| Administrative History | Florence Annie Spiegelberg was born in Wolverhampton in 1863. She married Carl Anton Theodor Marie Spiegelberg of Bremen, Germany, an agent in the cotton trade, and they lived in Liscard/New Brighton, Merseyside. Some time after the 1911 census, she reverted to her maiden name of Swindley, possibly as a result of anti-German sentiment during the First World War, as did at least one of her children.
The debut performance of Ashover Amateur Choral Society is recorded in an edition of the Derby Mercury dated 18 January 1865, which mentions a performance on "Wednesday last", i.e. 11 January. Performances by Ashover Choral Society were still attracting mention in the local press in the 1940s (e.g. Derbyshire Times, 1 Jun 1944).
The Ashover Hydropathic Company was established in 1869, and the Ashover House Hydro became a popular destination for tourists. It continued in use as a hotel into the mid 20th century when it became a training centre for the East Midlands Electricity Board. |
| Custodial History | This volume was donated to Derbyshire Record Office in November 2014 by a private individual. The donor had purchased it in a second hand shop in Peckham, South London, several decades previously. Nothing further is known of its provenance. |