Ralph Davis and John Smedley were the first two people to open hydropathic establishments on Matlock Bank^[1]. In 1862 hydropathy was viewed as being still in its infancy. "The baths which have been established at Matlock Bank have not as yet obtained that celebrity obtained by Matlock Bath, nevertheless, the support they have hitherto received affords strong evidence that they Hydropathic system is not without its supporters ; and it is more probable that in a few years it will prove a formidable yet friendly rival for a share of the public patronage which is enjoyed by its elder sister. There are at this time two Hydropathic establishments _viz., Mr. John Smedley's and Mr. Ralph Davis's, Matlock Bank …." (White's, p.285^[2]). In a slightly earlier edition of White's (1857) the number of establishments was given as three and in 1862 other hydros were about to open, including establishments run by two of Ralph's brothers, Thomas and George Davis.

Ralph Davis's first independent hydro, before he opened Chesterfield House in 1861, was Southview Cottage, which survives as the original part of what was later the Smedley Memorial Hospital^[3]. He then went on to build, own and operate Chesterfield House Hydro on Chesterfield Road which is the subject of this postcard. Chesterfield House had extensive grounds. A photograph published in David Barton's book^[4], dated 1907, shows a slightly smaller building than the one here. The left half of the building differs only slightly from that picture but the right hand side did not exist in 1907.

Ralph Davis was one of seven children born to William and Hannah^[5] (née Botham). He was baptised at St. Giles'^[6], initially following in his father's footsteps by becoming a framework knitter^[7]. In 1837 he married his first wife, Lydia Wright^[5], although Lydia unfortunately died the same year^[8]. Ralph later married Ann Buckley (née Alton) on 25 Feb 1850 at Duffield. Some of Ann's daughters helped in the family business and Harriett, and her second husband, George Richards, took over the business for a time when Ralph and Ann became elderly.

Ralph and Ann Davis died just over a year apart, with Ann being buried at St. Giles' on 28 Feb 1895, aged 86, and Ralph on 13 Oct 1896, aged 81. By 1901 the Chesterfield House Hydro Company Ltd had been formed. When Mother Xavier Murphy visited Matlock about 1926 the once busy hydropathic establishment founded by Ralph Davis was closed and the building unoccupied. The Presentation Sisters, who were based in India, decided to buy Chesterfield House, opening their Convent in 1927 and the school was opened shortly afterwards. The senior school has closed but the convent continues^[9].

References (the coloured links are to onsite transcripts):

^[1] An advertisement in "The Sheffield & Rotherham Independent", on 6 April, 1896 says Ralph Davis established his business in 1852. John Smedley bought his Matlock property in the Spring of 1853 ("The Derby Mercury", 27 April, 1853).

^[2] General Commercial Directory and Topography of the Borough of Sheffield with all the Towns, Parishes, Villages and Hamlets Within a Circuit of Twenty Miles, pub. Francis White & Co. Sheffield (1862).

^[3] Information from Ray Ash. Ralph Davis was the brother of Ray's 3 X great grandmother.

^[4] Barton, David A. : Collected by (1993) "Around Matlock in Old Photographs", Alan Sutton Publishing, Stroud. ISBN 0-7509-0502-6

^[5] William Davis married Hannah Botham in 1803 - see Matlock marriages. Ralph's marriage to Lyia Wright on 27 Feb 1837 is also listed

^[6] Baptisms for St. Giles' are on elsewhere this website. Ralph was baptised there 19 Mar 1815

^[7] Ralph Davis is listed in Matlock's census returns: 1841 census (with parents and siblings) | 1851 census (with second wife and her daughters) | 1861 census | 1871 census | 1881 census | 1891 census (living next door to Chesterfield house, but still the owner). He advertised in various trade directories. See, for example: The Post Office Directory (1876) | Kelly's (May, 1891)

^[8] Lydia Davis was buried at St. Giles on 07 Nov 1837 - see trancript of her burial

^[9] Schools: short descriptions of Matlock Schools, including the Presentation Convent