24/01/2024
St. Mary & St. Lawrence, Bolsover
Bolsover is an extensive village situated 6 miles east of Chesterfield and nestles below its castle which stands high on the ridge. In the early 17th century Charles Cavendish, (son of Bess of Hardwick) and his son William, built the present castle. Farming was the main occupation in the early days, although stone quarrying, some pottery making, and the manufacture of buckles and spurs took place. Coal mining took over in the 1890’s when the Duke of Portland, a descendant of the Cavendish family, granted leases to the Bolsover Colliery Company to sink mines in the area. This led to the formation of a new village, New Bolsover, consisting of houses for the miners, along with a school and other amenity. Coal mining in Bolsover finally ceased in 1993.
The parish church, dedicated to St. Mary & St. Lawrence has its origins in the 13th century, but was damaged by two fires, in 1897 and again in 1960. The fire of 1897 almost destroyed the whole building, but the Cavendish Chapel survived. The church was almost entirely rebuilt but had to be restored following the second fire. The original parish registers are incomplete as some were destroyed by the 1960 fire. However, the Bishops’ Transcripts are held at Staffordshire Record Office (currently closed for rebuilding but copies can be requested online).
Image Credit: By Immanuel Giel - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27658358
