History of Markham Resource Pack

Your CD

Please order a full copy of the pack including CD via the Derbyshire Services for Schools website.

Contents

Your CD 2

Using this pack 4

A brief overview of Markham 5

Markham’s Communities 7

List of sources 9

Suggested activities 14

Markham Memories 16

Duckmanton School 17

About Derbyshire Record Office 19

Using this resource pack

Develop your pupils' local knowledge and sense of identity through a study of Markham Colliery. Using real historical documents created at the colliery and in the local communities plus other appropriate sources, discover the history of Markham and the mining heritage of its communities.

This pack has been bespokely designed by Derbyshire Record Office as part of ‘The Story Mine’, a project supported by National Lottery Heritage Fund and Derbyshire County Council to unearth and share stories from Markham Colliery. It consists of one printed booklet with a CD containing a selection of source material from the archives and local studies held by Derbyshire Record Office that can be used with pupils of different age groups. The pack works best when used in conjunction with the oral histories and other source material gathered on The Story Mine website (https://markhamstorymine.org/).

The opportunity to experience original source material captures the imagination so that topics become more real to pupils as they relate to the local information. Using original source material is not just about being taught what happened in the past and how things have changed, it is also about pupils taking on the role of detective to discover for themselves what life was like. Through this process, even younger pupils can begin to develop research and communication skills and encourage already enquiring minds.

By their nature original source material can be difficult to use, for example, featuring old styles of handwriting and sometimes lots of text. Some of the sources in this pack may present such difficulties. Where appropriate printed transcripts and guidance have been provided. In our experience, many pupils cope very well with some of the handwriting and relish the challenge and the thrill of deciphering individual words and sentences.

The following pages list and describe the sources included on the CD.

A brief overview of Markham

COAL is a hard rock created by dead plants being pressed by other rocks for millions of years. From the 1700s it became one of A MINE is an the most important sources of underground space fuel for industry and later for where people work to homes too bring coal or other minerals to the surface Source: Mineral Information Institute Coal has been mined in north Derbyshire since at least the Roman times and in 1842 there was at least one coal pit in Duckmanton (run by Benjamin Smith and Co.) but it was not until the Staveley Coal and Iron Company leased land from the Arkwright family that the large industrial enterprise of Markham Colliery was established.

COLLIERY is the term usually used for industrial-scale mines with buildings and facilities on the surface including for transporting the coal away. The colliery at Markham was named after Charles Markham (1826-1888), whose family were very important in the history and development of the Staveley Company and the Chesterfield area.

The first shaft was sunk in 1882, and a second one sunk in 1886 – Markham No. 1 and No. 2 pits respectively. A total of eight seams were worked at Markham between 1882 and 1994 when the colliery closed (ref: Barrow,1995, Poolsbrook).

The SHAFT is a large hole A SEAM is a layer of from the surface of the colliery coal (often found to the mine underground. Usually underground) for ventilating or draining the mine and/or with a huge metal A new mine is SUNK cage like a lift for the miners by digging a new shaft

The Eiffel Tower (built 1887-1889) was the world’s tallest 400 building until 1930, it is 324 metres high. When the Eiffel Tower second pit was sunk at Markham it went 460 metres 300 underground. 200

100 By 1980 Markham was the largest colliery in the North 0 Derbyshire coalfield, and one of the largest in the country. There were 1970 employed underground and -100 380 on the surface. Annual output was 1.63 million -200 tonnes, that’s a daily average of 7050 tonnes – which is -300 about the same weight as the Eiffel Tower! -400 -500 Markham No. 2

