For over two centuries after the Norman Conquest, the de Handsacre family helped shape the history of Handsacre and the wider parish. Drawing on charters, legal records and surviving medieval documents, this article follows their rise from Norman lords to knights, rebels and landowners, before tracing the disputes, inheritances and political struggles that brought one of the parish’s most influential families to an end.
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.
In 1306, William de Handsacre travelled from his Staffordshire manor to Westminster to take part in one of the most spectacular ceremonies of medieval England. Knighted alongside more than 260 young squires at the famous Feast of Swans, he witnessed a royal oath, magnificent pageantry and the beginning of Edward I’s final campaign against Scotland—a remarkable connection between a small village and a defining moment in English history.
Doug Matthews grew up in Newtown, Handsacre, before wartime service aboard HMS Brissenden took him from D-Day to the Arctic. Returning home, he combined family life and a demanding working career with an extraordinary footballing record, scoring more than 1,000 goals during a playing career that lasted into his forties.
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.
Jack Whitehouse lied about his age to serve in the First World War and went on to earn the Military Medal for rescuing a wounded comrade under fire. Returning to Armitage, he spent the rest of his life working down the pit, serving as a parish councillor and becoming a leading figure in the British Legion. His story reflects both the courage of a decorated soldier and a lifetime of service to his community.
When an Armitage farm labourer won a cash prize in 1803 for raising eleven children without receiving parish relief, it revealed far more than a simple agricultural award. Using contemporary newspaper reports and parish records, this article explores the life of William Hyden and examines what his remarkable achievement tells us about work, family life and attitudes towards poverty in rural Staffordshire two centuries ago.
Never goo to weddin’s is a humorous Staffordshire dialect poem, but it also offers a fascinating glimpse into nineteenth-century village life. Through local speech, colourful characters and a wedding that descends into chaos, the poem captures the humour, customs and language of the Black Country and Staffordshire. This article explores its origins, meaning and enduring appeal as a piece of regional social history.
Derek Spencer‘s life spans almost a century of extraordinary change. From childhood memories of pre-war Rugeley and wartime service across the world to a long career at Armitage Shanks, his recollections offer a rare first-hand account of village life, work, family and the changing fortunes of the local pottery. More than one man’s story, it is a living history of the parish during the twentieth century.
At just thirteen years old, Jack Smith left school to become a pit pony driver at Brick Kiln Colliery near Brereton. Through his story, this article recreates the demanding daily routine of boys who worked underground, the vital role played by the pit ponies and the harsh realities of coal mining in the early twentieth century. It ends with the tragic accident that claimed Jack’s life when he was only seventeen.
A weathered sandstone monument in Armitage churchyard marks the resting place of John Webb, one of the Midlands’ leading landscape designers of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Researched by local historian Roy Fallows, this article traces Webb’s career from Derbyshire to the great country estates of England, revealing his work at places such as Shugborough, Weston Park and Teddesley before his final years at Lea Hall.
Gifford Foote‘s life of service began far from Handsacre, in rural Suffolk, but found its fullest expression in the village he came to call home. Teacher, Christian, volunteer and community organiser, he helped strengthen local church life, supported ecumenical work and, with Celia, founded Meeting Point to combat loneliness and offer practical help. His British Empire Medal recognised decades of quiet, determined service to others.
The award of the British Empire Medal recognised more than two decades of outstanding voluntary service to Handsacre, but Gifford Foote‘s commitment to others stretches back much further. This article explores the work that led to the honour, from founding Meeting Point and supporting local charities to helping isolated residents, strengthening community life and becoming one of the village’s most respected volunteers.
William Conway spent much of his working life in the Armitage pottery industry during a period of rapid expansion and change. Drawing together census records, employment evidence and family history, this article traces his career, explores the skills and occupations of a nineteenth-century potter, and places one local man’s life within the wider story of Armitage’s growing industrial community.
Samuel Morecroft was a man of many parts – basket maker, cycle manufacturer, inventor, undertaker, postmaster and local preacher. Written by one of his descendants, this richly illustrated article traces the life of a remarkable Victorian entrepreneur whose energy and public spirit left a lasting mark on Armitage. It explores not only his many businesses but also his family, community service and the changing life of the village he called home.
In 1970, Frank Hodgkiss, a Handsacre man, unexpectedly became a world champion after taking part in a light-hearted prune-eating competition at a Lichfield bingo club. What began as a publicity stunt soon attracted local newspaper headlines and an official world record. This entertaining true story recalls an unusual moment when two parish residents found themselves competing for an unlikely place in the record books.
Born in France during the eighteenth century, Antoine Albena Mountsoy survived capture during the Napoleonic Wars, served in the Royal Navy at the bombardment of Algiers and spent much of his life at sea before settling in rural Staffordshire. Researched by local historian Roy Fallows, this remarkable biography traces the adventures of a man whose extraordinary journey eventually brought him to Armitage, where he spent his final years.
In 1912 the Lichfield Mercury told the remarkable story of John Bailey, an Armitage-born chorister whose supposed career took him from Lichfield Cathedral to aristocratic kitchens, royal patronage and eventually life as a wandering tramp . But how much of the tale was true? This article follows Bailey’s extraordinary claims, comparing them with surviving records to separate fact from fiction and uncover the life behind a fascinating newspaper story.
In 1789, agricultural labourer John Waltho disappeared after setting fire to his employer’s farm in Handsacre. Despite nationwide reward notices, he evaded capture for almost sixteen years before making the fatal mistake of returning to demand unpaid wages. This remarkable true story traces one of the parish’s most dramatic criminal cases, revealing how justice was pursued and punishment carried out in Georgian England.
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.