Stanton Lacy is a small village and geographically large

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 ...

located in south

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 ...

, England, north of

Ludlow Ludlow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road (Great Britain), A49 road which bypasses the town. The town is near the conf ...

. The River Corve flows through the parish, on its way south towards the

River Teme The River Teme (pronounced ; ) rises in Mid Wales, south of Newtown, and flows southeast roughly forming the border between England and Wales for several miles through Knighton before entering England in the vicinity of Bucknell and continu ...

, and passes immediately to the west of the village. The ancient

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

in the village is St Peter's. The building is Grade I listed and has pre- Norman parts dating to circa 1050.

Parish

The parish covers a wide rural area, encompassing a part of the flat and low-lying Corvedale but also an area of upland around Hayton's Bent (with the highest elevation being ). It contains a number of small settlements, including: * Stanton Lacy (the village) * Vernolds Common * The Hope * Lower Hayton * Upper Hayton * Hayton's Bent – location of Stanton Lacy Village Hall * Downton * Hoptongate The 2011 census recorded a resident population of 345. The geographic area of the parish is . The northern part of the Old Field (now occupied by Ludlow Racecourse and the Ludlow Golf Club) is located in the parish, located about a mile (1.6 km) to the south of the village. Much of the parish, as well as the neighbouring parish of Bromfield, remains part of the Earl of Plymouth's Oakly Park Estate.

History

Stanton Lacy has early

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

origins and can trace its history to before the

Norman conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

of 1066, after which the large manor of Stanton was granted to Roger de Lacy. Previously simply known as Stanton, this ownership gave it the name of Stanton ''Lacy'', which is in use to the present day and helps distinguish it from the many other places in England (and Shropshire) with the name 'Stanton'. The manor features in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

of 1086 and this recorded a notably large population of the manor, indeed the greatest in the county measured by number of households, as well as the fourth-greatest monetary value. The Book also recorded the presence of a church and two priests. At the time Stanton came within the Saxon

hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...

Culvestan Culvestan was a hundred (county division), hundred of Shropshire, England. Formed during Anglo-Saxon England, it encompassed Manorialism, manors in central southern Shropshire, and was amalgamated during the reign of Henry I of England, Henry I ( ...

, which was replaced during the reign of Henry I and the parish then came within the new

Munslow Munslow is a small village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. It is situated on the B4368, northeast of the town of Craven Arms, in the River Corve, Corvedale, at around above sea level. The village formed part of and gave its name to t ...

hundred. The

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

was larger than now, with extensive boundaries as per the original manorial holding, and extended south to the parish of Ludford and the River Teme at Dinham.

Ludlow Castle Ludlow Castle is a ruined medieval fortification in the Ludlow, town of the same name in the English county of Shropshire, standing on a promontory overlooking the River Teme. The castle was probably founded by Walter de Lacy (died 1085), Wal ...

and the town of

were established within the parish's southern boundaries, by the manor's successive lords/tenants-in-chief, in the late 11th century/early 12th century. Ludlow Castle and an early neighbouring settlement (possibly Dinham) were just about in existence at the time of the Domesday Book survey and therefore may have contributed towards the high population count and taxable value for the manor of Stanton. The now-separate parish of Hopton Cangeford and the former parish of Cold Weston, merged into Clee St. Margaret in 1967, were once part of Stanton Lacy. Ludlow (with its church of St Laurence) had become its own parish by 1200, carving out land largely from Stanton Lacy parish (otherwise from Ludford); Ludlow Castle also by this point constituted its own parish (with its chapel of St Mary Magdalene) – a situation that remained until 1901. What remained of Stanton Lacy's southern part was then unaffected until 1884; this southern part (south of the watercourse known as 'Hope Gutter') was entirely removed in that year with its transfer largely to Bromfield, but also Bitterley (land to the east of the Ledwyche Brook) and the new East Hamlet parish. The result of this was the ending of the historic border with Ludford. By 1879 a part in the west of the parish (the township of Wootton) had been removed to Onibury.

Decline

Whilst the parish used to be able to boast two schools, four

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

chapels, a post office, pubs and a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team, none of these now remain. The population of the parish has declined greatly since the late 19th century and it now serves as a popular retirement destination with a small farming community remaining too.

People

* Murderer Robert Foulkes served as vicar of Stanton Lacy at the time of his crime, for which he was hanged in 1679. * Rev. George William St John (4 May 1796 – ?), Rector of Stanton Lacy, married Henrietta Frances Magrath in 1830. A son of Frederick St John (British Army officer) and

Lady Diana Beauclerk Lady Diana Beauclerk ( Lady Diana Spencer; other married name Diana St John, Viscountess Bolingbroke; 24 March 1734 – 1 August 1808) was an English noblewoman and celebrated artist. Early life Beauclerk was born into the aristocratric Spence ...

* Victorian writer Annie Molyneux, later Mrs Annie Webb and then Annie Webb-Peploe (1806–1880), author of ''Naomi; or, The last days of Jerusalem'' (1841), was born in Stanton Lacy in 1806. * Rev. Hugh Henry Molesworth Bevan (1884–1970), previously

Archdeacon of Ludlow The Archdeacon of Ludlow is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Diocese of Hereford. Prior to 1876 the post was known by its previous title of Archdeacon of Shropshire or alternatively as the Archdeacon of Salop in the Diocese of Hereford. ...

, was Rector of Stanton Lacy from 1954 until retiring from full-time ministry in 1966. * Stanton Lacy Parish (more precisely in Ludlow)birth and baptimal certificates was birthplace of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

recipient, Able Seaman William Charles Williams in 1880 (killed at

Gallipoli The Gallipoli Peninsula (; ; ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles strait to the east. Gallipoli is the Italian form of the Greek name (), meaning ' ...

1915). * Jockey Edward Hide (1937–2023) winner of six

classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of Masterpiece, lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or Literary merit, highest quality, class, or rank – something that Exemplification, exemplifies its ...

races including the

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

was born in the village. * Rugby player Jonny Hill who made his debut for England against Italy in the

Six Nations Championship The Six Nations Championship (known as the Six Nations, branded as Guinness M6N) is an annual international rugby union competition by the teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. It is the oldest sports tournament conte ...

in 2020 hails from Stanton Lacy and went to school in Ludlow.

References

External links