Some Fenny Bentley biographies

Barnes, Jeremiah M.A.    

Born 1808    Died 24 Feb 1883

Sometime Vicar of Tissington; former Rural Dean of Leek

Having been 'Rector designate', stood down in favour of Edward Hayton in 1877.

Purchased Bank Top Farm in 1852 when the Irving and Jackson estate was broken up and converted the old farmhouse into Bentley Cottage (now The Bentley Brook Inn) as his 'occasional residence'.  

He had the present Bank Top Farm built.

He was a substantial benefactor to the Church and to the school.

He (or his wife and her sister) built the lych gate; in December 1881for £200 he purchased the school house and garden from Miss FitzHerbert for use of a teacher; his wife, Harriet and her sister Maria van Tuyl paid for the Church spire to be built in 1861.

The north aisle of the Church was extended in his memory to form what subsequently became the Beresford Chapel.

The Church, the school and the Rector's stipend all benefitted substantially from Barnes family bequests.

From the dispersal sale after the death of Jeremiah Barnes John Bamford, an Ashbourne solicitor, purchased medieval stained glass from Bentley Church, thought to have originally come from Croxden Abbey . This glass was given to Ashbourne Church and is in the Boothby Chapel. Bamford also bought an Egyptian mummy but his wife would not have it in the house and it was taken back to Bentley and buried in the Churchyard.

Bennet, Abraham   M.A.  

1750 - 1799.     

Rector of Fenny Bentley   1796 -1799

Abraham Bennet, though now largely forgotten, was in his day one of the foremost scientists in the country. He became Curate of Wirksworth at the age of 26 and remained so although he was also Rector of Fenny Bentley from 1796 to his death.

Bennet's interests lay in the emerging field of electricity and he was the inventor of the 'gold leaf electroscope'.   Bennet's was a significant improvement on earlier instruments for measuring static electricity and many people will remember using one at school in the physics laboratory.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1789 and among those who signed his certificate for election were Josiah Wedgwood, Erasmus Darwin, Matthew Boulton, Henry Cavendish, James Watt and Joseph Priestley.

He died at the age of 49 his potential as a world figure in the new science of electricity cut short.

Bennet contributed four papers to the Royal Society and the first three were published together as a book entitled   New Experiments on Electricity .   Among the many subscribers to the publication were Matthew Boulton, Henry Cavendish, Samuel Crompton, Mrs.Darwin (probably the wife of Erasmus Darwin), Joseph Priestley, William Wilberforce, James Watt   and, perhaps most notably of all, Professor Volta. Local subscribers included   Sir Richard Arkwright, Sir Brooke Boothby, Sir William and Lady FitzHerbert, Thomas Gell and Mrs.Temperance Gell, Francis Hurt and Jedediah Strutt.

Bennet's book can be seen in the Local Studies Department of Derby Library.

He was Master of Wirksworth Grammar School.

The memorial to Abraham Bennet hanging in Wirksworth Church reads as follows:-

To the memory of the Rev. Abraham Bennet, FRS, who was XXIII years Curate of Wirksworth, Rector of Fenny Bentley; domestic Chaplain to His Grace The Duke of Devonshire, perpetual Curate of Woburn and Librarian to His Grace the Duke of Bedford. He was author of a work entitled 'New Experiments on Electricity' which established his reputation for science amongst the philosophers of all countries; he died at Wirksworth on VI day of May MDCCXCIX aged XLIX years

His portrait hangs in the vestry of Wirksworth Church.

As regards Fenny Bentley, Bennet will have received the living by the influence of one of his enlightened and wealthy patrons.   It is doubtful if he ever lived in the village and to date no evidence has come to light that he personally carried out any pastoral duties.   Examination of the parish registers shows that all baptisms, marriages and burials during Bennet's term were carried out by the curate, Fairfax Norcliffe.

Bennet's daughter, Elizabeth, married Francis Holliwell who, together with his brother William,   set up on their own as clockmakers following their father's bankruptcy in 1806.   William Holliwell senior had learned his craft from the clockmaker Whitehurst of Derby, himself a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Chambers,  Walter  

17 Dec 1824 - 21 Dec 1881

Chambers was born at Mansfield, ordained by the Bishop of Lichfield in 1849 and became Curate to Rev. Garton Howard at Fenny Bentley.

