A small amount of information on Trusley Church

A tiny church in a tiny village. All Saints is almost unchanged since it was completely rebuilt in 1712/1713. It has a three-decker pulpit and high box pews.
A small friendly congregation awaits.

http://www.achurchnearyou.com/trusley-all-saints/

Trusley, All Saints

All Saints Church, Trusley is one of Derbyshires little gems.  Built in 1713 in local brick, it sits at the heart of one of the first four Conservation Areas to be designated in Derbyshire in 1969, a recognition of the importance of its character as an unspoilt example of a Derbyshire village, largely unchanged for (then) 150 years. 

Inside there is plenty to justify an enthusiasts time- the original three decker pulpit and box pews all carefully numbered, and with appropriate gradations in size, design, and door furniture.  Behind the pulpit can be seen a good example of a maidens garland; the name of the girl at whose funeral it was carried in 1757 was recorded, and her gravestone can be found against the east wall.

No trace remains of the fabric of the preceding church (it may well have been a half-timbered structure).  The church also contains the pre-Union Royal Arms of Queen Anne, three inscribed ledger slabs now mounted on the south side of the chancel and the late 15th century bell, which were all transferred from the earlier church.  The bulk of the memorials erected since 1713 are to members of the Coke family, Squires of Trusley for 800 years, mainly taking the form of hatchments commemorating the armorial achievements of family members, a series which is unrivalled in the county. 

Trusley church therefore offers something for the architectural detective, the heraldic enthusiast, the amateur tourist who simply wants to see how we worshipped 300 years ago, or the traveller who wants a quiet bench in the sunshine to eat his lunchtime sandwiches whilst relaxing in the countryside calm, or who like so many before him, just wishes to listen to the voice of God in the undisturbed stillness of an English country church.

Please note that car parking is readily available on the road near the church.

http://derbyshirechurches.org/church/trusley-all-saints

Trusley on Wiki!

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Trusley


Trusley church.

 

Trusley

 Trusley shown within Derbyshire

OS grid referenceSK254355

DistrictSouth Derbyshire

Shire countyDerbyshire

RegionEast Midlands

CountryEngland

Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom

Post townDERBY

Postcode districtDE6

PoliceDerbyshire

FireDerbyshire

AmbulanceEast Midlands

EU ParliamentEast Midlands

List of places

 

UK

Trusley is a parish and small village in South Derbyshire.

The manor was given to Henry de Ferrers together with many villages in Derbyshire for his contribution to the Norman Conquest. More recently the hall and manor house have been the homes of the Coke family. Notable members of that family include George Coke andD'Ewes Coke.

Its most famous son is Sir John Coke (d.1644), statesman.

The village has an eighteenth-century church which was entirely rebuilt in 1712. It was one of the few English places that in March 2007 did not have broadband access.[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trusley

Extract from the Derbyshire Evening Telegraph

By This is Derbyshire  |  Posted: May 09, 2011
 

THE Cokes of Trusley, a pretty village tucked away amid the twisty lanes between Derby and Ashbourne, go back in that exact spot for 600 years.

They're one of Derbyshire's most ancient families – so it's fitting that the current owner of the Trusley estate, David Coke-Steel, has been appointed to carry out the equally ancient role of High Sheriff of Derbyshire for the next 12 months.

"As it turns out I'm the first Coke from Trusley to be High Sheriff of the county, but for centuries my ancestors have been magistrates and deputy lieutenants of Derbyshire. In some cases they've also been at court in London," says David, 67, who was sworn in on April 7 at a ceremony in All Saints,Trusley, the small church built by his family in 1712.

He took over the role as High Sheriff from his predecessor, Fiona Cannon, of Brailsford.

David said: "My great-grandfather, General Talbot Coke, was due to be High Sheriff in 1909, but in the event, for reasons of poor health, he was unable to accept it. In his diary, there's a poignant little note that reads: 'Visited the doctor, who advised me to seek to be excused from taking up the Shrievalty'. ''

In 1964, David's father, Ronald Coke-Steel, was also due to become High Sheriff, but again fate intervened.

"Sadly, he died in 1963 before he could succeed to the office."

David and his wife, Jane, live at Trusley Old Hall, a late-18th-century farmhouse, with Elizabethan remnants, built on the site of an earlier manor house.

A charming and engaging couple, they have entered into the spirit of the role as a hard-working, dedicated team and expect to fulfil many engagements over the next year.

As the Queen's representative in Derbyshire for all matters relating to the judiciary and law and order, David is well aware of the importance of this 1,000-year-old ceremonial role.

It is unpaid and non-political and David's duties will include attending royal visits to the county and sitting in court with judges.

