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Whilst it is not clear when the group was formed, the earliest of their meetings found to date was held on Wednesday 25th November 1789. Individuals
residing in the parishes or townships of Southwingfield, Oakerthorpe, Alfreton (including Shirland and Higham), Pentrich, Crich, Heage, Ripley, Codnor
and Codnor Park were invited to join. In 1796 Hucknall under Huthwaite, Lea, Ford and Washington (Wessington) had been added. There were a number
of similar groups elsewhere in the county, all designed to encourage witnesses to come forward as a means of catching petty thieves or more hardened
criminals. Their announcements and appeals for information were published in the "Derby Mercury".
The announcement below is from the "Derby Mercury", 7 January, 1796
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AT the annual meeting held at the Peacock Inn, on the 25th November last, it was resolved by the members then present, as follows:
1st. That all new members shall pay 10s. a sum equal to the stock in hand.
2d. That all members being in arrear for the space of one month after the anual meeting (being the last Wednesday in November.) shall
lose the benefit of their names appearing in the annual list of subscribers to be inserted in the Derby Mercury.
3d. That Mr. Richard Peach of Alfreton, Mr. Thomas Hunt of Southwingfield, Mr. James Fidler of the parish of Shirland, Mr. John Hill
of Washington, Mr. James Turton of Crich, Mr. John Lister of Pentrich, and Mr. Henry Moor of Ripley, or any three of them shall be a
committee to manage the business of the said association for the present year, or till others are appointed in their stead.
Names of Subscribers.
| Alfreton. | | | Hucknall under Huthwaite. |
| Rev. H. C. Morewood Clerk | Mr. Richard Mellors |
| Hugh Wood Esq. | Lea. |
| Mr. Wm. Wilson | Peter Nightingale Esq. |
| Joseph Wilson | Pentrich. |
| Benj Smith Surgeon | Mr. Robert Marsden |
| Tho Green, Mercer | Joseph Sutton |
| W. Riley | Jonathan Fletcher |
| John Gregory | John Booth |
| Samuel Stainrod | Anthony Storer |
| Samuel Gregory | George Godber |
| S. R. Hermitage | John Marriott, Wire Mill |
| Benj. Smith, Watchmaker | John Lister |
| J. C. Hall, Attorney | George Waters |
| Thomas Saxton | Ripley. |
| John Bacon | Mr. Henry Moore |
| Richard Peach, Jun. | John Stirland |
| John Beardmore | South Wingfield Parish. |
| Thomas Radford | Wingfield Halton, Esq. |
| John Maples, Greenhalane | Mr. Thomas Person |
| Miss Martha Clark | Joseph Hepworth |
| Mr. Tho. Fletcher | Peter Kendall |
| Edd. Waters, Puy? Bridge | Henry Bestwick |
| Butterly & Butterly Park | John Bastall |
| Mr. Joseph Hunt | Thomas Hunt |
| Benj. Outram | Mrs. Grace Strelley, Oakerthorpe |
| Crich. | Shirland. |
| Mr. David Woodhouse | Jonathan Burnham, Esq. |
| James Turton | Mr. William Hopkinson, Tanner |
| Mrs. Saxton | John Bryan, Shirland Lodge. |
| J. Bowmer, Fritchley | James Fidler |
| Thomas Travis | Isaac S. Page |
| John Gibbins | Wm. Clayton, Higham |
| Matthew Hopkinson | John Birks |
| Abraham Wheatcroft | Washington |
| Daniel Cooper | Mr. John Wheatcroft |
| Codnor Park. | John Hill |
| Mr. John Wallis | George Lowe |
| Wm. Hickson | Charles Lowe |
| Wm. Hickinbotham | John Hopkinson |
| Ford. | |
| John Holland Esq. | |
| Mr. Joseph Gratton | |
Rewards allowed by the association to be paid by the treasurer to any informer, not being a member, on whose
information any person shall be convicted of the offence hereunto written.
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L. |
S. |
D. |
| For every burglary or highway robbery, |
5 |
5 |
0 |
| For stealing any horse, mare, gelding, bull, ox, cow, heifer, calf, sheep, lamb, pig, or for any capital offence,
- - - - |
3 |
3 |
0 |
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For stealing poultry, cutting, breaking down or destroying any tree, hedge, gate, stile, wall, post, rail, or any other kind of
fence, or for destroying or stealing any utensils or implements in husbandry, or for destroying any peas, beans, turnips, potatoes,
cabbage, grass, hay, clover, corn, apples, pears, or any other kind of garden stuff, or for any other kind of petite larceny
not particularly mentioned, - - - - |
0 |
10 |
6 |
W. WILSON, Agent & Treasurer.
Alfreton, January 4th, 1796. |
It was often food that was taken. For example, the Association placed a notice the following week (14 January) asking for information because a
barn on Pentrich Common, the property of George Godber who was a member of the group, had been broken into and a quantity of fowls were stolen.
He had lost hens the previous year and four more were taken in 1800. On 20 October 1796 three geese were reported taken from John Wheatcroft's premises at
Washington (Wessington), and Winfield Halton lost eight ducks in 1808. Samuel Stainrod lost a lamb in 1798 which was more serious, as the above rewards show.
Sometimes the offences were greater. For example, in 1892 a Plow-Swingletree and Plow-Paddle belonging to Jonathan Burnham were damaged
in a field belonging to John Bryon of Shirland (4x great grandfather of the web mistress). In 1800 the Duke of Devonshire's Corn Mill at Pentrich,
occupied by Jonathan Fletcher, was "wilfully" set on fire. Large quantities of corn and sacks filled with corn were burned or damaged
whilst the Mill itself was described as "greatly damaged". Sometimes a hovel was pulled down, or ricks were burnt. |
Names of those in the Ashover, Bonsall,
Darley, and Matlock - including adjacent settlements - in 1799