> >New post on Derbyshire Record Office > > > >[] > ><https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/author/sarahchubb/> >[] > > ><https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/2018/06/30/william-nightingales-domesday-book/>William >Nightingale’s ‘Domesday Book’ > > > >by <https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/author/sarahchubb/>Sarah Chubb > >Did you know that in a couple of years it will >be 200 years since Florence Nightingale was >born?  Many people aren't aware that >Florence's family was from Derbyshire, but to >link with her anniversary, the University of >Nottingham has a major Arts and Humanities >Research Council funded project called Florence >Nightingale comes home for 2020. > >One of the researchers on this project, Dr >Richard Bates, has been here at the Record >Office looking through the records of the >Nightingale family and was particularly >interested by item D4126/1, snappily titled >"Schedule of the Title deeds and Particulars of >the Estates of Wm Ed Nightingale, Esq, in Lea, >Holloway, Wakebridge, Matlock, Wensley &c &c in the County of Derby" > >D4126 1 front > > >Richard writes: > >This volume, dated 1825, was produced either by, >or for, William Edward Nightingale (born William >Shore), Florence’s father. It was most likely >drawn up in the early 1820s. In 1815, William >had assumed possession of a considerable estate >of land, bestowed on him in the will of the >eccentric Derbyshire industrialist Peter >Nightingale, his uncle, who had died in 1803. >However William, who had to change his name to >Nightingale as a condition of taking the >inheritance, only came to live in Derbyshire in >1821, having spent the initial years of his >married life travelling in Europe, especially >Italy. His daughters were named Parthenope, the >Greek name for Naples, and Florence, after the cities in which they were born. > >D4126 1 open > > >The book, held in the Derbyshire Record Office >in Matlock, is a compendium of every parcel of >land comprising the estate built by Peter >Nightingale in the Lea / Holloway / Cromford / >Matlock Bath region of the Derbyshire Dales. The >estate included the cotton mill at Lea - still a >going concern as ><https://www.johnsmedley.com/discover/community/our-commitment-to-sustainability/lea-mills-our-home-since-1784/>John >Smedley Ltd - and a lead smelting factory, as >well as agricultural lands, rented cottages, and >a large swathe of garden and parkland. The size >and annual value of every piece of land is enumerated. > >D4126 1 page detail > > >The book is embossed in gold lettering, perhaps >reflecting the importance of the contents to >William - it was, in effect, the key to his >fortune - and the pride he took in the estate >and its management. An accompanying account >book, dated 1820, shows that the annual value of >the Lea estate was at least £2200 - equivalent >to around £125,000 today - from land totalling >over 1100 acres. In total the Nightingale >inheritance gave William an annual income of >around £7,000. In addition, the Nightingale >land in Derbyshire turned out to contain coal >deposits, which generated further income that William could invest. > >The Nightingale inheritance thus allowed William >and his family to lead leisured gentry lives, >mixing with and entertaining the great and good >of 19th century liberal Britain. > >Florence’s father turned out to be a good >accountant, marshalling the family fortunes >sensibly and solidly over five decades. This was >crucial to Florence, who never married, and thus >always relied on the family income. Florence >could never inherit the estate herself, since >Peter Nightingale had stipulated it could only >be transmitted through the male line. This left >her and her family in a precarious position - if >her father had died young, her immediate family >would have lost control of the money and been >forced into reduced circumstances. > >Fortunately, however, William lived until 1874. > From 1853, when Florence definitively left the >family household, William allowed her an >allowance of £500 per year, which gave her >independence. Later in life, Florence used the >money from her Derbyshire-derived income to live >in Mayfair, close to the politicians she was >lobbying to enact sanitary reforms. ><https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/author/sarahchubb/>Sarah >Chubb | 30 June 2018 at 11:12 am | Tags: ><https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/tag/florence-nightingale/>Florence >Nightingale, ><https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/tag/william-nightingale/>William >Nightingale | Categories: ><https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/category/guest-bloggers/>Guest >bloggers | URL: <https://wp.me/p1jCye-3qf>https://wp.me/p1jCye-3qf > ><https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/2018/06/30/william-nightingales-domesday-book/#respond>Comment ><https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/2018/06/30/william-nightingales-domesday-book/#comments>See >all comments > ><https://subscribe.wordpress.com/?key=bba82ab2519c1b6a78d8a94fa8662ac9&email=annete%40aapt.net.au&b=s2q%26Nf%3DAq%5DB%5BXWU%3F4.%3FQ6PlnCUD.acW%7CeO112tTVICiqp%2FQq.>Unsubscribe >to no longer receive posts from Derbyshire >Record Office. Change your email settings at ><https://subscribe.wordpress.com/?key=bba82ab2519c1b6a78d8a94fa8662ac9&email=annete%40aapt.net.au>Manage >Subscriptions. > >Trouble clicking? Copy and paste this URL into your browser: ><https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/2018/06/30/william-nightingales-domesday-book/>https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/2018/06/30/william-nightingales-domesday-book/ > ><https://wordpress.com>Thanks for flying with >[] ><https://wordpress.com> WordPress.com