England Described, Treatise · County 8
Darbyſhire.
IT is a plentifull Countrey, there are many Minerals, and ſeveral kinds of Stones.
Darby is the chief Town of all this Shire, a Town of good trade.
There be five Churches in it: Of The foundation of it was laid by young men and maids, and part of it built by them, as appears in letters there on the Steeple.which the greateſt named All-Hallows, dedicated to the memory of All-Saints, hath a Tower-ſteeple, that for height, and ſingular fine Workmanſhip excelleth.
They had a famous Miniſter there one Chappel, which was brother to him that was of Cambridge, and went afterward into Ireland. He did much good in Darby. When King James came thither a witty Butcher in the Town ſaid thus to him,
Jemmy, for a Chappel and a Steeple
We may compare with any people.
The Aſſizes are there kept for the whole Shire, and the beſt nappy Ale is brewed there, in two places eſpecially. It is the ancient and peculiar drink of the Engliſhmen and Britains, and very wholſome.
Henry of Aurenches the Norman Arch-Poet to King Henry the Third, merrily jeſted on it in theſe Verſes.
Neſcio quid Stygiae monſtrum conforme paludi,
Cerviſiam plerique vocant: nil ſpiſsius illa
Dum bibitur, nil clarius eſt dum mingitur, unde
Conſtat, quod multas faeces in ventre relinquit.
Of this ſtrange drink, ſo like to Stygean lake,
(Moſt terme it Ale) I wot not what to make:
Folk drink it thick, and piſſe it paſſing thin,
Much dregs therfore muſt needs remain within.
The wealth of this Town conſiſteth much of buying of Corn, and ſelling it again to the mountains: for all the Inhabitants are a kind of Badgers.
Thomas Linaker the famous Scholar was born here, and ſo was Mr. Cotton the famous Miniſter of Boſton, and Dr. Wilmot neer it.
Cheſterfield a Market Town.
The Peak (which ſignifieth to appear aloft) is ſevered from Staffordſhire by the Dove a moſt ſwift and clear River.
It is plentifull of Lead, alſo Stibium or Antimony. Mill-ſtones likewiſe are here hewed out, as alſo Grinde-ſtones and Whet-ſtones, to give an edge unto iron tools.In Anglia eſt Caſtrum quod dicitur Pech, in quod am monte ſitum; in cujus montis latere eſt foramen apertum, de qu… ſicut de quad am fistula, ventus non modicus ſaepe ſpirat; cujus Dominus dictus Gulielmus Penerelli, cum in animalibus dives eſſet, & ſubulcus ejus unam gravid am ſuem in paſcuis amiſiſſet, pro ipſa quaerenda dictum for amen intravit, quod tamen nec dum aliquis perſcrutatus fuerat. Cum ergo per opaca for aminis percurriſſet, tandem in locum lucidum devenit, ſcilicet in Camporum planitiem ſpatioſam: ad quam ingreſſus; Meſſores colligentes maturas ſegetes reperit, inter quos ſuem perditam, quae ſuculas ediderat, adinvenit Habito ergo verbo cum praepoſito terrae illius, ſcropham recepit, & dimiſſus ab illis, ipſam nove grege per idem ſoramen ad domum Domini ſui reduxit.
Under the old Caſtle, called the Caſtle in the Peak, there is a Cave or Hole within the ground, called the Devils Arſe, Devils Arſe in Peak, that gapeth Mira res ait Gervaſius (qui apparet Anglicus fuiſſe, vel multum in Anglia commoratus) de meſſibus ſubtèrraneis venerat, & in noſtro hemiſpherio hyemalia frigora videt. Pet. Berchor. Deduct. Moral. De Anglia.with a wide mouth, and hath in it many turnings and retiring rooms.
This Hole is reckoned one of the wonders of England.
There are ſeveral other wonders in the Peak.
Aſhburn in the Peak.
There is a place called Elden-Hole, which lies two miles diſtant from Caſtleton a Town in the high Peak, it is within the Peak Foreſt, it deſcendeth directly down into the earth, it is about thirty yards long, and fifteen yards broad at the top of it, but is much ſtraighter when it cometh fourty yards deep. You may ſee into it about ſixty yards, being as farre as the light which cometh in at the mouth of the Hole will give light to ſee: it is fearfull to look into, being a face of rock on each ſide. About ſixty years ſince one Mr. Henry Cavendiſh (eldeſt brother to Sir Charles Cavendiſh) who had ſpent all his dayes in travel, had been at Jeruſalem, and ſeveral other parts of the world, and hearing of this place, came to it, and cauſed Engines to be made or to let a man into the Hole, which being done, one George Bradley of the Peak Foreſt was let down in a rope fourſcore yards. And then another Engine was made to let him go further, and from thence he was let down fourſcore yards further, and at the end thereof a third Engine was made whereby he was let down almoſt fourſcore yards further, at the top of the rope was faſtened a Bell, which he was to ring if he could go no further, or would return back; when he was let down almoſt the third fourſcore yards, he rung the Bell, and being drawn up, he was much affrighted, remained ſpeechleſſe for a time, and was ſtruck with lameneſſe; but after he recovered his ſpeech, he declared, that as he deſcended down, were bones of Deer, Sheep, and other Cattel, and alſo of men, and that he was affrighted, but how, or in what manner he could not tel; he lived ſeveral years, but never was in perfect memory, nor ſound of his limbs.
Within the Town of Buxton, there is a Bath called Buxton-Well which cureth very many Diſeaſes. There are two ſprings of water, the one within a hand breadth of the other, the one is very hot, the other cold as ice.
There are eight Market Towns, ſix Hundreds, and an hundred and ſix Pariſhes in this County.