Fenny Bentley
| Fenny Bentley | |
| Derbyshire | |
|---|---|
 Cherry Orchard Farm | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SK178501 |
| Location: | 53°2’52"N, 1°44’5"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 183 (2011) |
| Post town: | Ashbourne |
| Postcode: | DE6 |
| Dialling code: | 01335 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Derbyshire Dales |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Derbyshire Dales |
Fenny Bentley is a small village close to Dovedale in Derbyshire. The population in 2009 was estimated at 305, shrinking to 183 at the 2011 Census.
The village is found two miles north of Ashbourne, on the A515 Buxton to Ashbourne Road. It is one of the most southerly villages in the Peak District, by some definitions.
History
Records show that a village has existed at Fenny Bentley since being mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086, which records it as Benedlege.
Early records of the Church of St Edmund date back as far as 1240, with much of the available historical data that provides information on the village being associated with the church and the information recorded here.
St Edmund's Church
The parish church, St Edmund's, stands in the centre of the village. It has been heavily restored since being built. Early parish records, going back to 1240, show that Fenny Bentley was one of six chapelries attached to St Oswald's Church, Ashbourne[1]
The north aisle was added in 1850, and in 1864, the spire was added to the original tower. Some interesting features of the building are its 16th-century traceried screens as well as the alabaster Beresford tomb located there, which holds the bodies of Sir Thomas Beresford, his wife Agnes and their 21 children, all shrouded.
History
Sir Thomas Beresford, who died in 1473, is buried with his family in St Edmunds Church in the village. They were from a prolific family who lived in the area for generations, and owned much of the property and land there. Reunions for those bearing the Beresford name are held in Fenny Bentley every spring as it is now the meeting place for the Beresford Family Society.
Cherry Orchard farm, standing opposite St Edmunds Church, was formerly known as Bentley Hall. It was once the home of the Beresford family and at the end of the 14th and beginning of the 15th century it was the home of Thomas Beresford as well as his wife and children.
Tattersall Cotton Mill
Many of the residents of Fenny Bentley in the past worked at Tattersell Cotton Mill, which was located in Woodeaves, a nearby hamlet a mile from Fenny Bentley. The mill was built in 1784 by John Cooper, and was originally powered by the Bentley Brook. Around 100 people were employed there, mainly for the Nottingham lace and cotton trade.
In 1886, the mill was brought by Manchester cotton merchant Cornelius Tattersell, father of John Lincoln Tattersall who was also employed there; he established a home in nearby village Thorpe, Derbyshire with his wife Lizzie Harland in 1893.
In 1908, the mill ceased production but the warehouse was taken over in 1910 by William Nuttall. Originally from Melton Mowbray, he was the brother of John Nuttall, who was the owner of the Harlington Cheese Factory. Stilton cheese was produced there until 1930.[2]
About the village
On the outskirts of the village is the Leatherbritches Bentley Brook Inn and Fenny's Restaurant, a traditional busy country Inn with its own brewery. The brew house is established in the old washhouse and coal store at the back of the Inn where real ales are brewed two or three times each week.
Fenny Bentley is at the southern edge of the Peak District, three miles from Dovedale, where riverside paths charms walkers hereabouts.
Tourism plays an important role for the few businesses that have been established in Fenny Bentley, such as the Coach and Horses inn which lies on the main route through the village, appealing to visitors to the area who may pass through on the A515 Buxton to Ashbourne Road.
The Peak District Boundary Walk runs through the village.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Fenny Bentley) |