Stoney Middleton

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Not to be confused with Middleton Stoney.

Stoney Middleton is a village in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England. It lies in the White Peak of the Peak District, in Middleton Dale, immediately west of Calver.

The village may have been a Roman settlement, perhaps based on lead mining, but there is no evidence that the Romans used the so-called "Roman Baths", these having been constructed in the early nineteenth century over a hot spring in an unsuccessful attempt to establish a spa resort.[1]

A motte and bailey castle is believed to have been constructed by the Normans on Castle Hill, overlooking the village, which became known as "Middleton". A small village grew up, but was largely destroyed by the Black Death. New growth led to the construction of a stone chapel in the fifteenth century dedicated to Saint Martin, perhaps to cater for pilgrims to the spring. The tower survives, attached to an unusual octagonal nave of 1759. During the Great Plague, villagers left food for those quarantined in nearby Eyam.

Atop a cliff above Middleton Dale lies Lovers Leap, from which Hannah Baddeley is said to have jumped in 1762, but miraculously survived.[2] In the dale were several quarries, once a major source of employment for the village. Lead mining also continued, with a Barmote Court alternating between Stoney Middleton and Eyam until the early twentieth century.[3] Footwear also became a major industry, with one factory surviving to the present day.

A road was blasted through Middleton Dale in 1830, and in 1840 an octagonal toll house was built in the village, now a fish and chip shop. Other notable buildings include Middleton Hall.

A well dressing takes place annually in July.