Whitwell (St. Lawrence)

WHITWELL (St. Lawrence), a parish, in the union of Worksop, hundred of Scarsdale, N. division of the county of Derby, 10¾ miles (E. N. E.) from Chesterfield; containing 1157 inhabitants. This place, like some of the neighbouring villages, has been on the decline since the opening of the Chesterfield canal; but frame-work knitting is still carried on to a small extent. The ancient Hall has been converted into a farmhouse. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £20. 3. 4., and in the gift of the Duke of Portland: the tithes have been commuted for £642, and the glebe comprises 143 acres. The church has a Norman tower. At Steetly, said to have been at one period a distinct parish, are the remains of an ancient church, exhibiting a fine specimen of the later and more enriched style of Norman architecture; it is an interesting ruin, and is preserved with great care.