Colin's history and archaeology blog

 In the first part of this series, we read that farmer W.F. Tunnadine complained to Swadlincote magistrates, about the state of repair of Wood Lane, leading from Wallway to Launders Lane. This part will discuss the latter two 'lost lanes'.  On reading the name Wood Lane, one might think in terms of it being Seal Wood Lane, which diverges from Colliery Lane, a little way from the junction with Main St. However, this lane only appeared in its present form, some time after the publication of the 1884 Ordnance Survey 6" to 1 mile map. There were however tracks leading through Seal Wood ,  but these may have been for woodland use or management [1] . O.S. 6" to 1 mile map 1884, Derbyshire, sheet LX.SW  From a newspaper notice of a sale of cut timber in 1861 [2] , we learn that William Tunnadine was farming at Grange Wood Farm, 'near Seal Wood'. In the 1851 census, he was recorded as living at 'The Wood Farm' [3] and in 1871, just 'Seal Wood': probab...

  Some final thoughts on the Wallway place name. In part 1, we saw how suggestions that the examples from the Isle of Wight and Somerset, might be interpreted as references to an embankment, possibly with an associated track or path. Could this apply to the Linton example - the 'way to the wall' (or bank)?  Wallway/Main St. meets the junction of Colliery Lane and the Linton Heath road at Bates' Corner (after the shop on the corner). These latter two roads, along with the Swains Park road, form a north-east/south-west alignment. The track which preceded Colliery Lane, originally continued further to the south-west, until it was interrupted by the construction of the Netherseal Colliery branch line embankment c.1870.  Until the 1897 boundary changes, this road alignment mirrored the county boundary, with Linton and Church Gresley on the Derbyshire side and Overseal and Netherseal, then parts of Leicestershire. The map extract below [1] , shows the boundary as a dotted line:...

 Through researching aspects of the history of my childhood home of Linton, South Derbyshire, I have come across the names of roads and lanes which have gone out of use or changed.  For instance, in a newspaper report of a sitting of the Petty Sessions at Swadlincote, on 26th October 1869, Linton farmer W.F.Tunnadine, summoned the Swadlincote Highways Board for 'neglecting to repair a certain highway in the township of Linton, called Wood Lane, leading from Wallway to Launders Lane (1) . Council for the Highways board replied that 'the road in question is not a common highway, but an occupation road for the convenience of farmers to get to their land' - case dismissed! Just where were these lanes?  Let's start with Wallway. Despite living in Linton from 1954 - 1974, I first came across this name quite recently on seeing copies of the 1835 Ordnance Survey first series topological maps (2) . A small group of properties named 'Wallway Houses', is indicated about h...