2001 Annual Reunion
The 2001 Annual Meeting of the Society was held at the village of Ashover in the County of Derbyshire on Saturday 21st April. Thirty members and friends gathered together at the Nettle Inn in Ashover. Scanning through the Societies records and archives while indulging in a pleasant cup of tea or coffee.
Mrs. Barbara Kent welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked Mr. Richard Turner (member No 8) for arranging the day.
After we had eaten our fill at the Inn we sat back to listen with interest to a talk given by Richard Turner about the area of Ashover. Giving a historical description of the area. Ashover means “ridge overgrown with ash trees”. There have been finds in the area dating to the Mesolithic times, also Romano-Britain and Saxon remains. With a fine example of a 13th century parish church. Linking in the local gentry over the years with intrigue. There has been a church on this site since 1086 but the earliest part of the present building being 13th century.
There is a number of very interesting “things” to see within the church, the font dating from circa 1200 which is stone clad in lead. A fine monument alabaster tomb 1511-18 of Thomas Babington who married Edith Fitzherbert of Norbury. There was also Anthony Babington who gave his name to the “Babington Plot”. That is the plot to free Mary Queen of Scots from imprisonment in the 1580’s. During the Civil War all of the Parish Records were taken out of the church by the Roundheads and burnt. So there is very little information on the Wagtaff’s. The Wagstaff’s of this area are the Chesterfield / Hasland and North Wingfield.
There are no records of baptisms before 1667, but there are a few facts, which still exist.
| 1599 | Anthony W. | Subsidy-assessed on movables at 10/8 implying value Of £4: highest in the village. |
| 1641 | Henry and Charles W. | Protestation Return. |
Public Records started in 1653 there were Wagstaffs in the area living in Lea, Cromford and Wirksworth. Early names are Anthony Hezekiah, Edward, Thomas, George and William.
| 1670 | Thomas Wagstaff | 2 hearths, his widow Rosamund died poor. |
| 1678 | Hezekiah Wagstaff | Churchwarden 1678. |
Several Wagstaff children poor apprentices and adults on poor relief c18/early 19th century.
At the conclusion of the informative talk the meeting broke up to venture 1 mile up the road to Ashover village where the members took a leisurely time visiting the attractive buildings and impressive church, taking note of all the historical artefacts around.
But noting a more up to date fact, that of the “Black Swan Inn” which appears in the I. T. V. programme “Peak Practice”.
So ended a great day in glorious sunshine.