Among the causes David will be supporting as High Sheriff is Derbyshire Crimebeat, a charity that encourages young people to come up with practical ideas to help reduce crime in their area.

"Another charity Jane and I are keen to promote during our year is The Samaritans, who are very good people doing invaluable work in the community," David says.

The Salvation Army's work is something else they admire and, in addition, both will continue their existing support of Marie Curie Cancer Care. Both serve on fund-raising committees and Jane is a committee member of Age UK in Derbyshire.

The couple are also keen supporters of the arts, especially theatre and opera, and aim to promote these as much as possible.

David says: "There are some wonderful arts projects in Derbyshire, the Buxton Festival and the Kinder Choir being just two examples."

Alongside the role of High Sheriff, David Coke-Steel is very busy running the Trusley Estate. "It's a relatively modest size by Derbyshire standards," he says, "but there are quite a number of dwellings on the estate, which means I spend more time restoring and repairing buildings than I do on blades of grass and husbandry."

But David thoroughly enjoys the task of the upkeep of these old buildings.

He accepts, though, that these challenges may have to take a back seat in favour of the duties of High Sheriff.

"I'll be spending much of my time supporting and encouraging people who do excellent work in the community in all aspects of law and order," he says. "This year will give me a wonderful opportunity to thank them for what they do."

When I arrive to meet the new High Sheriff at his country home, David is wearing the ceremonial uniform of which he is justly proud.

He cuts a resplendent figure in his "kit", more correctly known as "court dress". It comprises a dark blue velvet tailcoat and breeches with cut steel buttons and ceremonial sword. Completing the outfit is a lace jabot, cuffs, black patent buckled shoes and tights.

As we retire to the sitting room for coffee and some of Jane's delicious homemade cake, David explains, with humour, the perils of sitting down with a ceremonial sword at his side.

With a twinkle in his eye, he says: "It's not quite as uncomfortable as I feared it would be. But it's a bit difficult in church pews, especially at Derby Cathedral, a skill one has to practise!"

As for the tights, David tells me they have something of a history. "They were passed on to me by a cousin whose father wore them when he was High Sheriff of Yorkshire many years ago."

David has lived at Trusley Old Hall "on and off" since he was a small child.

He says Trusley Old Hall became his home by a "quirk of fate". "My mother, Frances, inherited the Trusley Estate in 1945 following the tragic deaths of her two brothers, John and Edward Coke, who died in the final throes of the Second World War.

"So it was up to my mother, who married a Yorkshireman, Ronald Steel, to keep the line going here at Trusley. This entailed a change of name for the family from Steel to Coke-Steel when I was just one year old."

David is a direct descendant of the first Cokes of Trusley and his ancestors include Sir John Coke, known as "The Last Elizabethan".

"Sir John was a younger son from Trusley, who was Secretary of State to King Charles I at court in London in the 1620s. When he retired, he bought Melbourne Hall and the house you see there now is partly his creation."

An ancestor, also John Coke, became High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire and another, Daniel Parker Coke, was elected MP for Derby and for Nottingham in the late-18th/early-19th centuries.

David says: "Interestingly enough, he lived in a house called The College right next door to Derby Cathedral, which is still standing and, in recent years, was used as the diocesan offices. There is a monument to him in Derby Cathedral."

Before taking on the estate, David read estate management at London University, then worked as a surveyor in London.

"When events dictated that I should get involved at Trusley, I went to study at the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester. Then I moved back to Trusley and took over the running of the estate in 1978, which I still do today."

David has been married to New Zealand-born Jane, 62, for 32 years. She is from Auckland, from a prominent political and diplomatic family. "My father was a cabinet minister there for defence, police and tourism, among other portfolios," she says.

Recalling when they met, David tells me: "What I found enchanting was that her name was Jane Eyre. Although it can't be proved, it's possible her family's roots go back centuries ago to Derbyshire. It has been said that Charlotte Bronte was inspired to call her heroine Jane Eyre after visiting Hathersage in Derbyshire where there are a number of Eyre tombs in the church."

David and Jane have three children, the eldest being Celia, 31, who is married to designer and art dealer Guy Tobin. They live in London and have a daughter, Iris, five months, who is the first Coke-Steel grandchild. Celia recently set up her own business, www.offthelist.co.uk, selling small antiques.

Daughter Sophie, 28, is marketing manager at The Bush Theatre in Shepherd's Bush. Son Edward, 27, is currently setting up his own business and lives between London and Derbyshire.

