Hopton

Hopton is a small village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England, which lies about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of the market town of Wirksworth in the Derbyshire Dales. The village is just off the B5035 road from Ashbourne to Wirksworth, at the northern end of Carsington Water. Evidence of human activity near Hopton, during a warm period known as the Aveley Interglacial around 200,000 years ago, is provided by the discovery of a Paleolithic Acheulean hand axe in the area. Hopton is mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086 as a berewick (supporting farm) of the manor and town of Wirksworth. Historically, its main industries were farming and lead mining. The village has a long association with the Gell family, who have had assets in Hopton since 1327, and had extensive lead mining interests in the Wirksworth area. The Gells lived at Hopton Hall. Notable family members include Sir John Gell, a Parliamentarian in the English Civil War and Sir William Gell, a 19th-century archaeologist. The Hopton Incline of the Cromford and High Peak Railway, now part of the High Peak Trail and Pennine Bridleway, is about two-thirds of a mile (1.1 km) north of the village. Modern Hopton is a dispersed village with a mix of houses, some of which are self-catering accommodation for tourists exploring the Derbyshire Dales, Peak District, Wirksworth and Carsington Water.