Down the years Derbyshire has had its fair share of heroes - some of them
well-known inside and outside their own county, others contented to be
recognised only at home.
This book pays homage to both kinds of heroes. Who, for instance has not
heard of Dennis Skinner budded 'the beast of Bolsover'; Brian Clough, the Derby
County Football Manager 1967-73; Ellen Macarthur, the round-the-world
yachtswoman; Barnes Wallis, inventor of the bouncing bomb of Dambusters fame; or
Bess of Hardwicke, four-time widowed and the second most important woman in
Elizabethan England? But who knows who was the first Derbyshire man to win the
Victoria Cross, or the names of the two Eyam men who took charge of the village
when the plague struck?
These stories, together with many more, make a truly magnificent record of
Derbyshire's great heroes and heroines. They come from all walks of life and
from different centuries, but they have one thing in common, their lives were an
inspiration to others.
Contents:
Introduction
1. Fred Greaves: The First Derbyshire Man to Receive the Victoria Cross
2. Alice Wheeldon: Radical Feminist and Pacifist
3. Ron Peters and Tom Lewis: Cavers and Potholers
4. Joan Waste: 16th Century Protestant Matyr
5. Nigel Vardy: Rock Climber who Survived the Horrors of a Snowstorm on Mount
McKinley in Alasksa
6. Alison Hargreaves: Climbed Mount Everest Alone
7. William Mompesson and Thomas Stanley: Heroes of the 17th Century Eyam Plague
8. Harold Lilly: Japanese Prisoner of War
9. Eric Walton: Member of Lord Mountbatten's and General Browning's War Staff
10. Flo Siddons: A Grandmother who Fought for Justice
11. George Lowe: Member of the 1953 Expedition to Mount Everest
12. Bess of Hardwick: The Second Most Important Woman in Elizabethan England
13. Dennis Skinner: Labour Politician Labelled 'the Beast of Bolsover'
14. Brian Clough: Manager of the Derby County Football Club 1967-1973
15. Joseph Paxton: Head Gardner at Chatsworth House
16. Ellen Macarthur: The Sailor from Whatstandwell
17. Catherine Booth: 'Mother' of the Salvation Army
18. Joe Payne: The Stuff of Football Legends
19. Joseph Wright: 18th Century Painter
20. Phoebe Brown: Derbyshire's Strongest Woman
21. Jack Bodell: British Heavyweight Boxing Champion
22. Barnes Wallis: Inventor of the Bouncing Bomb
23. Peter Fidler: 18th Century Surveyor
24. James Brindley: Canal Builder who 'Chained the Seas Together'
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
