Lapley is a village and former
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 ...
, now in the parish of
Lapley, Stretton and Wheaton Aston, in the
South Staffordshire
South Staffordshire is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council is based in Codsall. Other notable settlements include Brewood, Cheslyn Hay, Coven, Essington, Featherstone, Four Ashes, Great Wyrley, Huntington, ...
district, in the county of
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. It is some 3.5 miles WSW of
Penkridge
Penkridge ( ) is a village and civil parish in South Staffordshire, South Staffordshire District in Staffordshire, England. It is to the south of Stafford, north of Wolverhampton, west of Cannock, east of Telford and south-east of Newport, Shro ...
, 1.5 miles east of
Wheaton Aston, 0.5 miles northeast of the
Shropshire Union Canal
The Shropshire Union Canal, sometimes nicknamed the "Shroppie", is a navigable canal in England. It is the modern name for a part of the Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company network. In the leisure age, two of the branches of that netwo ...
, 1.5 miles north of
Watling Street
Watling Street is a historic route in England, running from Dover and London in the southeast, via St Albans to Wroxeter. The road crosses the River Thames at London and was used in Classical Antiquity, Late Antiquity, and throughout the M ...
, and 6 miles SSW of
Stafford
Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingd ...
. In 1961 the parish had a population of 840. On 1 April 1986 the parish was abolished and merged with
Stretton to form "Lapley and Stretton", part also went to Penkridge.
Lapley Priory
Lapley Priory
Lapley Priory was a priory in Staffordshire, England. Founded at the very end of the Anglo-Saxon period, it was an alien priory, a satellite house of the Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Remi or Saint-Rémy at Reims in Northern France. After great fluc ...
was a community of
Black Monks (Benedictines), endowed c.1061, in the time of
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was King of England from 1042 until his death in 1066. He was the last reigning monarch of the House of Wessex.
Edward was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy. He succeede ...
, by
Ælfgar Ælfgar is an Anglo-Saxon masculine personal name, from ''ælf'' "elf" and ''gar'' "spear", that may refer to:
*Ælfgar of Lichfield (died c. 947), bishop of Lichfield
*Ælfgar of Elmham (died 1021), bishop of Elmham
*Ælfgar, Earl of Mercia (103 ...
, Lord of
Mercia
Mercia (, was one of the principal kingdoms founded at the end of Sub-Roman Britain; the area was settled by Anglo-Saxons in an era called the Heptarchy. It was centred on the River Trent and its tributaries, in a region now known as the Midlan ...
and
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...
, in memory of his third son
Burgheard
Burgheard was a medieval Bishop of Lindsey (or perhaps Bishop of Lichfield
The Bishop of Lichfield is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers 4,516 km2 (1,744 sq. mi.) ...
who died in
Reims
Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...
while returning from a pilgrimage to
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
with
Aldred Archbishop of York
The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers the ...
. It had been Burchard's dying wish to be buried at the
Abbey of Saint-Remi
An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns.
The co ...
and for his father to donate land in return. Accordingly, Alfgar bestowed land at Lapley and elsewhere in Staffordshire and Shropshire on
Rheims
Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne.
Founded by ...
Abbey, which established a satellite house at Lapley, probably in the mid-12th century. In due course, it was suppressed by
Henry V Henry V may refer to:
People
* Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026)
* Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125)
* Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161)
* Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (–1227)
* Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...
, who suppressed all
alien priories in 1415 during the wars with
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, before the general monastic
Dissolution of 1537-8. Its estates became the property of the college of
Tong Tong may refer to:
Chinese
*Tang dynasty, a dynasty in Chinese history when transliterated from Cantonese
*Tong (organization), a type of social organization found in Chinese immigrant communities
*''tong'', pronunciation of several Chinese char ...
, in
Shropshire
Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...
. In the English
civil wars
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.James Fearon"Iraq' ...
, the Priory House was fortified and garrisoned, but in 1645 it was dismantled under a
parliamentary
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
order. Some remains of the abbey are still visible in the walls of an old house near the church.
All Saints church
The church of
All Saints All Saints' Day is a Christian holiday.
All Saints, All Saints Day or Feast of All Saints may also refer to:
Art and entertainment
* ''All Saints'' (film), a 2017 Christian drama film
* ''All Saints'' (TV series), an Australian hospital drama
* ...
at Lapley probably dates from the late 11th or early 12th century. The nave and chancel are clearly
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norma ...
in age, along with the lower part of the tower, but the upper portions appear to be 15th century. The church possesses many ancient and unusual features and has been radically altered several times in its history. "An ancient map shows the
Chapel of Ease
A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently, generally due to trav ...
was situated here before 1577. The present church was dedicated by Bishop Lonsdale 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 ...
in 1857."
Of special interest is the
Dutch
Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
** Dutch people as an ethnic group ()
** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship ()
** Dutch language ()
* In specific terms, i ...
carved 11th century font depicting seven scenes from the life of
Christ
Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Christianity, central figure of Christianity, the M ...
, which was discovered discarded in a local farm in the 19th century and then reinstated into the church. "The font is unusual and consists of a base and pedestal supporting a wide octagonal bowl lined with lead. Carved scenes tell the story of the birth of Christ. The font is of early Dutch origin, no one knows how it came to Lapley."
''All Saints Church, Lapley''
Notable people
* Clement Deykin
Clement Pemberton Deykin (1 October 1877 – 14 March 1969) was a British rugby union player who competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics. He was born in Lapley, Staffordshire, and played for Moseley Wanderers RFC. He was a member of the British ...
(1877 in Lapley – 1969) a British rugby union player who competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics
The 1900 Summer Olympics (), today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad () and also known as Paris 1900, were an international multi-sport event that took place in Paris, France, from 14 May to 28 October 1900. No opening or closin ...
as a member of the British rugby union team which won the silver medal. He played for Moseley Wanderers Moseley Wanderers represented Great Britain at the 1900 Summer Olympics at rugby union. They played one game, losing 27–8 to France, winning the Silver medal.
Rugby Union at the 1900 Olympics
Great Britain, France and Germany were the sole part ...
RFC.
See also
* Listed buildings in Lapley, Stretton and Wheaton Aston
*
References
External links
{{authority control
Villages in Staffordshire
Former civil parishes in Staffordshire
South Staffordshire District