For a timeline of the colliery, see markhamstorymine.org/

Markham’s Communities

Poolsbrook is a small mining village situated between two collieries, Ireland to the north-west and Markham to the south east, which provided much employment for the majority of males in the village. Poolsbrook derives its name from the brook Pool Brook which ran on the outskirts of the village and joined the River Doe Lea near Netherthorpe. … The Old Village was started around 1860 and consisted of 213 terraced houses or cottages as they were called. … Early in the 1900s besides the 213 cottages, the village consisted of Woodhead’s grocery shop, the School and School House which was built in 1902, a public house with dwelling attached, a Co-operative Store with a house built on in 1909 and 3 houses known as the Coop Villas. – extract from Donald Barrow (1995) Poolsbrook Past and Present, p. 6

The ancient settlement of Duckmanton (pre-dating the Domesday Book of 1086 was located near to Calow, the other side of Arkwright Town (see source A1 1955- 2005). The current town of Duckmanton is the combined former villages of Long, Middle and Far Duckmanton (see source A1 1837-1938). Use the sources in this pack to learn with your pupils more about the history of Duckmanton.

Arkwright Town was established after 1897 when the Staveley Company purchased land for 229 houses in 7 rows for a mining community to serve the company’s collieries nearby, although only 160 houses on 5 rows were built (see source A1 – 1955). Mining communities had already been or were being constructed at Poolsbrook, Markham (for officials and skilled workers) and Bonds Main. The rows were divided into 3 terraced blocks containing between 6 to 12 houses. Rows were each separated by open back yards containing earth middens (i.e. dunghill) and coal houses for each property with pairs of properties sharing a common ash pit (usually for disposing of toilet waste ready for collection by the nightsoilsmen). Service roads were constructed to separate the back yards with lighting provided by gas from the Chesterfield gas plant. Water was pumped into a tap in each kitchen by pumps sited on Deepsick Lane. A school was built in 1900 to educate some 422 children and the headmaster lived in a house nearby. There were shops, a railway station, public house (the Station Hotel), a Miners Welfare and Methodist Chapel. Allotments were created along

7 with children's play areas to the side of the railway. In the 1930's the gas lighting was replaced by electric lighting supplied by generators at Staveley Works and the old outside middens and ash pits were replaced with water closets and modern sewage pipes. Arkwright Colliery opened in 1938. In 1947 the National Coal Board became the new landlords of Arkwright Town and undertook the restoration of the village, demolishing the outside buildings and providing indoor bathrooms and toilets. On 9 November 1988 a state of emergency was called in the village and British Gas engineers were called investigating reports of a gas leak at one of the houses in Hardwick Street. After investigating the problem, they reported that it was not a leak on their mains but one of methane escaping from underground workings at Arkwright Colliery (which had closed in January that year). Ultimately, all the houses were demolished and ‘the village crossed the road’ in 1995. – www.abridgewater.freeserve.co.uk – Simon Beckett, The Independent on Sunday, 17 Apr 1994

List of Sources

Unless otherwise stated the sources in this pack are from the archives and local studies (LS) collections at Derbyshire Record Office. The following abbreviations are used for sources from elsewhere:  BNA – British Newspaper Archive, www.britishnewspaperarchive.org.uk  PTP – Picture the Past, www.picturethepast.org.uk

A. Maps and Plans These sources show how the area around Markham colliery has changed from before the colliery was established to the creation of Markham Vale. The first map, dated 1837, shows that all the land in Sutton and Duckmanton was owned by the Arkwright family. 1. Extract from the Sutton cum Duckmanton Tithe Map, 1837 (D2223/A/PI/32a); Ordnance Survey maps showing the area around Markham Colliery, 1883-2005 (OS/6/C/26.NW; OS/6/NG/SK47.SE; OS/6/NG/SK47.SW), with enlargement for 1899 (OS/25/C/25.4, 25.8, 26.1, 26.5) and slides featuring extracts from the Ordnance Survey maps for comparison over time. Note: the 1883 map was surveyed in 1875 so it actually shows the area just before Markham Colliery was established in 1882. 2. Plan of pithead baths, c1939 (N40/11/7) Unfortunately, due to the condition of the original plan it has not been possible to produce this image to any greater quality. 3. Surface site plan, 1970 and Underground layout plan, 1972 (D3722/2/18) 4. Site plan, Oct 1993 5. Plan of proposed layout of Markham Vale, c1999, from Derbyshire County Council New beginning: making the difference for the North Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire coalfield (LS 338.94251) 6. Map of mines in North Derbyshire, 1981 (from a brochure produced on the occasion of a visit by Ivor Manley, Deputy Secretary of State of Energy, 12 Aug) (N42/1/30)

