Some Dove Holes History

Mr. Fred Green

I would imagine that anyone who has spent much time in Dove Holes will have known Fred Green who lived at Meadow Lane Farm and who died quite recently.
Fred was certainly not frightened of hard work and was a really nice man.
As well as his farm he was also a coal merchant which took its toll on him in later life as he could only walk bent double. There was no way he could straighten up and he cut a sorry figure.
He also had an allotment on the other side of the road below Ladylow but only grew gooseberrys and rhubarb. As lads we used to sneak up and eat what we could but Fred wasn’t daft he often seemed to know we were there and would suddenly appear out of nowhere. We would scatter as fast as we could diving under the barbed wire fence but Fred would always catch one of us and a thick ear was swiftly delivered to his young prisoner.

Later in life we became good friends and I used to meet him at Chelford Market where he always took his duck eggs to sell. I would help him in with them.
It was during one of these market days that he told me about delivering coal in the dreadful 1947 winter.
German and Italian prisoners had stayed on after the War and were put to work digging the main road out. They dug a single track passageway all the way from Horwich End in Whaley Bridge up to Buxton and back down Long Hill and it was a strict one way system.
One teatime Fred had just come home and a lady was sat in his front room. Fred knew her; she lived at Lower Bibbington. She said that her family were shivering to death, they had no heat and could he drop her 6 bags of coal off. Always the gent Fred put the bags of coal on his truck and after a bit of tea he set off. Now Lower Bibbington wasn’t too far from his farm but it wasn’t an easy drive. There was no salt and grit in those days.
With the coal dropped off Fred had to stick to the one way system and you couldn’t turn round even if it was possible. So he had to drive all the way up to Buxton, down Long Hill and back to his farm over the railway bridge.
He told me it was midnight before he got home.
Poor Fred, a very nice man.

Tony Beswick.

This is an old photo of Black Hole Cottages in Dove Holes going down towards Barmour Clough. Not a very appealing name really.

I don't even know where the name came from. Some folk say they were railway houses but they are quite a distance from Dove Holes Station and why would the station need all those houses and employees? More likely they were houses for quarry workers as the track leading to Beelow Quarry was directly opposite on the other side of the A6.

But where did the name Black Hole come from? There used to be a mine near Eyam called The Black Hole Mine but that's a long way off and makes no sense anyway.

Crime in the High Peak

FIRE

In 1905 William White appeared in court at Chapel-en-le-Frith, facing a charge of arson.  He had set fire to a haystack at Long Hill Farm.  He told Sergeant White that he had thought of going to Buxton to do a spot of housebreaking but had decided to set a haystack on fire instead.  He gave himself up to police at Buxton because he wanted to go to prison for 5 years !  The prisoner was remanded in custody; perhaps his wish came true.

OLD BONES

October 1861.  At the door of Knutsford Jail, Joseph Hales was arrested on release from his last imprisonment.  He was committed for trial at the petty sessions for stealing 2 cwt of bones, the property of John Newton of Whaley Bridge. Now who would be in the market for a bag of stolen bones I wonder ?

 

COMMON LAW OFFENCE

 A Whaley Bridge butcher was in the habit of delivering meat to Buxton by train but in order to reduce his costs, resorted to rather unusual methods which in 1932 put him on the wrong side of the law.  A railway detective was travelling on a train and on it's arrival at Whaley Bridge was approached by the butcher who asked if he was going to Buxton.   A large piece of meat was placed on the seat opposite with the request that it be delivered to the bookstall at Buxton.  On proferring threepence, the butcher said "it's all right, I often send it like this".   On arrival at the destination, a bookstall assistant came to collect the meat which was soon picked up by a local butcher.

On hearing the case, under the old English Common Law offence of cheating and deceiving, Stockport Magistrates were told that the defendent had been sending parcels in this manner for somne time.   The magistrates agreed with the defence that there had been no intention to defraud.  It was suggested that the practice must occur daily throughout the Kingdom.  Although the practice was improper and irregular, it was not illegal and the case was dismissed.

AN ITALIAN IMMIGRANT

May 1908 saw the appearance of an Italian named Soberti Diego before Stockport Police Court.  He was charged with being on enclosed premises for unlawful purposes and with assaulting a police officer in Whaley Bridge on April 27th.  Diego had been seen climbing from a waggon up into the rafters of the goods warehouse at the station. The prisoner had refused to descend and when the police constable arrived  he jumped onto a van and threw a stone at the officer and hit him in the chest.  Diego jumped over the waggons and  tried to escape but the pursuing policeman fell over him and a desperate struggle ensued.  The prisoner had a razor with which he attacked the officer, cutting his hand.  It was only when support arrived that the Italian was overpowered.  Speaking through an interpreter, Diego explained that he had arrived in England seven months previously and finding himself in Whaley Bridge without food or money, decided to head to London.  He thought he would be safe hiding in the rafters until a train should arrive.  He had only used the razor to prevent the police officer from choking him.   Soberti Diego was sentenced to 28 days in prison and advised to leave the country as soon as he was released.

A QUICK DIVORCE

Perhaps not a crime but even then, irregular behaviour

In 1837 a less conventional method was followed to dispose of a wife.
The wife of John Allen of Turnditch eloped with J Taylor of Shottle.  The injured husband heard that the couple were in lodgings at Whaley Bridge and resolved to settle the matter.  Finding them he demanded 3s for her clothes. Taylor said that he would pay this provided Allen would accompany them to Wirksworth next market day and deliver her according to the law. Arriving at Wirksworth, Allen purchased a halter, placed it around his wife and gave the end of the rope to Taylor saying "I, John  Allen, was bereaved of my wife by James Taylor of Shottle on 11th July last; I have brought her here to sell her for 3s 6d; will you buy her James?" Taylor answered "I will, here is the money, and you are witness Thomas Riley" calling to a potman who was appointed for the purpose.  The ring was delivered to Allen with three sovereigns and 3s 6d, when he shook hands with his wife and her paramour wishing them all the good luck in the world. She had been married to Allen at Kniveton about ten years ago and had lived together until then.



TRADING STANDARDS

Surprisingly there existed a Victorian equivalent of today's trading standards officer.
Esther Ollerenshaw of Whaley Bridge was a milk dealer and sent her produce, presumably by train to Manchester.  In March 1883 a can of milk was intercepted at London Road Station by Inspector Edwards and sent for analysis. The milk was found to contain 41% water.  A fine of 40 shillings was imposed.

Esther Ollerenshaw however, did not learn her lesson.  Twelve months later, almost to the day, Inspector Edwards again took a sample of milk from one of Mrs Ollerenshaw's consignments of milk. The sample was forwarded to the city analyst, Mr C. Estcourt and was found to contain 30% water. Mrs Ollerenshaw, a widow and farmer was summoned but denied watering the milk.  As this was her second offence she was on this occassion fined £3 plus costs.

The Things They Made.

We often associate local industry of the past with the textile trade or perhaps coal mining. A much wider and sometimes unusual range of products was also made in this locality. Here are just a few:

Bed Springs.

              The Britannia Mill at Bugsworth was built as a cotton spinning mill.  In 1903 the Britannia Wire Works Company took over the business manufacturing springs for upholstery and mattresses as well as fro the railway and aviation industries.  It closed in 1969.

Soap and Leather

                In the early 1860’s a hatters leather manufacturer was established in Ringstones Clough by John Scholes and John Handford. The business continued for more than 20 years and at one time employed 21 people. The site was