Hidden Derbyshire - Landscapes of Time

Nine Ladies Productions
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Hidden Derbyshire is a documentary storytelling podcast exploring the places where history, folklore, and landscape intersect. Across ten episodes, we travel from prehistoric stone circles to plague villages, Norman fortresses, industrial mills, mass trespass protests, and drowned towns — uncovering how each site shaped the people who lived here, and how their stories still echo in the hills. There are no interviews, no experts, and no academic lectures. Just atmosphere, archaeology, and narrative — told on foot, in the landscape, and through time. Whether you know Derbyshire well or not at all, you’ll find something here that surprises you. Because this county isn’t just picturesque — it’s strange, it’s old, and it’s still talking. Series One: Landscapes of Time New episodes weekly. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Episodes

  1. Cromford: The Mill That Invented Time

    JAN 27

    Cromford: The Mill That Invented Time

    On the banks of the Derwent, Richard Arkwright built a new kind of landscape — one powered not by feudal obligation or aristocratic prestige, but by water, machinery, capital, and the disciplined management of time. Cromford became the first successful water-powered cotton spinning mill in the world and the prototype for the factory system. It redefined labour, reshaped community, and turned time into currency — influencing the Industrial Revolution from Derbyshire to Lancashire, New England, and beyond. *Hidden Derbyshire: Landscapes of Time* A documentary storytelling podcast about the places where history, folklore, and landscape intersect. **Core Historical & Industrial Sources** * **Fitton, R.S. & Wadsworth, A.P.** (1958). *The Strutts and the Arkwrights, 1758–1830.*  — Foundational industrial history; strong Cromford material. * **Chapman, Stanley** (1970). *The Early Factory Masters.*  — Context for Arkwright as system-builder. * **Ashton, T.S.** (1948). *The Industrial Revolution (1760–1830).*  — Classic overview; Cromford as early case. **Arkwright & Factory System Studies** * **Birch, Alan** (1967). *The Economic History of the British Iron and Steel Industry.*  — Broader industrial context; useful for mechanisation culture. * **Mantoux, P.** (1928). *The Industrial Revolution in the Eighteenth Century.*  — Still standard for mechanisation & proto-factory detail. * **Wyatt, M.** (2016). *Richard Arkwright: Cotton King.*  — Modern biography; myth vs reality of “invention.” **Labour, Time & Social Change** * **Thompson, E.P.** (1967). *Time, Work-Discipline and Industrial Capitalism.*  — Crucial for “factory time” as social innovation. * **Honeyman, Katrina** (2007). *Child Workers in England, 1780–1820.*  — Cromford as case for child/women labour regimes. * **Joyce, Patrick** (1980). *Work, Society and Politics.*  — Factory labour, discipline & industrial identity. **Derwent Valley & UNESCO Context** * **Derwent Valley Mills Partnership** (UNESCO Management Plans, 2001–present).  — Essential documentation for heritage framing. * **English Heritage Industrial Records**  — Building phases, machinery layouts, archaeological notes. * **UNESCO World Heritage Dossier (2001)**  — Recognises Cromford as precursor of modern factory system. **Economic & Global Dimensions** * **Hudson, Pat** (1986). *The Genesis of Industrial Capital.*  — Links networks, finance, and cotton industry. * **Riello, Giorgio** (2010). *Cotton: The Fabric that Made the Modern World.*  — Global context; Cromford as seed of industrial cotton capitalism. ### **Consensus Statements** Most industrial historians agree: ✔ Cromford was the first **successful water-powered factory system** ✔ Arkwright’s significance = **organisation + labour discipline**, not invention ✔ Factory time replaced agricultural time — fundamental social shift ✔ Derwent Valley influenced global industrialisation ✔ UNESCO inscription justified on system innovation, not architectural beauty **Open Interpretive Questions** Still debated: • Extent of coercion vs opportunity in mill labour recruitment • Degree of “paternalism” in Arkwright’s worker housing • Whether Cromford or Belper should wear the “prototype” crown • How far Cromford shaped US & Indian cotton industry through diffusion **Accessible Public Sources** For non-specialist audiences & visitors: * Cromford Mills visitor centre & interpretation * Derwent Valley Mills WHS publications * Masson Mills exhibits * BBC industrial heritage features * Peak District tourism literature (condensed but accurate) **Useful On-Site Interpretation Notes** Visitors can observe: * Mill 1 & Mill 2 footprints * Water management infrastructure (leats, wheel pits) * Workers’ cottages & urban layout * Cromford canal & transport infrastructure * Clock discipline remnants (bells, routine markers) Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/hidden-derbyshire-landscapes-of-time/exclusive-content

