Swindell Surname: Swindell at Christmas Cottage and April Cottage, Youlgreave, Derbyshire

When you are doing family history you never know what will turn up. Matthew Lovell moved to Youlgreave and amongst the deeds to the property was a transfer in 1894 from Isaac Swindell to John Garrett of a pair of cottages in Church Street, Youlgreave.

In researching Isaac Swindell Matthew discovered my interest in the Swindell family and forwarded me a picture together with a transcription . The deed refers back to an 1811 will of Thomas Swindell (1725-1811) who left the property to his son Isaac (1767-1834) and in turn to Isaac's son Isaac (1811?-1896) who finally sold the property out of the family. Thus the deed confirms the relationship between Thomas and the elder Isaac and corrects an erroneous assumption about the parentage of the younger Isaac. There is no baptism record for the younger Isaac but the deed identifies the (younger) Isaac Swindell who moved from Youlgreave to Manchester as the son of Isaac and Ann Swindell.

It is, on the face of it, surprising that Isaac the elder should leave the cottage to his younger son subject to an annuity to his wife and a legacy to his elder son. However his elder son William had left Youlgreave for Manchester some years earlier whilst the younger Isaac had remained on the farm and was living in one of the two cottages in 1841. Only later did he follow his elder brother to Manchester.

The first Swindell entry in the Youlgreave Parish registers is a baptism in 1632 with a burial in 1653. Since the registers commence in 1558 it appears that the Swindells first moved to the village around 1630, possibly from Hartington and before that from Earl Sterndale. This would represent a slow drift from north-east Cheshire eastwards into Derbyshire.

Matthew Lovell now rents out one cottage, April Cottage, as holiday accommodation and runs a wood turning business from the other, Christmas Cottage.