Where did the word “loo” come from? Among the many theories, one little-known explanation comes from an intriguing 1973 letter linking an aristocratic practical joke to one of Britain’s most familiar words. This article examines the competing origins of “loo” and considers why one story may be more believable than the rest.
A murder committed inside the manorial chapel at Handsacre in 1386 sparked one of the most remarkable legal battles in the parish’s history. At the centre lay a disputed inheritance, child heiresses, kidnappings, rival marriage claims and a succession of lawsuits stretching over twenty years. This article follows the evidence to reconstruct how ambition, violence and royal influence reshaped the medieval Manor of Handsacre.
Transcriptions of the Parish Registers for St. John the Baptist church for the years 1900 to 1930 are now on the website under the Records tab.
The introduction of beerhouses in 1830 led to more disorder and drunkenness and this is just a selection of the troubles our ancestors got into because of drink.
The First World War did not end for many survivors when they returned home. Through the lives of Percy Collop, Philip Bartlett, William Pedley and William Waltho, this article explores the lasting physical and emotional impact of the conflict on men from Armitage and Handsacre. Drawing on military records, newspapers and family histories, it reveals how service continued to shape their lives long after the guns fell silent in 1918.
Family history often begins with a few names and dates, but sometimes it uncovers unexpected treasures. While tracing her Conway ancestors from Armitage, Sheila Cochrane discovered an eighteenth-century marriage bond carrying a remarkable £500 penalty. What at first seemed a mystery became the starting point for a fascinating journey through old records, family connections and the lives of her Staffordshire ancestors.
In 1849 a gang of young men from Armitage and Handsacre set out to poach pheasants on a neighbouring estate, only to become involved in a violent confrontation with police and gamekeepers. Drawing on contemporary newspaper reports and court records, this article reconstructs the events of that November night and follows the fate of the men involved, revealing the harsh realities of poverty, the Game Laws and Victorian justice.
A peaceful Sunday service at St. John the Baptist Church erupted into violence when a dispute over a family pew ended with one worshipper being dragged from her seat in front of the entire congregation. The incident led to a remarkable court case that sheds light on church life, social status and the surprising value once attached to pew ownership.
Armitage Park produced an unlikely literary celebrity. Born there in 1800, Thomas Henry Lister drew on his experience of fashionable Regency society to write novels filled with aristocrats, politicians, glittering balls and sharp social satire, becoming one of the leading voices of the Silver Fork movement.
The Croft School opened in 1915 to relieve overcrowding at Armitage’s older schools and served generations of village children. Using the original managers’ minute books and school log, Roy Fallows traces its construction, early staff and the everyday events—from cess pits to Wembley trips—that brought the school to life.
