Notes for Tour 2

The Misdemeanours Tour - This tour relates to the arrest of local dancers in1665.

It includes - Lapley, where the dancers were apprehended, (church and exhibition) [dancing at the Vaughan Arms]; Church Eaton, where their luckless musician John Low lived, [dancing at the Royal Oak] (Lunch spot in the Victorian Village Institute), and Stafford, where the dancers were taken to court.

[Dancing in Stafford will be around the town centre] probably: by the Ancient High House; behind St Mary's Church, and on the pedestrianised area by Marks and Spencer's, (regrettably, not in Market Square, as there is a Farmers Market on). There should be time to take a look at The Ancient High House, The Old Law Court, St Mary‘s Church, (where the miscreants may well have been tried!) and St Chad's Church, (see this if you are interested in "Green Men")

Part of this tour will include a 1 hr Vintage Narrow Boat Trip on the Shropshire Union Canal over the Telford A5 aqueduct from Brewood to Wheaton Aston, (which now includes Lapley Parish), or from Wheaton Aston to High Onn, or the reverse journeys for those who start in Stafford.

The finish, (for some), will be at "The Bell", (the Noted ‘Ham & Eggery’) at Stretton, where the second group of 1655 dancers came from (Stretton that is!). The group on the last canal trip and the last Lapley group, will finish next to the Bridge Inn in Brewood, where they will stop for a song and dance session before walking the few yards back to the school.

Brewood to Wheaton Aston – By boat

Meet the boat by the Bridge Inn and hopefully avail yourselves of the “On board Barrel”

Brewood to Lapley by Minibus

This route passes the avenue to the original entrance Stretton Hall, which has been disused since the 18^th century since the neighbouring pools were found to be a source of Cholera!

Lapley to Church Eaton by Minibus

Much of this route is along the Roman road which led from Pennocrucium on the A5 to Deva (Chester)

Wheaton Aston to Church Eaton by Boat

This goes through several cuttings past Little Onn Airfield.

Church Eaton To Stafford by bus

This goes past Bury Ring, an Iron Age Hill Fort, and Stafford Castle, long thought to be a folly, but after excavations some 20 years ago, itwas found to be of great historic interest. We hoped to show you the view from the castle, but the highways authority has closed a quarter mile of the A518 and posted a 17 mile diversion! (We will not be using that)

Stafford to Stretton By bus / Brewood to Stafford by Bus

These routes will go via Penkridge that once claimed to be the Capital of England (ask the Town Crier!)

* No Drinking is permitted on the streets in Stafford. Strictly enforced!

Dance Spots in Stafford

+ Morris VIP Tour expect to attend   *Mayors of Stafford and Barcelona expect to attend.

About Stafford

There has been a permanent settlement in the Stafford area since around 900-700 BC. Iron age man would have settled here because of it's rich mineral deposits and vast forests. Things have changed since then in terms of the surrounding countryside. A large forest still exists to the southeast of the borough (Cannock Chase) but the rest consists of mainly farmland, marsh and meadow.

 A great deal of Iron-age and Roman evidence survives in Stafford and the surrounding area, however much of Stafford's history between 900bc - 800ad is unknown. In the 9th century, Stafford played a central part in the build up of  the pottery industry in the Staffordshire area.

 The early 10th century was dominated by the war against the invading Danes. Aethelflaed, the daughter of King Alfred of Wessex fortified the area and held the Danes back. Her success was largely put down to the surrounding marshes and dry hills. The marshes later gave name to the town, Staith Ford.

The 11th century saw William the Conqueror build a fort in Stafford, and he didn't stop there. The surrounding area was dotted with Norman forts and strongholds. This was all down to the resistance of the local people against the Normans.

Not much is known from here to the 16th century, Stafford was given a charter, bloomed as a small town for a while, then blended into the dark-ages, as did much of Britain.

The 17th century saw a revival of Stafford. King Charles I visited the town, he stayed at the ancient high house, as did Prince Rupert. The royalist Staffordians held off the parliamentary army for a while but eventually fell in mid 1643. John Bradshaw the town's parliament minister presided over Charles I's trial and signed his death warrant.

A 2 inch cannon shot was found in Castlefields allotments in 1960, and was given to a W.G.Bagnall apprentice who was passing on route from Castle Engine works to Stafford Castle half a mile away via the right of way. The shot was of the type used by Cromwell's model army in the civil war when Royalist Stafford surrendered to parliamentary forces on the 16th May 1643, and at this same time Lady Stafford vacated the castle under siege after which the roundheads ordered its destruction.

The 18th century saw Stafford develop as a town of trade and production. A minor pottery industry had developed and a much larger shoe industry flourished. The shoe industry dominated Stafford's industry until the late 19th century and put Stafford on the map as a major Town in England.

