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Dronfield
There has been a settlement in the region of Dronfield for many centuries, with the first settlers in this area were probably attracted by abundant water in the river and tributary streams and the mature woodland. The Old English derivation of the name suggests that they perhaps also found open land which was infested by drones and for this reason called the place Dranfleld, or, more familiarly Dronfield. Originally the village was comprised of a long, low, five-bayed cruck building, which is now divided into several small shops, opposite the Parish Church on Church Street.
Not much is known about Dronfield from its origins up to and beyond the Norman Conquest, apart from the fact that it seems to have suffered considerably during William Vs harrying of the North perhaps as a punishment for insurrection and non-cooperation with the Normans. The Domesday Survey of 1086 says very little about the settlement except to confirm its existence and suggests that it was not very valuable.
The old ecclesiastical Parish of Dronfield was very extensive, stretching from Little Barlow to Coal Aston and Povey, from Holmesfield to Unstone and Apperknowle and including Dore and Totley. The church of St. John the Baptist, the earliest known date for which is 1135 when Oscot was Rector, was one of the richest livings in the Hundred of Scarsdale and has in its churchyard the remains of what is reputed to be an Anglican preaching cross, which would, if such it is, predate the first church building. Despite it's recent growth, Dronfield's centre has managed to keep its ancient character with a number of historic buildings still intact.
Today the town of Dronfield comprises three communities of Dronfield, Dronfield Woodhouse and Coal Aston. It is delightfully situated completely encircled by "Green Belt" and nestling in the eastern foothills of the Pennines only three miles from the Peak District National Park. The finest beauty spots of Derbyshire are within easy travelling distance and yet the town is only six miles equidistant from the busy commercial centres of Sheffield to the North and Chesterfield to the South.
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