Drunk and …
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.
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The Long Shadow of the Great War
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.
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Handsacre poachers
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.
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The Croft School, Armitage
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.