    6 min
  2. Peveril Castle: Stone, Feudalism & the View from the Edge

    JAN 27

    Peveril Castle: Stone, Feudalism & the View from the Edge

    High above Castleton, the ruins of Peveril Castle overlook the Hope Valley — a fortress less defined by battles than by law, revenue, and administration. Built in the aftermath of the Norman Conquest, Peveril became a centre of feudal authority: managing land, lead, markets, and justice from a vantage point designed for visibility and control. In this episode, we explore how Peveril Castle governed more through paperwork than warfare, how its power declined without drama, and how the Romantic age transformed a legal instrument into a picturesque ruin with one of the most commanding views in Derbyshire. *Hidden Derbyshire: Landscapes of Time* A documentary storytelling podcast about the places where history, folklore, and landscape intersect. **Primary Archaeology & Landscape Sources** * **Barnatt, John** (1990). *The Henges, Stone Circles and Ringcairns of the Peak District*.  — Includes Nine Ladies & Stanton Moor cairn complex. * **Barnatt & Collis (eds.)** (1996). *Barrows in the Peak District*.  — Covers cairns, ring cairns, typology, and landscape sequencing. * **Barnatt & Smith** (2004). *The Peak District: Landscapes Through Time*.  — Essential landscape archaeology context. * **Derbyshire Archaeological Journal** (19th–20th c. volumes).  — Antiquarian field notes, early measurements, cairn mapping. * **Historic England Scheduling Notes** — Nine Ladies + King Stone + associated cairns.  — Official designation, context, and landscape assessment. **Chronology Notes** * Assigned to **Late Neolithic / Early Bronze Age (c. 2200–1500 BC)** via:  ✔ comparative typology of small stone circles  ✔ proximity to round cairns (Bronze Age funerary)  ✔ absence of later intrusive features * No major excavation; dating remains inferential not direct. **Comparative Monument Clusters** Useful parallels for scale & function: * **Merry Maidens** (Cornwall) * **Bodmin Moor Circles** (Cornwall) * **Burnmoor Circles** (Cumbria) * **Rollright Stones** (Oxfordshire)  — Most share folklore of petrification, dancing, or taboo-breaking. **Folklore & Victorian Reimagining** * Christian petrification legend (19th c.) attested in:  — **Glover, S. (1829). *History of Derbyshire*.**  — regional antiquarian society papers * Victorian Druid revival influence:  — “sabbath dancers”, “fiddler/king stone” motif  — aligns Nine Ladies with pan-British folklore template ### **Modern History: Quarry Dispute & Protest** * Quarry expansion proposals (late 20th–early 21st c.) led to:  ✔ long-term protest camp  ✔ treehouses & makeshift dwellings  ✔ collaboration between druids, environmentalists, walkers & locals  ✔ protracted planning & legal process * Reported in:  — Local & regional press (Derbyshire Times, Peak Advertiser)  — BBC regional coverage  — Archaeology & heritage advocacy (Council for British Archaeology)  — Heritage conservation casework files (Historic England, NPA) **Consensus Statements** Most archaeologists agree: ✔ Nine Ladies belongs to prehistoric ritual landscape of Stanton Moor ✔ Cairns → funerary; circle → ceremonial ✔ King Stone = outlier marking threshold/procession ✔ Folklore overlays are post-medieval & Victorian ✔ Monument significance = cumulative, not singular **Open Interpretive Questions** Still debated or unknown: • Function: ritual vs procession vs social gathering • Astronomical or calendrical alignments (inconclusive) • Relationship between cairns & circle (sequence/ritual choreography) • Why small-scale circles persist across Britain despite regional variation **Accessible Public Sources** For general audiences: * Peak District National Park Heritage Pages * Friends of the Peak District / CPRE materials * Buxton Museum Prehistory collections * Visitor guides for Stanton Moor & Nine Ladies * Local walking books (often surprisingly well researched) Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/hidden-derbyshire-landscapes-of-time/exclusive-content

