Memorial Title

Bolsover and Hillstown

Summary

Derbyshire War Memorials: a description of a WW1 and WW2 war memorial cross to the fallen of Bolsover and Hillstown in the Market Place at Bolsover.

Images

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Further images may be available on request.

Locations

Last known location:
Market Place
Town End
Bolsover
Derbyshire

Nearest postcode:
S44 6PN

NGR:
SK 47336 70487 ±5m
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Location details:
On the southern side of the road.

Type

Overall type: Cross.

Overall condition: Fair. The inscription is legible and the memorial is cared for.

Description:

A Portland stone cross bearing a bronze Sword of Peace. The potent cross is octagonal in section and the shaft tapers from a separate moulded octagonal plinth. It surmounts a monolithic octagonal pedestal with an integral plinth which originally bore the inscription and WW1 names and which now bears four metal plaques bearing names in raised upright capital block lettering coloured white on a black ground. The pedestal surmounts an upper two-stepped base bearing a tablet on the 6 o'clock face with a dedication incised in upright capital roman lettering. This surmounts a shallow two-stepped lower base. Subsequent to the unveiling the memorial has been surrounded by flower beds and enclosed by a dwarf stone wall with metal gate and railings.

Glossary

Components:

Component	Material	Height	Width	Depth	Condition
Cross	Limestone	c3500	c500	45	Fair
Sword	Bronze	c2500	c600	c50	Fair
Plinth	Limestone	430	450	450	Fair
Pedestal	Limestone	920	1100	1100	Fair
Upper base	Limestone	920	3500	3500	Fair
Lower base	Limestone	240	4450	4450	Fair
Tablet	Limestone	500	910	50	Fair
Plaque x 4	Metal	605	375	10	Fair
Dimensions in millimetres ±5mm unless stated otherwise.

Inscription

Original inscription on pedestal:

Their name liveth for evermore

[Inscription now obscured by plaques; layout and lettering style not known.]

Original names on pedestal:

W. Abbott, R. R. Akrill-Jones, H. F. Akrill-Jones, G. Amoss, B. Ashmore, J. J. Barlow, H. Barnett, J. Bennett, H. Bentley, J. H. Berresford, J. Berry, R. C.Birch, E. Bland, E. Blood, M. Blood, F. A. Bluff, J. H. Bluff, L. E. Boam, S. Bond, A. Boughey, T. G. Bower, D. Brooks, S. Brown, J. W. Backnell, A. Chapman, J. W. Clarke, C. R. Collier, D. Cooper, H. F. Coupe, F. Coupe, H. A. Cowley, C. Crofts, H. Cutts, J. T. Cutts, S. Cutts, W. Cuttell, D. Davis, M. Daykin, D. J. Devlin, S. Dornor, W. Downes, C. H. Dunham, A. Fawcett, G. E. Fern, H. E. Forknall, A. Gascoyne, G. Ghent, A. L. Gilham, G. Glossop, W. Glossop, J. W. Godber, F. Goodwin, H. Greenoff, J. W. Gregory, F. Hall, J. W. Hall, E. Hancock, W. Hardy, G. V. Harper, A. W. Hartley, H. T. Hayden, J. W. Hebb, E. Holmes, W. E. Holmes, H. L. Holmes, A. W. Howard, G. Howis, T. Humphrey, G. Hunt, J. Hunt, J. Ingram, G. Jepson, A. Johnson, H. Johnson, H. Kelping, A. Kerry, S. Kestles, H. Kirk, S. Kirk, C. L. Knight, W. Lager, J. T. Lee, J. Linacre, A. Lambert, G. A. C. Maiden, A. Mather, W. Meakin, H. Merritts, G. H. Milley, A. C. B. Moody, A. M. R. Moore, J. M. Moore, G. W. Neep, H. Neep, H. T. Neep, H. Nuttall, A. Ogden, W. A. Overton, T. Parker, T. L. Peabody, A. W. Pitkin, J. Pitkin, G. W. Painton, H. Prater, J. Price, G. H. Pykett, T. Poskett, D. W. Randall, W. Raybold, H. C. Rayner, H. Richardson, F. J. Ridley, H. G. Roberts, W. Roden, H. Sales, W. Schofield, J. Severn, G. Share, G. Sharman, G. H. Shaw, J. G. Sidwell, (1) H. Smedley, (2) H. Smedley, Smith, W. Smith, F. Stead, F. Stocks, H. Street, J. Street, B. Stubbins, G. Tayler, G. Taylor, J. Terry, W. H. Thompson, G. J. Thirlby, W. A. Timbrell, J. Tomlinson, F. Tradewell, F. Tuffs, H Turner, E. Turner, H. Thomas, G. Vicars, W. Ward, J. T. Wardle, J. Warner, H. Whiting, W. H. Wigglesworth, J. E. Wingfield, E Wigmore, A. Wood, Wooley, W. P. Wright, F. Yates, G. Yates, T. Yates, F. H. Knight, Nurse M. Bramfitt, Nurse E. Carter.

