Review of ‘Notes from a Peakland Parish’, by William Smith Porter

This review is by Julie Bunting, and was published originally in The Peak Advertiser, the Peak District's local free newspaper, on 30th April 2001, and is reproduced with Julie's kind permission.

Readers who took an interest in Where There's Hope, There's Life (Peak Advertiser 22 January 2001) may be pleased to learn that the book which provided the main inspiration for the feature has recently been reprinted in a limited edition of 100 copies.

Notes from a Peakland Parish was written in 1923 by William Smith Porter using early parish records 'to preserve them from the uncertain fate of manuscript'. Printed in a limited number with the help of private subscribers, the book was not widely available and copies are now highly prized. The section devoted to extracts from churchwardens' accounts are especially fascinating for their detail of everyday life in this ancient parish between 1686-1832. Brimful of facts and names which have been connected with the area for hundreds of years, this valuable work is a well-deserved choice for a reprinted edition.

With a hard cover and glossy jacket and illustrated exactly as the original.

Review by Julie Bunting