    7 min
  3. Haddon Hall: Stone, Marriage & Power

    JAN 22

    Haddon Hall: Stone, Marriage & Power

    Haddon Hall stands above the River Wye as one of England’s finest surviving medieval houses. From the Peverils to the Vernons and the Manners, the hall became a stage for marriage, inheritance, religion, decline, restoration, and romantic reinvention. In this episode, we explore how Haddon survived where so many great houses fell: not through war or wealth, but through neglect — entering a long sleep that preserved its medieval fabric into the modern age. *Hidden Derbyshire: Landscapes of Time* A documentary storytelling podcast about the places where history, folklore, and landscape intersect. **Primary Historical & Architectural Sources** * **Girouard, Mark** (1978). *Life in the English Country House.*  — Foundational for understanding domestic aristocratic spaces. * **Thompson, M.W.** (1994). *The Medieval Hall: The Basis of Secular Architecture.*  — Explains hall typology, hierarchy, and evolution. * **Pevsner, Nikolaus & Williamson, E.** (2002). *The Buildings of England: Derbyshire.*  — Architectural survey; essential entry for Haddon. * **Country Life Archives** (1900s–1930s).  — Photography + restoration notes for Haddon’s revival period. **Dynastic & Genealogical Context** * **Vernon Family Papers** (16th–17th c.) — private archives (access varies). * **Manners Family Records** — link to Belvoir Castle and dukedom. * **G.E. Cokayne** (1910). *Complete Peerage.*  — Standard reference for noble lineage + inheritance patterns. **Dorothy Vernon Legend & Interpretation** * **Roberts, Leah** (1989). *Dorothy Vernon: Legend, History & Performance.*  — Examines the romantic myth vs documentary evidence. * **Victorian Retellings** (19th c.) in novels, theatre, & poetry.  — Romantic nationalism strongly shaped Haddon’s public memory. **Restoration & Romanticism** * **Jenkins, Simon** (2003). *England’s Thousand Best Houses.*  — Contextualises Haddon within heritage tourism & preservation. * **Mandler, Peter** (1997). *The Fall and Rise of the Stately Home.*  — Key text for aristocratic decline + heritage revival. * Gothic revival literature & art influenced perception of Haddon (e.g. **Ruskin**, **Scott**, **Turner** indirectly). **Religious & Reformation Context** * **Haigh, Christopher** (1993). *English Reformations.*  — Domestic religion & pragmatic adaptation. * **Walsham, Alexandra** (2016). *The Reformation of the Landscape.*  — Memory, sacred space, & post-Reformation domestic piety. **Consensus Statements** Historians broadly agree: ✔ Haddon is one of the most complete medieval domestic survivals in England ✔ Marriage/inheritance shaped ownership (Peveril → Vernon → Manners) ✔ Dorothy Vernon legend = cultural invention, not archival fact ✔ “Long Sleep” (18th–19th c.) preserved medieval fabric ✔ Victorian restoration shaped modern reception ### **Open Interpretive Questions** Still debated: • How much of the Dorothy Vernon narrative reflects Jacobean marriage politics vs Victorian myth-making? • Did the Manners deliberately curate “medieval authenticity,” or simply avoid modernization due to cost/practicality? • Was neglect preservation by accident or by quiet strategy? **Accessible Public Sources** For non-specialist listeners & visitors: * Haddon Hall official guidebooks & tours * Belvoir Castle guides (dynastic link) * Heritage tourism publications * BBC & Country Life features * Derbyshire heritage trails + tourism board notes * Peak District NPA cultural guides **Useful On-Site Interpretation Notes** Visitors can observe: * Great Hall hierarchy * Medieval kitchens & bakehouse range * Chapel stained glass (early) * Long Gallery (Elizabethan) * Gardens & terraces (restored) * Visible masonry phases (12th–17th c.) Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/hidden-derbyshire-landscapes-of-time/exclusive-content

