Air
Travel

Rail
Travel

Road
Travel

Sea
Travel

Local
Weather

Telephone
Directories

The Fifth Century saw the area revert to the wild, until the Saxons arrived in the Sixth Century and called the settlement "Little Chester". A new village was built nearby, called Northworthy (North enclosure) near the present St Alkmund's Way. A Saxon named Walda had a dairy farm, called Walda's Wick, and the road to it became the Wardwick. The Saxons lived here for 300 years until the Danes took over and Northworthy grew into Derby.

A great female general, Aethelflaeda, "The Lady of the Mercians", led her troops to retake Derby for the Saxons in AD917, but the Danes retaliated in 943. In 1016, the kingdom was united by Canute and Dane and Saxon lived side by side in Derby.

In 1066, William the Conqueror's invasion affected Derby as it did elsewhere. Over the next twenty years, Derby's population was halved and a third of its houses lost.

The first census was carried out in 1086 for the Domesday Book. At that time, Derby was an agricultural community producing its own fatstock, corn, farming implements, cloth and fish. The importance of the monasteries in the 12th Century saw the growth of Derby Abbey (the area known as Darley Abbey). The Blackfriars preached to the people of Derby and a fine friary was built (on the site of The Friary Hotel). The Reformation later saw the closure of the monasteries in Derby.

In January 1585 Mary Queen of Scots spent one night in Derby at Babington Hall on her way to being imprisoned in Tutbury Castle. One hundred and sixty years later, Charles Edward Stuart marched on London. But, on December 4th, 1745, Bonnie Prince Charlie called his final War Council at Exeter House in Derby and it was there that he took the fateful decision to return to Scotland.

Places to visit:

More information and places to visit: