The Swifts are linked to the Colliers through my Maternal grandmother who was born Kate Swift. The earliest members of our Swift family that I have found so far came from Derbyshire.
Anthony Swift (1835 – 1890) – my 2 X Great Grandfather
Anthony was born in Cromford, Derbyshire at the age of 16, in the 1851 census he was an agricultural labourer and by the time he got married on 26th July 1854 just after his 19th birthday, he was a miner in the Scrthin area, previous members of his family had been lead Miners. By the time of the 1861 Census Anthony had become the first member of the family to work for the Midland Railways as a signalman at Little Eaton, Derbyshire. By the time of the next census in 1871, at the age of 36, he was the stationmaster at Hazelwood station. He had married Ann Brookes at St James the Apostle’s Church, Church Street, Bonsall, Derbyshire a mile and a half from Cromford on 26th July 1854.
On 9th April 1890 Anthony died at the station of heart failure, he had been ill with heart issues for two years and was buried at the Hazelwood, St John the Evangelist Church on 11th April. His gravestone confirms he was the first station master at Hazelwood it also says he was stationmaster for upward of 23 years so that would have made it about 1867 when he became the stationmaster.
On the death of his father Herbert Swift, Anthony Swift’s eldest son who was already working for Midland Railways at Hazelwood Station (in the 1881 Census he was a porter at the age of 17) took over as the station Master. He had three older sisters and three younger brothers. All three brothers worked for Midland Railways and the elder two sisters’ husbands worked for Midland railways. The older sister’s husband worked in the accounts department and the second sister’s husband was a train driver.
Herbert Swift (12 Apr 1864 – 23 Oct 1941)
After Herbert Swift swift took over as station master for Hazelwood from his father in 1890 he developed a strong reputation both within Midland Railways, so much so that as well as being the Hazelwood Station Manager he was also made Station Master of the neighbouring station Shottle. In the 1891 census, he was shown as a Station Master and Coal Merchant. Then in the 1939 Register he was a Coal Merchant & Haulage Contractor. He owned his own coal trucks and the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway which run the line that Hazelwood Station was on and run it as a railway preservation trust produced some models of the trucks as a fundraiser. I purchased one and put it in a display case with a bit of model line and a composite of photographs of the station and Herbert as the background, this can be seen below. The line is open between Duffield and Wirksworth.
Below are photographs of Herbert taken around 1913 and just prior to WW I on the platform of Hazelwood station
Herbert Swift and V M Barrington-Ward who was later knighted but was a Cadet when this was taken just before WWI – Photograph Mrs Land
After being the Station Master at Hazelwood for 42 years in addition to his father holding the post for 22 years making years of Swift Management.
he retired and wrote a book about the village “Hazelwood, in the Royal Forest of Duffield” which I have a copy of. He represented the area on Belper Rural District Council and was Chairmen of the Parish Council, which he was a member of since it had been formed in 1885, and a churchwarden for 37 years and a choir member for 2 years. His photograh was on the front page of the Derby Daily Telegraph on 18th June 1931 and an article headed “A Local Historian” in the “Gossip of the day” column told of his book and the information in this paragraph.
Here is the front cover and title page of Herbert’s book which I have a copy of:
Anthony Swift (1866-1938)
The second son of Anthony and Ann was named after his father by the time of the 1891 census he was also a station master living at Miland Railway Station House, Clarkes Lane, Willenhall, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire.
The last station Anthony was station master at, Ashchurch, was a very large one at the time because it was where most of the farm produce from the Malvern and Evesham spurs was brought onto the mainline. Ironically my first home in Gloucestershire was less than half a mile from the station although I had no idea at the time of any family links at the time.
Anthony retired to Cheltenham where he died in 1938 nine years after his wife Catherine (nee Land) who sadly only had a few months with him after he retired she was also born in Hazelwood they married on 17th July 1889.
Andrew Swift (30 May 1868 – 4 April 1935)
The third son of Anthony and Ann Swift was Andrew He started working for Midland Railways 11 May 1887 at the age of 19 he was appointed as a Porter and Lamplighter for the Midland Railway at Saltby (Birmingham) Station:
In the 1891 census Andrew was a Railway Porter lodging with the Clements family in Harborne, Staffordshire. On the 15th August 1892 he had married Alice Scotney Then by the 1901 census Andrew was a Station Master at Bolton upon Dearne which is between Doncaster and Barnsley. By this time Andrew and Alice had two children, Winifred Emily Swift and Alice Mahalla Swift.
By the 1911 Census Andrew was Station Master at Woodhouse Mill, Aston cum Aughton, Yorkshire. By the time of his retirement in 1929 Andrew Swift had been the Station Master of the large station at Wirksworth for nine years. It is this station that the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway is based at. By this time Midland Railway had become part of London Modland and Scotish Railways (LMS) on 1st January 1923
