Testimonials
We wanted to let you know how much we enjoyed your tours, loved all the history......your area is beautiful. Jane & Andy P, New England
Enjoyed our time with you thank you for making our holiday so special. JJ & PD. Scotland.
Thank you again for everything our vacation was great. We thought the little towns and the the stately houses were wonderful and the girls just loved the all the movie scenery we visited. Tom & Audrey B.
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EyamAs well as being a pretty little village deep in the heart of the Derbyshire Peak District Eyam has a tragic history that draws tourists, historians, film and television crews alike. Eyam is famously known as the ‘plague’ village.
In the summer of 1665 the bubonic plague raged in London. A tailor called George Vickers, who was lodging in a terraced cottage near to the church, had some cloth delivered from London. Finding the contents of the package were damp he spread the cloth in front of the fire to dry. Two days later he developed the characteristic fever, swelling and rash. He died on 7th September 1665. The Plague had come to Eyam.
George was to be the first victim of the disease and within six weeks two other inhabitants of the cottages had succumbed to the deadly virus. They became known as Plague Cottages.
As more people became ill fear began to spread through the village. Some packed and quickly fled but the majority of the villagers stayed.
In 1664 a young Rector William Mompesson had arrived to work in Eyam. Although he had a wife and two children William decided he should stay. He persuaded the villages to quarantine the village to contain the deadly disease, even though they must have known by taking this heroic action many of them would die.
Coins, left in running water or vinegar, were placed at the Boundary Stone and Mompesson’s Well to pay for supplies that were left by neighbouring villagers.
In just 14 months the plague took more than 250 lives, only one sixth of the population survived.
The children’s nursery rhyme said to have its origins in Eyam reminds us of the plague.
‘Ring a ring o roses,
A pocket full of posies,
Atishoo, atishoo,
We all fall down.’
Plaques and graves scattered around the village show some of the families affected. A Plague service is carried out on the last Sunday in August each year to commemorate those who died.
The ancient parish church of St Lawrence, dating from the 13th and 14th centuries, is an interesting building in itself and holds a parish register of the victims of the plague and the chair belonging to William Mompesson.
In the graveyard a Celtic Cross stands close to the tomb of Catherine Mompesson. Catherine had supported her husband and nursed the sick throughout the plague; she was one of the last victims to succumb to the fatal disease.
Eyam Hall was built in 1671 on the site of an existing building, some of which remain at the rear of the house. Still a family home, tours are available around this interesting hall and lovely garden. A courtyard adjacent to the house has interesting craft and gift shops and a café.
Lead mining, silk weaving and later shoe making have all been industries in Eyam.
Eyam was also one of the first villages to have a public water supply system, using natural springs and a series of stone troughs water was piped round the village.
At the end of August each year is Eyam Wakes, Well Dressings, Carnival and Sheep Roast.
 
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How Interesting
One of England's most popular stately homes and one of its largest private houses is Chatsworth House the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. Chatsworth is believed to have been the inspiration for Jane Austen's Pemberley, home of Mr Darcy, in the book Pride & Predjudice and Chatsworth has been used as a setting for the many adaptations of the novel.
The village of Edensor on the Chatsworth estate was razed to the ground then rebuilt out of site of the main house.
The Padley Martyrs, Nicholas Garlick and Robert Ludlam, were two catholic priests, captured in 1588, taken hanged, drawn and quartered. The ruins of Padley Hall still exist behind the tiny Padley Chapel.
Castleton has a shivering mountain and the Devils Arse.
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Famous Derbyshire People
Richard Arkwright perfected water powered spinning machines and installed them in his factory at Cromford. Building up a whole new community he provided cottages for his workers, a chapel, school and the Greyhound Hotel. 
Initially he lived next to the mill at Rock House but as he prospered he went on to build Willersley Castle on a hill above Cromford. He died in 1792 aged only 60 and was buried at the church he built.
Kathleen, sister of John F Kennedy, is buried in the church of St Peter, Edensor. Kathleen known as ‘Kick’ married William Cavendish, Marques of Hartington in 1944. Only four months later William was killed whilst on active duty and in 1948 she was killed in a plane crash.
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