Milford, Derbyshire
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Milford is a village in Derbyshire, England, on the River Derwent, between Duffield and Belper on the A6 trunk road.
Until the end of the eighteenth century it was no more than a few houses near the point, about a quarter of a mile further south, where a roman road from the Wirksworth lead mines forded the river. The road still exists as it passes across the Chevin hill and descends into the village by what is now Sunny Hill. It then proceeded along the east bank of the river to the Roman garrison of Derventio, in what is now Derby where it connected with Rykneld Street.
However, next to it was Makeney, where Sir John Zouch of Codnor had set up a wire drawing the works in 1581. In 1566 Christopher Schutz, a German immigrant had invented a process for drawing wire and set up a works in Hathersage, which became a centre for wire drawing and needle making.
The Royal Mint had acquired the rights to Schutz’ process in 1568 and set out to restrict its use to the Company of Mineral and Battery Works. However, the works continued supplying the Belper nail makers among others and by the time Jedediah Strutt bought it, it consisted of two forges and a slitting and rolling mill, occupying both sides the river. Some of the mill buildings are now the Riverside Garden Centre.
In 1778 Jedediah Strutt built cotton spinning mills after the pattern developed by Richard Arkwright having been in partnership with him when he built the mill at Cromford. Part of the Milford mill still exists as well as much of the workers' housing.
Milford's claim to fame is that one of Strutt's apprentices at Milford was Samuel Slater, who absconded to America carrying Arkwright's system in his head. He settled in Pawtucket, Rhode Island and replicated Arkwright's success.
There is some debate about the origin of the name Milford. It is generally reckoned to be a corruption of "mule ford" and it is so recorded in the Doomsday Book. There were a number of fords, which probably changed their position as the river changed its course. An old lane leading down to one of them was called "Save Penny Lane," because people who used it, and crossed the ford, saved the penny toll which Messrs. Strutt charged for crossing the bridge they had built. Afterwards, the Messrs. Strutt had the ford destroyed and the river deepened. At some time, however, Milford was called New Mills. A map of 1787 names the road from Duffield as New Mills Road, and Samuel Slater's indentures as an apprentice record him as living in "New Mills, in the Parish of Duffield"