Jane says: "Although all our children are in London, we're very lucky because they love Derbyshire and never tire of visiting us here.

http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/Sitting-sword-skill-practise/story-11631142-detail/story.html

Domesday Reloaded / Trusley

1986

Trusley "Village"

This very small hamlet consists of 
 two farms,two cottages, the old 
 rectory,the church and Manor house. 
 The buildings are of brick and are
 mid 18th century to early 19th century
 in date.
The Manor owns all the properties
 except for the rectory. 
This "settlement "has always wished
 to be exclusive and it is only for a
 few years that a road sign indicating 
 its existence has been in position. 
There is no public transport, no 
 shops of any kind. There is a single
 postal collection each day.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-424000-333000/page/3

Historic Development at Trusley (extract from the conservation area report)

Historic Development 
To the north of Trusley runs a Roman road that once linked Rocester with Derby 
(Derventio), and this route is now known as Long Lane. The name of the road continues 
for several miles in either direction and Long Lane is also the name given to the linear 
settlement on this road, just to the north of Trusley. It contains a range of buildings, which 
Trusley was too small to sustain, that would have had an important relationship with the 
hamlet of Trusley in the 19th century, including a public house and school. 
The continued presence of the Roman road into the modern period indicates that this was 
a well-travelled route and the presence of a shrunken medieval village, at Osleston, just to 
the north-west of Trusley, confirms its historic significance as an area with many phases of 
development. 
Beyond the Roman road, and still within the parish, lies a former medieval Grange, now 
known as Grangefields, that was once occupied by the Abbey of Croxden. A separate area 
now called Nun’s Field, previously known as Turmundel, then Thursmanleigh, was part of a 
subsidiary manor owned by the Benedictine Priory of King’s Mead in Derby in the early 12th
century, and at some time later it became part of the late dissolved Abbey of Croxden. 
Following the Norman Conquest, the manor of Trusley was handed over from Ulchetel and 
Auic to Hugh, under the overall control of Henry de Ferrers. The village is probably the 
settlement listed as “Toxenai” in Domesday Book, which seems to mean “at the oxen 
enclosure”, and this is the first known documented reference. At this time it had 4 villagers 
and 5 smallholders who had 2½ ploughs. There were 33 acres of meadow, woodland 
pasture 1 league long by 4 furlongs wide, and 5 tributaries paid 5s. The area had decreased 
in value since 1066 with less land for the plough. This description seems to suggest that 
given the proximity of the brook it was probably at that time boggy in places and used 
primarily for grazing and pasture with limited arable use, although it was still quite valuable 
and productive land. 
The first strong link with the name Trusley is Trusselai recorded in 1141. The derivation of 
the name is probably from “trūs, lēah”, meaning brushwood clearing. 
By the mid to late 12th century Hugh Le Arbalester is recorded as holding the manor of 
Trusley. By the late 12th century it came into the possession of the De Beufey family but 
was granted in 1253-1255 to Oliver de Odingsells and remained in the ownership of this 
family until 1418, when half of the manor passed by marriage to Thomas Coke and the then Trusley manor house became the Coke family home. The other half of the manor was 
purchased by the Vernons of Haddon Hall in the 15th century and was eventually purchased 
by Richard Coke (d.1582) in 1569 thus re-uniting the two halves of the manor. 
The Coke family had some prominent figures in Stuart society. Sir John Coke (1563-1644), 
Richard Coke’s fourth son, was deputy treasurer of the navy from 1599-1604 and during 
the 1620s he became a “master of requests” at court under Charles I and in 1625 he 
became one of the king’s two principal secretaries of state. He was knighted in 1624. In 
1629 he purchased Sir Francis Nedham’s estate in Melbourne, his ancestral home in Trusley 
remaining with his brother Sir Francis Coke, the eldest son. Sir John Coke’s descendants 
continued to develop their estate at Melbourne and, after obtaining the freehold of 
Melbourne Hall in 1704, Thomas Coke set about creating the house and its garden that we 
see today. George Coke (1570-1646), the fifth son of Richard Coke, became Bishop of 
Bristol in 1633 and Bishop of Hereford in 1636. 
Although the Trusley estate remained with the Coke family almost continuously thereafter 
from 1418, there was a break in this ownership when, after the death of William Coke in 
1718, it passed by marriage to the Wilmot family and only returned to the Coke family in 
1818, when following John Coke’s marriage to Susanna Wilmot of Spondon in 1806, 
Trusley was left to her in 1818 on the death of her bachelor brother Francis Wilmot. 

