Eyam, a very pretty village of Saxon origin that is guarded by the mighty ridge that commands the view on the north side, more commonly known as, Eyam Edge. Visitors to Eyam cannot help but notice that the village comprises a large number of very old dwellings, many of which are built from the local sandstone which positively glows on a bright sunny day.

Although the village is renown for being the unwitting victim of the plague that also ravished other areas, including the then largely overcrowded population of London during 1665/1666, the village and those inhabitants that managed to survive this nightmare, subsequently went on to develop a thriving society, where employment came in the form of the growing silk and cotton weaving industries. Thankfully, the child labour used to increase not only the local incomes of Eyam folk, but for workers throughout British industry at that time, is now a mere ghost in our history and the practice has long since been stamped out.

There is a superb potted history about the people of Eyam and the Plague, which was put together by: 10leggo (Youtube Link) :

Related Websites: Exploring Eyam Eyam Village Eyam Hall Eyam Museum Eyam Half Marathon Eyam Moor and Stoke Ford Walk Eyam Youth Hostel

Further to the early beginnings of Eyam, pronounced Eem, many other inhabitants turned their attention towards boot and shoe manufacturing, and as with so many of the towns and villages within the Derbyshire Peak District, work had long been secured within the Lead Mining industry. The mining of lead has existed since the Roman occupation of Britain, where it was wrought from the limestone both on the surface, and by following the veins deep under the ground. Much later on, a demand for both Fluorspar and Barites, minerals that were formerly cast aside as being totally worthless, provided yet another valuable source of income for the villagers.

The processing of these mining materials continued in Eyam until recent years, with much of the ore coming from the Ladywash and Glebe mines. A third, the New Engine mine, was closed to mining as early as 1884, where it was said to have been the deepest within the Peak District at around 1,092ft. Mineral production and processing still continues today at nearby Stoney Middleton, but this is another story.

It is noteworthy to collectors of mineral specimens that some of the very finest quality Dogtooth Calcite crystals, which are pale lemon-yellow in colour, originally came from the Ladywash mine.

Eyam was almost certainly the first place to have its own public water supply in the country. Water that issued from local springs along the junction between the Limestone and Sandstone boundary, was fed along a series of pipes, which in turn filled a number of huge stone troughs placed all around the village. Some of these troughs can still be seen in the village today.

The village of Eyam is one of the few in Derbyshire that still has its own set of stocks. These were used as a means to punish offenders who broke the law in years gone by. Alas, on our particular visit, Eyam’s stocks were hidden from view by visitors enjoying the carnival and Wells Dressing festivities on the village green.

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