Pitchford

Last updated

Pitchford
Pitchford Church - geograph.org.uk - 351076.jpg
St Michael and All Angels’ Church
Shropshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Pitchford
Location within Shropshire
Population110 
OS grid reference SJ529036
Civil parish
  • Pitchford
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Shrewsbury
Postcode district SY5
Police West Mercia
Fire Shropshire
Ambulance West Midlands
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Shropshire
52°37′41″N2°41′42″W / 52.628°N 2.695°W / 52.628; -2.695

Pitchford is a small village in the English county of Shropshire. It is located between Cantlop and Acton Burnell and stands on an affluent of the River Severn. Pitchford takes its name from a bituminous spring/pitch in the village, [1] located near The Row Brook.

Contents

It is home to Pitchford Hall, one of the most notable Elizabethan houses in Britain. [2] The Church of St Michael and All Angels stands near to the house which contains a carved oak 13th century effigy of Sir John de Pitchford. [3] It is also the name for the civil parish.

History

Population

Census data during the years 1881– 1961 shows that Pitchford's population decreased while the total population of England and Wales increased conversely. [4] Housing information recorded through the years of 1831–1961 shows the number of houses in the area fluctuated between 35 and 43 houses during this time. [5] Statistics from the 2001 census show that the number of households with residents was 44. [6] In 2001, its total population was 110. [7]

The population's social class was examined 1831 census, with thee majority (over 55%) of the population described as "Labourers and Servants". The second largest social class was recorded as "muddling sorts". [8]

Employment

In the Census of 1831 a detailed categorisation of employment was recorded, showing that Agricultural Labourers made up the largest sector (over 50%) of employment of Males aged 20 and over in 9 occupational categories. The second largest category consisted of those employed in the Retail and Handicrafts industry. [9] Of the 76 Pitchford population aged between 16 and 74, 59 people were economically active/ employed whereas none were unemployed. The majority (39 people) of these were employed in Service Industries. [10]

Pitchford Estate

Pitchford Hall Pitchford Hall - geograph.org.uk - 47650 (cropped).jpg
Pitchford Hall

Pitchford Hall is Grade I listed building, and the estate is first referred to in historical records in the Domesday Book of 1086 as follows: “Edric, and Leofric and Wulfric held it as three manors; they were free. 3 hides which pay tax. Land for 5 ploughs. In lordship 3; 3 slaves; 3 ploughmen; 1 village; 3 smallholders, a smith and rider with 2 ploughs. Woodland for fattening 100 pigs. Value before 1066, 8s later 16s; now 40s.” [11] Records suggest a medieval manor house existed somewhere on the site from at least 1284 to 1431. [11]

The 40-room mansion as it exists today however is said to have been built between 1560 and 1570 for Adam Ottley, a wool merchant from Shrewsbury. [12] The half-timbered mansion stands next to the Church of St Michael and All Angels, and is widely considered to be one of the finest Tudor houses in Britain. [3] The Pitchford estate remained in the Ottley family until the death of Adam Ottley in 1807, when it passed to Hon. Charles C. C. Jenkinson, second son of the 1st Earl of Liverpool and later to his son-in-law John Cotes. [13]

Pitchford Hall c.1778 Pitchford Hall 01997.jpg
Pitchford Hall c.1778

Princess Victoria visited the hall in 1832, five years before acceding to the throne, and wrote in her diary that the hall was "A curious looking but very comfortable house. It is striped black and white, and in the shape of a cottage". [14] George VI (The Duke of York at the time) and Duchess of York (The Queen Mother post-1952) also stayed in the hall during 1935. [14] In 1940, during the Second World War, Pitchford Hall was one of the three houses selected for the King and Queen as a potential safe refuge away from London. [12] The hall, unlike some similar properties in Britain has remained in private ownership for many generations. The hall was sold in 1993 however, ending a 500-year family link to the estate. [14] The Pitchford Hall and estate were separately owned [3] until 2016, when Rowena Colthurst and her husband James Nason purchased the Hall back into family ownership. [15]

St Michael's Church

The Grade A listed [16] Church of St Michael and All Angels was founded and built by Ralph de Pitchford in 1220 AD; the estate's website describes the church as Norman. [17] The church was remodelled in the 13th century, the east wall of the chancel was rebuilt in 1719, the vestry was added in 1819, and the church was restored in 1910. The church consists of a nave and chancel in one cell, and a northeast vestry. It is built in red sandstone, the roof of the nave is in stone-slate, and the chancel has a tile roof. At the west end is a weatherboarded bellcote with a pyramidal stone cap and a finial (a decorative ending). [16] [18] Its pulpit and pews are in the early 17th-century Jacobean style.

