HIGH PEAK HUNDRED.

This Hundred is of greater extent than any other in the county, and altogether a most romantic district of mountains, rocks, dales, and caverns, abounding in mineral treasures, spars, marbles, lime and grit or sand stone, and noted for its tepid and petrifying springs at Buxton, Bakewell, &c. It contains an area of 182,939 statute acres. It forms the north extremity of the county, where it is bounded by Cheshire, from which it is separated by the river Etherow, which rises near the north-east extremity, and is considered the source of the river Mersey. On the north-east it is bounded by Yorkshire, from which it is divided by the river Wrongsley, to the west of which the Westend brook rises, which uniting with the Wrongsley at Derwent, forms the river Derwent. On the south-east it is bounded by the Scarsdale Hunderd. On the north-west, the river Goyt, which rises from the north side of Axe Edge, separates it from Cheshire, till it unites with the Etherow near Marple bridge, and then flows to Stockport. On the south-west, for about ten miles, it is bounded by a slip of the Wirksworth Hundred, which in some places does not exceed one and a half miles in breath, and which is separated from Cheshire by the river Dove, which rises from the south side of Axe Edge, separates Derbyshire and Staffordshire, until it has its confluence with the river Trent, near Newton Solney. On the south it has the Wirksworth Hundred. It is principally a grazing district, occupied for the dairy, but contains a good portion of table land, as well as valleys, particularly noted for its rich herbage and the feeding of small cattle quicker than almost any land in the kingdom. A large portion of the inclosures are fenced by stone walls, and the want of hedge rows gives it a dreary and sterile appearance. The houses are mostly built of stone and covered with slate. In addition to its warm baths, its lead mines, the great demand for its marble and spar manufactures, its lime and other stone; it has always had a share of the cotton manufacture, which is principally seated at the north-west extremity of this Hundred, as are also the printing, bleaching and dyeing establishments. Handloom weaving, 40 years ago, was carried on to a considerable extent in this part of the county, but the powerloom has almost completely superseded this branch of handicraft. The High Peak railway and the Cromford canal cross the Hundred on the western side the Sheffield and Manchester railway passes on its extreme northern verge; and the extension of the Matlock Branch to Manchester is fully expected will be carried into effect almost immediately, this last being the only connecting link required to unite this district with all the principal railways in the kingdom. This Hundred contains one of the most magnificent of modern mansions, justly termed the Palace of the Peak, and a Baronial residence, decidedly the finest specimen of olden times in existence. The scenery is exceedingly varied and picturesque; bleak moors and verdant valleys; immense rocks and fearful chasms; precipitous cliffs and rapid streams; form a series of changes in this alpine district of the most romantic and pleasing character.

472                                                                                 HIGH PEAK HUNDRED.

The following table is a enumeration of its 11 parishes, shewing their territorial extent, the annual value, and their population from 1801 to 1851, as returned at the five decennial periods of the parliamentary census.

* The letter after the names signify P for Parish, C for Chapelry, and T for Township.