    7 min
  4. Eyam: The Village That Chose to Stay

    JAN 21

    Eyam: The Village That Chose to Stay

    In 1665, the plague arrived in the Derbyshire village of Eyam inside a parcel of cloth from London. Faced with contagion, fear, and the risk of spreading disease across the region, the villagers made an extraordinary choice: they quarantined themselves for over a year, allowing the plague to burn through their own community rather than escape into the Peak District beyond. In this episode, we follow Eyam through its darkest year — from the first deaths to the boundary stones, the outdoor sermons, the heavy losses, and the strange mix of faith and intuition that created one of the most remarkable public health decisions in British history. *Hidden Derbyshire: Landscapes of Time* A documentary storytelling podcast about the places where history, folklore, and landscape intersect. **Primary Historical Sources** * **Mompesson, William** — Surviving letters & parish documents  — Key firsthand clerical perspective on quarantine & losses. * **London Bills of Mortality (1665–1666)**  — Context for plague spread, mortality scale, and chronology. * **Parish Registers (Eyam)**  — Burial records, household groupings, mortality sequencing. **Secondary Historical Works (Core Eyam Scholarship)** * **Clifford, Tim** (1993). *Eyam: Plague Village*.  — Accessible narrative history; foundational for modern public memory. * **Ranger, Terence** (1995). *Plague, Quarantine and Memory: Eyam Revisited*.  — Examines how the story has been interpreted over time. * **Waddington, K.** (2014). *The Plague Revisited: Eyam and the Politics of Disease Memory*.  — Memory studies; Victorian romanticisation & epidemiological framing. **Epidemiology & Disease Context** * **Slack, Paul** (1985). *The Impact of Plague in Tudor and Stuart England*.  — Key epidemiological/social history resource. * **Cohn, S.** (2003). *The Black Death Transformed*.  — Broader context for plague interpretation, contagion vs miasma theory. * Public health analysis of Eyam used in:  — **Rosen, G.** (1958). *A History of Public Health*  — **Public Health Reports** (20th c. case studies; quarantine comparison) **Theological & Social Context** * Division & cooperation between:  ✔ Rev. **William Mompesson** (Anglican)  ✔ **Thomas Stanley** (Puritan, ejected minister) * Useful analyses in:  — **Spufford, Margaret** (1984). *Small Books and Pleasant Histories* (religiosity & literacy)  — **Walsham, Alexandra** (2016). *The Reformation of the Landscape* (memory & sacred space) **Demography & Mortality** * Population estimates: **~750–800 residents** pre-plague * Deaths: records vary, typically **~260+ deaths** (≈30–35% mortality) * Unequal household distribution noted in parish registers. **Consensus Statements** Historians broadly agree: ✔ Quarantine was locally initiated & locally enforced ✔ Clerical partnership (Mompesson + Stanley) was crucial ✔ Boundary stones + vinegar coins + outdoor sermons documented ✔ Decision likely prevented wider regional spread ✔ Eyam’s story persists due to moral clarity + rarity of community quarantine ### **Interpretive Gaps** Uncertainties remain: • Exact role of fleas vs human-to-human pneumonic cases • Degree of compliance vs coercion • Motivation: faith vs duty vs fear vs practicality • How many external lives were saved (absence of epidemic is data, not number) **Memory & Tourism** * Victorian reinterpretation transformed Eyam into exemplary moral narrative * 20th c. = epidemiological case study * 21st c. = heritage + tourism + pedagogy (museum, trail, plaques) **Accessible Public Sources** * Eyam Museum (interpretation, objects, chronology) * Peak District NPA heritage notes * Church of St Lawrence visitor panels * Local walking trails & plague cottage signage Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/hidden-derbyshire-landscapes-of-time/exclusive-content