B. The Colliery The majority of these sources are photographs showing what the colliery looked like both on the surface and in the underground mine. Additional images of non- Derbyshire mines are also included to show what working conditions were like underground.

1. Photographic views (D4774/13/42 unless otherwise stated)  View of No. 1 Shaft, c1930s before No 4 shaft built (PTP, DCCD000455)  Surface view of No. 1 and No. 4 shafts, 1930s (pre-Sep 1935)  Surface view of No. 2 and No. 3 shafts, 1930s (pre-Sep 1935)  General view of colliery, 28 Apr 1956  View with No. 1 shaft on left, No. 4 shaft on right, 28 Apr 1956  View of No. 3 shaft from No. 1 and No. 4 end of the site, 28 Apr 1956  Panorama showing sur[f]ace (East) Complex, Sep 1976  View of Markham Colliery from Duckmanton village, 6 Jul 1977  View of Markham Colliery from Duckmanton village, 13 Sep 1978  View of Markham Colliery, from colliery newsletter, Aug 1989 (N42/1/30)  Aerial photo of colliery site c1990 Simon Acco Ltd ‘Achievement in Coal Preparation’ (LS 622.334) 2. Surface photographs (D4774/13/42 unless otherwise stated)  Canteen, undated, probably just before it opened  Medical Centre, 4 May 1979  No. 1 (right) and No. 4 (left) Headstocks from Poolsbrook Road, 13 Sep 1978  No. 1 shaft erection of new steel girder headstock, 23 Oct 1973  No. 1 shaft “Full” side, 5 Nov 1956  No. 1 Headstocks and Winding House, 20 May 1975, taken near the baths  Recreation/Dance Room, No. 1 and No. 4 collieries, 1930s (pre-Sep 1935) 3. Underground photographs (D4774/13/42 unless otherwise stated)  No. 1 Coal face, T1 or T2 coal face, No. 1, 7 Jun 1960 (2 images)  No. 1 Coal Face, T2, 14 Jul 1960  No. 1 shaft Three Quarter Seam, 4 May 1960  No. 2 shaft Anderson Boyes Shearer on Face, 8 Mar 1967 (2 images)  No. 4 shaft Stage loader showing skid mounts, Sep 1963  Pit ponies from Clay Cross, c1910s (PTP, DCHQ502182, DCHQ502183 and DCHQ502205)  Underground conditions, non-Derbyshire examples from Pits Mines and Memories, pp. 72-73: woodcut from 19th century; two hewers working near to each other, 20th cent; a hewer in 1980 (LS) 4. Extracts from Maurice Parkes notebook concerning training of new miners, including different roles at the colliery, pithead bath rules, pithead notices, types of power, contraband, pit bottom arrangements and ventilation 1952-1953 (D6436/1/1) 5. Extracts from Markham Colliery Accident Books (N14/14/1-2)  Charles V. Bell, aged 14, injured 9.30am 11 November 1922

 George Richmond, aged 15, injured 8am 4 June 1923  A. Dodsworth, aged 14, injured 10am 3 Mar 1929 A blank page is also included for your own use 6. Notice in Colliery Newsletter about the dangers of littering, Aug 1989 (N42/1/30) 7. ‘A Pony Tale’ article featuring Rex Darricott, former pit pony driver at Markham Colliery (Reflections Magazine, Feb 1999)

