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Derbyshire County Council asked the residents of Derbyshire to nominate Derbyshire people or places that should be honoured with one of DCC's prestigious new blue plaques.  Put forward for consideration by members of the public were 63 ideas. It was a tough job for the judges to make a shortlist, but they’ve come up with the following for you to vote on.

Blue Plaques - time for your votes

Richard Arkwright junior, his wife Mary and their daughter Anne.  Derby City Museum and Art Gallery

So now it is over to you to cast your vote and decide who or what should get the recognition. There are six commemorative plaques to award.

To cast your vote, just fill in the voting paper in this season's copy of Derbyshire First, delivered to all households in the County and return it to:

• Blue Plaques Vote
  Derbyshire County Council
  County Hall
  Matlock
  DE4 3AG
• Or hand your form in to your local library by the Friday 30 April deadline.
• You can also vote online at:  www.derbyshire.gov.uk/blueplaques

You can vote for up to six nominations. You can find out who or what has won in the June edition of Derbyshire First.

There’s a brief summary about each of the nominations below, but you can find out more and also vote online at:  www.derbyshire.gov.uk/blueplaques.

Richard Arkwright Junior - entrepreneur

Other links

Read more about the Cultural Heritage of Derbyshire in our series of articles  that charts musicians, actors, people and places important to the history and cultural heritage of the County If you would like to contribute to the Cultural Heritage series, then let us know!  Get in touch by email at: dap@artsderbyshire.org.uk

You’ll all know Richard Arkwright senior - the brilliant Georgian entrepreneur who built the first water powered cotton spinning mill in Cromford. But it was his only son Richard junior who looked after the commercial and financial side of things to expand their empire so successfully.

Richard junior was sent by his father to Bakewell to build Lumford Mill - almost as big as the two Cromford mills put together. Over the next 20 years he went on to build many more mills. Partly because of Ark wrights, cotton clothing is worn by most people in most countries of the world.

Richard junior built his own house near Lumford Mill, married in 1780 and raised eight children before his father died in 1792. Richard’s family then went to Willersley Castle, Cromford. Lumford House is still there much as he built it. 

Richard Arkwright Junior nominated by Bakewell and District Historical Society

Baroness Olave St Clair Baden-Powell – heroine of the Girl Guides Association

Baroness Baden Powell. World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts

Baroness Olave St Clair Baden-Powell was born in 1889 at Stubbing Court near Chesterfield – a Georgian country house. She was married to Lord Baden-Powell - founder of the Boy Scout movement – and supported him hugely in his scouting work. But later she threw her energies into the organisation set up for girls – The Girl Guides Association.

She started by organising guiding in Sussex where - as county commissioner – she set up and recruited guiding units across the county. It was her success there that led to her appointment as chief commissioner and to her being asked to expand the organisation throughout Great Britain.

Today the Girl Guides Association operates in more than 100 countries with over 10 million members promoting friendship and understanding between women and girls of all nations. She has received numerous honours from around the world.

Baroness Baden Powell - nominated by Louise Collins of New Whittington

Jedidiah Buxton – untaught mathematical genius

Jedidiah Buxton was an untaught mathematical genius born at Elmton, near Bolsover in 1701. Despite being son of the village school master he remained illiterate and was a farm labourer all his life. However, his mental arithmetic skills were astonishing and brought him to the attention of organisations like the Royal Society of London.
It was there that he performed such tasks as multiplying four figures by four figures and extracting the square root of a number. Today he would probably be diagnosed as autistic.

He preferred to live his life quietly in his home village where he assisted with the calculation of land size not only into acres, roods and perches but into square inches. These days displays in the village about Jedidiah attract people from far and wide -such is the interest in Elmton’s most famous son.

Jedidiah Buxton - nominated by Elmton with Creswell Local History Group

Bill Foulke – amazing goalkeeper

Amazing goalkeeper Bill ‘Fatty’ Foulke was born in Shropshire but brought up in Blackwell, near Alfreton.  His football career started when he was spotted while he played for Blackwell in the Derbyshire Cup tie at Ilkeston Town. He made his league debut for Sheffield United in September 1894. He led the team to three FA Cup finals - winning two - and a League Championship.