    8 min
  5. Navio: The Roman Fort in the Mist

    JAN 21

    Navio: The Roman Fort in the Mist

    High above the Hope Valley lie the remains of Navio — a Roman fort built not for spectacle, but for logistics. Positioned among lead mines, roads, and rugged frontier landscapes, Navio reveals how the Roman Empire functioned at its edges: through supply chains, administrators, and auxiliary soldiers far from home. In this episode, we explore Rome’s quiet machinery in Derbyshire: the roads, the ore, the soldiers, the civilians, and the slow decline that turned an imperial outpost into grass. *Hidden Derbyshire: Landscapes of Time* A documentary storytelling podcast about the places where history, archaeology, and landscape intersect. **Primary Archaeological & Excavation Sources** * **St. Joseph, J.K.** (1955). *Air Reconnaissance of Roman Britain*.  — Early aerial photography confirming fort layout & ditch systems. * **Derbyshire Archaeological Journal** (various vols., late 19th–20th c.).  — Excavation notes, measurements, fort plan interpretations. * **Jones, G.D.B. & Mattingly, D.J.** (1990). *Atlas of Roman Britain*.  — Regional context; positioning of Navio in northern frontier network. * **Hart, Cyril** (1981). *North Derbyshire Archaeology*.  — Site-specific synthesis; lead industry + Roman infrastructure. * **Historic England Scheduling Records** — Navio / Brough Fort.  — Official designation, phase notes, earthwork mapping. **Roman Roads & Infrastructure Sources** * **Margary, I.D.** (1967). *Roman Roads in Britain*.  — Numbering system & proposed routes linking Navio to Buxton, Chesterfield, Manchester. * **Webster, G.** (1985). *The Roman Imperial Army*.  — Fort typologies & logistical rationale for frontier placements. * **Shotter, D.** (2004). *Roman Britain*.  — Short but useful synthesis, logistics > conquest framing. **Lead Mining & Industrial Context** * **Willies, Lynn** (1999). *Lead Mining in the Peak District*.  — Industry continuity from pre-Roman through post-medieval. * **Barnatt, John & Smith, K.** (2004). *The Peak District: Landscapes Through Time*.  — Integrates mining, settlement, and military impact. **Frontier & Garrison Culture** * **Mattingly, D.** (2006). *An Imperial Possession: Britain in the Roman Empire*.  — Crucial for understanding frontier hybridity & provincial identity. * **Simpkins, J.** (2018). *Auxiliaries in Roman Britain*.  — Material culture + mixed-garrison ethnography. **Religion, Identity & Cultural Blending** * **Henig, Martin** (1995). *Religions in Roman Britain*.  — Altars, syncretism & local cult integration; relevant to Buxton context (Aquae Arnemetiae). * **Hingley, Richard** (2000). *Roman Officers and English Gentlemen*.  — Reception studies + imagined frontiers. **Chronological Context** * Fort phases:  ✔ **Late 1st century AD** timber/turf  ✔ Later **stone rebuilds**  ✔ **Gradual contraction** in late empire * Withdrawal from Britain: early **5th century AD** (approx.) ### **Consensus Statements** Most archaeologists agree: ✔ Navio’s primary purpose = **logistics + administration + mineral control** ✔ Fort sits within Peak District lead-mining network ✔ Roads linked Navio ↔ Buxton ↔ Chester ↔ northern routes ✔ Garrison included **auxiliaries**, not legionaries ✔ Decline was gradual, not catastrophic ✔ Little monumental architecture expected at a frontier cog **Open Questions / Interpretive Gaps** Still debated: • exact scale of mining operations supplying Rome • proportion of civilian vs military population in vicus • role of local tribes in ore extraction (labour vs taxation) • religious footprint inside the principia (altars now lost) ### **Accessible Public Sources** For general listeners: * Peak District NPA heritage notes * Buxton Museum & Art Gallery (Roman + mining exhibits) * Derbyshire Archaeological Society publications * Local walking trails with Roman heritage overlays Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/hidden-derbyshire-landscapes-of-time/exclusive-content

