The north and centre of Derbyshire are hilly and contain the majority of thePeak District, which has been designated anational park. They includeKinder Scout, at 636 m (2,087 ft) the highest point in the county. TheRiver Derwent is the longest in the county, at 66 miles (106 km), and flows south until it meets theRiver Trent just south of Derby. Church Flatts Farm atCoton in the Elms, near Swadlincote, is the furthest point from the sea in the UK.[6]
The area that is now Derbyshire was first visited, probably briefly, by humans 200,000 years ago during the Aveleyinterglacial, as shown by aMiddle PaleolithicAcheulean hand axe found nearHopton.[7] Further occupation came with theUpper Paleolithic andNeolithic periods of the Stone Age whenMesolithic hunter-gatherers roamed the hilly tundra.[8]Evidence of these nomadic tribes has been found inlimestone caves located on the Nottinghamshire border. Deposits left in the caves date the occupancy at around 12,000 to 7,000BCE.[9]
Burial mounds of Neolithic settlers are also situated throughout the county. Thesechambered tombs were designed for collective burial and are mostly located in the central Derbyshire region.[9] There are tombs atMinninglow andFive Wells that date back to between 2000 and 2500 BCE.[10] 5 kilometres west ofYoulgreave lies the Neolithichenge monument ofArbor Low, which has been dated to 2500 BCE. It is not until theBronze Age that real signs of agriculture and settlement are found in the county. In the moors of the Peak District signs of clearance, arable fields andhut circles were found after archaeological investigation. However this area and another settlement atSwarkestone are all that have been found.[11]
Hand-drawn map of Derbyshire by Christopher Saxton in 1577
The terrain of Derbyshire mostly consists of uplands to the north and centre of the county, and lowlands to the south and east. The southern foothills and uplands of thePennines extend from the north of theTrent Valley[14] throughout thePeak District and into the north of the county, reaching the county's highest point atKinder Scout.[15] The terrain is relatively low-lying across the lowerDove Valley, from the Trent Valley and southwards, the far south of theDerwent Valley and near its eastern borders withNottinghamshire andLeicestershire. The main rivers in the county are the River Derwent and the River Dove which both join the River Trent in the south. The River Derwent rises in the moorland ofBleaklow and flows throughout the Peak District and county for the majority of its course, while the River Dove rises inAxe Edge Moor and forms a boundary between Derbyshire andStaffordshire for most of its length.
The varied landscapes within Derbyshire have been formed mainly as a consequence of the underlying geology, but also by the way the land has been managed and shaped by human activity. The county contains 11 discrete landscape types, known asNational Character Areas, which have been described in detail by Natural England[16] and further refined, mapped and described by Derbyshire County Council[17] and the Peak District National Park.[18]
The 11 National Character Areas found within Derbyshire are:
Derbyshire's solid geology can be split into two very different halves. The oldest rocks occur in the northern, more upland half of the county, and are mostly ofCarboniferous age, comprisinglimestones,gritstones,sandstones andshales. In its north-east corner to the east ofBolsover, there are alsoMagnesian Limestone rocks of Permian age. In contrast, the southern and more lowland half of Derbyshire contains much softer rocks, mainlymudstones and sandstones of Permo-Triassic age, which create gentler, more rolling landscapes with few rock outcrops. Across both regions can be found drift deposits ofQuaternary age – mainly terrace and river gravel deposits and boulder clays. Landslip features are found on unstable layers of sandstones and shales, withMam Tor andAlport Castles being the best-known. Cemented screes andtufa deposits occur very rarely in the limestone dales and rivers, whilst cave systems have been created naturally in the limestone since Pleistocene times. A recently discovered cave chamber nearCastleton, namedTitan, is the deepest shaft and biggest chamber of any cave in Britain.[19]
The oldest rocks are Lower Carboniferous limestones ofDinantian age, which form the core of the White Peak within the Peak District National Park. Because northern Derbyshire is effectively an uplifted dome of rock layers that have subsequently eroded to expose older rocks in the centre of theDerbyshire Dome, these are encircled by progressively younger limestone rocks, until they in turn give way on three sides to Upper Carboniferous shales, gritstones and sandstones ofNamurian age.
