In the churchyard of St. Matthew’s in Darley Abbey, there are dozens of surviving grave markers which commemorate the lives of the mill workers and their families. Many more are grassed over and are no longer visible.
During the first lockdown of 2020, a genealogical research project was launched that enabled volunteers to research the mill workers who were named on the gravemarkers in the churchyard at Darley Abbey. By examining available primary source including census data, the researchers attempted to piece together the life and experience of named individuals who are known to have worked at the mills. We were keen to find out where they came from before they worked at the mill and what happened to them and their family. Could we trace their living descendants?
1600 individuals were identified in this project, and many need further research. If you know more about them, or had ancestors that worked at the mills in Darley Abbey, please let us know.
The PDF of the mill worker biographies is hosted on the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site website:
legacymakers.home.blog 