    8 min

  6. JAN 20

    The Nine Ladies: Stones, Sorcery & Protest

    EPISODE 3 — “The Nine Ladies: Stones, Sorcery & Protest” On Stanton Moor, a small stone circle sits low among the heather — modest in size, rich in stories. Known as the Nine Ladies, this Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age monument has been reimagined repeatedly across four thousand years: as pagan temple, as Christian cautionary tale, as Victorian druidic relic, and — most recently — as the focus of a modern environmental protest. In this episode, we explore how archaeology, folklore, and activism collide on a single patch of moorland, and why small monuments sometimes accumulate the largest meanings. Hidden Derbyshire: Landscapes of Time A documentary storytelling podcast about the places where history, folklore, and landscape intersect. **Primary Archaeology & Landscape Sources** * **Barnatt, John** (1990). *The Henges, Stone Circles and Ringcairns of the Peak District*.  — Includes Nine Ladies & Stanton Moor cairn complex. * **Barnatt & Collis (eds.)** (1996). *Barrows in the Peak District*.  — Covers cairns, ring cairns, typology, and landscape sequencing. * **Barnatt & Smith** (2004). *The Peak District: Landscapes Through Time*.  — Essential landscape archaeology context. * **Derbyshire Archaeological Journal** (19th–20th c. volumes).  — Antiquarian field notes, early measurements, cairn mapping. * **Historic England Scheduling Notes** — Nine Ladies + King Stone + associated cairns.  — Official designation, context, and landscape assessment. ### **Chronology Notes** * Assigned to **Late Neolithic / Early Bronze Age (c. 2200–1500 BC)** via:  ✔ comparative typology of small stone circles  ✔ proximity to round cairns (Bronze Age funerary)  ✔ absence of later intrusive features * No major excavation; dating remains inferential not direct. **Comparative Monument Clusters** Useful parallels for scale & function: * **Merry Maidens** (Cornwall) * **Bodmin Moor Circles** (Cornwall) * **Burnmoor Circles** (Cumbria) * **Rollright Stones** (Oxfordshire)  — Most share folklore of petrification, dancing, or taboo-breaking. **Folklore & Victorian Reimagining** * Christian petrification legend (19th c.) attested in:  — **Glover, S. (1829). *History of Derbyshire*.**  — regional antiquarian society papers * Victorian Druid revival influence:  — “sabbath dancers”, “fiddler/king stone” motif  — aligns Nine Ladies with pan-British folklore template **Modern History: Quarry Dispute & Protest** * Quarry expansion proposals (late 20th–early 21st c.) led to:  ✔ long-term protest camp  ✔ treehouses & makeshift dwellings  ✔ collaboration between druids, environmentalists, walkers & locals  ✔ protracted planning & legal process * Reported in:  — Local & regional press (Derbyshire Times, Peak Advertiser)  — BBC regional coverage  — Archaeology & heritage advocacy (Council for British Archaeology)  — Heritage conservation casework files (Historic England, NPA) **Consensus Statements** Most archaeologists agree: ✔ Nine Ladies belongs to prehistoric ritual landscape of Stanton Moor ✔ Cairns → funerary; circle → ceremonial ✔ King Stone = outlier marking threshold/procession ✔ Folklore overlays are post-medieval & Victorian ✔ Monument significance = cumulative, not singular ### **Open Interpretive Questions** Still debated or unknown: • Function: ritual vs procession vs social gathering • Astronomical or calendrical alignments (inconclusive) • Relationship between cairns & circle (sequence/ritual choreography) • Why small-scale circles persist across Britain despite regional variation *Accessible Public Sources** For general audiences: * Peak District National Park Heritage Pages * Friends of the Peak District / CPRE materials * Buxton Museum Prehistory collections * Visitor guides for Stanton Moor & Nine Ladies * Local walking books (often surprisingly well researched) Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/hidden-derbyshire-landscapes-of-time/exclusive-content