C. The Miners Thousands of men and boys worked at Markham during its 112 year history. These sources have been selected to give an idea of what it might have been like to work there. 1. Photographs of Markham miners  Blacksmiths Shop, c1900 (PTP, PTPD005033)  Bert Lethall, blacksmith at 37 Castle Lane, c 1935 (PTP, PTPD005037)  Miners posed at Ireland or Markham Colliery, c1920s (PTP, DCBR000124) The man second from the right, front row is believed to be David Kerry who lived in a terrace house at Mastin Moor with his wife and nine children  Markham Colliery Officials No. 2 football team at 1 Northedge Cottages, 3 Mar 1928 (PTP, DCNE000478)  Engineers surveying underground, c1970s (D4774/13/42)  Miner at work, 31 Jan 1977 (D4774/13/42) 2. Non-Derbyshire photographs showing miners at home, c1930s-c1950s, from Pits Mines and Memories (LS) and Militancy of British Miners (LS) 3. Newspaper extracts concerning miners from Durham working at Markham, Feb- Mar 1926 (BNA, Sheffield Daily Telegraph). See online for more references to the Durham miners. 4. Extracts from Survey re miners’ journey’s to work in 1968, showing number of mines and miners in Derbyshire, with how far they had to travel to work (N42/6/2) 5. ‘From school to life underground – the first day down the pit at the age of 15’, with memories of Markham (Bygones Weekly 6 Nov 2006 p26-7) 6. Front page of The Derbyshire Times on 16 Mar 1984, featuring ‘Ballot threat as pit comes to standstill’ and photograph of miners picketed outside Markham Colliery 7. ‘Dug in pit victory’, with photograph of the Markham Milers, who cut more than 1 mile of coal in one shift (Derbyshire Times, 3 Apr 1987, p. 14)

D. The 1938 disaster By the nature of what mining involves, mines were dangerous places to work. Over time improvements were made, but too often these improvements were the result only of terrible accidents and disasters where miners lost their lives. Accidents were almost a daily occurrence as shown by the surviving accident books (see source B5 above). Some accidents were quite minor, others were much more serious. At Markham, there are three significant accidents that are referred to as disasters because they resulted in the deaths of more than 10 people:  21 January 1937: underground explosion at No. 1 Pit kills 9 men and 2 other are badly injured  10 May 1938: a tub train accident damages a power cable causing an explosion in the Blackshale seam. 79 men are killed and 35 others injured.  30 July 1973: 18 men lose their lives and 11 others are severely injured when a cage that transported miners underground from the surface goes into free fall The following sources relate to the 1938 disaster, the most devastating of the three, and its aftermath. 1. Extracts from scrapbooks of press cuttings after the 1938 disaster (D2840/3) 2. Extracts from The Derbyshire Times, 13 May 1938 (BNA) 3. Extract from Duckmanton St Peter and Paul Burial Register, 15 May 1938 (D2223/A/PI/7/2), with photograph of grave of ten men who died at Markham Colliery, 10 May 1938 (PTP, DCHQ001495) The inscription on the memorial tablet reads as follows: 'Here rest Leonard Atkin, Colin Gee-Pemberton, Stanley Lodge, Harry Taylor, George Davidson, Charles Bown, Frank Smith, Bernard Gregory, Rowe Kirk, Joseph Hibbard who died in the Markham Colliery May 10 1938. Grant them O Lord eternal rest and let light perpetual shine upon them.' 4. Photographs of a rescue team at the pithead, May 1938 (D1654/3; PTP, DCCD000458) In the first photograph, discuss who the blurred faces to the right might be. 5. Poem ‘The Toll of the Mines’, reprinted in the Derbyshire Times, 1983 6. Photograph of Walter Emberton and unknown colleague underground, c1940s (D6335/1) Walter was one of the survivors of the colliery disaster there 1938. Despite this traumatic experience, he returned to work in the same pit the next day and remained a coalminer until his retirement. He died in December 2001, aged 87. 7. ‘Death on the day shift’ (Reflections magazine, Apr 1998); ‘Price of Coal’ re disaster fund and 1938 generally (Reflections magazine, Apr 2005)

