The Renaissance Hotel, South Normanton, Derbyshire
May 17th - 19th 2007

An assortment of spring showers, blustery winds and patchy sunshine greeted the group who gathered for a family get-together, research day and lunch in mid Derbyshire. The venue was chosen for its ease of access adjacent to the M1 motorway and its proximity to the towns of interest (Pinxton, South Normanton and Somercotes). We had a similar meeting at the same hotel in Autumn 2006, albeit with a slightly different make up, but an unfortunate computer glitch destroyed much of the photographic evidence. This was an opportunity to make amends.

The nine members present represented five of the nine branches of the family tree which had its origins in the family of John and Ann Naylor who lived in this area in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Although we shared common great grandparents for some it was an opportunity to meet our second cousins for the first time and for others a chance to renew contact after separation by time and distance. Margaret Brookes is a descendent of their oldest son Joseph while Terence and Margaret Radford are grandchildren from third son Edwin's line. Alan and Brenda Craxford's grandmother was youngest daughter Miriam and we were acquainted with her older sister Mary and the children of John Henry when we were young. We also received apologies from Ann Mallon and Ivy Upton.

A day of research

Our first port of call was the John King Museum at Victoria Road, Pinxton. Dedicated to the inventor of the Mine Cage Detaching Hook and housed in his original workshop, the museum has many memorabilia of the mining industry. It also houses parish records, census returns and other documents from the South Normanton area. We were met by curator, Dennis Deneley who showed us the exhibits and set about aiding our research by pointing us to the appropriate parish registers. We came across several strands of new information, particularly about the Cotterills (John's wife's family) and the answers to two old mysteries were at last revealed (See article Now this IS a conundrum). Margaret and Dennis also discovered that they shared a common ancestor which led to a very lively discussion.

Churches and churchyards

After lunch, we visited two of the churches which featured in the lives of the Naylor family. We went first to the twelfth century St Helen's Church in Pinxton where John Naylor married Ann Cotterill in 1854.

It was then on to the main site of our afternoon investigations, the Church of St Michael and All Angels in Church Street, South Normanton. Built in 1137, this Norman building stands on an incline overlooking the village and is visible for several miles. We were met by Margaret Taylor, the acting verger who showed us around the interior of the building and explained some of the local history. Again we discovered that we were probably related through the Cotterill family line. We were particularly interested in a small carved plaque at the rear end of the nave which commemorated the installation of electric lighting in the church by Elizabeth Naylor in memory of her husband Joseph.

There is a small older graveyard in front, to the sides and immediately behind the church. Beyond that is a much larger cemetery which stretches back and down the hill along Fordbridge Lane. The first part is wooded and headstones are dotted about within the dense undergrowth. We found several of the Naylor graves in this area.

The poignant inscription on John Naylor's headstone reads: His last words were ""Vain, delusive world, adieu", "Going home to Jesus, Victory Victory", "Done, Lord Jesus, Come Quickly"

Convivium

Our time at the hotel was not wasted either. We set up our mini studio in the lounge where wifi internet allowed access to the website. Brenda had brought with her Miriam's photograph album (See article Miriam's album) which had been one of the triggers of our research into the Naylor family. Several other pictures were produced which, after further discussion, brought about a number of positive identifications and allowed correction of a number of mistakes present in our database.

Our stay was completed with a light lunch in the hotel restaurant.

Added: May 22nd 2007
Revised: September 8th 2011

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