Foremark

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Foremark
Derbyshire
Foremark dam.jpg
Foremark Reservoir
Location
Grid reference: SK333266
Location: 52°50’10"N, 1°30’25"W
Data
Post town: Derby
Postcode: DE65
Local Government
Council: South Derbyshire

Foremark is a hamlet and parish in Derbyshire. It contains Foremarke Hall, a mediæval manor house which now houses Repton Preparatory School; and part of Foremark Reservoir.

Location

Foremark is near the hamlets of Ingleby, Ticknall, Milton and the village of Repton. It is also a few miles to the east of the town of Burton upon Trent.

Foremark was the manor given to the Burdett Family of Bramcote since the family became a hereditary line of baronets. The Burdett family yielded several politicians, for instance Sir Francis Burdett, 5th Baronet. The manor house, Foremarke Hall, was built by the orders of one of the baronets in the family in 1762 and now sits in the centre of Foremark.

The parish church of Saint Saviour is on a small mount in south-western Foremark. It was built in 1662 by Sir Francis Burdett, and retains most of its original furnishings.[1]

Early history

Saint Saviour's church
Foremark is mentioned in 1086 in the Domesday book.[2] The book says [3] under the title of “The lands of Nigel of Stafford":[4]
”In Foremark Ulfkil had two carucates of land to the geld. There is land for 2 ploughs. There is now one plough in demesne and 5 villans and 3 bordars have one plough. There is one mill rendering 2 shillings and 24 acres of meadow, woodland pasture half a league long and as much broad. TRE[5] worth 40 shillings now 15 shillings.“

Foremark; along with the hamlet of Ingleby; were under the ownership and baronetcy of the Burdetts of Bramcote in 1829; a long inherited family line of baronets as mentioned in numerous Land Registry Records. The most notable Burdett lords were Sir Robert Burdett, Francis Burdett and Sir Francis Burdett.

Post-1900

Foremark saw a more active role in World War I when Foremarke Hall was used as an army military hospital; and World War II, when the hall was an officer training centre.
The fields around were a Starfish site (a decoy site to distract German bombers en route to bomb Derby) (There were several other decoy sites in the vicinity - see [1] for details) In WWI

It is noted not only for its beautiful scenery of 40-acre fields, woods and the lake, but also the reservoir named Foremark reservoir nearby; and is the campus of a Repton Preparatory School or simply Foremarke Hall, the casual name after the manor house, the junior section of the famous Senior Repton School.

References

  1. Pevsner, Nikolaus. 1986. The Buildings of England:Derbyshire. pp 216-217. Harmondsworth, Middx. Penguin.
  2. Foremark is spelt Fornewerche in 1086
  3. Domesday Book: A Complete Transliteration. London: Penguin, 2003. ISBN 0-14-143994-7 p.753
  4. Nigel of Stafford held a considerable number of manors including several in Derbyshire given to him by the King. These included Foremark but also lands in Drakelow, Stapenhill, Swadlincote, Ingleby, Ticknall and Smisby, (and Ravenstone, Donisthorpe, Oakthorpe and Trangesby in Leicestershire).
  5. TRE in Latin is Tempore Regis Edwardi. This means in the time of King Edward before the Battle of Hastings.