An amazing goalkeeper, Bill is one of the few players still talked about more than 100 years after his playing days came to an end. He was also a professional cricketer for Derbyshire but is remembered primarily as a goalkeeper for Sheffield United - winning an international cap for England in 1897 against Wales.  He later went on to play for Chelsea and Bradford City.

Nicknamed ‘Fatty’ Foulke, he was also renowned for his great size - 6ft 4ins - and his weight reaching a reputed 24 stones at the end of his career.

Bill Foulke nominated by Denis Clareborough of Old Whittington

Sir John Gell – Civil War hero

Sir John Gell. Miss Frances Webb.

Born in the 1590's Sir John Gell lived at Hopton Hall near Carsington and became wealthy as the owner of the Dovegang lead mine in Wirksworth. But his fame – and nomination - is for his championing of the parliamentary cause during the English Civil War - 1642 to 1645. Commissioned as a colonel, he organised the successful defence of Derby against royalist attacks throughout the war.

At the battle of Swarkestone bridge he secured a vital river crossing for the town and defeated another royalist force on Eggington Heath which threatened Derby's liberty directly. He neutralised enemy garrisons and sympathisers at the many large houses throughout the county such as Wingfield manor, Bretby hall and Elvaston castle.
Sir John Gell kept Derby loyal to parliament preventing a royalist link up between forces in the south under Charles I and Prince Rupert’s northern forces. If he had failed it could have changed the whole course of the war - let alone British history.

Sir John Gell - nominated by Mr Chris Algie of Derby

The Hardinge Arms Public House - home of the Newton Wonder apple

The Hardinge Arms in Kings Newton, nr Melbourne was the original home of the famous Newton Wonder apple. Introduced by William Taylor – son of Sarah who was keeper of the ale house - this variety is believed to be the only fruit ever raised in Derbyshire. It’s referred to in many gardening publications - both locally and nationally - and in a 1947 Ministry of Agriculture Bulletin. 

The nearby National Trust property – Calke Abbey – has the Newton Wonder variety in its gardens and you can still buy the trees. Staffords Woods in the National Forest has a number of recently planted Newton Wonder trees. Unfortunately, the orchard at the back of the Hardinge Arms - where the first tree was grown - has since disappeared. New houses have been built there - aptly named Newton Wonder Court. But the pub survives!

Hardinge Arms Public House - nominated by Denys Collyer of Melbourne

Will Hay – popular comedian of the 1930’s

Will Hay was one of the most popular comedians of the 1930’s who starred in a string of successful films such as "Oh! Mr Porter" and "Good Morning Boys". He was also in numerous radio series.  He began his career in Belper in 1910, performing - with his wife - a revue sketch called "Bend Down" at the "Pavilion" of the Cattle Market that used to be held on what is now the Field Lane car park.

He once boarded at Green Hall prep school in Belper which may well have inspired his comic persona - a down-at-heel schoolmaster. Will Hay had other talents. He was also an expert linguist, an aircraft pilot who once gave lessons to Amy Johnson and an astronomer of some repute. He made many of his early observations at Middleton Top - where the White Peak Astronomical Society still meet today.

Will Hay - nominated by Dr Andy Minion of Belper

Llewellyn Jewitt - Illustrator, engraver, lithographer, publisher and author

Llewellyn Jewitt. Bromby Collection.

This remarkable man was born in 1816 - the youngest of seventeen children. He moved to Derby in 1853 and in 1867 to Winster, near Matlock where he lived in the Hall until 1880. He died in 1886 and was buried in Winster churchyard.

Llewellyn was an important figure locally and nationally. A popular local ‘squire’, he was responsible for bringing clean water to Winster. He secured eight public taps – some of which are still there today – to help the village combat disease. 

He founded the Derby Telegraph in 1853, was Curator of the Derby Town and County Museum, Honorary Secretary of the Derby Mechanics Institute and in 1878 helped set up the Derbyshire Archaeological Society.

Nationally he was famous as an illustrator, engraver, lithographer, publisher and author. He was illustrations manager of Punch and wrote numerous books. His output - most of it relating to his years in Derbyshire - was staggering and encompassed a wide range and variety of subjects.

