Review of Christopher Drewry's book
Wormhill - The History of a High Peak Village, by Julie Bunting
This review is by Julie Bunting, and was published originally in
The Peak Advertiser, the Peak District's local free newspaper,
and is reproduced with Julie's kind permission.
WORMHILL - THE HISTORY OF A HIGH PEAK VILLAGE
At first glance, Wormhill seems to have few claims to fame. So the size of this new
title was intriguing: over 200 pages with numerous illustrations and a 12-page index
- always a good indication of the breadth of research.
Author Christopher Drewry has not disappointed his home village, where he was
born and bred and lives still. What began as a personal venture relating to his own
property at Wormhill became entwined with not just the entire parish but an
impressively wide surrounding area. Snippets garnered over many years have been
encompassed into a sustained period of research undertaken in retirement.
This bird's eye view of Wormhill first considers the appearance of a prehistoric
landscape and an activity which endures to this day. The story then gradually moves
across the centuries towards the village's position on the 9th-century boundary
between Anglo-Saxon Mercia and the Danish-controlled Danelaw. Topics from
subsequent eras range from the unknown fate of an important personage by the
name of Siward Barn to wolf-hunting and even the death of the last wolf in the
parish; to wars - one after another; to the Industrial Revolution and a famous son of
Tunstead who became one of the world's most skilled canal engineers.
Taking us into modern times, Christopher Drewry has deliberately drawn an
historical line at the mid-20th century. Yet he observes that the population of
Wormhill today is less than 5% of its peak in the previous century; he acknowledges
local moves into diversification and offers a few words on the mixed blessing of
certain demi-gods.
Family historians will be interested to learn that 'today's surnames are often the
same as those appearing on legal documents in 1300'. Others will find references to
their own towns and villages, from Abney to Youlgrave and including Buxton,
Bakewell, Peak Forest, Tideswell, Millers Dale, Castleton and Hartington.
Wormhill - The History of a High Peak Village is published by
Ashridge Press/Country Books
of Little Longstone, priced £14.99. On sale locally or to order
quoting ISBN 978-1-901214-82-6
Review by Julie Bunting
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[Created 5 Aug 2007. Last updated 24 Oct 2008 - 11:02 by Rosemary Lockie]