A cross-section of northern Derbyshire, from west to east, showing the approximate structure of an eroded dome, with younger Coal Measure rocks to the east, and older limestone exposed in the centre
Younger still are the sandstones, shales and coal deposits found on the eastern flank of Derbyshire, forming the coal measures, which are ofWestphalian age. All these rock layers disappear south of a line drawn between Ashbourne and Derby under layers of clays and sandstones (Mercia Mudstone Group andSherwood Sandstones) of Permo-Triassic age. Small amounts of carboniferous limestones, gritstones and coal measures reappear in the far south of Derbyshire fromTicknall (limestone) toSwadlincote (coal measures).[20]
Some areas of the White Peak exhibit contemporaneous basalt flows (e.g. Ravens Tor at Millers Dale), as well as subsequent dolerite sill intrusion at a much later stage (e.g. near Tideswell Dale),[21] whilst mineralisation of the carboniferous limestone in a subsequent period created extensive lead and fluorite deposits which have formed a significant part of Derbyshire's economy, as did coal mining. Lead mining has been important here since Roman Times.[22] The more recent river gravels of the Trent valley remain a significant extractive industry today in south Derbyshire, as does the mining of limestone rock in central and northern parts of the county.[23] Coarse sandstones were once extensively quarried both for local building materials and for the production of gritstone grinding wheels for use in mills, and both former industries have left their mark on the Derbyshire landscape.
Green belts in Derbyshire and beyond. Clockwise from top left: North West Green Belt South and West Yorkshire Green Belt Nottingham and Derby Green Belt Burton upon Trent and Swadlincote Green Belt West Midlands Green Belt Stoke-on-Trent Green Belt
As well as the protections afforded to the Peak District area under national and local policies, there are severalgreen belts within the county, aimed at preserving the landscape surrounding main urban areas. There are four such areas,[24] the first three being portions of much larger green belts that extend outside the county and surround large conurbations:
Because of its central location in England and altitude range from 27 metres in the south to 636 metres in the north,[25]: 1 Derbyshire contains many species at the edge of their UK distribution ranges. Some species with a predominantly northern British distribution are at the southern limit of their range, whilst others with a more southern distribution are at their northern limit in Derbyshire. As climate change progresses, a number of sensitive species are now being seen to be either expanding or contracting their range as a result.[25]: 314 For the purposes of protecting and recording the county's most important habitats, Derbyshire has been split into two regions, each with its ownBiodiversity Action Plan (BAP), based around National Character Areas. The Peak District BAP includes all of Derbyshire's uplands of the Dark Peak, South-West Peak and White Peak, including an area of limestone beyond the national park boundary.[26] The remaining areas are monitored and recorded in the Lowland Derbyshire Biodiversity Action Plan, which subdivides the landscape into eight smaller Action Areas.[27]
The Derbyshire Biological Records Centre was formerly based at Derby Museum and Art Gallery, but since 2011 has been managed by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust.[28] Two of Englands 48Local Nature Partnerships (LNP) also cover Derbyshire; these are the Peak District LNP and the Lowland Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire LNP.[29]
In October 2025, Derbyshire County Council approved Derbyshire's Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which outlines how nature recovery will be supported and implemented across the county.[30]
Since 2002, thecounty flower for Derbyshire has beenJacob's-ladder (Polemonium caeruleum), a relatively rare species, and characteristic of certain limestone dales in the White Peak.[25]: 187 Derbyshire is known to have contained 1,919 separate taxa of vascular plants (including species, hybrids and micro-species) since modern recording began,[25]: 409 of which 1,133 are known to be either native orarchaeophyte, the remainder being non-native species. These comprise 336 established species, 433 casuals and 17 unassigned. It is known that 34 species of plants once native here have been lost from Derbyshire (i.e. become locally extinct) since modern plant recording began in the 17th century.[25]: 410 Derbyshire contains twoendemic vascular plants, found nowhere else in the world:Rubus durescens, abramble occurring in central Derbyshire,[25]: 89 and Derby hawkweed (Hieracium naviense), still known only fromWinnats Pass.[25]: 263 One endemic species of moss,Derbyshire Feather Moss, occurs in one small 3-metre patch in just one Derbyshire limestone dale, its sole world location intentionally kept confidential.[31]
The distribution and status of vascular plants in Derbyshire have been recorded over the last 120 years in a series of four major botanical works, each by different authors between 1889 and 2015, all entitledThe Flora of Derbyshire. Plant recording is mainly undertaken locally by volunteers from the Derbyshire Flora Group,[25]: 406 and by staff atDerbyshire Wildlife Trust and the Peak District National Park.
