Elmton
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Elmton is an attractive linear village steeped in history. It is located in NE Derbyshire approximately equidistant between Bolsover Castle and Creswell Crags. There is evidence of human habitation since the Ice Age [1] [2], including an Iron Age fort [3] and possibly a Roman camp [4]. It was named Elmton (Helmetune) in Anglo Saxon times after the large number of elm trees that were once a major feature. By the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086 the village was much the same size as today. In 1707, Jedediah Buxton, the legendary mental calculator, was born here. Much of the village was rebuilt in the middle of the 19th C. when the local estate changed ownership: the 1886/7 Ordnance Survey map shows the village soon after this period [5]. Although there has been some redevelopment and infilling since WW2, the village remains similar in size and form to this day. The surrounding tenant farms today form part of the estates of Chatsworth House.
Most of the older properties in the village are built out of the local magnesian limestone (see, for example, the village church [6]). The limestone has provided the village green with rare flora and fauna, such as the Bee Orchid. The village is also close to the limestone valleys / gorges of Hollinhill and Markland Grips, a nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest managed by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust [7].
Village wells are decorated with flowers in the Derbyshire well dressing tradition in late June / early July each year.
Source: this article is drawn from a number of sources including the Elmton Village Walk, 2005, and the English Heritage, Creswell Crags, Ordnance Survey/Landmark and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust websites cited.