The 20th century saw Stafford (along with everyone else) move into the modern era. As the traditional shoe industries died, new and more large-scale industries moved in. These included large scale electrical companies, glue manufacturers, steam industries and wood yards. During the second world war a Stafford company produced tanks and shortly after a large scale munitions and storage yard was setup for the military.

So what does the 21st century hold ?.. Well Stafford has attracted large computer firms and electronic manufacturers, these include GEC ALSTOM and Omega Computing. Traditional companies like Evode, RAF Stafford and GEC still dominate the local workforce, however hi-tech companies have recently been attracted to the newly developed technology park at Beaconside and the town continues to expand

There are copious leaflets in the Information Centre by the Shire Hall and in the High House to answer all your questions.

About Lapley

Lapley was the focus of the 1655 Morris Dance affair and an exhibition giving details
will be in Lapley Church and the School during the weekend.

Lapley Church

The Church of All Saints is built of sandstone and consists of an unaisled nave and chancel with a central tower between them. The church was originally cruciform in plan, but the transepts have disappeared. The chancel and tower are on the same axis, but the nave is inclined towards the south. There is no obvious reason why this deviation should occur at Lapley.

The Church at Lapley became a priory of the Abbey at Rheims and remained so until Henry V suppressed all alien priories in 1415 during the wars with France. The Church and living then passed to the Warden of the college at Tong, where it remained until the dissolution by Henry VIII. The priory was established in about 1100 and blocked openings in the walls of the Church may have been connected with the priory; features in the north wall suggest that the priory buildings lay on this side.

The 12th century chancel terminated about half-way along the present one and a break can be seen in both walls. The nave was originally of the same period and 12th century masonry can be seen in the walls and above the window heads in the centre and east end of the north wall. The 12th century nave covered the same area as the present one and was approximately the same height.
The original tower was probably squat, the upper stages being later additions. The 12th century stonework extending to the ceiling of the present ringing chamber, the upper additions being Perpendicular in style.

The north tower arch, now walled up, springs from a 13th century abacus, and a projecting fragment of abacus is all that can be seen of the arch on the south side. The east and west arches are of two orders, the chancel being markedly pointed.
During the 13th century the chancel was extended eastwards. The splendid east window consisting of five lancets under a single arch is also 13th century. A priest's door is to be found in the south wall of the chancel at the junction of the 12th and 13th century walling and the inner door is believed to be of Flemish origin. A small area of the original floor tiles can be seen in the chancel.

To the early 16th century belong two square headed windows, each with three lights, in the north nave wall.In 1637 the tower was partly refaced and two short angle buttresses were added to the north east and south east comers.
The alter rails are 17th century. The Church is said to have been repaired and beautified in 1723 and in 1770 further repairs carried out.
The interior again received attention in 1838. In 1855 extensive rebuilding at the base of the tower together with two tall buttresses at each angle.

The west doorway and window were rebuilt in the Perpendicular style. The nave was re-roofed and a plaster ceiling in the chancel removed.
On the floor of the sanctuary is an incised alabaster slab depicting a priest in Eucharistic vestments. The chancel contains floor slabs to members of the Grundy and Webb families, there are also several mural tablets in the chancel.

In 1553 there were three bells and a Sanctus Bell. Today there is a ring of six bells, It is hoped to increase this to eight this year.
The sanctus bell which hangs on the south wall of the chancel is one of the oldest in Staffordshire, dating before 1500. 
Registers began in 1538.

About Wheaton Aston

It is believed that the village of Wheaton Aston would have been in existence at the time of the Domesday Book

It is said that two of the major events in Wheaton Aston’s history directly affecting the size of the village, have been the great fire in 1777 which destroyed half of the village houses and the installation of better sewerage in the 1960s and 70s which had the opposite effect of allowing more houses to be built.

Wheaton Aston has grown over the past few years and is now a popular place to live for people working in nearby Wolverhampton, The Black Country and Telford.

Wheaton Aston has in the past been famous for its Timber Fellers who travelled great distances to carry out this skilled work.

Wheaton Aston was also well known for the high quality of its hay and wheat, said to be the best in the country, and it is from this that the village’s name derives.

In the 1830s Telford’s Liverpool and Junction canal (now known as the Shropshire Union canal) was constructed on the eastern side of  Wheaton Aston, bringing with it the Bargees who worked their way from Liverpool to London with their cargoes. Today the canal is popular for tourists cruising throughout the area.

Up to the 18^th century, Wheaton Aston was regarded as something of a ‘Spa’ due to the existence of a mineral spring in one of the village gardens.

One interesting link with the past is the village’s unofficial flower emblem - The Snake’s Head Fritillary – known locally as ‘Folfallarum’. This pretty but very rare flower grows in damp, uncultivated meadows and grows wild in only a few places in the country, with Wheaton Aston being the most northerly. In the past when it grew more prolifically it was an annual event on the first Sunday in May for the villagers to pick the flower.

