Tideswell is a very old village, Evidence of Neolithic settlements have been found in the area. The Romans were here too but it is thought that the Village takes its name from a Saxon chief in the Seventh Century Who was Called "Tidi".

It was William the Conquerer who gave Tideswell to William Peveril of Castleton; then after passing through the hands of many families it was bought in 1802 by the Duke of Devonshire. From the thirteenth century onward Tideswell was an important hunting centre.

The Tideswell Lead miners were renowned for their strength and were much prized by the military authorities. King George III is reported to have remarked when a group of miners were paraded before him in London: " I don't know what effect these men will have on the enemy, but Good God they Frighten me".