Eaton and Alsop is a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

within the

Derbyshire Dales Derbyshire Dales ( ) is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Derbyshire, England. The district was created in 1974 as West Derbyshire; the name was changed to Derbyshire Dales in 1987. The council is based in the town of Matl ...

district, in the county of

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

, England. Largely rural, in 2021 Eaton and Alsop had a population of only 80 residents. It is north west of

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, north west of the county city of

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

, and north of the market town of Ashbourne. Eaton and Alsop is wholly within the

Peak District The Peak District is an Highland, upland area in central-northern England, at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire, it extends into Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire. It is subdivi ...

national park, and touches the parishes of

Alstonefield Alstonefield (alternative spelling: Alstonfield) is a village and civil parish in the Peak District National Park and the Staffordshire Moorlands district of Staffordshire, England about north of Ashbourne, east of Leek and south of Buxton. ...

Hartington Nether Quarter Hartington Nether Quarter is a civil parish in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England. The parish was created from the subdivision of the old Hartington parish. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 410, increasing t ...

, Newton Grange and

Parwich Parwich is a village and parish in the Derbyshire Dales, 7 miles north of Ashbourne. In the 2011 census the population of the civil parish was 472. Village facilities include the Anglican church of St Peter's, a primary school, the Sycamore Inn ...

. There are five

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

s in Eaton and Alsop. Coldeaton Bridge - geograph

Geography

Location

Eaton and Alsop is surrounded by the following local areas: * Biggin to the north * Newton Grange to the south * Parwich to the east * Alstonefield to the west. The parish is roughly bounded by the River Dove to the west. The Liffs

round barrow A round barrow is a type of tumulus and is one of the most common types of archaeological monuments. Although concentrated in Europe, they are found in many parts of the world, probably because of their simple construction and universal purpose. ...

feature is to the north, Alsop Moor and Cross Low

tumulus A tumulus (: tumuli) is a mound of Soil, earth and Rock (geology), stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, mounds, howes, or in Siberia and Central Asia as ''kurgans'', and may be found through ...

in the east, with Alsop village and The Pinch lane to the south. Eaton and Alsop is completely within the Peak District National Park.

Settlements

There are only two places within the parish: * Alsop en le Dale, close to the south east boundary * Eaton, this is north west. These are on opposing sides of the A515 Ashbourne to

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the High Peak, Derbyshire, Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, in the East Midlands region of England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Alston, Cumbria also claims this, but lacks a regu ...

road. The only village of size is Alsop en le Dale, which is wholly situated along Dam Lane. Eaton is accessed via a

single track road A single-track road or one-lane road is a road that permits two-way travel but is not wide enough in most places to allow vehicles to overtaking, pass one another (although sometimes two compact cars can pass). This kind of road is common in r ...

off Liffs Road. Despite being part of the parish name, Eaton is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

considered to be a

deserted medieval village In the United Kingdom, a deserted medieval village (DMV) is a former settlement which was abandoned during the Middle Ages, typically leaving no trace apart from earthworks or cropmarks. If there are fewer than three inhabited houses the conve ...

, with only two farms in the locality.

Environment

Landscape and geology

Primarily farm and pasture land throughout the parish outside the populated areas, there are some small forestry plots throughout, with a stretch alongside the Dove Valley called Fishpond Bank and further north, Iron Tors and Biggin Dale. The soil is light, while the subsoil is mainly limestone.

Watercourse

The River Dove forms the boundary to the west, with features including

weir A weir or low-head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the water level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

s, footbridges and

stepping stones Stepping stones or stepstones are sets of stones arranged to form an improvised causeway that allows a pedestrian to cross a natural watercourse such as a creek, a small river; or a water feature in a garden where water is allowed to flow betwe ...

Land elevation

The parish can be hilly and undulating in places. The lowest point is in the south west boundary along the River Dove at ~, Alsop village is , Eaton is higher at , while the parish peak is along the north east boundary near Hawks Low round barrow at .

History

Toponymy

Alsop: It was reported in

Domesday Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

as ''Elleshope.'' The full modern name of this place is

Alsop en le Dale Alsop en le Dale is a village in Derbyshire, England about north of Ashbourne close to the Staffordshire border, and a mile from Dovedale, a popular tourist location within the Peak District national park. It is within the civil parish of Ea ...

, meaning 'Ælli's/Ella's valley', the 'en la Dale' suffix being a later addition. The initial element is from the name of the Anglo Saxon King Ella, and the later syllable is from the Celtic 'hwpp' meaning 'a sloping place between hills' - the sloping place of Ella between the hills. Eaton: Short for Coldeaton or Cold Eaton, it was known as Eitune as reported in Domesday in 1086 which means 'island farm'. It is above the steeply-rising bank of the River Dove, situated on a spur and overlooking a small island in the river. It is prefixed 'Cold' due to its exposed location. Eaton and Alsop, as an

ecclesiastical {{Short pages monitor