h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Derbyshire - home to the beautiful Peak District. Anyone who lives in Derbyshire or was brought up there who'd like to let us know more about the delights of this county?

Paully

Hang on, there's already lots of entries on Derbyshire- I've written at least five me sen.

Seven, in fact. Do we really need to be pushing for a general entry on the county? It's hardly a big gap, is it?

Oh yes indeed - but not one about the county itself. Just like our lovely US-based researchers have done entries describing their individual States, we thought it was about time that we celebrated the Counties and regions of the UK too!

In fact, the more entries that have already been written about the towns, cities and peculiar features of a county, the easier it should be for someone to write a general new Entry about the entire county!

Paully

Yes we do - it's a huge gap in ALL of our counties, something that would be a really useful resource for other people to link to in their own writing (ie, person X was born in County Y in 1928, etc).

Paully

Hmm, I guess so. Why not allow links to C pages, though?

Cause it'd be really nice to have a big juicy project like this that we can get a big batch of researchers all working on together!

P

Fair enough.

I'm not volunteering to do the entry, mind, but here's a fact for you: Derby is the palce where the last pressing to death for witchcraft took place. The woman in question was placed in the press and ordered to confess her sins: she didn't, and after her death it was discovered that she could not have done anyway; she was mute, and had no tongue.

Ah, you gotta love them trials by ordeal, dontcha?!

Oh, and while I'm at it:

The standard local description of a Derbyshire native is:

"Derbyshire born and Derbyshire bred; strong wi' the arm and wick in the 'ead".

Note that's 'wick' not 'weak', wick is a local word for 'quick', no matter what those bxstxrds on the wrong side of the brook tell you.

Wonderful history, Derby. It's the furthest south Bonny Prince Charlie got, too. Legend has it he and his army got to the Seven Stars Inn, on the outskirts of town. They all got so drunk there that when they came out they marched back in the wrong direction.

The version I know has 'strong in t'arm and thick in t'head'; and I've also seen it applied to Yorkshire. (Perhaps they stole it.)

I _am_ Derbyshire born and Derbyshire bred, but hopefully don't fit the description.

Re: Bonnie Prince Charlie, there's a statue near where the Police Station used to be:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/derby/content/ecards/derby_charlie_ecard.shtml
http://www.derbyshireuk.net/stuart.html

Yep, behind the oldest pub in the City, The Dolphin.

There's a statue of Florence Nightingale by the DRI too- she was from Derby. So was Erathumus Darwin, Charles Darwin's father. And that bloke that's in My Family is from Ilkeston.

Well Dressing. Hmm, many moons ago I said I'd write an entry on well dressing- that would tie in nicely with a Derbyshire entry, as Derbyshire's the only place it's practiced.

I'd like to put my two penn'orth in here!

Derbyshire is a county bordered by: Cheshire in the North West, Yorkshire to the North, Nottinghamshire to the East, Staffordshire to the West and Leicester to the South. It is approximately 52 miles from North to South and for most of its length is only about 20 miles East to West. It covers an area approximately 1016 Sq Miles.

The Peak District National Park was the first area in the country to be Designated as a National Park in 1951. More when I've had chance to rummage through my Daughter's old 'A' level projects on Derbyshire Peak etc.,

Derby is the County Town; but there are other largish towns like Ilkeston, Heanor, Ripley, Alfreton, Matlock, Buxton and Long Eaton (this last is actually in Derbyshire; although postally in Nottinghamshire.

Lots of good stuff there! Keep it coming!

Paully

As I'm not good enough to write too much personally, I will add a few links - why don't mine come out blue and underlined? (if it works) which will give loads of information; and I can add to it, if it is of any use. Please advise!!

www.derbygaol.com

www.peakleisure.co.uk (info on well dressings)

www.derbycity.com/derby/famous.html (info on famous Derbyshire people, like perhaps Sir Isaac Newton etc.

www.derbyshire-peakdistrict.co.uk/bolsover.htm (info on castles)

www.cressbrook.co.uk/walks/cave.html (about potholing and caving)

www.cressbrook.co.uk/eyam/ (obvious?)

Let me know what else I can do to help anyone!

The reason the URLs aren't being converted into links is that you've left out the http:// bit.