The village of Buxworth, as it's known now, was once named
Bugsworth. For many years there were calls for its name to be changed, and things came to a head around 1930 when the villagers voted in a referendum. The vote
was in favour of changing the name to Buxworth.
A rather scathing
report in the Times newspaper, at the time, suggested, that generally speaking,
the older inhabitants didn't mind the name Bugsworth, but it was the newcomers
who pressed for change. Those the article called, "Uninvited urbans in
search of the simple but genteel life". The article went on to suggest,
sarcastically, that other places in Britain may wish to change their
names; for example, Houndsditch, Rotten End, Swine's Green, Slaughter and Pig Street. (Incidentally, all
places still bearing those names today)
In a second
referendum in 1999 a vote to revert to Bugsworth was defeated by those wishing
to remain as Buxworth. Ironically, it's reported that, this time, it was possibly the newcomers who wished to change back to Bugsworth.
After more than
eighty years, the original name refuses to die.
The canal basin at Buxworth is officially
called "Bugsworth
Basin", and locals,
almost universally, refer to the village as "Bugsworth", or far more
often as, "Buggy".
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| A Bugsworth well dressing; or should it be Buxworth? |
I see that Joel Clayton, who founded the twinned town of Clayton California, was born in Bugsworth.
ReplyDeleteYes, the town was mapped out by Joel Clayton and Charles Rhine. I understand they named it Clayton rather than Rhinesville on the toss of a coin
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