Map of Derbyshire boundaries with Peak District also shown. Black=modern Geographic boundary, Red=Vice-county boundary (VC57) where this differs from modern; Dotted Blue=Peak District boundary
The Dark Peak is marked by heathlands, bogs, gritstone edges and acid grasslands containing relatively few species, with plants such asheather (Calluna vulgaris),crowberry (Empetrum nigrum),bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) andhare's-tail cotton grass (Eriophorum vaginatum) being dominant on the high moors.[25]: 6 The dales of the White Peak are known for habitats such ascalcareous grassland, ash woodlands and rock outcrops in all of which a much greater richness of lime-loving species occurs than elsewhere in the county.[25]: 4 These include various orchids (such asearly purple orchid (Orchis mascula),dark-red helleborine (Epipactis atrorubens) andfly orchid (Ophrys insectifera)),common rockrose (Helianthemum nummularium),spring cinquefoil (Helianthemum nummularium) andgrass of parnassus (Parnassia palustris). Specialised communities of plants occur on former lead workings, where typicalmetallophyte species includespring sandwort (Minuartia verna),alpine penny-cress (Thlaspi caerulescens) (both known locally in Derbyshire as Leadwort), as well asmountain pansy (Viola lutea) andmoonwort (Botrychium lunaria).[25]: 6 [32]
In 2015, Derbyshire contained 304 vascular plant species now designated as of international, national or local conservation concern, for their rarity or recent declines, and collectively listed as Derbyshire Red Data plants.[25]: 418 Work on recording and publishing a bryophyte flora for Derbyshire still continues: by 2012 a total of 518 bryophyte species had been recorded for the county.[33][34]
Botanical recording in the UK predominantly uses the unchangingvice-county boundary system, which results in a slightly different map of Derbyshire from the modern geographic county.[25]: 20
A number of specialist organisations protect, promote and monitor records of individual animal groups across Derbyshire. The main ones are Derbyshire Ornithological Society; Derbyshire Mammal Group; Derbyshire Bat Group, Derbyshire Amphibian and Reptile Group, and the Derbyshire & Nottingham Entomological Society. All maintain databases of wildlife sightings, whilst some such as the Derbyshire Ornithological Society provide alerts of rare sightings on their websites or social media pages and also publish major works describing the status and distribution of species.[35]
The rugged moorland edge of the southern Pennines at Kinder Downfall
Derbyshire has a mixture of a rural economy in the west, with a former coal-mining economy in the north-east (Bolsover district), the Erewash Valley around Ilkeston and in the south around Swadlincote. The rural landscape varies from arable farmland in the flatlands to the south of Derby, toupland pasture andmoorland in the highgritstone uplands of the southern Pennines.[36][37]
Derbyshire is rich in natural mineral resources such as lead, iron,coal, and limestone, which have been exploited over a long period. Lead, for example, has been mined sinceRoman times. The limestone outcrops in the central area led to the establishment of largequarries to supply the industries of surrounding towns withlime for building andsteelmaking, and latterly in the 20th-century cement manufacture.[38] The Industrial Revolution also increased demand forbuilding stone, and in the late 19th and early 20th-century, the arrival of the railways led to a large number of stone quarries being established.[39] This industry has left its mark on the countryside, but is still a major industry: a lot of the stone is supplied ascrushed stone forroad building and concrete manufacture, and is moved by rail.[40]
Derbyshire's relative remoteness in the late 18th century and an abundance of fast-flowing streams led to a proliferation of the use ofhydropower at the beginning of theIndustrial Revolution, following the mills pioneered byRichard Arkwright.[41] Derbyshire has been said to be the home of the Industrial Revolution, and part of theDerwent Valley has been givenWorld Heritage status in acknowledgement of this historic importance.[42][43]
Nationally famous companies in Derbyshire includeRolls-Royce, one of the world's leading aerospace companies, based since before World War I in Derby,Thorntons just south of Alfreton andToyota, who have one of the UK's largest car manufacturing plants atBurnaston.[44][45] Ashbourne Water used to be bottled in Buxton byNestlé Waters UK until 2006 and Buxton Water still is.[46]
Derbyshire is one of only three counties permitted to make cheese that is labelled asStilton cheese. The others areLeicestershire andNottinghamshire.[47] The smallest of six companies making this product is Hartington Creamery atPikehall. As of March 2021, Hartington Stilton was marketing within the UK but also exporting to the US, EU and Canada. The company director told the BBC that they had "a surge in interest and consumer sales from the US".[48][49]
The county is divided into eleven constituencies for the election of members of parliament (MPs) to theHouse of Commons. In the2024 United Kingdom general election, all seats in Derbyshire were won by the Labour Party, including the seat ofDerbyshire Dales, a Conservative safe seat that had not been won by Labour since the1945 election.
