Although Castleton is known for its history of lead mining, rope making, inns and caverns, Blue John, Garland and ruined castle; what of the people who lived, came, worked and died here in years gone by? This history is about their stories – an old cavern guide who hanged himself inside Peak Cavern in 1866, the barmaster’s son who shot himself dead after a funeral in 1894, and a pregnant servant who poisoned herself with arsenic in 1832.
Servants posing for a photograph
In here you’ll find stories of crimes leading to transportation, of poverty and illegitimacy, accidents and disease; old Castleton families and characters, early schooling, innkeepers, vicars and much more.
This history is dedicated to Ann Broadbent who died in 1836 aged 2; without the search for her story, this wealth of Castleton’s history may not have been uncovered quite so soon.
Please note; this is an ongoing project. More stories and articles will be added over time as they are completed. Thank you. Kay Harrison
Introduction; Castleton and its old inhabitants – “Our pretty village belies the echoes of poverty, domestic violence …. How did the village deal with these darker areas of life?”
Chapter 1: Death and the Darker Side of Life
Chapter 2: Murders at the Peveril Cafe 1945
Chapter 3: A feast of facts and curious tales
Chapter 4: A collection of crime
