Lost lanes of Linton (Derbys) Pt4

 In this fourth part of the series, I will discuss some of the roads and lanes around the core of the village, which have been lost or changed.

 Back Lane (didn't most towns and villages have one), is the most straightforward one to find. It is clearly marked in this map extract of 1945 below[1]. The Coates' were living at Back Lane in 1939 and probably continuously up to 1947 and the death of grandfather William.

 From near the northwest end of Main Street, it ran in a southwesterly direction, up and over the high point in the village, then back down before turning slightly westwards, to a junction with High Street. It was later topologically appropriately renamed The Crest, when the Princess Avenue development was built.
O.S. 25" to 1 mile, published 1945, Derbyshire sheet LX.13

 Looking at the 1821/22 'Hartshorn' map, some of the lanes around Linton appear to have been drawn a little irregularly, particularly those leading to Cauldwell and Botany Bay[2]. However, this probably reflects reality, in that these were 'occupation' lanes, rather than prime transport routes. They would have zig-zagged around the edges of neighbouring fields and closes.
'Hartshorn' map, published 1821/22.

 The road layout had changed radically by the time that the 1884 6" map (below) was published[3]. The lane to Botany Bay has been straightened up somewhat and that leading to Caldwell has disappeared. Bills for a new 'turnpiked' road to Rosliston were being placed before parliament in 1833, with adjustments to the existing section to Gresley being included[4]. The new road would leave what is now High Street much further to the northeast. A new public house was built on this road, The Carpenter's Arms. It soon had a change of name however, which survived until quite recently, The Square and Compass. I still vaguely recall visiting it with my parents, to pay our parish rates in a back room!
O.S. 6" to 1 mile map, Derbyshire sheet LX.SW, published 1884

 The remains of the old lane can be seen as a footpath, running between the new road and the High Street/Back Lane junction; this has now disappeared under modern development. A short length of the original lane survives running from Caldwell, through the fields towards Linton.

 Brook(e)y Lane is another 'lost lane'. It is mentioned in a number of newspaper reports of sales of land and produce, also in national census records. A report of 1881 on the consecration of the new Linton church, identifies its location as Brooky Lane; 'just midway between Linton and Castle Gresley'[5] - now Hillside Road. It continued to be mentioned up to 1948. The lane does cross a couple of brooks downhill from the church; one of which marks the parish boundary with Castle Gresley.

 And now a sporting interlude, with some serendipitous research! As I was searching for information on Brooky Lane, I came across references to a football team who played there - Gresley Three Churches. One of their corner takers from a newspaper report of 1935, was a B. Coates, probably my father, Bertram Macdonald Coates[6]. Further match reports mention them playing at Brooky lane in 1932 and from 1934 on a new pitch there, until 1939. It is not clear exactly where the pitch was, but it was somewhere near the church I think.

 Coates' also appear in cricket match reports, in particular for Ca(u)ldwell Park. The names were probably misspelled, but an L.Coats and W.Coats were playing for Caldwell in 1931. The L, may well have been uncle Laurie, who would have been 16 then. A W.Coates was playing for Cauldwell in 1927. If the W was grandfather William, he would have been 52; not out of the question for a cricketer. In a match report from August 1936; W, L and B.Coates all played for Cauldwell[7]. W was quite a bowler, often taking 5 or even 6 wickets in a match.

 In 1940, W.Coates played for the losing 'Workshops' team against 'Pit Bottom', in the final of the Netherseal Colliery, interdepartmental cricket competition. He took 3 wickets and scored 17 runs. In the semi-finals of the same competion in 1941, L.Coates played for the losing 'Workshops' team against 'Pit Bottom'. Taking 3 wickets, he was bowled out for a duck!

 The L.Coates was undoubtedly uncle Lawrie, who was working at Netherseal Colliery as a blacksmith in 1939. The W.Coates in all probability, was likely to have been dad and Lawrie's cousin William.

