Two more postcards of Bonsall's Cross at the Yeoman Street / Church Street/High Street junction, unusually with nobody sitting on the steps. The top picture, with the horse and cart on the High Street (behind and to the left of the Cross), could date from just before the first war whereas the lower image which looks down Yeoman Street would have been taken around 1900 or just a little later.

The shop signs are almost unreadable in the second picture, but the double fronted shop to the right of the Cross was Frederick Hartle's drapery. He and his family were living at the Cross and he was working as a draper and clothier dealer in 1911^[1]. Mr. Hartle was the son of Abel Hartle and had been born in the village in 1854. He married Margaret Kirkland at St. James Church on 1 August 1881 and the couple moved to Nottingham for a while. Their son was born there. The family had returned to the village by 1891^[2], living at first on Clatterway but later moving to these premises. Frederick acted as Surveyor of Highway at one time whilst his son, Charles Frederick, became the Assistant Overseer And Rate Collector.

In 1926 the historian Thomas Tudor thought Bonsall was a "pretty and secluded village with its stone built houses, ancient cross and beautiful old church"^[3]. He added that Bonsall was originally part of the manor of Metesford (Matlock) which was in the King's Field. Over the centuries many of the village's inhabitants were involved with lead mining^[4]. Other historical industries were stocking making and comb making.

Just three years after Tudor's visit the Cross suffered a minor calamity when a motor lorry ran backwards and hit its base. The lorry went on its way afterwards but the enormity of what had happened became too much and it stopped about a mile away, refusing to budge for the night. Whether it was the lorry that was overcome with remorse, or the driver, is unclear! Needless to say, the following day officials were out with tape measures to assess the damage and the repair bill was sent to the lorry's owners^[5].

References:

^[1] Mrs Louisa Young advertised as a draper in Kelly's Directory 1912. In the 1911 census she was a draper & boot dealer on Yeoman Street.
^[2] Kelly's 1891 Directory lists Frederick Hartle, and is shown in the census for that year on Clatterway. He was still on Clatterway in 1901. Frederick Hartle passed away on 24 March 1928.
^[3] Tudor, Thomas Linthwaite (1926) "The High Peak to Sherwood, The hills and dales of old Mercia", published London by Robert Scott
^[4] Read about Lead Mining in the Matlock section of this web site.
^[5] "Derby Daily Telegraph", 15 November 1929. Village Cross Damaged.

	Also see: Davies, David Peter (1811) "History of Derbyshire" pub. S. Mason, Belper which has a small piece about Bonsall. Read the transcript: (Derbyshire's Parishes, 1811) elsewhere on this web site.
	Documents relating to Bonsall are included in the Wolley Manuscripts. See both the Derbyshire section and the more detailed Matlock section elsewhere on this web site. Look under Places in both sections.