The Gamekeeper
Gamekeepers have been needed ever since hunting for sport became popular. To begin with, it was all about poaching. For example, Henry VIII
Read moreGamekeepers have been needed ever since hunting for sport became popular. To begin with, it was all about poaching. For example, Henry VIII
Read moreThe Housemaid was ‘a foot soldier in the Victorian household’s constant war against grime.’[1] It tended to be a tough physical job more
Read moreTicknall’s name was derived from its landscape setting and land use. The first syllable ‘tic’ reflects the pastoral economy of the time showing
Read moreThe Stillroom in a large country house gets its name from its original use as a place where medicines and scents were distilled.[1]
Read moreThe peacocks among domestics, footmen were blatantly employed for their good looks and suave manners. It even went so far as you received
Read moreSt Wystan’s parish church in Repton is a great survivor. Having seen the destruction of the monastery in the Viking raid of 873/4
Read moreThe mistress of any large, wealthy household needed to maintain an immaculate appearance and she needed help to do this.[1] For a start,
Read moreThe Governess was almost always a well-educated, middle-class young lady. I would stick my neck out here and say that almost no middle-class
Read moreIf the Butler was the outward sign of a house organised and well run, the Housekeeper was the engine who kept everything running.
Read moreBecoming a Butler was the pinnacle of a man’s career in service. Generally, it was the highest-paid role (although Calke demonstrates that was
Read moreIn Victorian times, if you chose a life of service you accepted a regular wage, hard work, and a place within a strict
Read moreWho lived at Calke Abbey? Were they Harpurs, Crewes, or Harpur-Crewes? The truth is, they all did. Over almost 500 years, from 1622
Read moreJust like many large houses in England, one family governed the lives of the residents in that house, and often that of the
Read moreWhy is it that we are so interested in the lives of servants? Quite a high percentage of visitors to Calke Abbey have
Read moreVisitors to Ticknall often ask about the cast iron water spouts that are seen in various places in the village. They were part
Read moreHenry Harpur was born in 1579, the third son of Sir John Harpur and his wife Isabella Pierpont, at Swarkestone Hall. Henry was
Read moreNowadays we take a clean, constant water supply for granted. Yet it is surprising how recently this came to be the case. Twenty
Read moreThis old photo of the original Dexter’s Cottage was taken from the Limeyards immediately opposite the weighbridge office which is now part of
Read moreMidway along Main Street in Ticknall is the understated entrance to Calke Abbey, one of the National Trust’s most popular properties. A scenic
Read moreI have collected a considerable amount of local source material which may be useful to anyone engaged in genealogical research. The following records
Read moreWinifred Harpur Crewe, always known as Winnie, was born into a privileged life in 1879. The second daughter of Sir Vauncey Harpur Crewe,
Read moreThere are over 30 known pottery sites in the Ticknall area. Excavations have produced 13th century Coal Measures White Wares on production sites.
Read moreWe finished the last article warmly ensconced in the double privy in the Methodist church, which article was sent to Sharps Pottery Museum,
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