Armitage is a village in

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

, England, on the

Trent and Mersey Canal The Trent and Mersey Canal is a canal in Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire in north-central England. It is a "narrow canal" for the vast majority of its length, but at the extremities to the east of Burton upon Trent and north of Middl ...

south of

Rugeley Rugeley ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Cannock Chase District, in Staffordshire, England. It lies on the north-eastern edge of Cannock Chase next to the River Trent; it is north of Lichfield, southeast of Stafford, northeast of ...

and north of

Lichfield Lichfield () is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of ...

. With the village of

Handsacre Handsacre is a village in the English county of Staffordshire.OS Explorer Map 244: Cannock Chase & Chasewater: (1:25 000) :

it forms the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

Armitage with Handsacre Armitage with Handsacre or just Armitage is a civil parish in the Lichfield district of Staffordshire, England. It includes the villages of Armitage and Handsacre, and in 2001 had a population of 5,181, rising to 5,335 at the 2011 Census. The par ...

, which had a population of 5,335 at the 2011 Census. Armitage is the home of

Armitage Shanks Armitage Shanks is a British manufacturer of bathroom fixtures and plumbing supplies, now part of the group Ideal Standard. In 2004, Armitage Shanks had eight factories in the United Kingdom, the largest in Armitage, Staffordshire. Armitage ...

sanitary porcelain factory. Its parish

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

St. John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

church, is at the north end of the village. The organ of St John the Baptist church is of particular interest due to its size, age and history. The organ was built in 1789 for nearby

Lichfield Cathedral Lichfield Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Chad in Lichfield, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Lichfield, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lichfield and the principal church of the diocese ...

, but moved here in 1865, commissioned by the then organist Josiah Spode (IV) who resided at nearby Hawkesyard estate, also known as Spode House. Armitage is served by

Chaserider Chaserider is the brand name for bus services operated around Cannock and Staffordshire by D&G Bus, a local bus operator owned by Centrebus who are based in Adderley Green, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. History The Chaserider brand name, wh ...

bus services 826 and 828 connecting to Lichfield,

and Stafford.

Etymology and location

The name comes from the

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...

''Ermitage'', meaning ' Hermitage', in turn derived from the

Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th [2-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...

''ermitage'', from a tradition that a hermit lived between the church and the River Trent. It does not appear in the ''Domesday Book'', although

Handsacre Handsacre is a village in the English county of Staffordshire.OS Explorer Map 244: Cannock Chase & Chasewater: (1:25 000) :

does. Armitage is now part of

, although this is due to growth—historically they were once separate villages. It lies close to

Hill Ridware Hill Ridware is a small village in the civil parish of Mavesyn Ridware in the Lichfield District of Staffordshire, England. It is the largest settlement in the parish with a population of 857 at the 2011 Census. Situated across the River Trent fr ...

along with the

Hamstall Ridware Hamstall Ridware is a village and civil parish in the Lichfield district of Staffordshire, England. It is in the Trent Valley, and lies close to the villages of Hill Ridware, Mavesyn Ridware and Pipe Ridware. It is eight miles north of the ...

Mavesyn Ridware Mavesyn Ridware is a village and civil parish in Lichfield District, Staffordshire, England. The parish had a population of 1,048 in 2001, increasing to 1,128 at the 2011 Census. It includes the villages of Hill Ridware, Rake End, Pipe Ridware ...

Pipe Ridware Pipe(s), PIPE(S) or piping may refer to: Objects * Pipe (fluid conveyance), a hollow cylinder following certain dimension rules ** Piping, the use of pipes in industry * Smoking pipe ** Tobacco pipe * Half-pipe and quarter pipe, semi-circular ...

and Longdon. It lies close to the town of

and a few miles north of

. It is located on the

West Coast Main Line The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...

, the nearest stop being Rugeley. With continuous growth in the area Armitage and

are growing closer together.

References

External links

* Lichfield District Villages in Staffordshire {{Staffordshire-geo-stub

Etymology and location

See also

References

External links