    7 min

  7. JAN 20

    Minninglow - The Barrows In The Trees

    EPISODE 2: “Minninglow: The Barrows in the Trees”High on a limestone hill, beneath a crown of plantation spruce, lies one of Derbyshire’s oldest monuments to the dead. Minninglow is a multi-phase prehistoric site — a Neolithic long barrow later joined by Bronze Age round barrows — where ancestral memory was built into the landscape across more than a thousand years.In this episode, we explore collective burial, curated bones, ceremonial objects, and the strange quietness of a place that modern walkers treat with instinctive respect. From Arbor Low’s ritual circle to Minninglow’s barrowed dead, a prehistoric network begins to emerge — one shaped not by warfare, but by ancestry, visibility, and landscape.**Hidden Derbyshire: Landscapes of Time**A documentary storytelling podcast about the places where history, folklore, and landscape intersect. EPISODE 2 — MINNINGLOWARCHAEOLOGY SOURCES & REFERENCES (APPENDIX)Primary Excavation & Survey SourcesBateman, Thomas (1848–1861). Vestiges of the Antiquities of Derbyshire + excavation notebooks.— Early investigations of Minninglow’s long barrow and associated round barrows; human remains + pottery + flint documented.Barnatt, John (1990). The Henges, Stone Circles and Ringcairns of the Peak District.— Places Minninglow within broader Peak District prehistoric landscapes.Barnatt, J. & Collis, J. (eds.) (1996). Barrows in the Peak District.— Essential synthesis of Neolithic + Bronze Age burial mounds; Minninglow case studies.Barnatt, J. & Smith, K. (2004). The Peak District: Landscapes Through Time.— Landscape archaeology & chronology.Derbyshire Archaeological Journal (late 19th–early 20th century entries).— Antiquarian measurements, mapping, context notes.Chronology & TypologyMinninglow as composite monument:✔ Neolithic long barrow (~3800–3400 BC)✔ Bronze Age round barrows (~2200–1500 BC)Sequencing consistent with regional transitions from collective burials → individual/elite burials.Disarticulated skeletal remains align with Neolithic secondary burial practice.Mortuary & Material CultureKey interpretive works: Whittle, A. (1997). Sacred Mound, Holy Rings.— Long barrows as collective ancestral sites.Parker Pearson, M. (1993 & 2005). Works on mortuary practice & ancestor cults.— Explores “curated remains” theory—fits Minninglow evidence.Thomas, J. (1999). Understanding the Neolithic.— Collective identity & material symbolism.Landscape StudiesEvans, J. (2004). Landscape and Society in Prehistoric Britain.Edmonds, M. (1999). Ancestral Geographies of the Neolithic.— Visibility studies + ritual landscape context.Noted sightlines between Minninglow ↔ Arbor Low supported by Barnatt (1990).Folklore & Post-Medieval LayersMinninglow’s folklore is limited — unlike Nine Ladies or Arbor Low. Victorian sources frame it as: “Picturesque ruin”“Country curiosity”“Estate ornamentation” after the 18th–19th c. forestry plantationSources: Glover, S. (1829). History of the County of Derby.Estate maps & planting schemes (private archives; referenced via Barnatt & Smith, 2004).Forestry & Modern AccessPlantation dates vary by estate records but generally 18th c. onwardCurrent access via High Peak Trail → heritage/ramblers documentation via:Peak District National Park AuthorityHigh Peak Trail guidesLocal rights-of-way documentation Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/hidden-derbyshire-landscapes-of-time/exclusive-content

