A pair of old cast-iron gateposts in Handsacre leads to the story of R. J. Harris & Son, one of Rugeley’s best-known engineering and ironmongery firms. Beginning with an overlooked detail in a historic photograph, this article traces the growth of a successful family business whose products ranged from agricultural machinery to garden rollers, leaving a lasting mark on the local landscape and economy.
Long before St. John the Baptist became the parish church, Handsacre had its own church dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene. Almost nothing survives above ground today, yet archaeological discoveries, field names and scattered medieval records allow its story to be pieced together. This article explores the history of the parish’s lost church and what remains can still tell us about its origins.
Thomas William White devoted much of his long life to serving Armitage and Handsacre. Methodist preacher, parish councillor, school manager and community leader, he became one of the village’s most respected public figures during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This article explores his commitment to faith, education and local government, revealing how quiet service and civic responsibility helped shape the life of the parish for more than half a century.
Bankruptcy did not bring Thomas Bond’s story to an end. Beginning again in 1819, he rebuilt his life as a brickmaker, establishing a successful business in Handsacre that supported his growing family for many years. This concluding article follows Bond’s remarkable recovery after financial ruin, revealing how determination and enterprise enabled one of Armitage’s earliest industrial pioneers to secure a lasting place in the parish’s history.
Medieval harpers, seneschals and ale conners; Victorian triangle makers, lathe treaders and hucksters—old occupations can reveal surprising insights into everyday life. Drawing on court records, parish registers, census returns and pottery employment records, this article explores the changing world of work in Armitage and Handsacre, uncovering forgotten trades, unusual job titles and the stories they tell about the parish over more than six centuries.
The names of Armitage and Handsacre’s fields are more than simple labels—they are clues to the parish’s past. Drawing on the 1841 tithe map, estate records and medieval documents, this article explores how centuries-old field names preserve evidence of Viking influence, medieval farming, vanished industries, local families and lost landscapes. Together they reveal a remarkable history that still lies hidden in the names of fields today.
A century-old Pledge Book from Handsacre Primitive Methodists preserves the signatures of dozens of local children who promised to abstain from alcohol. Their names open a fascinating window onto village life, the temperance movement and the ideals of the Band of Hope. Following many of those children into adulthood, this article reveals how the First World War transformed the lives of a generation that had begun with such youthful optimism.
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.
In 1970, Roy 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.
How did Armitage and Handsacre celebrate the Coronation of George VI in 1937? Drawing on committee records, newspaper reports and surviving invoices, this article recreates a remarkable day of carnival processions, fancy dress, races, teas, torchlight parades and a giant bonfire. It also reveals the extraordinary planning behind the celebrations and offers a vivid glimpse of community life in the parish before the Second World War.
