Derby Cathedral
Derby Cathedral, All Saints Church.
he rapid increase in the population
of England in the late 19th and early
20th century resulted in the creation
of new bishoprics and several
hitherto 'ordinary' churches becoming
cathedrals. There was neither the
time nor the money to build the sort
of grand new cathedrals which had
risen in Norman times, and new
bishops were designated existing
churches as their seats. Thus, in 1927
All Saints' Church in Derby became
Derby Cathedral.
hought to have been founded by
King Edmund in 943AD, All Saints'
has been altered considerably over
the centuries. At the beginning of the
18th century, the only thing that
could have been said to have been
striking about this church was its
tower, 212ft tall - the second
highest parish church tower
in England - and built in
the time of Henry VIII.
n 1723 the church was
deemed unsafe and it seems
that no one was prepared to
do anything about it until a
particularly courageous
churchman, Revd Dr Michael
Hutchinson, ordered
that the entire structure -
except the tower - should be
demolished.
he decision
was unpopular with local
people but shortly afterwards
plans for the rebuilding were
submitted by James Gibbs, who
became famous for many of his
churches including St Mary-le-Strand
and perhaps his most famous work, St
Martin-in-the Fields, in London. The
designs for a new All Saints, were
accepted and work soon began,
resulting in the magnificent church
which we know today as Derby
Cathedral.
orking in association with Gibbs
was Robert Bakewell, an ironsmith
whose striking wrought-iron screen
remains one of the most notable
features of the Cathedral's interior.
Other notable features include the
remarkable baldachino; several
memorial carvings, many to notable
Derbyshire families, one of which is
Bess of Hardwick's monument which
was built and completed within her
own lifetime.
nother interesting memorial is a
tablet on the south wall near the steps
to St Katherine's Chapel, which
commemorates an historic visit from
Prince Charles Edward Stuart, who
visited All Saints' in December 1745.
The Young Pretender had marched
with his army virtually unchallenged
from Carlisle. On reaching Derby his
troops were stationed about the town
and the prince is said to have ordered
the bells of All Saints' to be rung and,
with his officers accompanying him,
he attended a service at the church.
everal ghosts are said to
haunt the vicinity of Derby
Cathedral including that of
Charles Edward Stuart, seen
by a lady who lived in a
building, now a shop, across
the road. She told me her
story of how she often sees a
man in Jacobite dress walk
into the Cathedral: "On
many occasions I had seen
the vague ghostly shape of a
man in Jacobite costume
walking near the Cathedral.
Being familiar with the
story of Bonnie Prince
Charlie and his visit to
Derby I presumed that it
was the prince recounting
his footsteps, perhaps trying
to understand how it had all
gone wrong for him. My
mother once saw this figure
and she too was convinced
that it had been the ghost of
Bonnie Prince Charlie."
t is interesting to note that
a ghostly figure in 'Cavalier'
style dress has also been spotted not
too far from this spot at the Silk Mill
public house.
any other ghosts have been seen
about Derby Cathedral including a
'white lady' seen walking down the
steps at the back of the church, a
young woman seen crying and a
small boy.
lso said to wander the
grounds is the unhappy ghost of John
Crossland, a former executioner,
originally himself a criminal, who
was granted a pardon on the understanding
that he become the
executioner for the sentence of death
passed on his father and brother. This
he agreed to do and from then on
became the busiest executioner in the
county, frequently being used by
several other shires. His ghost is said
to be seen often wandering the
grounds, at the side of the Cathedral,
seeking to find peace for his
tormented and guilty soul.
Steps at the rear of Derby Cathedral.
To the Derby Index page
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The information on this page is supplied courtesy of Wayne Anthony (author) and Richard Felix (local historian).
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