Brackenfield

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Brackenfield
Brackenfield Church.
Brackenfield shown within Derbyshire
Population	189
OS grid reference	SK372591
District	North East Derbyshire
Shire county	Derbyshire
Region	East Midlands
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ALFRETON
Postcode district	DE55
Dialling code	01629
Police	Derbyshire
Fire	Derbyshire
Ambulance	East Midlands
European Parliament	East Midlands
UK Parliament	North East Derbyshire
List of places: UK • England • Derbyshire

Coordinates: 53°07′42″N 1°26′40″W / 53.1282, -1.4443

Brackenfield is a village and civil parish in the North East Derbyshire district of Derbyshire, England.

The village is about five miles east of Matlock and four and a half miles northwest of Alfreton. It is also close to Clay Cross. Set in farming country, the village is located around a large village green. The parish of Brackenfield includes much of the attractive Ogston Reservoir.

Brackenfield was originally known as Brackenthwaite, which probably meant "a bracken clearing". The suffix -thwaite is unusual in this part of the county, as it is commonly associated with more northern areas. It is of significance etymologically as it seems to point to the existence of a small colony of Norsemen or Norweigans, separate from the incursion of the Danes. The village later became known as Brackenfeld, and then Brackenfield.

The parish of Brackenfield was originally a township of nearby Morton. It was divided from it in 1758. The parish has the smallest population of all parishes in the North East Derbyshire district. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 189, however in the 19th century it was around 350.