 This area of Derbyshire had been known for its outcrops of iron ore which had been exploited at least since the Middle Ages.After the Norman Conquest, nearby Duffield Frith was the property of the de Ferrers family who were iron masters in Normandy.In 1793, William Jessop, with the assistance of Benjamin Outram, constructed the Cromford Canal to connect Pinxton and Cromford with the Erewash Canal.