peak district local history, customs, wildlife, transport

Although early travellers said that the Peak was barren and treeless, timber was still valuable and landowners tried to improve their estates with plantations. When T. Brown carried out his agricultural survey of Derbyshire in 1789 he thought more should be done.

“In general through the county, timber though small, is valuable; but from the plenty of coal and wood for fuel, will not answer for cultivation. However, the ingenuity of the natives renders the stub of the ash, the hazle, the sallow, and other shrubs, of more value here than in the southern counties where they are cultivated for fuel; and many parts of this county send tools made from these shrubs into counties where they are more plentiful.
The mines render every piece of timber, though ever so insignificant in itself, truly valuable; and those who do not sacrifice every thing to immediate convenience, very laudably attend the increase and improvement of their woods, by regular falls, and keeping up a succession.
But generally speaking, the quantity of timber and woods are upon the decrease : land becoming more valuable than formerly for corn or pasture, everyone is engaged in rooting up all those brambles, thorns and bushes, which are the natural guardians of the oak, the ash and the elm in their infant state; and too little attention is paid to the propagation of timber, on land which by nature is incapable of any other improvement.”

Writing only twenty years later, John Farey noticed that a lot more woodland was being planted.

“A very laudable spirit has pervaded the Landowners in this County, for improving and ornamenting their Estates by Plantations, made within the last 50 or 60 years, but principally so in the latter half of that period; and in general, steep, rocky, and barren Lands, have been selected for this purpose, which could scarcely be otherwise improved : but instances are not wanting here, as in most other Counties, of too great a breadth of even and useful soils for Husbandry, having been appropriated to the growth of Wood, and most of which, the rapidly increasing Population of the Country calls alike loudly with the private interests of their owners, for their being cleared again, as soon as circumstances will admit.

The modern Plantations, are principally of mixtures of Scotch, Larch, Silver, Spruce, and C Firs, Oak, Ash, Elm, Sycamore, Birch.”

Want to know more?
General View of the Agriculture of the County of Derby. London. 1794
General View of the Agriculture and Minerals of Derbyshire, Volume 2. J. Farey 1813