Luckily this habit no longer exists and Mottey Meadows – the folfallarum’s natural habitat – is now in the care of  English Nature. 

 Local Facilities

Wheaton  Aston provides the visitor with a range of facilities including a garage, newsagents, post office, supermarket,  hairdressers, dentist, two public houses, together with a Church and a Chapel.

Medical services are also available on weekday mornings at the village surgery

About Church Eaton

Church Eaton is a small pleasant village in central Staffordshire with a population of about 500. It consists of a main street with a few cul-de-sacs and some houses on the five roads that lead into the village. The main public buildings are the 12th century St Editha's Church, the Village Institute, the School, and the Royal Oak Pub.

The Church is now one of four linked parishes with one rector trying to accommodate the needs of all. The pub is owned by a village consortium who thought it was going the same way as the other four pubs that used to be here. The Swan, The Dolphin and the Malt Shovel are now private houses and the New Inn has disappeared. The school has two sets of governors one for the education and one for the buildings that are in trust based on a history of 500 years.

The houses vary greatly in size, style and age, from the large 18th century "Old Rectory" and the 15th century "Smithy Cottage" to the modern houses of St Editha's Court and the Council houses of the Oaklands. There are two main public open spaces: the Children's Playground at the west end of the village, which is being refurbished and the Glebelands Sports field where Cricket, Tennis and informal games are played.

The village recently did well in the Calor Community Villages competition, which is based on the local activities and support for the residents rather than the physical appearance of the place. One aspect was the annual Village Festival which is done by and for Church Eaton. It offers many attractions such as a Procession, Open gardens, Entertainments, Artists Fair, Refreshments, Children's events and the ever popular Scarecrows. This brings in large crowds and raises money to support groups and buildings in the village.

Church Eaton usually does quite well in the "Best Kept Village" competitions and most residents take pride in the appearance of their properties and are prepared to assist in keeping the public spaces neat and tidy. This is one reason why estate agents refer to us as a "popular location".

The Shop and Post office as well as most of the old pubs are now closed, which means there are no sales outlets locally. However, we are well served by deliveries of Milk, Newspapers, Groceries, (ordered on line or by phone), Oil, Gas and Coal. Window Cleaners, Gardeners, catalogue salespeople and a variety of tradesmen operate locally. These is a daily postal delivery and two collections from the post box. The bus service has recently been restored. It is limited, but it is supplemented by the 'Rural Link' minibus, which connects local villages to the main routes.

There are groups in the village for Toddlers, Dog training, Tennis, Cricket, Badminton, Local History, Gardening, Natural History, Church youth groups, Tea and Chat for the elderly, social events at the Institute and the Pub, as well as many occasional events, like children's parties and concerts. If you feel like eating out, the Royal Oak now offers meals. Newcomers are encouraged to participate and assist with any or all of these activities as they are what makes a Village. 

Overall, Church Eaton offers both a local community with lots going on and the countryside two minutes away for walking, cycling, horse riding or even boating on the nearby Shropshire Union Canal. It is only half an hour by car from the major conurbations of Telford, West Midlands and The Potteries, but the feeling is very rural and we can see the stars at night.

As long as you can cope with: narrow lanes, noisy donkeys and sheep, no mobile phone signal, a church clock that chimes every 15 minutes, cockerels that make alarm clocks unnecessary and the occasional flood; it's a great place to be.

The village festival was two weeks ago and I have asked for some of them to be left up, but recent weather has wreaked havoc on many of them. I hope the Morris Dancers survive! 

About The Shroppie

 “Arrow-straight for much of its length, this charming rural waterway strides across the landscape.”

The 66-mile Shropshire Union Canal is a canal of two halves. North of Nantwich, the canal - built originally as the Chester Canal - is a wide waterway following the gentle rolling landscape of western Cheshire to Ellesmere Port.

But the southern half of the canal - built in the twilight of the canal age - is an astonishing feat of engineering. Its long embankments, deep cuttings and grandiose bridges frequently dominate the scenery. In contrast to the winding contours of early canals, the Shroppie kept the same course across valley and through hills, speeding cargoes on their way from the North-West to Wolverhampton and the Midlands. Concrete 'pill boxes' are an artefact from later times, a reminder of how the line was defended in wartime.

The tours cross the ancient Watling Street (A5) which goes fro Dover to Hollyhead on the Telford Aqueduct which is one of the many constructions on this section. The lock a t Wheaton Aston is the only one on this section but further north there are many including the staircase at Audlem.

Wheaton Aston to High Onn passes the Second World War airfield which was used as a training base and used for the re-training of pilots that had been shot down. After the war it was a major cam for Polish servicemen and refugees. Later it was a large Pig Farm and is now a pig research station.

Rob the Boatman will tell you lots more!