Lichfield, Whittington and the Trent Valley area, 1830s First Edition. Click for a larger version – beware, big image. May take a while.
Following on from the post ‘Old ground’, reader Mike Armstrong asked for more of the Lichfield and Whittington area – so here you go.
Some fantastic stuff here to find; note Offlow, the lost tumulus, the Flitch of Bacon Inn, Rough Stocking Farm. Some great names in there.
I’m still taking requests. Comment here or mail me on BrownhillsBob at Googlemail dot com. Cheers!
RSS - Posts
Many thanks Bob 🙂
Great Map, I’ve seen the 1837 Tithe map of whittington and the 1770’s map of the same area. But this map gives much more details.
Especially interested in Bullings Mill Nr Huddlesford, as I’ve been looking into its history recently. So far back to 1700 with probable references in the Domesday book, 1086.
I am currently doing some research for the Heritage Trail along the route of the canal from Huddlesford to Fosseway. So I would be delighted to talk to anyone who knows anything about the history of the area.
Bob Houghton
Hi Bob
Would this Trail be along the route of the disused Wyrley and Essington Canal, from its junction with the Coventry Canal to Fosseway Lane?
Just South at the Fosseway end of the canal is Aldershawe, an old house that has featured on this blog!
Yes it is that length of the canal. I’ve started at the Huddlesford end and gradually working my way back to Fosseway. Fortunately I know a quite a bit about that stretch, Huddlesford Stop, Bunnings Mill, Darnford Mill, Freeford Manor, Leper hospital, Icknield Street Roman Road, London Road coaching route, the Gallows and gallows wharf, Sandfields pumping station, railway lines and Darnford Brook and so on.
I’ll have a detailed look at your link later as I have noticed it covers a lot of the data I have already been looking at. Do you know why Whittington is not mentioned on the Domesday book and where Horton is. I guess it could be an old name for Whittington.
Thats quite a lot of history to get to grips with. Looks like a full time job for the new year.
We are trying to establish a Heritage trial covering the route with signs detailing the local history. Don’t know much about mobile phones etc but they want QR symbols on the signs to link the data to web sites via the mobiles if that makes any sense.
Bob Houghton
Nice map Bob, thank you.
There is a good article concerning Offlow over on Tamworth time Hikes…
http://tamworthtimehikes.wordpress.com/2010/10/21/offlow/
Pedro,
Looked at your link and found it fascinating. I run in the local area regularly and I know the area well. I had heard of the link with Offa. So it was good to see the story laid out that way.
The mound is near the farm and not at the phone mast, But I will have a closer look next time I run around there.
The maps on the site only go back to 1815. Have you looked at the 1770/80’s map in Lichfield Records Office. I think its part of volume 14 of the Victorian history of Staffordshire. I’ve only got a copy of the section covering Huddlesford to Freeford.
The lane between the site and Shenstone is called Streetway Road. is that connected with Streethay and named after the Roman Road Icknield (Ryknild) Street?
Bob H
Hi Bob,
Robert Plot says a little about Offlow in his History of Staffs from 1686. If you have not seen it I will set it out below.
There is also an interesting mention of Whittington.
Pedro,
I’ve not seen that one. So would you please post the details.
Followed some of your links and seen the references to the Marquis of Donegal. He put up an objection to the act of parliament authorising the building of the Wyrley and Essington Extension Canal in the 1790’s. He was concerned that it could cause flooding of his gardens. So I did trace his history about the rise and fall of Fisherwick Hall.
What I have not been able to find yet is whether his estate was flooded by the failure of Chasewater dam in 1800. There would have been a ready route from Chasewater to his estate along the line of the canal and flooding was recorded at Hopwas.
Was his objection foresight?
Bob
The book Robert Plot, Natural History of Staffordshire, 1686…is a remarkable account of Staffs and when you get used to the old way of writing is very readable. It can be downloaded free from Google Books, the only drawback is that there is no index and so it’s best to make notes!
As far as Offlow is concerned he is talking of Lows…
There are many lows too, not placed upon any of the military ways, or old fortifications whereof no particular account can be given, as there was of the former, which yet seem to have been of Saxon erection, but there upon a civil, not military score: for they oft raised such lows over considerable men who died in peace as well as in war; but then they placed them in campo plana juxta defuneti praedium fito, somewhere in a plain beside the mansion of the deceased……as well as Offlow which also gives name to the hundred in which it is situate; which tho not the Sepulca of King Offa, who as Florilegus tells us was burried in Bedfordshire upon the bank of the River Ouse, yet it must certainly be the monument of some great person of the same name, either buried here alone, or in company of divers others perhaps slain with him this seeming indeed erected not like the former upon a civil, but upon a military account; and yet of Saxon original, as the name testifies, tho placed near the Watling Street; which sort of large tumuli cast up over many slain together, the Danes called Volcaster as Wormius informs us. But herein I an not positive.
Talking of springs and Whittington…
…into which opinion I am rather induced as I find the same intermissions in many fountains, especially in the Well south of Whittington Church, which although it want not water at any time whatever yet overflows (they say) extremely against a dearth of Corne: but in the Church field not far from thence in a piece of ground called Hunger-Moore-Slade belonging to Mr Nicholas Harvey of Whittington, there is a spring that breaks forth (according to the opinion of the people) only before the time of great dearth, being at all other times dry though at the wettest seasons, as I found it in Autumn 1680 after a full month’s rain: And when it does break forth (which for the most part happens not in several years) it then seldom runs above thirty poles, at which distance it sinks into the earth again…
Pedro,
Ran past the burial mound at Offlow today. There is not much left of it. One side has been reclaimed as a fishing pond and another side as a track into a field. So it is very difficult to identify any part of the mound.
Such a pity that it was not allocated a site of special scientific interest. After all it is probably the burial site of an ancient king of England.
I was told that it was King Offa’s mound, but even if it wasn’t it is clearly an important Saxon Burial mound. It seems such a pity that such an important point is not preserved.
With the interest of Saxon Staffordshire following the discovery of the hoard, maybe it will spark off renewed interest.