E. Life in Duckmanton: children and family Mines employed large numbers of people and the whole town community was often built around the mine. Mining was not just a job but a way of life, particularly with boys often following in the underground footsteps of their fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers. These sources have been selected to give an idea of what life was like for children whose fathers were miners. 1. Children’s Employment Commission, 1842, extracts relating to Duckmanton collieries (LS. Children’s Employment Commission, Vol. 8, pages 354-356) Look especially at the testimonies of William Platts (no. 457), John Bacon (no. 462), Matthew Barnett (no. 463) and Samuel Bacon (no. 466).

In 1844 colliery owners were banned from employing

women and young children in the mines. 100 years later, FACT 14 year old boys were still allowed to work underground.

2. Photograph of the Morgan family, Markham Cottages, c1910 (PTP, PTPD005524) Members of the Morgan family, who lived at Markham Cottages between 1909 and 1916. The cottages had been demolished by 1973. From left to right: Ivor (born 1900), Sylvia (born 1906), Sarah (with baby Laura, born August 1909), and Lilian (born 1908). The photographer was probably the children’s father, Frank, who was a Colliery Engineer at Markham. 3. Class at Duckmanton School, 1919. Teachers (from left to right): Miss Renshaw, Mr Webb, Miss Hardstoft, Mrs Fairs (D2223/A/PZ/2ii) 4. Duckmanton Sunday School class in best Sunday outfits, 1925 (D2223/A/PZ/2iv) 5. Unidentified family at home in Duckmanton at Christmas, c1930s (D2223/A/PZ/2iii) 6. Rose Queens at the Duckmanton Carnival, c1930s and 1939 (D2223/A/PZ/2vi,v) 7. Duckmanton Primary School Log Book entry for 6 January 1941 (D585/CEF/2) This entry is the first following the complete destruction of the original school during the Second World War by an enemy bomb on 15 December 1940. 8. Copy of a letter sent to parents in July 1941 regarding the decision to permanently close Duckmanton School and where the pupils would now be taught (D585/CEF/2) 9. Extract from Derbyshire at War about Duckmanton school (LS 942.084) 10. The old Church school, girls outing, with Miss Lilley (head teacher), Mrs Davis and Miss Hawksworth, c1940s (D2223/A/PZ/2i) 11. Brochure for Rhyl Miners Holiday Centre, c1960s (N42/7/1) 12. Mining Careers brochure, c1980s? (N42/6/7/2) 13. Photograph of Arkwright Primary School c1992 (PTP, DCCD000536)

Suggested Activities

The following pages include some possible activities using the sources in this pack, but it is far from exhaustive, and the sources can be used however you like for the purposes of education with your pupils. Due to copyright restrictions, it is not possible to share the images, including in closed websites and social media groups.

Spot the Difference Using tracing paper and different coloured pencils, draw over the old maps. Suggested key: Colliery – red River Doe Lea and other water – blue Roads – Orange Houses and other buildings – purple Fields – light green Woods and trees – dark green Ensure the date of the map is written on the tracing paper as well, as you will then be able to compare the different tracings to see how the area changed over time. Discussion points  What differences can you see? When did these changes happen? Why might they have happened? Which are the most significant?  What similarities can you see? Which ones are most surprising?  The arrival of the colliery in 1882 resulted in huge changes to the area. However, where no new buildings were erected the fields have actually remained almost exactly the same as they were back in 1837 – look at a satellite image online to compare.  Notice the development of Far and Middle Duckmanton between 1921 and 1955. Many of these houses were built by the Industrial Housing Association in 1923 (along with others in Poolsbrook). The Association was an agglomeration of large coal and iron companies desirous of providing adequate housing for their workforce (Turner, 1978, ‘Colliery Development in Inter-War period – opening of Markham Collieries…’, Derbyshire Archaeological Journal)  Notice the difference in Arkwright Town between the maps of 1993 and 2000.