[These names are now obscured by the plaques so the layout and lettering styles are not known. They were printed in the local press at the time and, whilst care has been taken with their transcription, the print quality is poor and some spellings remain uncertain. See History, References and Comments below.]

Plaque 1:

Plaque 2:

ABBOTT W.
ADSETTS J
AKRILL-JONES E. T.
AKRILL-JONES R. R.
ALVEY J. K.
AMOSS G.
ASHMORE S.
BARGH W.
BAGNALL S.
BARKER R. E.
BARLOW J. J.
BARNETT S. W.
BENTLEY H.
BENNETT J.
BERRESFORD J. H.
BERRY J.
BIRCH R. C.
BLAND L.
BLOOD L.
BLOOD M.
BLUFF F. A.
BLUFF J. H.
BOAM L. E.
BOUGHEY A.
BOWER T. G.
BOND S.
NURSE M. E. BRAMFITT.
BROOKS J.
BROOKS D.
BROWN S.
BUCKLEY F.

BUXTON T. R.
BUCKNELL J. W.
NURSE E. CARTER
CHAPMAN A.
CLARKE J. W.
COOPER D.
COOKE L.
COLLIER G. R.
COUPE J. T.
COUPE F.
COWLEY H. A.
CROFTS C.
CROOK J.
CROWDER L. E.
CROFTS T.
CUTTS B. F.
CUTTS H.
CUTTS J. T.
CUTTELL W.
DAYKIN M.
DAVIS D.
DEVLIN D. J.
DORNER S.
DOWNES W.
DUNHAM C. H.
EGGLESTONE J.
FAWCETT H. L.
FERN G. E.
COUPE B. F.

FORKNALL H. E.
FORKNALL J. A.
GASCOYNE A.
GHENT G.
GILHAM A. L.
GINNEVER J. C.
GLOSSOP G.
GLOSSOP W.
GODBER J. W.
GOODWIN F.
GREENHOFF H.
GREGORY J. W.
HALL F. H.
HALL J. W.
HANCOCK E.
HARDY W.
HARPER G. V.
HARSTON C. T.
HARTLEY A. W.
HAYDEN H. T.
HEBB J. W.
HODGKINSON E.
HOLMES E.
HOLMES H. L.
HOLMES W. E.
HOWARD A. W.
HOWIS G.
HUMPHREY T.
HUNT G.
HUNT J.
INGRAM J.

JEPSON G.
JOHNSON A.
JOHNSON H.
JOHNSON R.
JONES A. M.
KELPING H.
KESTLES S.
KERRY A.
KNIGHT C. L.
KIRK H.
KIRK S.
LAGER W.
LAMBERT A.
LEE C. G.
LEE J. T.
LILLEY K. H.
LINACRE J.
MAIDEN G. A. C.
MASON H.
MATHER A.
MARSH A.
MAUGHAN T.
MEAKIN W. F.
MEAKIN D.
MERRITTS H.
MELBOURNE L. E.
MILLER G. H.
MACHIN S. J.

Plaque 3:

Plaque 4:

MOODY A. C. B.
MOORE J. M.
MOORE A. M. R.
MORLEY J. M.
MORTON J.
MORRIS G.
MOULT T.
NEEP G. W.
NEEP H.
NEEP H. T.
NUTTALL H.
OGDEN A.
OVERTON W. A.
PARKER T.
PARRY W. G.
PEARCE T. L.
PITKIN A. W.
PITKIN J.
PLATTS G. A.
POINTER G. W.
POLLARD A.
POLLARD M.
POSKETT T.
POWIS G.
PRATER H.
PRICE P.
PRICE J.
PYKETT G. H.
PRIESTLY H.
RANDALL A. W.
RAYBOLD W.

