivers Derwent and Dove. This stretched from the River Trent at Tutbury north to the Forest of High Peak. It's not fully clear how much of this land was kept just for hunting. Around 1225, when the Forest of East Derbyshire was closed, Morley Park, which included Belper, might have been added. In 1266, Robert de Ferrars rebelled against King Henry III. As a result, his lands were taken away. They were then given to Prince Edmund and became part of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Detailed records for Duffield Frith only began around this time. Even though it was part of the Duchy, it wasn't officially a royal forest until the time of King Henry IV. However, Prince Edmund was allowed to hold special Forest Courts for Duffield. Kings like King Edward I hunted there between 1290 and 1293, and King Edward II visited in 1323.
Under the Duchy of Lancaster
Duffield Frith was divided into four main parts, called wards: Duffield, Belper, Hulland, and Colebrook. Within these wards were several enclosed parks. These parks were used for keeping buck and doe (male and female fallow deer). This was different from the much larger Campana ward in the Forest of High Peak, which was for hart and hind (male and female red deer).
There were seven of these deer parks within the Frith. Henry Earl of Lancaster listed them in 1330. They were: Ravensdale, Mansell, Schethull (Shottle), Postern, Bureper (Belper), Morley, and Schymynde-cliffe (Shining Cliff). There was also another park called Champain. This was on the southern border, near what is now Cumberhills, south of Duffield.
The records of the Duchy of Lancaster mention Duffield Frith many times. For example, in 1314, there was a large larder in Belper. Here, venison (deer meat) was salted down for use in winter. A big cow-house also stood in the lower part of Shottle, on a road now called "Cowers Lane".
The Frith was also an important source of timber. In 1375, orders were given to deliver oak trees to friars in Nottingham and Derby, and to the Abbott of Darley for building. In September 1405, King Henry IV ordered the chief forester to provide twelve timber oaks to repair Duffield church. In 1411, he ordered wood for the tenants of Duffield to support Duffield Bridge while it was rebuilt. Stone from the ruined castle was likely used for the bridge. King Henry VIII later ordered certain crops, like flax, to be grown in areas like modern-day Flaxholme.
It's important to remember that these "forests" were not always completely covered in trees. Also, no special steps were taken to save the timber. By the 1500s, the forest laws were less strict, and much of the land was considered "common land." This meant it could be used by local people. Farming shifted from growing crops to raising animals. It became more profitable to rent the forest for grazing animals, even if it meant young trees weren't protected. At the same time, the use of timber increased, especially for smelting iron and lead, which grew a lot from the 1200s.
Duffield Frith remained under the control of the Crown until the time of King Charles I. Its size had shrunk quite a bit. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, it was said to be about thirty miles around.
In 1581, a group was asked to find ways to make more money for the Crown. By then, Shining Cliff and the manor of Alderwasley had been given to the Lowe family. This left the three wards of Duffield, Belper, and Hulland. The group reported that the hunting animals had almost disappeared. They also noted that much of the area was shared by tenants and copyholders (people who held land by custom). These people would suffer if the woods were fenced off. The group suggested improving facilities for smelting ores and charging a fee on lead, similar to what was done in Wirksworth.
By this time, the forest had almost no trees left. One result of this was a move towards using coal for fuel. Water power was already used for grinding grain and processing wool. It was increasingly used for machines that processed minerals. In 1556, one of the first ore-stamping mills was built at Hulland Ward by Burchard Kranich. Two years earlier, he had built the first Smeltmill for getting lead from its ore at Makeney.
Things stayed the same until 1633, when the Frith stopped being a royal forest. The Duchy of Lancaster gave one-third of Belper and Hulland to the Crown, which was then rented to Sir Edward Sydenham. The rest of the land was divided, fenced off, and given to the commoners. However, when it came to Duffield Ward, most of the commoners were against this plan. Despite their opposition, the Duchy council went ahead. They chose the best areas for the Crown, especially those rich in coal. Also, the areas given to the commoners were only for those who had already agreed to the plan.
This led to a big event in 1643. The people living in Duffield, or Chevin Ward, forcibly opened all the fences, including those in Shottle Park. The commoners were about to ask for a judicial review (a court review) when the Civil War began. Because of the war, this part of the old forest remained common land until 1786. At that time, 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) of land were fenced off by an Act of King George III.
Duffield Frith Today
Today, Ravensdale Park, located between Windley and Hulland, is listed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. This means it's an important historical site. Shining Cliff Wood is leased to the Forestry Commission and is listed as a SSSI, meaning it's important for its wildlife or geology. Sadly, Duffield Castle, which was dug up in the late 1800s, has been neglected, and there isn't much to see there now.
The Derbyshire County Council has suggested that the Duffield Frith area is special. They noted that there is good evidence of medieval settlements and old field systems still remaining. There are also many old documents about the forest. This means there's a great chance to research how these settlements and the economy developed within a royal forest.