What happened at Markham Colliery? Use the surface and underground site plans of 1970 and 1972 (source A3) and various photographs to discover what kind of work was done at the colliery and discuss how the miners did their work. What buildings can you see? What do you think they were used for? Look at the photographs of the surface buildings and underground, can you match any to the site plan?

Notes:  the surface plan does not show the whole site, but does include No. 2 shaft and winding engine, pit head baths, canteen and lamp room. The marquee in the centre would have been erected only for the Open Day on 19 August 1970.  the surface plans (including A4) are not drawn with north at the top, so you may want to rotate them when using them in the classroom. Reading the underground plan: in the centre of the plan you can see the four shafts which is where the miners would have travelled down into mine. The rectangles are the different seams that the coal would have been extracted from; the legend on the map gives the name of each seam. Some were quite close together, all are quite a way from the shafts where the miners went down into the pit.

Life in Duckmanton Use the sources as prompts for discussing what life was like for the children of miners. For example:  Photograph of unidentified family at home at Christmas, c1930s (source E5) Discussion points: what foodstuffs are on the table? What is the large tub at the back of the table? Can you spot the clue in the left corner to say what time of the year this photograph was taken? Note: it is very unusual to find interior photographs at this date, particularly for a mining family who would not have had their own camera – is it a posed photograph?

Curate an Exhibition Share a selection of sources between groups of pupils and invite them to create their own exhibition to tell the story of one aspect of Markham’s history.

Markham Memories

A small selection of memories that former Markham miners have written about and whose books are now preserved forever in the Local Studies Library.

Two authors, R Eatock and A Bridgewater were raised in local mining families. Peter Gamble was born in London and came to work in the mines during the Second World War because he refused to take part in fighting on moral grounds, instead he was conscripted to support the war effort at home ensuring enough coal was being produced.

Pit Ponies ‘A prized member of the team, the ponies role was to pull tubs of coal from the coal face to the pit bottom in readiness for winding to the surface. Usually, the pit ponies working life spanned between five and nine years, acclimatised to the darkness of the mines, the ones that shunned blindness were reprieved for two weeks each year when, as the pit closed down for its vacation the animals were allowed the freedom to graze in the fields around Markham Lane’. – R. Eatock (1995) The Duckmanton Story, p. 15

Each pony had its own stall with its name carved into the wood – A. N. Bridgewater (1998) The Colliery at Markham, p. 6

Keeping clean ‘At the unreal hour of 5.30am we left Bolsover in the miners’ bus and were very soon disgorged into the most impressive pithead baths. I was told by the older colliers that they’d never really got used to these new-fangled places: my pictures of hip baths before the kitchen range were apparently their cherished memories. But I revelled in these spacious, steaming ablutions. You had a locker on the clean side where you left your own clothes before crossing to the dirty locker where you donned your pit clothes and helmet and water bottle and snap tin’ [continued below]

Going underground [continued from above] ‘You then called at the lamp cabin, exchanging your lamp the numbered coin that was your identity disc. After that you were all set for caging.

These cages normally carried the coal tubs, and the only concession made when they were winding men was a pair of horribly inadequate little gates. There wasn’t an inch of level floor for a foothold and nothing but your mate to cling to. “Perk oop lad” said a burly shotfirer with kindly eyes. “Tha’ll find it a neece, easy ride”. And at that moment the thing simply fell, hurtling down in sheer, wicked abandon, as my breakfast somersaulted within me. “This is it” I thought bitterly. “Terrible pit cage disaster. Bevin boys killed on first day down”. Then, suddenly, the thing began to lose speed, to shudder, to falter, and finally to land with feather-like grace at the pit bottom. But our first acquaintance with down under was reassuring. We found ourselves in a tunnel as lofty and well lit as any subway on the London Tube. The whole pit bottom area was similarly light and spacious. There, outside the undermanager’s office, we waited to be deputed to our various jobs. Between the rails on which the tubs ran (empty ones heading for the coal face, ones crammed full with coal heading for the pit bottom cage to be wound up) was an endless, moving steel cable, on to which the leading tub in each linked set of eight had to be securely locked’. – Peter Gamble (1993) The more we are together: memoirs of a wayward life, p. 186-7

