{"id":1971,"date":"2020-01-25T22:27:33","date_gmt":"2020-01-25T22:27:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/travel\/?p=1971"},"modified":"2020-12-07T21:51:28","modified_gmt":"2020-12-07T21:51:28","slug":"derby-the-five-minute-spare-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/travel\/derby-the-five-minute-spare-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Derby: The Five Minute Spare Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Derby<\/strong>\u00a0The Roman University town we all know and love!<\/p>\n

Situated in the south of the county named after it (that\u2019s Derbyshire, not Derby county), you will find this luscious city on the banks of the River Derwent. The city has been many things throughout the years; from a market town to a centre for aeroplane manufacturers \u2013 Derby has seen it all. Originally established by the Romans, this former meeting place and World Heritage Site inclusive city is truly one of an English-town-kind.<\/p>\n

Want to know more about it? We sure do. Let\u2019s get stuck in with a little bit of history.<\/p>\n

Derby the Roman Town<\/h2>\n

It is thought that the town was initially established to be a Roman market town on the banks of the river. They set up a camp named \u2018Derventio\u2019 somewhere around the area of town that is now known as Chester Green. After a few years of use, this camp grew into a fort. The fort would have stood where Belper Road now is, on the high ground. This would have provided some notice of the incoming enemies on the river.<\/p>\n

When the Saxons arrived a few centuries after the Romans, they renamed the fort. Now known as Little Chester, this area of the town retains its name to this day. Right up until the Vikings arrived, the Saxons had free reign of Little Chester. At some point around AD 900, the Vikings took over Nottingham<\/a> and basically chased everyone else away.<\/p>\n

In terms of etymology, there is a little disagreement over who named what and when. The Vikings called it Djura-by, which translated roughly into old English sounded a lot like Derby. However, there is also an argument that the River Derwent gave the town its name. A third position theorises that the name of the current city was the name of the old Roman fort, but with the \u2018v\u2019 pronounced as a \u2018b\u2019 (as many Latin languages do). Either of these roads leads to Derby (excuse the pun) instead of Rome\u2026 so perhaps the city\u2019s name is just down to destiny.<\/p>\n

Anyway; the story goes that the Anglo-Saxons shared possession of the town. So Derby has Roman, Norman, Saxon, and Viking heritage. It is thought that since it was a market town there would have been traders of every breed here. The Vikings also counted it as one of the five boroughs of Danelaw \u2013 the five main forts that helped them keep the peace during their occupations.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s just summarise this section by saying that Derby has always been important to everyone that passes through it\u2026 maybe it\u2019s on a ley line<\/a> or something; yes, we were pedantic enough to look it up!<\/p>\n

After the Vikings<\/h2>\n

Every town in England that is old enough can be historically split into before and after the Vikings came\u2026 because they got everywhere. Around 917 AD the then-Mercians attacked and took back the town. A little over a hundred and fifty years later the town was recorded in the Domesday Survey<\/a>. This in-depth survey charted all the owned land in England and reported who owned it. It was historically important as it was the first of its kind of document in the UK.<\/p>\n

Also worth noting before we move on is the fact that Derby precedes English history. Derby existed before the English counties unified. That\u2019s a pretty cool feature for any city. In 1204 \u2013 nearly three hundred years post-Viking, the townspeople were granted a charter to rule themselves. A trader\u2019s guild was formed, and two bailiffs were elected to run the town. At some point later in this century trade and religion flourished in the town, side-by-side. Derby Black Friary<\/a> was established and didn\u2019t dissolve until the fifteenth century. They even had royal guests from time to time.<\/p>\n

Mixed in along with the religious and spiritual growth of medieval Derby was the booming trade the market town sported. They cleaned, wove, and dyed wool, created leather and armours, and sported a variety of tradesmen and craftsmen. As a central, market location, all of the trades that human life needed sprung up here.<\/p>\n

As of 1294 Derby gained its own MP and was evermore represented in Westminster<\/a>. The establishment of a hospital, run by monks, around the end of the thirteenth century made sure that the poor were cared for. These monks came from the St. James Priory, established in 1140. Reportedly, a Leper Hostel was later added in the area of Leonard Street. Henry the Eighth closed all of the religious establishments in the town on account of his fondness for the church. He established the All Saints Church instead.<\/p>\n

The 14th<\/sup> and 15th<\/sup> centuries were times of peace and relative contentment as the town grew and prospered. Right up until Henry VIII started making silly changes to the way things worked. While his daughter was in charge a blind woman named Joan Waste was burned to death in Derby simply for refusing to \u2018renounce her protestant faith\u2019<\/a>. Whichever way you try to justify that, history is going to record you as the bad guy\u2026 and be totally justified.<\/p>\n

Interesting Derby Facts<\/h2>\n

We thought we would interrupt all this semi-dull history with a few interesting Derby facts. Here goes nothing!<\/p>\n