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Monyash - Peak District Towns and Villages

Monyash - An index to Peak District towns and villages including Monyash, Ashbourne, Bakewell, Buxton, Chapel-en-le-Frith, Leek, Matlock, Macclesfield and Wirksworth in Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire, England, UK.
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Monyash

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Monyash was mentioned in the Domesday Book as Maneis, which is thought to mean 'many ash trees'. An unspoilt village clustered around the village green, its main preoccupation is now farming and tourism, but at it was an important lead-mining centre from medieval times to the end of the 19th century and had its own Barmote Court. The village cross dates from 1340, when Monyash was granted a licence for a weekly market and two annual fairs. Around the village may be seen characteristic narrow fields which were enclosures of mediaeval strips and, further away, the larger fields which resulted from the 1771 Enclosures Act.

Monyash
Monyash
Some of the farms are quite ancient, such as One Ash Grange, about a mile from the main village, which was originally a farming outpost of Roche Abbey. It later belonged to the Bowman family, who were noted Quakers - and the village became a Quaker centre because it was also the home of John Gratton, a prominent early Quaker. Though it is no longer used as such, the Quaker meeting house still stands along the road towards Flagg and behind it there is a poignant Quaker cemetery. John Bright, of the Anti Corn-Law League, was a friend of the Bowman family and spent his honeymoon at One Ash Grange.

The lead mines for which Monyash was famous also provide a Quaker connection, since they were worked in the 17th and 18th centuries by the London Lead Company, a Quaker firm. Sheldon House was once one of the mining offices and the miners were said to have queued for their pay here.

Evidence of other industries of bygone days may be found in the local names of Shuttle Lane and Chandler House. Monyash's most recent claim to fame is as the burial place of Sir Maurice Oldfield, a local man who became the head of MI6 and was the model for 'M' in the James Bond books.

The village lies at the head of Lathkill Dale and is therefore very busy with walkers and hikers at weekends, since it is a good base for exploring the surrounding area. There is a pub, the Bull's Head, where the Barmote Court still meets twice yearly. Next door to the Bull's Head there is a popular cafe. Monyash has an annual well-dressing at the end of May.

Nearby Places of Interest

Arbor LowArbor Low is a Stone Age Henge (stone circle) monument in Derbyshire, situated close to Hartington and Youlgrave. It is the finest Stone Age monument in Northern England.
Ashbourne ChurchSt Oswald's Church, Ashbourne, is one of the grandest churches in Derbyshire with a fine array of alabaster tombs.
Magpie MineThe Magpie Mine, just South of Sheldon, was one of the most famous lead mines in the Peak District and was worked until the 1950s. Most of the buildings still stand.
Monsal HeadMonsal Head, a famous Derbyshire Peak District beauty spot with a magnificent view down Monsal Dale and up the Wye valley.
Monsal TrailThe Monsal Trail is Derbyshire Peak District cycle trail which follows the path of the former Midland Railway from Wye Dale to a point beyond Bakewell, mostly following the River Wye.
Youlgrave ChurchYoulgrave or Youlgreave Church, Derbyshire, is one of the finest churches in the Peak District. The tombs of Thomas Cockayne, Sir John Rossington and Roger Rooe are especially fine.
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