Council Meeting – 7th September 1897
Tuesday, September 7th, 1897
Thirty-sixth meeting of the Parish Council held in the School Room, Great Longstone,
on September 7th, 1897.
Present:
Mr. S. Johnson (Chairman)
Messrs. J. Johnson, W.A. Stanton, P.J. Furniss, and I. Shimwell (Clerk).
The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed.
The Clerk reported that he had informed Mr. Wright of the intentions of the Parish Council to proceed to the Gilder Quarry to get and carry away a load of stone therefrom, so that if Mr. Wright felt aggrieved he might summon the Parish Council for trespass and have the matter tried in the County Court.
The Council had been to the Quarry and got and taken away therefrom 1 load of stone as agreed at the last Council Meeting.
Mr. Wright did not attend personally but he sent Mr. E. Percy of Bradwell and two of his men to protest on his behalf.
Wright’s Charity
Mr. Stanton stated that he had received a copy of the new Scheme for the distribution of the above Charity, which was deposited for inspection at the Hall. He had posted notice of such deposit on the Church and Chapel doors.
The Council decided not to interfere in the matter.
Village Green
Mr S. Johnson was appointed to look after the fair, shows &c. on the Village Green at the Wakes next week, and to collect tolls therefrom.
The Clerk stated that the Overseers had received an order from the Assessment Committee of the Bakewell Union to make out a new Valuation List for the Parish. He applied for remuneration for the same.
Mr. Stanton proposed and Mr. P.J. Furniss seconded that the Clerk receive 30 shillings for making out the said list. Carried unanimously.
High Low Meadow Footpath
Application having been received from Messrs. J. & W.H. Taylor, acting for G.J. Maples Esq. of Thornbridge Hall, to divert the footpath leading from Mill Lane down High Low Meadow to the New Road.
It was decided by the Parish Council not to allow the footpath to be diverted or stopped, as it was a convenience to many people in the village.
Mr. Stanton therefore moved the following resolution, which was seconded by Mr. P.J. Furniss and carried unanimously:
“That this Council is willing to allow Mr. Maples to divert the footpath over High Low Meadow as suggested by his Agent, provided sufficient compensation be allowed.”
Signed:
Samuel Johnson, Chairman
September 23rd, 1897
In the Wider World – The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria (1897)
In June 1897, communities across Britain and the Empire celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, marking her 60th year on the throne. Parades, thanksgiving services, and street decorations filled villages and towns, including those in Derbyshire. In nearby Bakewell and other Peak District villages, processions, bonfires, and teas for local children were held to commemorate the event.
While the Great Longstone Parish Council minutes do not record local Jubilee arrangements, it is likely that villagers took part in the festivities – perhaps gathering on the Village Green or near the School Room, where council meetings were held. The same summer, however, the council was preoccupied with more practical matters – particularly the continuing dispute over Gilder Quarry, a reminder that everyday parish business continued even in a year of national celebration.