In 1850 he went to Borneo to assist Bishop McDougal in the newly established Mission.

He was the first missionary to the Dyaks; he acquired a good knowledge of the Iban language and translated Christian literature into the native language.

In 1868 he was appointed Archdeacon of Sarawak and on McDougal's resignation in 1870 he was made Bishop of Sarawak and the Straits Settlements.

He married Elizabeth Wooley in 1856.   She died in 1875.

Chambers' reputation tends to suffer from comparison with his forceful, genial predecessor, McDougal.   Many of his contemporaries saw him and Mrs Chambers as narrow minded, though both were tireless workers and enthusiastic evangelists who literally gave their health and finally their lives to their joint vocation.

Chambers was buried at Aberystwyth.

Langley, William

Rector of Fenny Bentley 1766 - 1795

Headmaster of Ashbourne Grammar School; friend of Dr. Johnson.

Sections of the minute book of the Governors of Ashbourne Grammar School have been summarised   as follows:

Langley was appointed Headmaster on 31st. March 1752. He was a Master of Arts and took his degree at Oxford. On 22 February 1754 Mr. W.Wilson the Undermaster formally complained to the Governors of "Mr. Wm. Langley the Head Schoolmaster's various and frequent interruptions of his privileges as Under Master and particularly that of Tuesday last of Breaking a Table placed in the School for the improvement of the Scholars in Writing and accounts. . . .and of forcibly throwing it into the School passage belonging to the Under Master, and likewise for breaking down the fence between their respective gardens, and doing several other Trespasses of the like Nature;"   for these misdemeanours Mr. Langley's salary was reduced by £10 a year, which sum was ordered to be paid to the Under Master "in augmentation of his wages as being careful and diligent . . . . and for the Damages and Depreciations committed by Mr. Langley." The trouble with the Under Master continued and on 25th November of the same year the Governors ordered that Mr. Langley "be deprived and removed out of his place as Schoolmaster" and that no more wages should be paid to him: on this occasion he was charged with "refusing to teach and instruct one or more boys, Children of the Inhabitants of the Town of Ashbourne tho' the same have been offered to him to be taught in the said school and others under the Under Master's care not anyways under the care of the said Mr. Langley" and with beating them "even out of school hours, in an inhumane manner."   At the next meeting of the Governors in December the Vicar of the Parish was appointed Headmaster in his place. Mr. Langley however stayed on and continued to quarrel with successive Undermasters.   In March next year another Usher or Undermaster was appointed but he only held the post 18 days.   The next Usher stayed on until October and then resigned "wearied by the ill-usages of the Headmaster and his Family." The next Usher managed to stay on for over a year but he resigned at last, as the Headmaster, so he said "hath taken every method in his power to render the charge committed to me irksome and disagreeable to me."   He still continued to neglect his duties and the Governors unable or unwilling to get rid of him appealed to the bishop of the diocese for help. At that time there was only one scholar and had been only two or three for many years past.

The minute books do not record what action the Bishop took - but Langley remained Headmaster in spite of everybody and everything until his death at the end of 1795, having been in office 43 years, during 29 of which he also held the Rectory of Fenny Bentley.

The above account would make one believe that Langley was negligent in his duties.   The parish records show, however, that as far as Bentley was concerned he was present to personally perform all duties required and did not leave matters to a curate as did many others of his period.

Tattersall, John Lincoln   M.P.

Born 16 April 1865. Died in Beaumaris 6 June 1942.

Owner of Woodeaves Mill.  

In 1886 Tattersall's father, Cornelius, a Manchester cotton man bought Woodeaves Mill for John to give him manufacturing experience.

Tattersall married Lizzie Harland in 1893 and they lived in Thorpe.

He took an interest in Bentley long after leaving the area and in 1939, in spite of coming from a family of non - conformists, funded alterations to the Church including moving the pulpit and paving the sanctuary in Hopton Wood stone. The Wooden lectern, a replica of the medieval one at York Minster was provided by him. He provided outings and parties for the village children and left a sum of money to enable this to continue after he had left.

He was an advocate of temperance and latterly President of the Manchester Band of Hope Union.

He was elected Liberal M.P. for Staleybridge and Hyde in 1923 but lost his seat 11 months later.

Information supplied by Bill Richardson

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