My thanks are due to Colonel H. Brooke Taylor, for permission to search
his chambers in the Town Hall at Bakewell for hidden treasure, in the
shape of pre-reformation land charters court rolls and the like; to Mr
Robert Shirley of Waterhouse Farm near Longnor, for a sight of his title
deeds to Hawksyard; to his son Mr Edwin Leslie Shirley of Hawksyard, for
a very pleasant visit to his ancestral home in The Moorlands of
Staffordshire, with its medieval tradition and interesting associations;
and to Mr James R. Wigfull, for an excellent little map of Hawksyard and
the surrounding country.
It is only through the kindness and good nature of others, that a
systematic search for local history can proceed and although
contributions accumulate in small quantities, there is no more fruitful
or reliable source of information, as to people and places of bygone
days, than the land charters and court rolls covering the period from the
Domesday survey to the reformation.
Many bundles of old title deeds, unopened for centuries, yet lie hidden
in out-of-the-way corners and on inaccessible shelves; it should be part
of the work of every archaeological society to extract from all available
deeds, relating to its own district, whatever useful history they may
contain.
Every countryside, every village and every town becomes a more
interesting place to its inhabitants, when its history is known. The
names of persons and places become intelligible, dates and letters on
buildings can be accounted for, disused bridle roads and paths can be
traced, the heraldry of the stained glass in the church and of the
tombstones in the churchyard can be read with understanding, local
genealogies can be extended and long cherished family traditions can
often be verified or explained.
It is therefore of importance that whenever these ancient writings make
their appearance, there should be some person or association of persons
ready and willing to examine them, not only with the object of extracting
any local history they may contain, but also of recording it in a form
suitable for future reference.