Llewellyn Jewitt - nominated by Geoff Lester of Winster

Arthur Lowe – Captain Mainwaring in Dad’s Army

Arthur Lowe

Born in Hayfield in 1915 Arthur Lowe planned to join the merchant navy but this plan was sunk because of his poor eyesight. Instead he worked in an aeroplane factory. He served in the army in the Middle East during World War II and was popular for the shows he put on for the troops.

Eventually he turned to a full time acting career – performing regularly on stage, appearing in around 50 films and landing a regular TV role as draper and preacher, Leonard Swindley in Coronation Street. His most loved role is probably as Captain George Mainwaring in Dad’s Army.  He maintained contact with Hayfield throughout his life and died in 1982.

Arthur Lowe - nominated by Hayfield Civic Trust

Sir Joseph Paxton – Chatsworth House head gardener and famous designer

Sir Joseph Paxton.

Sir Joseph Paxton is most famous for designing the original Crystal Palace Conservatory in London. But he also had considerable impact in Derbyshire. The seventh son in a farming family he was born in 1803. He excelled first in horticulture and by the time he was 20 years old he came to Chatsworth House as Head Gardener.   While he was at Chatsworth he became a director of the Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway. It was he who designed the station building, station offices and employee cottages in Rowsley. 

During his life, Paxton designed important buildings throughout the country – most notably the revolutionary glass “palace” for the Great Exhibition of 1851. He also went into publishing and became an MP.

His Derbyshire links remained strong throughout. He died in 1865 and is buried with his wife - Sarah Bown, a local girl from Matlock - in Edensor churchyard.

Sir Joseph Paxton - nominated by Rowsley Parish Council

George Stephenson – “Father of the railways”

George Stephenson.  A P Knighton

Born near Newcastle upon Tyne in 1781, George Stephenson is renowned as being the "Father of the railways". He was both a civil and mechanical engineer who built the first public railway line in the world to use steam locomotives. Railway travel started on 27th September 1825 when Stephenson's Locomotion ran from Darlington to Stockton. It carried 450 passengers at 15 miles an hour.

He continued to work on improving the quality of the locomotives used on the railway lines he constructed. In 1838 he bought Tapton House - a Georgian mansion near Chesterfield. In partnership with others he opened coalmines, ironworks and limestone quarries in the area.

Stephenson also owned a small farm where he experimented with stock breeding, new types of manure and animal food. He died in 1848 and is buried at Holy Trinity Church in Chesterfield.

George Stephenson - nominated by William Eyre of Dronfield Woodhouse

Francis Wright – the driving force behind St Pancras

Francis Wright was one of the most influential – but largely forgotten - Victorian philanthropists of mid-England. Locally, he set up Trent College in Long Eaton in 1866. But, it was he who was the driving force behind the building of St Pancras station in London - the terminus of the Midland Rail network.

He was a director of the Midland Railway and Chief Executive of The Butterley Company – 1830 to 1873 - which supplied the glass, brick and cast iron for St Pancras.
He was also patron of many churches, hospitals and schools and influential in the development of a national railway linking the mid-region of England to the capital. Francis Wright was one of the most successful businessmen of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire but - despite his impressive achievements - is little known.

Francis Wright - nominated by Toby Leadbetter of Trent College

 

Get involved

• Read more about the Cultural Heritage of Derbyshire in our series of articles that charts musicians, actors, people and places important to the history and cultural heritage of the County
• If you would like to contribute to the Cultural Heritage series, then let us know!  Get in touch by email at: dap@artsderbyshire.org.uk

Other Google Maps and Heritage articles in this series;

• Music
• Film
• Dance
• Places
• Writers
• Well Dressings
• Festivals
• Artists

Others to come in this series;

• Artists
• People

Photo captions and acknowledgements
Richard Arkwright junior, his wife Mary and their daughter Anne.  Derby City Museum and Art Gallery

Baroness Baden Powell. World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts

Jedidiah Buxton. Miss Frances Webb

Bill Foulke. The National Football Museum

Sir John Gell. Miss Frances Webb

Hardinge Arms Public House. Derbyshire County Council

Will Hay. Dr Andy Minion

Llewellyn.Jewitt. Bromby Collection

Arthur Lowe

Sir Joseph Paxton.

George Stephenson. A.P. Knighton

Francis Wright. Toby Leadbetter

'Picture the Past' has 75,000 photographs, postcards, engravings and paintings of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire available free of charge at: www.picturethepast.org.uk.