Old Chesterfield Pictures had a post from Kev Walton with a newspaper article about Nurse Cheetham. She was the local midwife in Whittington from 1912 to her retirement in 1939.
The article got me thinking about Nurse Cheetham and how she had delivered over 5000 babies. She would have been present when many of our Whittington ancestors were born and must have been very well known in the area.
She wasn’t born a local woman she came originally from Sherington Bucks, but she married James Albert Cheetham in 1896 and not long after the couple moved to Old Whittington, she had two children and became a midwife when she was 37 years old.
She lived many years at 99 Holland Road and was still living in Whittington when she died on 17 November 1958.
Derbyshire Times 28th July 1939
Old Whittington One Place Study 
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BARLOW (GREAT) is a large village and parish, situated on a bold eminence, and commanding a most extensive view of the finely cultivated country, 4 miles N. W. by W. from Chesterfield, and 10 miles S. from Sheffield. It includes part of the township of Little Barlow, in Dronfield parish. The parish forms a romantic district of lofty hills and deep ravines, having some extensive and thriving plantations; the soil is of an indifferent quality, and mostly arable. It contains 3335A. 1R. 11P. of land, and in 1851 had 128 houses, and 636 inhabitants, of whom 342 were males, and 294 females; rateable value £2511 1s. The Duke of Rutland is lord of thc manor and principal owner, here are also several small freeholder. The Church, a perpetual curacy, valued in the King’s book at £6 now £98, has been augmented with £400 and £10 per annum benefactions, £400 Queen Anne’s bounty, and £1,300 parliamentary grant. The rector of Staveley is the patron, it having been formerly considered a chapelry in that parish, from which it is separated by the intervention of the parish of Whittington. The Rev. George Shipton, is the incumbent. The Church, situated on an eminence on the S.E. side of the parish, is a small ancient edifice, with a square wooden turret, mantled with ivy, a little west of which is the parsonage, a good substantial stone building, situated within the township of Little Barlow, besides which, several other houses are similarly situated. In the church are monuments and other memorials to the Barlow family, but they are much defaced; one represents a Knight in armour, and is the tomb of Robert Barlow, who died in 1467. The manor of Barlow was held, with Staveley, by the Musards; it was afterwards in the ancient family of Abitot, a branch of which, on settling here, is supposed to have taken their name from the place. The family of Barlow, or Barley, possessed it for several generations. James Barley, Esq., sold it in 1593, to George Earl of Shrewsbury; the Earl of Newcastle purchased it of the Shrewsbury family in the reign of James or Charles I.; having passed by descent to his Grace the Duke of Portland, it was in 1813, exchanged with the Duke of Rutland for the manor of Whitwell. Feast, second Sunday in August.
Bole Hill, ½ mile south of the village, contains a few cottages and a boarding and day school erected in 1677, and situated on a commanding eminence having a beautiful prospect
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684 SCARSDALE HUNDRED.
of the ccuntty around. In 1831 a good substantial stone house for the master was erected by the Duke of Rutland for the accommodation of boarders, which has since been enlarged at the sole expense of the present master, Mr. Edward Straw, who has occupied it for the last 36 years; the average attendance of boarding and day scholars is 55. In connection with the school is a library, established in 1830, which contains about 600 volumes. Mr. Edward Straw, is librarian. It was at Bole Hill that Montgomery wrote his poem “Bole Hill Trees.” Barlow Woodseats Hall, 2 miles N.W. from the church, is an ancient and commodious farm residence, the property of Charles Thorold, Esq., and occupied by Mr. Robert Bradbury. The parish contains many other scattered hamlets and farms which are given in the directory.
CHARITIES.—Robert Mower, in 1775, gave a yearly sum of 20s., which is distributed about Christmas. The poor have also the interest of £5 given by John Mellor in 1735.
The interest of £50 given by Thomas Stephenson, in 1743, is distributed on St. Thomas’s day amongst poor housekeepers.
Susannah Stephenson, in 1752, left 40s. yearly for the instruction of five poor boys. By indenture, 1781, a close in Newbold was conveyed to trustees for the school and the poor, supposed to be in satisfaction of the above donation. The land, about 3 acres, is let for £6 per annum, £2 14s. of which, is paid to a schoolmaster, and the residue is given to the poor. A school was erected many years ago, and in 1817, a house for the residence of the master was built by subscription.
John Crashaw, in 1816, left the interest of £20 to be distributed to the poor.
Thc poor also have bread to the amount of 10s. per annum from the bequest of John Bargh.
Rev. Francis Gisborne’s Charity.—(See Bradley)—The annual sum of £5 10s. received by the incumbent, is laid out in warm clothing, and distributed to the poor about Christmas.
Marked 1 are at Little Barlow, 2, Barlow Grange, 3 Grange Wood, 4 Joney Gate, 5 Moorhall, 6 Newgate, 7 Oxstone Rake, 8 Rumbling St., and 9 Willdey Green.
Post Office at Owen Featherstone’s. Letters arrive from Chesterfield at 9 am., and are despatched at 5.30 p.m.
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