The Society was established by people from in and around the village of Parwich in the Derbyshire Peak District who have been exploring the past.

Within a couple of miles of Parwich there are a number of Stone age and Bronze age burial mounds; flint tools can be picked up from the surface of ploughed fields. There is an important Romano-British encampment. A hoard of Roman coins was discovered on Parwich Hill about 150 years ago, and in 2018 a further hoard of bronze Roman coins was found, these are currently held in Buxton Museum. The ridge and furrow in the fields reminds us of a 1000 year old farming system. The arch of the church is quite possibly Anglo-Saxon and many of the houses and cottages hide a history well over 500 years old.

The Society wants to explore and celebrate this past in many ways and wishes to encourage others to participate with us. The Society is aimed at everyone, young or old, and no expertise or knowledge is necessary.

Although the name Parwich is used, our interest does not stop at the parish boundary and we include all the ‘outliers’ described in the Domesday Book and beyond.

We intend to promote talks and local walks, information evenings and research groups. We are interested in the recent history, the history within living memory as well as more distant past.

We hope to involve anyone in the area who is interested in discovering more about the past, recent or distant, of the area.

Our Society Aims

The Society was formed in February 2000 with the following aims:-

• To research the local history of the Parwich and its environs in all its aspects and through all periods of history from earliest times to the present day, including landscape, archaeology, architecture, agriculture, industry, history, social history, economics and any other related issues of historical interest to the community.

• To hold lectures and training courses devoted to this aim and to visit places of historic interest in the Parwich area and its environs.

• To encourage members to work individually or in groups on research projects on Parwich history.

• To actively co-operate with other societies and bodies having similar or allied interests.

• To collect, preserve, safeguard and possibly publish books, prints, pamphlets, maps, illustrations, ephemera, manuscripts, materials, artefacts and other printed or otherwise recorded material including oral tradition relating to Parwich and its environs.

• To organise exhibitions to disseminate the fruits of this research to the local community and thereby stimulate further interest and research.

• To work with other local groups to promote the development of the heritage, art and culture of Parwich and its environs.

Membership

Our Society is interested in the history of the Alsop en le Dale, Ballidon, Eaton, Parwich and Pikehall area. 

Over the years the Society has delivered a number of projects including looking at the history of St Peter’s Church, the development of buildings in the area, and recording people’s memories, as well as planning publications on various topics. 

You can read articles from our previously published Newsletters through the Parwich in Print section of the site.

If you are interested in coming along to our meetings, receiving our emails or being actively involved in local history research and projects please email parwich.history.society@gmail.com