Buxworth is a small village sitting between the towns of New Mills, Hayfield and Chapel-en-le-Frith. The village name has had a chequered history, starting off as Buggesworth in 1222, the double ‘g ‘ and an ‘e’ continued to be used on either side of 1600, but gradually a combined ‘ge‘ was slowly being dropped, so that from 1625 onwards, Bugsworth was in common usage. Since 1874 there has been five attempts to change the village name, two half – hearted and three serious, the most recent being in 1999.

The village's original name 'Buggesworth' can be literally translated from the Old English into ‘Bugge’s enclosure’, referring to a Nottinghamshire family named Bugge. The family, after making their early fortune in the woolen industry  diversified into lead mining in the Peak District of Derbyshire. In 1242-1248, Radulphus or Ralphe de Bugge, the spelling is not standardised, was recorded as being an extractor of minerals. He is thought to have lived at Berd Hall, New Mills, by the year 1251, he is noted to be a Bailiff of the Peak Forest, an influential post under the direct patronage of the Crown.

The Peak Forest was an area of land about 180 square miles, roughly bounded by the Rivers Derwent, Etherow, Goyt and Wye. It was an early form of game and deer conservation area, there were strict forest laws which were administered by special forest courts and inquisitions. It is from these early court records that the early history of Buggesworth can be traced - Radulphus de Bugge was himself fined before his own court in 1285.

In 1302, at Derby Assize Court, Adam de Buggesworth was outlawed for failing to turn up for his trial, having fled, allegedly after killing one Henry de Kendale. In 1318, a Forest Inquisition at Wormhill, summoned William de Ragged and in I411 at Westminster Henry IV gave a pardon to William de Caryngton of Buggesworth.

Bugsworth Hall built in 1627 still retains the old spelling, it was the home of the Derbyshire Carringtons until 1826. The family originates from Carentan in Normandy, France. Hamo de Carentan acted as squire to his uncle Hamo de Massey who fought at the battle of Hastings in 1066.

 The Carentan name also went through many changes  Carentan – Carynton – Caryngton and finally Carrington. The first evidence of their move into the Peak District was in 1368,when William de Caryngton was appointed the Bailiff of the Forest by Edward III.

The Peak Forest canal came to Bugsworth in 1798, under a succession of owners it was in continuous operation until its decline in the late 1920’s. Limestone was transported by a tramway from the quarries at Dove Holes to Bugsworth Basin. The associated limekilns, local coalmines and gritstone quarries made the Bugsworth Basin ‘the biggest inland port in the Kingdom’. The tonnage of limestone products was eventually to reach over 100,000 tons a year, in addition to the gritstone flags, stone setts and building stone. It was not unusual for 300 narrowboats a month to sail, via the canal system, to destinations in Yorkshire , Cheshire, Lancashire and the Midlands.

By the 1960’s the abandoned canal was in an advanced state of dereliction, so the Inland Waterways Protection Society took on the task of restoring the Bugsworth Arm and the basin. The Society took a lease on the derelict Basin, retaining the original name, ‘ Bugsworth Basin. ‘ The basin became a Grade 1 listed Industrial Archaeological site, through the Society’s dogged dedication, faith and perseverance over 30 years. The restored Bugsworth Arm and Bugsworth  Basin was reopened to canal traffic in April of 1999 though it to be closed soon after due to leakage.

A change in the village name was first proposed in 1874, "Limedale’ was the suggested name, the legal documents to St James’ Church, then being built, state, ‘The Parish of Limedale ‘ The second attempt circa 1900-1902 and is minuted in the Parish Council records - Neither attempt generated much public interest.

Onther attempt in May 1914 really set the mood for change, a lively Public Meeting in the school went through a succession of suggestions. Green Valley, Bucksworth, Dalesworth, Lymedale and Limedale. One wag even suggested’ Mugsworth ‘ stipulating’ that they would be fools to change such an ancient name. ‘ Lymedale gained the vote, the Parish Council acted by calling a referendum on the 3^rd Wednesday in September 1914, by the time that date arrived the 1^st World War had started and the matter then lay dormant for 15 years.

In the summer of 1929, Mr. T. W. Prescott, the headmaster of Bugsworth School and the Rev. J. R. Towers, the vicar, decided to canvas the village over the changing of the name to Buxworth. There was no debate, the villagers had a choice of Bugsworth or Buxworth. According to the original petition document, which was rescued from a refuse bin in the late 1980’s, there were 365 signatures for Buxworth and only 3 against.

A war of attrition developed, pitting one villager against, the matter was compounded by the fact that Bugsworth lay in two Parishes, the Black Brook being the boundary between the Chapel-en-le Firth and Chinley and Bugsworth Parish. When the Parish Council decided to hold a vote on the matter, it was confined to that part of Bugsworth, north of the Black Brook. The vote in November 1929, resulted in 161 for and 89 against the change. The various public utilities came to accept the name, but the local authorities, Chapel R.D.C. Chapel. P.C. and Derbyshire County Council continued to use the old spelling. It was April 1935 before Derbyshire County Council officially changed the name to Buxworth.

During 1999, there was an attempt to put the " Bug ‘ back in Buxworth for the Millennium. This time both sides of the village were enfranchised, the vote in June was lost, so it remains ‘ Buxworth ‘ to some and ‘Buggy‘ to others.