Monument record MDR12672 - Hurst Fields Farm (site of), Wirksworth Road, Alton

Sanderson's map of 1835 shows a group of buildings lying a little to the west of Wirksworth Road, Alton. They are named 'Hurst Fields' and assumed to represent a farm. (1) Six separate small buildings are shown on the Tithe Map of 1843, the south-easternmost of which is assumed from its shape to be the farmhouse. (2) The farm was presumably demolished very shortly afterwards, as Alton Manor was constructed about 150m to the north-west in 1846/7 [see SMR 21510 for Alton Manor]. There is a reference to 'le Hurst' in 1298, to the 'hamelet de Hurst' in 1415 and to Hurstfeld in 1503, (3) suggesting that settlement in this area could have had medieval origins. (3)