Whilst William Coke was residing 
at Trusley in 1712, he paid for the 
construction of the new church of 
All Saints. He would have resided 
in a manor house that looked very 
different from what we see today. 
It was probably timber-framed. 
Only the lower sections of the 
existing large external stone 
chimney stack seem to have 
survived from this house. The 
manor house appears to have been 
demolished. The tenanted 
farmhouse which was built on the 
site was known as Oldhall Farm. Much of the brick farmhouse that we see today was 
constructed in the mid 18th century. Much of the brick building that we see today was 
constructed in the mid 18th century. An image of the previous manor house appears as a 
sketch drawing on the Trusley map of 1724. It comprised an L-shaped range, with the main 
part running east-west near the alignment of the current Village Hall. The main part had a 
central, tower-like section with paired gables and chimney stacks on either side, with a 
lower range, possibly the original hall, to the east. The garden to the south and west of the 
house was very formal, with a series of compartments, probably walled. The summer house 
that still survives was a prominent feature of the gardens at this time. 

The Coke family were absent from the village for almost two hundred years from 1718-
1902. 
A large part of the history of the Coke family is documented within “Coke Of Trusley” a 
family history written by Major John Talbot Coke in January 1880, although he resided at 
Debdale Hall in Notts. at that time. He states “the only remains of the old Hall at this time is the kitchen end, into which has been built the farmhouse….the summer house also stands, and is used as a store house”. 

It was only in 1902-04 that the Coke family returned to live in Trusley, when Major 
General John Talbot Coke built Trusley Manor, a large Edwardian red brick house, designed 
by F. Bowles of London as a new centre for the estate, built to the south of the original 
manor house and its garden. As well as the new Trusley Manor, a walled garden and a 
gardener’s cottage were built to its west. As part of the 1902 scheme for the new house, 
the Oldhall farmhouse was converted into stables, coach-house and living quarters. The 
tenant of the Oldhall farmhouse was re-housed in a purpose-built new farm unit called 
Goldhurst Farm elsewhere on the estate. 

Between 1913-1946 the large manor house was used occasionally by General E.S.D’E Coke 
when he returned from his numerous postings abroad and latterly during the Second 
World War it was used as a school and then occupied by the Land Army. Eventually in the 
late 1940s a large portion of the building was demolished. The half of the 1902-04 house 
that still stands today was converted into four flats and is still owned by the Coke family, 
who now live in The Old Hall. 
At the end of World War II the male line of the Trusley branch of the Coke family died out 
with the deaths in action at the very end of the Second World War of the two male heirs 
and it was left to their sister, Frances, to carry the line. She married Ronald Steel and the 
family took the name Coke-Steel. The estate is still owned by the Coke-Steel family. 
The development of Trusley can be seen on a series of historic maps; an estate plan of 
1724 (“A Mapp of ye Mannor of Trusley….Late The Estate of William Coke Esq,”.. 1724 by 
John Billington), another estate map of 15th February 1822, the Tithe map and award of 
1840, followed by the first, second and third edition Ordnance Survey maps published in 
1881, 1901 and 1922 respectively. There are strong similarities between all five maps and 
little discernible difference in the plan form of the settlement. The layout that we see today 
was probably established in the early post-medieval period. Many of the buildings that stand 
today appear to have been rebuilt on the same footprint as earlier buildings. For example, 
the 1724 map shows that predecessors existed for the farm buildings at Ivy Close Farm, the 
farm buildings at Hall Farm, Eaton’s Cottage, Lane End Cottage and The Old Rectory. Most 
of these buildings would have been timber framed. 
The plan form of the village is interesting to attempt to unravel. There is no obvious 
planned structure to the village and it seems to have developed organically, in an almost 
piecemeal fashion, with a series of encroachments. 
The most direct link with the Roman road from Trusley would have been along Taylor’s 
Lane, which runs almost due north of the settlement, but now peters out at several 
farmsteads. A footpath continues northwards from the end of Taylor’s Lane as far as Long 
Lane. The road may have been re-routed via Hilltop Lane to the north-west of Trusley 
when these detached farms were created and/or when the open fields were first enclosed. 
This may explain the unusual and awkward dog-leg in the lane running to the west of the 
hamlet, where it passes Ivy Close Farm. 
The area is characterised by its dense and complex network of public footpaths threading 
between the settlements and farms to the south of Long Lane, a number of which pass 
through Trusley. 