Shown below are the vote and seat count at the 2019 election compared to the 2024 election:[50]
Derbyshire has become fractionally smaller during government reorganisation over the years. The Sheffield suburbs Woodseats, Beauchief, Handsworth, Woodhouse, Norton,Mosborough,Totley,Bradway andDore were previously parts of the county, but were lost toSheffield between 1900 and 1933;Mosborough was transferred in 1967. However, Derbyshire gained part of theLongdendale valley andTintwistle from Cheshire in 1974. The current area of the geographic/ceremonial county of Derbyshire is only 4.7 square kilometres less than it was over 100 years ago.[25]: 1 [25]: 20
At the third tier are theparish councils, which do not cover all areas. The eight district councils in Derbyshire and the unitary authority of Derby are shown in the map above.
These district councils are responsible for local planning and building control, local roads,council housing,environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism.[51] Education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and fire services,trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning are the responsibility of the County Council.[51]
One of many Victorian village schools in Derbyshire
Derbyshire is also part of multiplecombined authorities. The Erewash, Amber Valley and Derby districts are part of theD2N2 partnership with neighbouring Nottinghamshire. The Derbyshire Dales, Bolsover, North East Derbyshire and Chesterfield districts are part of theSouth Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (as non constituent members).
The major settlements of Derbyshire. A recently established (mid 1990s and onwards)new town type settlement, which continues to undergo planned expansion.[54][55][56] – Green.
There are several towns in the county, with Derby the largest and most populous. At the time of the 2011 census, a population of 770,600 lived in the county with 248,752 (32%) living in Derby.
Although Derbyshire is officially part of the East Midlands statistical region, parts of the county are often considered to be culturally inNorthern England,[57] such as Chesterfield[58] and Glossop.[59]
The table below shows all towns with over 10,000 inhabitants.
During a series of administrative boundary changes during the 20th century, settlements which were historically part of the county now fall under the administrative areas ofGreater Manchester,South Yorkshire, andStaffordshire:
Numerous other boundary changes also took place during the course of the 19th century, with county settlements being ceded to the counties of Staffordshire and Leicestershire
Derbyshire has twoFootball League teams,Derby County, which plays in theEFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The next highest-placed team isChesterfield, which participates inEFL League Two, the fourth tier of English football. There are also many non-league teams playing throughout the county, most notablyAlfreton Town, which plays in theNational League North.[78] The county is currently home to the world's oldest football club,Sheffield F.C., which plays in Dronfield in north-east Derbyshire.[79]Glossop was the smallest town in the country to have a football team in the top tier of English football,Glossop North End.[80]
County Cricket Ground, in Derby
Derbyshire has acricket team based at the County Cricket Ground.Derbyshire County Cricket Club currently plays in Division Two of theCounty Championship. There are alsorugby league clubs based in the north of the county, the North Derbyshire Chargers and in Derby (Derby City RLFC). The county has numerous rugby union clubs, including Derby, Chesterfield Panthers, Matlock, Ilkeston, Ashbourne, Bakewell and Amber Valley.
The county is a popular area for a variety of recreational sports such asrock climbing,hill walking,hang gliding,caving, sailing on its many reservoirs, and cycling along the many miles of disused rail tracks that have been turned into cycle trails, such as theMonsal Trail andHigh Peak Trail.
