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Smalley, lying in the Amber Valley in gentle rolling countryside, has been variously
known as a hamlet, village, and township, though even now it can still be seen as a village. The Domesday Book records the hamlet as Smalei, with its own church and priest. At the time of the Norman Conquest it was Smael Leah or Smaellage, meaning a narrow clearing. It is described in medieval times, as being "a scatter of dwellings between the water mill, the old watering trough and the ancient church". Until the early 17th century the development of Smalley was predominently agricultural and dependant on a manorial system. The Manor of Kidsley, a medieval deer park owned by the Abbots of Chester, was given along with Smalley and Morley, by Elizabeth I to Henry Sacheverell. Almost the entire lands of Smalley, Morley and Kidsley remained as part of the Sacheverell estates until the 1700s, and the Sacheverell family continued to have an influence on Smalley for many years. When in 1605, Smalley Farm (later Smalley Hall) and its freehold land was bought by William Richardson, the hamlet of Smalley began a change in both development and fortunes. |
 Burdett map of Smalley and the surrounding area in 1791 |
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The Richardson ownership of Smalley Farm saw not only the continuation of agriculture
but the development of coalmining in Smalley.
This was to be the pattern for Smalley for the next four centuries. For a good description of Smalley in the middle of the 19th century go to the account given in the Directory of Derbyshire 1857. The influences of the notable families, and some of their philanthropic actions, show how the poor of Smalley were affected. For a more comprehensive history of Smalley, researchers are directed to the publication 'Footsteps through Smalley' (1994) by Joyce Crofts and Joseph Read. | |
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Smalley OPS
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