Wessington

Wessington in Derbyshire is situated two and a half miles N.West of Alfreton on the A615 Alfreton to Matlock road, centres around a wide green and it's old pub The Horse and Jockey.

Wessington was mentioned in Domesday it was called Wistanetune. The manor was owned by 2 Norman lords at the time, Walter de Aincurt and Ralph FitzHubert.

Wessington Green abounds in springs and 3 wells were sunk hundreds of years ago, which were still in use 50 years ago. The 3 were called, Moses Well, which was probably the oldest, Tea Well and Jubilee Well.

The manor passed to the Abbot of Darley around 1250 and remained the property of Darley until the dissolution, when it was granted to Thomas Babington.

In 1846 there were 112 houses and 525 inhabitants with agriculture and stocking making, the main economic activity of the village. As transport became more readily available in the 19th century, men worked at Morton, Shirland and Oakerthorpe Collieries. John Smedleys Mill at Lee Bridge near Matlock provided work for the women. During the General Strike the men of the village dug for coal on the green which was also used for the grazing of horses and goats.

Wessington county primary school was built in 1839 to cater for village children and later for the influx of miners children into the village when the pit was sunk at nearby Oakerthorpe. There are still shops in the village, though some of the old traders have gone.

The parish church of Christ Church was built in 1859 and the present Methodist chapel in 1902.

There are miles of footpaths and bridleways in the parish offering walks through attractive countryside and some of the old farm buildings have been turned into Bed and Breakfast establishments and summer cottages as a means of supplementing farm incomes.