| Administrative History | The abbot of Dale Abbey had episcopal rights over the church of All Saints, Dale Abbey which passed to the lay impropriator when the Abbey was dissolved. The lay impropriators, the Stanhope family thereby became lay-bishops of Dale. Since the parish church of Dale was a peculiar, marriages could take place under presumptive licence from the lay bishop who also had authority to grant probate of wills within the peculiar (see Derbyshire Archaeological Journal Volume 63). For photostat copies of wills proved at Dale Abbey, 1753-1856, for which the originals are held at Nottinghamshire Record Office, see D67. The Stanhope family could appoint the perpetual curate at Dale without reference to the Bishop of Lichfield since the living was donative. From 1702 the church has been served by the Rector of Stanton by Dale.
The Church is described as "one of the smallest and oddest of English churches" by Nikolaus Pevsner in Buildings of Derbyshire. It is under the same roof as a dwellinghouse which was once an inn. There are a number of later 13th cent wall paintings. The masonry of the nave is Norman and it has been suggested that the building was used by the canons of Dale Abbey (founded c1200) as an infirmary and infirmary chapel.
For a period prior to c1750 marriages were solemnised by the parish clerk since there was no minister and it seems that some of the "wedding" money was distributed to the poor. (See D1061 A/PI 1/1).
The high proportion of marriages in this period suggests that the church was a popular choice for clandestine marriages or marriages required in haste. (see Derbyshire Archaeological Journal Volume 22, available in the public searchroom of Derbyshire Record Office). |
| Custodial History | The records were deposited in the Record Office in May 1972, March 1980, October 1996, April 2009 and May 2014. |