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Atherstone
Atherstone, was a Chapelry of Mancetter until 1825 when it became a
separate parish. Hats were made here from mediaeval times and there were
many small hat factories in the eighteenth century, and some thirty in 1890.
Felt hats were its speciality. There are the ruins
of Merevale Abbey nearby,
and Merevale Hall, a nineteenth century mansion was built round a William
and Mary mansion, home of the descendants of Warwickshire's famous
historian, Sir William Dugdale who, in fact, lived at Blyth Hall some seven
miles distant. Ratcliffe
is within the parish.
Atherstone Heritage Centre...
Themed exhibition program associated with the history of Atherstone and the
surrounding area. Tel: 01827 713 191 for exhibition details.
Tamworth
Tamworth is an
ancient borough, and well built market town, pleasantly situated seven
miles ESE of Lichfield, at the confluence and on the north banks of the
rivers Tame and Anker, which here wind in circuitous routes through a
highly cultivated and fertile district. The western half of the town,
with the parish church, is in Staffordshire, and the eastern part, with
the castle and market place, is in Warwickshire. The parish is also
nearly equally divided between the two counties, and contains 9847 acres
of land, and 8,671 inhabitants in eight townships: Tamworth Borough,
Fazeley, Sierscote and Wigginton in Staffordshire, and Castle Liberty,
Amington & Stonydelph, Bolehall & Glascote, and Wilnecote in
Warwickshire.
Tamworth Borough township comprises the town and all the rest of the old
municipal borough, and rather more than half its population is in
Warwickshire. The town of Tamworth has a very clean and respectable
appearance, surrounded by an extensive tract of rich meadows, through
which the Tame and Anker glide in the most picturesque manner. Lady
Bridge, or St Mary's Bridge, crosses the Tame here and Bole Bridge
crosses the Anker. The Anker Viaduct, by which the Birmingham & Derby
Junction Railway crosses the Anker valley, near Bole Bridge, has 18
arches, rising 23 feet above the bed of the river. In various parts of
the parish are several corn mills and two paper mills, but the calico
print works and the woollen manufacture which formerly existed here,
were discontinued many years ago. Sierscote,
or Syerscote, two and a half miles NNE of Tamworth, is a township of 480
acres and 48 souls. This estate was anciently a prebend of Tamworth, but
now belongs to Joseph Earp, Esq, who has a pleasant mansion here. The
other dwellings are merely a few cottages.
Wigginton is a village one and a half miles N of Tamworth, comprising
within its township 3700 acres and 860 inhabitants, and the hamlets of
Comberford, two miles NNW, and Coton and Hopwas, from one to two miles W
of Tamworth. The Hon Mrs Howard is lady of the manor of Hopwas, and
owner of the large mills at Comberford, but the greater part of the
township belongs to Thomas Ashworth, Esq, and several other proprietors.
Wigginton Lodge, a neat mansion, is the seat of Sir Charles Mansfield
Clarke, MD, who was created a baronet in 1831, and lived in Norfolk till
1845. Comberford Hall is the pleasant seat of William Tongue, Esq. Alder
Mills, on the Tame, half a mile W of Tamworth, are now occupied by C
Fisher & Co, paper manufacturers and stainers.
Fazeley was a chapelry to Tamworth.
The townships in Warwickshire belonging to Tamworth parish are as
follows:
Amington & Stonedelph, the former one and a half miles E, and the latter
two miles SE of Tamworth, have in their township many scattered houses,
2167 acres of land and 383 inhabitants. Amington Hall is the seat of
Rear-Admiral Edward Henry à Court Repington, the lord of the manor.
Bolehall & Glascote are two villages, the former on the River Tame,
opposite Tamworth, and the latter one mile further to the east. They
give name to a township of about 900 acres, and 718 inhabitants,
increased recently owing to the establishment of a large colliery, and a
manufactory of glazed stoneware sewerage pipes, vitrified bricks, etc,
which now employs about 350 hands. Lord Charles Townsend is lord of the
manor, but the Peel, Bamford, and Smith families have estates here.
Wilnecote, a large village, two miles SSE of Tamworth, has a small
railway station, and its township comprises about 1000 acres, and 824
souls, including Dosthill House, now unoccupied, and many scattered
dwellings. Wilnecote Hall is the pleasant seat of Major Bamford. Sir
Robert Peel, Bart, is lord of the manor, and owner of a great part of
the soil.
Tamworth Castle liberty is a narrow township, extending about two miles
south from the Castle, between Fazeley and Wilnecote townships, and
including Park Colliery, Two-Gates, Thistley-Field, a stone quarry, 78
inhabitants, and about 300 acres of land."
(From History, Gazetteer and Directory of Staffordshire, William
White, Sheffield, 1851]
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Atherstone
Tamworth Area