RAYNER H. C.
REDFERN J.
REDFERN T.
REDFERN T. H.
REDDISH R.
REID S. F.
RICHARDSON H.
RIDLEY F. J.
ROBERTS H. G.
ROBINSON R. A.
RODEN W.
RYAN T.
SALES H.
SCHOFIELD W.
SELF W. J.
SEVERN J.
SHARP H.
SHAW E. J.
SHAW G. H.
SHARE G.
SHARMAN G.
SHOOTER J.
SIDWELL J. G.
SMEDLEY H.
SMEDLEY H.
SMITH G.
SMITH J.
SMITH W.
SMITH R. R.

SPRAY H. F.
STEAD F.
STOKKS E.
STOCKS F.
STREET J.
STREET H.
STUBBINGS B.
TAYLOR G.
TAYLOR G.
TERRY J.
THOMAS S.
THOMPSON W. H.
THURLBY C. J.
TIMBRELL W. A.
TOMLINSON J.
TOMLINSON T.
TRADEWELL F.
TUFFS F.
TURNER E.
TURNER H.
VICKERS J. C.
WAIN J.
WALLER J.
WALLER W.
WALLIS C.
WALKER J.
WARD W.
WARDLE J. F.
WARNER J.
WHITING H.
WILDERSPIN A. A.

WILCOX E.
WIGGLESWORTH W. H.
WIGMORE E.
WINGFIELD J. E.
WOOD A.
WOOD A. L.
WOODWARD M.
WOOLEY W.
WOOLDRIDGE E.
WRIGHT W. P.
YATES G. W.
YATES T.
YATES F.

Tablet on 6 o'clock face:

BOLSOVER CIVIC SOCIETY

THIS MEMORIAL COMMEMORATES
THE MEN AND WOMEN OF
BOLSOVER & HILLSTOWN
WHO DIED IN TWO WORLD WARS
1914 - 1918
1939 - 1945
THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE

Conflicts and people named:
Conflict	First World War (1914-1919)	Second World War (1939-1945)	Totals
Action	—
Number died	? *	? *	223
Number served and returned	0	0	0
Total names	? *	? *	223
* The plaques are known to contain a single alphabetical list of those who fell in WW1 and WW2 but it has not been possible to assign all names to either conflict. See History and Comments below.

Administration

Custodian: Old Bolsover Town Council.

Local authorities:
From WW1: Bolsover Parish Council; Bolsover Urban District Council; Derbyshire County Council.
From 1974: Old Bolsover Town Council; Bolsover District Council; Derbyshire County Council.

History

c1920 The memorial was procured by the local War Memorial Committee with Mr G R Adin as chairman, and Messrs J G Dodsworth and H W Day as secretaries. It was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield RA to a design similar to those he designed for the Imperial (later Commonwealth) War Graves Commission. It cost c£800.

1st January, 1921: The memorial was unveiled by Mr C A Cochrane, chairman of the Bolsover Colliery Company, and dedicated by Rev D Akrill-Jones, vicar of Bolsover. On behalf of the committee, Mr Adin handed the memorial over to Mr Bingley for future preservation and it was accepted by him on behalf of the council.

8th January, 1921: The Derbyshire Courier published a report on the memorial and referred to the inclusion of 159 names on it, from which the above original list has been transcribed.

February, 1923: An individual souvenir booklet was presented to the relatives of each person named on the memorial.

Unknown date: The tablet was added to the 6 o'clock face of the step.

17th July, 1971: The memorial lies within the Bolsover Conservation Area first designated on that date.

Unknown date: The metal plaques were installed over the original inscription which is believed to have become weathered and eroded.

23rd March, 1989: The memorial was listed Grade II, Heritage List for England number 1187012.

2nd February, 2017: The memorial was surveyed by Roy Branson and Alan Willmot. It was in fair condition and cared for, although the plaques were becoming a little corroded and one had been vandalised by scratching..

References

Derbyshire Courier, 11th December, 1920 p1 col7: an announcement regarding the forthcoming unveiling ceremony.

Derbyshire Courier, 8th January, 1921 p7 col1: a report on the memorial and unveiling ceremony.

Derbyshire Times and Chesterfield Herald, 24th February, 1923 p8: a report on the souvenir booklets.

Comments

It is extremely difficult to correlate the names reported to have been inscribed on the original memorial with those on the present plaques. Some names are on both lists; some are on both but spelt differently and some are on the original but not the modern list. Some of those on the modern list but not the original have been identified as additional WW1 casualties, but some are WW2 casualties. Because of these problems it has been impossible to state the number of casualties for the two conflicts.

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