 Church Lane, Linton is referred to in newspaper reports and notices, between 1926 - 1966. It appears that local colloquial names were still being used or misreported, as in 1951, the Repton Rural District council decided that the name 'Hillside Road' should apply to: 'the Castle Gresley-Linton road between the boundaries of Linton parish and the parishes of Castle Gresley and Cauldwell'[8].

 Holly Bush Lane appears in census returns for 1901, with 23 households being recorded as living there. In 1891, only 2 households were living 'near Holly Bush Inn'. By 1911, there were 2 households at 'Holly Bush Row', with a further 8 or 9, 'near Holly Bush Inn'[9]. Early Ordnance Survey maps show that there was a short lane running between High Street and Back Lane, with few houses. This was probably the 'Holly Bush Row'. Holly Bush lane then, just appears to be part of the road which would later be known as High Street.

 The final lane that we will consider is Drakelow Way/Lane. There are several references to it, in notices of sales of plots of land. The first comes from 1799[10].

Derby Mercury, 10th January 1799

 Unfortunately, the information given in the notice  is not too specific. The sizes of the individual closes are not included, making it difficult to identify them on Ordinance survey Maps.

 Another notice from 1882, has more detail[11]. It is possible to reasonably match up the sizes of the closes given in the sale notice, with those indicated on an Ordinance Survey map.
Burton Chronicle, 27th July, 1882

 The notice states that the closes in question, are situated on the south side of Drakelow Lane. A group of four fields or closes, with sizes very similar to those given in the notice, can be seen on the map below[12]. They are shown adjacent to what is now a farm track, running along the ridge behind the rows of houses at Coton Park.
O.S. 25" to 1 mile map, published 1883. Derbyshire LX.9.

 The sizes of the individual closes given in the notice do not all exactly match those on the map. However, taking the total size given in the notice and converting to decimal acreage gives 11.744a; from the map, the total is 11.770a. With the variance being only 0.11% from the median, it is reasonably certain that these are the closes in question. 

 A brief agricultural maths refresher: 1 acre = 4 roods (or rods), 1 rood = 40 perches; 1 acre = 1 furlong (220yds) by 1 chain (22yds), or 4840 sq yards. Surveyors literally used a 22 yard chain (of 100 links), when measuring, or setting out plots of land.

 Drakelow Way then, was the track running from a junction with what is now Hillside road opposite the Manor House, then behind the Coton Park rows as a farm track towards Drakelow. After crossing the road to Cauldwell, it then continues as a green lane past Ashley Barn farm, where it diverges to meet the road from Cadley Hill. This c.2km straight alignment of tracks has now almost certainly been identified as part of the Roman routeway known as the 'Via Devana' - more about that in a future blog!

References
1 Ordnance Survey 6" to 1 mile map series, Derbyshire LX.
 13, published 1945. https://maps.nls.uk
2 Hartshorn map, published 1821/22. British Library.
 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Ordnance_Survey_Drawings_-_Hartshorn_%28OSD_295%29.jpg
3 Ordnance Survey 6" to 1 mile map series, Derbyshire sheet
 LX.SW, published 1884. https://maps.nls.uk
4 Burton - Ashby Turnpike Branch Roads: Course of new roads
 & deviations. Leicestershire and Rutland Record Office,
 ref: QS71/14. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk
5 Linton: The Consecration of the New Church. The Burton   Chronicle, October 6th, 1881, p2.
6 Churchmen Score Heavily At Linton. Burton Observer and
 Chronicle, 21st February 1935, P11.
 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
7 Walton v. Caldwell Park. Burton Observer and Chronicle,
 13th August 1936, P11.
 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
8 Repton Rural District council meeting. Burton Observer
 and Chronicle, 28th June 1951, P6.
9 UK National Census returns. Ancestry library edition,
 https://www.ancestrylibraryedition.co.uk/
10 To Be Sold By Private Contract. Derby Mercury, 10th
 January 1799, P1.
 https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
11 Linton Near Burton. The Burton Chronicle, 27th July
 1882, P4.
12 Ordnance Survey, 25" to 1 mile map series, Derbyshire
 sheet LX.9, published 1883. https://maps.nls.uk

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