The grounds contain war memorial plaques, listing two men who died in World War I and three in World War II, as well as nine men and six women of the parish who served in the latter war. [19]

The church's best known feature is a carved effigy and tomb chest of John De Pitchford (d. 1285), [20] whoes monument is positioned in the chancel of the church, [21] and is made from solid oak. [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bag Enderby</span> Hamlet in Lincolnshire, England

Bag Enderby is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Greetham with Somersby, in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It lies just north of the A158 road, 6 miles (10 km) north-east from Horncastle and 4 miles (6 km) north-west from Partney. In 1931 the parish had a population of 29. On 1 April 1936 the parish was abolished and merged with Somersby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Astley Abbotts</span> Human settlement in England

Astley Abbotts is a village and civil parish in Shropshire, England, located immediately north of Bridgnorth, and straddling the B4373 Bridgnorth to Broseley road. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 396.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albrighton, Pimhill</span> Human settlement in England

Albrighton is a small village in the civil parish of Pimhill, in Shropshire, England. It is situated on the A528 Shrewsbury-Ellesmere road and is roughly 4.0 miles (6.4 km) north of Shrewsbury. After a history of being its own parish, it currently lies in the parish of Pimhill. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, the parish population of Pimhill was 2008, with the number of these habiting in Albrighton being 273.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Ness</span> Human settlement in England

Great Ness and Little Ness are civil parishes in Shropshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stirchley, Shropshire</span> Human settlement in England

Stirchley is a large village and suburb of Telford, in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. Stirchley lies just south-east of the town centre, and shares a parish council with neighbouring Brookside, which together have a population of 10,533 according to the 2001 census data It is close to Dawley and Malinslee and located next to the southern side of Telford town park. Although formerly a farming parish, it was incorporated into the Telford New Town in the 1970s. There are some important heritage sites in the parish, notably St James Church, Stirchley Hall, Stirchley Grange and the Stirchley Chimney, now a local landmark. A number of Stirchley's heritage sites are waypoints on the South Telford Heritage Trail. The former school was removed brick-by-brick and rebuilt at the nearby Blists Hill Victorian Town museum in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leighton and Eaton Constantine</span> Human settlement in England

Leighton and Eaton Constantine is a civil parish in Shropshire, England. It consists of the village of Leighton, together with the smaller villages or hamlets of Eaton Constantine, Upper Longwood and Garmston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moreton Corbet</span> Human settlement in England

Moreton Corbet is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Moreton Corbet and Lee Brockhurst, in the Shropshire district, in the ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. The village's toponym refers to the Corbet family, the local landowners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worthen</span> Village in Shropshire, England

Worthen is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Worthen with Shelve, in the Shropshire district, in the ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. It is approximately 13 miles west of Shrewsbury. It sits in the Rea Brook valley. To the south are the Stiperstones and the Bromlow Callow, known for the small clump of trees on top. To the north is Long Mountain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kinlet</span> Human settlement in England

Kinlet is a small village and civil parish in the south-east of the county of Shropshire, England. The parish is on the northern edge of the Wyre Forest and is in the Bridgnorth District of Shropshire. The parish incorporates the hamlets of Kinlet Village, Button Bridge and Button Oak. Kinlet is located 18 miles (29 km) south of Telford, the main town in Shropshire and 23 miles (37 km) west of Birmingham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gayton, Staffordshire</span> Human settlement in England

Gayton is a small rural village and civil parish in Staffordshire, located approximately 1 mile from the A51 between Stone and Stafford. In 2001 it had 167 residents, with 1 letter box, one bus stop, and new village hall. The post box is owned now by the village as is the telephone booth. The post code for Gayton properties normally start with ST18.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rushbury</span> Human settlement in England

Rushbury is a village and civil parish in Shropshire, roughly five miles from Church Stretton and eight miles from Much Wenlock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryton, Shropshire</span> Human settlement in England

Ryton is a village and civil parish in Shropshire, England, in the district of Bridgnorth. It lies about one mile north north west of Beckbury. The civil parish originates during Norman times, and appears as "Ruitone" in the Domesday book of 1086. Ryton was part of the Saxon parish of Shifnal, but became separate at some point during the 12th century because there is mention of a priest at Ryton named Bernard in 1186.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ousden</span> Human settlement in England

