Eyam Peak District > Eyam Village > Walks Near Eyam > EYAM - STONEY MIDDLETON – RILEY GRAVES – MOMPESSONS WELL – EYAM
EYAM - STONEY MIDDLETON – RILEY GRAVES – MOMPESSONS WELL – EYAM
EYAM – STONEY MIDDLETON – RILEY GRAVES – MOMPESSONS WELL – EYAM
DISTANCE: APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES
A nice start to this walk would be to visit Eyam Church which is dedicated to St Lawrence. In a corner of the vestry is said to be an old stone which reputedly records the death of Joseph Hunt, rector of Eyam who died on 16th December 1709, also his wife who died six years earlier. She was the daughter of a village publican. One day whilst under the influence of alcohol the Rector and Ann took part in a mock wedding ceremony. However, the Bishop found out and insisted upon their marrying legally. This caused uproar and a breach of promise as the Rector was already engaged to a Derby woman. Some years passed in litigation which cost the Rector his money and his friends and resulted in his taking permanent shelter in the vestry where he remained in sanctuary from the law hounds until his death.
In the churchyard is one of the best preserved Saxon crosses dating from around AD790 which was found on the moors and was probably a marker to travellers to remember their religion. There is also an early sun dial of interest to meteorologists as well as the tomb of Katherine Mompesson, whilst between the two can be found a gravestone with the following epitaph:
In seven years time there comes a change
Observe and here’ll you’ll see
On that same day come seven years
My husband’s laid by me.
Anne Sellars Jan 15th 1731
Isaac Sellars Jan 15th 1738
On leaving the churchyard onto the main street, turn left. You will now pass The Rectory which was rebuilt in 1768 and was at one time home of Rev. Thomas Seward whose daughter Anna, born in Eyam in 1747, came to be known as the ‘Swan of Lichfield’. Her poems were read in London salons and considered very fashionable at the time, although very sentimental. The Rectory was also occupied for a time by a Dowager Duchess of Devonshire who had a penchant for exaggerated millinery creations. Doorways had to be enlarged to enable her to pass through without stooping or dislodging her headdress.
Continue to the market place. Note on the way the small plaques on cottages where plague victims lived. See also the bull-baiting ring near the bakers shop. Cross towards the telephone box and go down Lydgate Lane which many years ago was the main route into the village. It was barred by a strong gate and ‘watch and word’ was kept every night by householders in turn to question anyone wishing to enter. On the right are the Lydgate Graves.
On meeting a junction go straight on through a stile heading down Mill Lane towards Stoney Middleton. Pass the remains of Cliffstile Mine and also the boundary stone where during the plague years money was left in vinegar in the holes as payment for essential supplies. The then Duke of Devonshire who was Lord of the Manor took charge of arrangements for food to be left.
Head down to Stoney Middleton and go straight ahead at the junction, continuing past the wonderful octagonal church and on to the renovated building which contains the old Roman Baths. Now turn left up the lane to the side of the cemetery on a fabulous little track which has been hollowed away over the years.
On reaching New Road at the top of the track go straight across to a stile and walk up the footpath by the wall side into Stoke Wood. The path is quite easy to follow but you must bear left at one point, keeping the edge of the wood on your left.
You should emerge onto a lane where you turn left and walk the short distance to the Riley Graves which are located in a walled enclosure on your right. Riley takes its name from the field Righ-Les ‘the King’s Field’ and is in fact the burial ground of the Hancock family. Nearby in the vicinity of Riley House Farm are the plague graves of the seven Talbot family members who also perished as a result of the plague. Continue along the lane and return to the outskirts of Eyam.
Take the first small lane on the right and shortly afterwards bear right again at ‘Fern Hollow’. This track leads up through the woods and comes out onto the road heading for Sir William Hill. Just past a junction is Mompesson’s Well, contained within metal railings.
Retrace your steps towards the woods but follow the road down until a long right-hand bend. At a small gate cross the adjacent stile and go down the footpath heading to the churchyard. A new housing development has recently been constructed on land here which once formed part of Glebe Mine. Lead ore was extracted from this very old site, followed by fluorspar until the early 1960’s. There is also an air ventilation shaft to Ladywash Mine.
Just inside the churchyard to the right is the grave of the famous cricketer Henry Bagshaw who played for Derby and MCC. His stone is engraved with a bat, ball and stumps. Eyam is the birthplace of many famous and interesting celebrities as well as a few notable oddities such as Cornelius Brushfield who lived like a hermit in a tiny cottage built on a ledge of rock and known as Rock Hall. It is said that he never travelled a mile beyond Eyam during his life!
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