    7 min
  8. Arbor Low - The Hedge Monument

    JAN 20

    Arbor Low - The Hedge Monument

    *Hidden Derbyshire* is a documentary storytelling podcast exploring the places where history, folklore, and landscape intersect. Across ten episodes, we travel from prehistoric stone circles to plague villages, Norman fortresses, industrial mills, mass trespass protests, and drowned towns — uncovering how each site shaped the people who lived here, and how their stories still echo in the hills. There are no interviews, no experts, and no academic lectures. Just atmosphere, archaeology, and narrative — told on foot, in the landscape, and through time. Whether you know Derbyshire well or not at all, you’ll find something here that surprises you. Because this county isn’t just picturesque — it’s strange, it’s old, and it’s still talking. **Series One: Landscapes of Time** New episodes weekly. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. ARCHAEOLOGY SOURCES & REFERENCES Primary Excavation & Survey SourcesBateman, Thomas (1848–1861) — Vestiges of the Antiquities of Derbyshire and later notebooks.— Early excavations of Arbor Low & Minninglow barrows; reports on cremations, pottery, bone fragments.Gray, H. St. George (1902) — Excavations at Arbor Low (Derbyshire Archaeological Journal).— Detailed measurements, plan drawings, discussion of ditch & bank construction.Barnatt, John (1990) — The Henges, Stone Circles and Ringcairns of the Peak District.— Comprehensive survey; contextualises Arbor Low in wider Peak District ritual landscape.Barnatt, J. & Collis, J. (eds.) (1996) — Barrows in the Peak District.— Covers funerary landscape and associated monuments.Barnatt, J. & Smith, K. (2004) — The Peak District Landscape Through Time.— Good synthesis of prehistoric to post-medieval changes to land use.English Heritage — Arbor Low Henge and Stone Circle Scheduling Description.— Current designation, measurements, site protections.Archaeological ContextBradley, Richard (1998) — The Significance of Monuments: On the Shaping of Human Experience in Neolithic and Bronze Age Europe.— Interprets ceremonial landscapes & symbolic geology relevant to Arbor Low minus the specifics.Parker Pearson, Mike (2012) — Stonehenge: Exploring the Greatest Stone Age Mystery.— Useful for comparison: ceremonial networks, mobility, feasting culture.Whittle, Alasdair (1997) — Sacred Mound, Holy Rings.— Wider context for henges & mortuary practice in Britain.Harding, Alex & Lee, G. (1987) — Henge Monuments and Related Sites of Great Britain.— Arbor Low is featured as a non-upright limestone circle variant.Landscape & Material CultureEvans, J. (2004) — Landscape and Society in Prehistoric Britain.Edmonds, Mark (1999) — Ancestral Geographies of the Neolithic (ritual pathways & visibility studies).Smith, K. (2003) — Flint and Stone in Derbyshire’s Prehistory (on tool production & circulation).Dating & ChronologyArbor Low construction dated to c. 2500–2000 BC by comparative typology & radiocarbon data from associated Peak District sites (Minninglow + Ball Low) rather than direct stone-circle samples.Cremation burials align with Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age shift in mortuary customs across Britain.Astronomy & Orientation Debate Optical alignments discussed in:Ruggles, C. (1999) — Astronomy in Prehistoric Britain and Ireland.— Points out Arbor Low is not designed like Stonehenge; orientations remain debated. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/hidden-derbyshire-landscapes-of-time/exclusive-content

    5 min

  9. JAN 20

    Hidden Derbyshire - Series Trailer

    Hidden Derbyshire is a documentary storytelling podcast exploring the places where history, folklore, and landscape intersect. Across ten episodes, we travel from prehistoric stone circles to plague villages, Norman fortresses, industrial mills, mass trespass protests, and drowned towns — uncovering how each site shaped the people who lived here, and how their stories still echo in the hills. There are no interviews, no experts, and no academic lectures. Just atmosphere, archaeology, and narrative — told on foot, in the landscape, and through time. Whether you know Derbyshire well or not at all, you’ll find something here that surprises you. Because this county isn’t just picturesque — it’s strange, it’s old, and it’s still talking. Series One: Landscapes of Time New episodes weekly. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/hidden-derbyshire-landscapes-of-time/exclusive-content

    2 min
  • 9 Episodes

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Hidden Derbyshire is a documentary storytelling podcast exploring the places where history, folklore, and landscape intersect. Across ten episodes, we travel from prehistoric stone circles to plague villages, Norman fortresses, industrial mills, mass trespass protests, and drowned towns — uncovering how each site shaped the people who lived here, and how their stories still echo in the hills. There are no interviews, no experts, and no academic lectures. Just atmosphere, archaeology, and narrative — told on foot, in the landscape, and through time. Whether you know Derbyshire well or not at all, you’ll find something here that surprises you. Because this county isn’t just picturesque — it’s strange, it’s old, and it’s still talking. Series One: Landscapes of Time New episodes weekly. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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