Derbyshire is host to one of the only communityMuggle quidditch teams in the country, known as Derby Union Quidditch Club. The Club recruits players from the age of 16 upwards from all over Derby, and has representatives from most local sixth forms and the University of Derby. The team has competed against both the Leeds Griffins and the Leicester Lovegoods in the past and is part of the vibrant UK quidditch scene. It is also an officialInternational Quidditch Association team.[citation needed]
In the north of the county, three large reservoirs,Howden,Derwent andLadybower, were built in the early part of the 20th century to supply the rapidly growing populations of Sheffield, Derby andLeicester with drinking water. The moorland catchment area around these is part of thePeak District National Park and extensively used for leisure pursuits such as walking and cycling.
Ardotalia, also known as Melandra, or Melandra Castle, is an ancient Roman fort built in the north-west of the county. The ruins and foundations are open free of charge to the public.
In September 2006, a proposal for acounty flag was introduced, largely on the initiative ofBBC Radio Derby.[82] It consists of a white-bordered dark green cross encompassing a goldenTudor rose (a historical symbol of the county) all set in a blue field. The blue field represents the many waters of the county, its rivers and reservoirs, while the cross is green to mark the great areas of countryside. The flag was subsequently registered with theFlag Institute in September 2008.[83]
In 2015,BBC Radio Derby commissioned a Derbyshire anthem entitled "Our Derbyshire", including lyrics suggested by its listeners. It received its first performance on 17 September 2015 atDerby Cathedral.
In 1801 the population was 147,481[85][86] This had grown to 272,217 inhabitants by the time of the 1841 census.[87] According to theUK Census 2001 there were 956,301 people spread over the county's 254,615 hectares.[88] This was estimated to have risen to 990,400 in 2006.[89]
The county's population grew by 3.0 per cent from 1991 to 2001 which is around 21,100 people. This figure is higher than the national average of 2.65 per cent, but lower than the East Midlands average of 4.0 per cent. The county as a whole has an average population density of 2.9 people per hectare, making it less densely populated than England as a whole.[90] The density varies throughout the county, with the lowest being in the region ofDerbyshire Dales at 0.88 per hectare, and the highest outside the main cities in the region ofErewash, which has 10.04 people per hectare.[91]
The 1969 filmWomen in Love byKen Russell had scenes filmed in and aroundElvaston Castle, notably the Greco-Roman wrestling scene, which was filmed in the castle's Great Hall.[92]
The 1993–2002 TV seriesPeak Practice was set inCrich andFritchley, except for the twelfth and final series, and originally starredKevin Whately andAmanda Burton.[97] In 2003, an unrelated and less successful medical TV drama,Sweet Medicine, was mostly filmed in the historic market town of Wirksworth.
Other Derbyshire locations in which British TV scenes have been filmed include:[98]
The Peak District is the scene of a series of four crime novels of the 21st century bySarah Ward:Bitter Chill (2015),The Shrouded Path (2020),A Deadly Thaw andA Patient Fury.
^Flag Institute."Derbyshire".Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved13 October 2017.
^Derbyshire County Council (2011)."2011 Census". derbyshire.gov.uk.Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved2 January 2016.
^ab"Derbyshire: Total Population".A Vision of Britain Through Time. Great Britain Historical GIS Project.Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved29 January 2008.
^ab"Derby UA: Total Population".A Vision of Britain Through Time. Great Britain Historical GIS Project.Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved31 January 2008.
^The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge. Vol. V (First ed.). London: Charles Knight. 1848. p. 344.
Pevsner, Nikolaus (1953).The Buildings of England: Derbyshire. Middlesex: Penguin Books.ISBN0-14-071008-6.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
Pevsner & Williamson, Elizabeth (1978).The Buildings of England: Derbyshire. Penguin Books.ISBN0-14-071008-6.
Willmot, Alan; Moyes, Nick (2015).The Flora of Derbyshire. Pisces Publication.ISBN978-1-874357-65-0.
Frost, Roy; Shaw, Steve (2014).The Birds of Derbyshire. Liverpool University Press.ISBN9781846319563.
Alston, Debbie; Mallon, Dave; Whiteley, Derek (2013).The Mammals of Derbyshire. Derbyshire Mammal Group and Sorby Natural History Society.ISBN9780950039688.
Cope, F. Wolverson (1998).Geology Explained in the Peak District. Scarthin Books.ISBN0907758983.
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