Duckmanton School

In 1693, Robert, 3rd Earl of Scarsdale, granted to the inhabitants of Sutton and Duckmanton licence to build a school for the benefit of the parish. The school became the Sutton-cum-Duckmanton Parochial Endowed School (see next to St Peter’s Church on the maps). On the announcement of the sale of the Sutton estate in 1920, the future of the school was thrown into doubt. Resolution came in 1921, when the trustees agreed to purchase the school land and buildings from a syndicate which had bought the unsold portions of the estate. On 8 October 1928, a new Council School opened at Far Duckmanton, to relieve the overcrowding of Duckmanton Endowed School which then closed on 5 January 1936.

A log book for the endowed school from May 1909 is held at Derbyshire Record Office (D585/CEF/1) and an admission register from 1876-1920 is with the parish archives, along with a few other records too (D2223/A/PI/28-31, 42-43).

The Council School at Far Duckmanton (see map of 1938, source A1) was originally housed in temporary buildings for which architect’s plans are held under reference D2200/C/71/1. These temporary buildings were destroyed by a bombing raid on 12 December 1940. According to Pamela Kettle's history of the endowed school, classes were "accommodated in the Duckmanton Hotel, the Chapel, and in stables" until the erection of prefabricated buildings. These were destroyed by a fire in 1991.

The entry from the log book on 6 January 1941 (source E6) explains that the pupils re-assembled after Christmas for classes in nearby buildings:  five Senior classes went to the Miners Welfare Institute at Poolsbrook, the Methodist Chapel and Poolsbrook Council School  Infants attended on half-time along with the younger Juniors at the Methodist Hall  two older Junior classes went to the Club Room at the Duckmanton Hotel. No record survives of the pupils who were at the school during World War Two (because the registers were destroyed in the building), but it is likely that at least some of them only six years earlier had lost fathers or other relatives in the 1938 pit disaster. According to the county council’s register of enemy air attacks (ref: D4710/1), there were 15 incidents in Derbyshire on the night of 15 December 1940, several in the Staveley area around Markham Colliery – perhaps this was one of the bomber’s targets. Fortunately, no one was killed during these attacks, but 14 people were wounded in the attack that destroyed the school and 100 houses in Duckmanton were damaged.

About Derbyshire Record Office

Derbyshire Record Office, combining both the archives and local studies services, brings Derbyshire's fascinating past to life for residents, visitors and students. Archives: four miles of original historical sources covering over 900 years of Derbyshire history, including records relating to local schools, people and families, landscapes, societies, trades and organisations. Summary information about our archives collections can be found using our online guide see www.derbyshire.gov.uk/recordoffice). Also available via our website is our online catalogue which currently includes descriptions for over one quarter of a million individual records in the collection. Local Studies: over 30,000 published and unpublished source material relating to Derby and Derbyshire, including books, newspapers, photographs, magazines, town guides, maps, telephone and trade directories. Services for Schools: find out more about other resource packs and associated class workshops via www.services.derbyshire.gov.uk/recordoffice More Information: contact us to ask about our collections and resources. We can provide quotes for copying specific items in the collections and do research for you on specific topics. Contact Us: Call 01629 538347 or Email [email protected] Copyright: This pack and all resources it contains may be used without restriction for the purposes of education on site at Markham Vale Environment Centre and all schools who have purchased the pack. Please do not share any sources online without contacting Derbyshire Record Office first. Depositing your school’s records: we can help you preserve the historic archives of your school for current and future generations. There is no charge to deposit school archives, please contact the Records Manager on 01629 538347 or email [email protected].