CRICH PARISH

which consists of the villages of Crich, Fritchley and Whatstandwell

Crich Families

John Reynolds

1724 – 1780

John Reynolds was baptised 10/2/1724 St Mary's Crich. He was the son of John Reynolds (gent) and Hellen Reynolds (née Taylor). They were a wealthy family.

He lived at Lindley Lane, Plaistow, Crich and was very well educated – variously listed as a surveyor, antiquarian and historian. He also studied ancient heraldry, giving descriptions of many Derbyshire churches and compiling many Derbyshire pedigrees. Many of his manuscripts are in the British Library. Such was his expertise that he was quoted in many contempory historical works and in subsequent studies after his death. He was sometimes described as Reverend Reynolds.

Glover 1833: Mr. John Reynolds, the eminent antiquary whom we have quoted, resided at Lindley Lane, where he enjoyed a good estate. We shall further notice him under the Biography of the County.

Wolley Manuscripts: This is a thin folio volume of " Derbyshire Church Notes," by Mr. John Reynolds, of Plaistow, about the year 1750. They refer to the churches of Alfreton, Beeley, Chapel-en-le-Frith, Chesterfield, Crich, Darley, Dronfield, Edensor, Elvaston, Norton, Spondon, Staveley, and South Wingfield. Each account has been cited in full or in substance in my [Cox's] four volumes of Notes on the Churches of Derbyshire.

John Reynolds died in 1780 at Derby and was buried 4/11/1780 in St Mary's Church.

pedigree of John Reynolds
John Reynolds' will of 1780

Information provided by Stuart Hill, a descendent of John Reynolds

Derby Mercury 27 October 1780
On Tuesday last died, at the New Inn in the town, after a long and tedious fit of illness (which was occasioned by fall) Mr John REYNOLDS, of Plaistow Green, near Crich, in this county, land surveyor, aged 56. His knowledge of English topography was so extensive, that, in that branch of history, he had perhaps few equals in the Kingdom, and we have reason to believe that Derbyshire, his native county, one in the course of a few years have been benefited by his studies in that kind of literature, had they not been stopped by an untimely death.

Read John Renolds' two historical researches:
History of Crich and South Wingfield
History of Crich Church

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