The north-south alignment of Taylor’s Lane continues 
southwards in the lane running to the south of Trusley 
and this seems to be a most natural continuation. A 
natural focal point of the village was the junction of 
Taylor’s Lane with the lanes to the south and west. At 
the heart of this space, in the early 18th century, was a 
well. The oldest known building standing within the 
village is Tatlow’s Cottage, on Taylor’s Lane, which is 
cruck-framed and dates from the 15th century, although 
most of what can be seen today from the outside is 18th
century brickwork. Ivy Close Farmhouse may date 
originally from the 17th century, if not earlier, although 
what can be seen today from the outside is largely of the 
early 18th century, with 19th century alterations. A 
building was certainly here in 1724 with a range of farm 
buildings opposite, the footprint preserved in the current 
buildings. 
The only obvious building line relates to the location of 
the church and the rectory to its east, and a range of 
farm buildings to the east of the rectory (demolished). All 
of these buildings are south facing and appear to be part of a building line established in the 
medieval period. The alignment also corresponds with a deep ditch running east-west to 
the west of the church, which also marked the limit of the manor house grounds in 1724. 
The field to the south of this ditch contains earthworks and the proximity and relationship 
of these earthworks to the church may indicate the site of an earlier manifestation of the 
manor house, or, if the earthworks are not building platforms, may be associated with 
garden features. 
The first edition Ordnance Survey map clearly shows The north-south alignment of Taylor’s Lane continues 
southwards in the lane running to the south of Trusley 
and this seems to be a most natural continuation. A 
natural focal point of the village was the junction of 
Taylor’s Lane with the lanes to the south and west. At 
the heart of this space, in the early 18th century, was a 
well. The oldest known building standing within the 
village is Tatlow’s Cottage, on Taylor’s Lane, which is 
cruck-framed and dates from the 15th century, although 
most of what can be seen today from the outside is 18th
century brickwork. Ivy Close Farmhouse may date 
originally from the 17th century, if not earlier, although 
what can be seen today from the outside is largely of the 
early 18th century, with 19th century alterations. A 
building was certainly here in 1724 with a range of farm 
buildings opposite, the footprint preserved in the current 
buildings. 
The only obvious building line relates to the location of 
the church and the rectory to its east, and a range of 
farm buildings to the east of the rectory (demolished). All 
of these buildings are south facing and appear to be part of a building line established in the 
medieval period. The alignment also corresponds with a deep ditch running east-west to 
the west of the church, which also marked the limit of the manor house grounds in 1724. 
The field to the south of this ditch contains earthworks and the proximity and relationship 
of these earthworks to the church may indicate the site of an earlier manifestation of the 
manor house, or, if the earthworks are not building platforms, may be associated with 
garden features. 

http://www.south-derbys.gov.uk/Images/Trusley%20consultation%20draft%202013_tcm21-219956.pdf

Trusley History

Oliver de Odingsells purchased the manor of Trusley of Ralph de Beufey in the reign of Henry III [1216-72].

The coheiresses of this family brought it in moieties to Richard Piper and Thomas Coke.
---
The lands of Trusley had been conveyed by deed in 1314. The Odingsells had long been persons of distinction. Gerald de Odingsells, son of Basilia and Hugh de Odingsells, having a knight's fee in Eperstone as far back as the time of Henry III.
---
Trusley in the hundred of Appletree and deanery of Castillar, lies between six and seven miles from Derby. ?The manor of Trusley (Toxenai) was held by one Hugh, under Henry de Ferrars, when the Survey of Domesday was taken. In the reign of Henry II, Hugh le Arbalester, most probably his son or grandson, appears to have been lord of the manor. Oliver de Odingsells purchased it of Ralph de Beufey in the reign of Henry III. The coheiresses of this family brought it in moieties to Richard Piper and Thomas Coke. Piper's daughter and heiress married John Cowdale: their moiety passed (probably by sale) to the Vernons, and was purchased of the Manners family, in 1569, by Richard Coke, Esq., for £520 and a douceur of £10 to Mrs. Manners.? Extract from Lysons' Topographical and Historical Account of Derbyshire, 1817 (Magna Britannia Vol 5)

http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=ancestorsearch&id=I27654

 

Trusley from derbyshireuk.net

Trusley is a small but extremely attractive village, but difficult to find and difficult to park when you get there.It was mentioned in the domesday book as being a manor belonging to Henry de Ferrers and there has undoubtedly been a village here since those times.

Most of one side of the village is occupied by the little church, called All Saints, Trusley Old Hall and the Old Manor House. Both the 2 houses were built by the Coke family, who still live at the Old Hall. Part of the manor house was demolished and the rest was converted into 4, 3 storey maisonettes after the family had decided it was too large for their needs. A small portion of the Old Hall remains from Elizabethan times, most notably a massive chimney and a detached summer house with a pyramidal roof. These are probably the oldest structures in the village.

All Saints is a small brick church, dating from 1713. It is in the Queen Anne style, with a low west tower and a scrolled stone pediment over the west door. Its box pews, triple decker pulpit, communion rails and font are all original.

http://www.derbyshireuk.net/longlane.html