Ousden is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. It is located around six miles west of Bury St Edmunds and 72 miles north of London, and as of 2011, its population is 266. The village has an Anglican church of St Peter's and a chapel in the cemetery dedicated to St Barnabas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edgton</span> Human settlement in England

Edgton is a small village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. It is also an ecclesiastical parish and a chapelry. It lies in a rather remote and very rural area, south of the River Onny. The nearest market towns are Bishop's Castle, Craven Arms, Clun and Church Stretton, while the larger village of Lydbury North lies a few miles to the west. It is located 4 miles west of Craven Arms and is positioned on the former stagecoach route from London to Bishop's Castle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomb effigy</span> Statue on top of a tomb

A tomb effigy is a sculpted effigy of a deceased person usually shown lying recumbent on a rectangular slab. Although these funerary and commemorative reliefs were first developed in Ancient Egyptian and Etruscan cultures, they appear most numerously in Western Europe tombs from the later 11th century, in a style that continued in use through the Renaissance and early modern period, and are still sometimes used. They typically represent the deceased in a state of "eternal repose", with hands folded in prayer, lying on a pillow, awaiting resurrection with a dog or lion at their feet. A husband and wife may be depicted lying side by side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goldstone, Shropshire</span> A hamlet in Shropshire, England

Goldstone is a small hamlet in eastern Shropshire, England, in the civil parish of Cheswardine. It lies in an isolated rural area north of Hinstock and Ellerton, around 5 miles (8 km) south of the nearest town, Market Drayton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Ottley</span> English churchman

Adam Ottley was an English churchman, Bishop of St David's from 1713 until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pitchford Hall</span> Grade I listed building in Shropshire, United Kingdom

Pitchford Hall is a Grade I listed Tudor country house in the village of Pitchford, Shropshire, 6 miles south east of Shrewsbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Ottley</span> English Royalist politician and soldier

Sir Richard Ottley was an English Royalist politician and soldier who served as a youth in the English Civil War in Shropshire. After the Restoration he played a prominent part in the repression of Parliamentarians and Nonconformists and was MP for Shropshire in the Cavalier Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomb of John De Pitchford</span>

The Tomb of John De Pitchford is a 13th-century carved effigy and tomb chest of John De Pitchford, located at St Michael and All Angels’ Church, Pitchford, Shropshire, England.

References

  1. ↑ "Pitchford, Shropshire". UK Genealogy Archives. UK Genealogy Archives. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  2. ↑ "Pitchford". Shropshire Tourism. Shropshire Tourism. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 Pitchford, Dave. "Why we have a little village in Shropshire named after us". Dave Pitchford. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  4. ↑ Southall, Humphrey. "Pitchford Current Rate: Population Density (Persons per Acre)". A Vision of Britain Through Time. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  5. ↑ Southall, Humphrey. "Pitchford: Total Houses". A Vision of Britain Through Time. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  6. ↑ "Pitchford: Parish Profile – Accommodation and Tenure". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  7. ↑ "Pitchford: Parish Headcounts". Office for Neighbourhood Statistics. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  8. ↑ Southall, Humphrey. "Pitchford: Social Status, based on 1831 occupational statistics". A Vision of Britain Through Time. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  9. ↑ Southall, Humphrey. "Males aged 20 & over, in 9 occupational categories". A Vision of Britain Through Time. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  10. ↑ "Pitchford (CP) Parish, Parish Profile- Work and Qualifications". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  11. 1 2 "Pitchford Estate: History". Pitchford Estate. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  12. 1 2 "CASTLES AND HISTORIC BUILDINGS: A nice little place in the country". BBC. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  13. ↑ "Shropshire Houses-Past and Present" . Retrieved 5 November 2012.
  14. 1 2 3 "A Tribute of Caroline Colthurst of Pitchford Hall". Shropshire Life. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  15. ↑ "Inside a family's epic quest to recover the country pile they were forced to give up". The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on 17 April 2023.
  16. 1 2 Historic England & 1177813
  17. ↑ "Pitchford Estate: Activities". Pitchford Estate. Archived from the original on 22 December 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
  18. ↑ Newman & Pevsner (2006), pp. 468–469
  19. ↑ Francis, Peter (2013). Shropshire War Memorials, Sites of Remembrance. YouCaxton. p. 126. ISBN   978-1-909644-11-3.
  20. ↑ Fryer (1921), p. 14
  21. ↑ Fryer (1921), p. 54
  22. ↑ Tummers (1980), p. 30

Sources

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Pitchford at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.