Eyam Stocks Hope Valley Derbyshire

Eyam Stocks, Eyam, Hope Valley, Derbyshire

The village of Eyam, pronounced (eem), in the Peak District of Derbyshire retains its wooden stocks on a grass verge outside Eyam Hall. Miscreants would be held in the stocks by their legs or arms and heads and pelted with stones and clods of earth or more smelly missiles such as offal and dung.

The stocks were last used in the late 19th century in the UK and were a form of public humiliation, akin to the modern-day orange jackets young rioters may be forced to wear as punishment for their recent looting spree in some of England’s large cities. Surely a spell in the stocks would be a cheaper alternative than a less-than-productive stretch in one of HM’s overcrowded prisons.

Eyam is famous as the Plague Village of the Black Death of 1665. At this time the villagers isolated themselves from the wider community to stop the spread of the deadly disease. Visit the pleasant Eyam Church and graveyard to see the gravestones of those who died in the plague.

Eyam is a short drive from the Pavilion Gardens and The Crescent in Buxton on the A623. It is also close to both Chatsworth House and Haddon Hall.