Statfold is a former village and

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 Thorpe Constantine, in the

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 ...

district, 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. It is about north-east of Tamworth. These days little remains of the village itself, but the

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 ...

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 ...

, and the Tudor

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

of ''Statfold Hall'' still exist, as do a few scattered farms and houses. In 1931 the parish had a population of 55. The

Statfold Barn Railway The Statfold Barn Railway is a narrow gauge railway based near Tamworth, Staffordshire and partially in Warwickshire, England. Founded by engineering entrepreneur Graham Lee and his wife Carol at their farm-based home, they originally designed w ...

is on the other side of the Ashby Road, in the borough of Tamworth.

History

The name is believed to come from the

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

''stōd fald'' with the meaning ''

stud Stud may refer to: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay bar in San Francisco * ...

fold''. Older documents often use the form ''Stotfold''. The name is not mentioned in

Domesday 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 ...

, but does occur in 12th century records of Lichfield Cathedral. It is also possible that Statfold was one of the unnamed estates belonging to the 5 canons of Lichfield that are mentioned in Domesday. The equine tradition continues at Statfold Farm to this day. The

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

of the

ecclesiastical 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 ...

is traceable back to the 12th century, when "Stotfold" was named as one of the dozen or so

prebend A prebendary is a member of the Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the choir ...

s of the ''parochia'' of

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 ...

. By the 14th century it had become a prebendary parish, one of the 5 core prebends of Lichfield, supporting the 3 city churches. Already by 1241 the prebendary of Stotfold had been one of the 5 who provided special duties at the high altar of Lichfield Cathedral. The earliest known

prebendary A prebendary is a member of the Catholic Church, Catholic or Anglicanism , Anglican clergy, a form of canon (priest) , canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in part ...

was John de Berewyk, who died in 1312. The title of Prebendary of Stotfold continued after the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

, with the last, Samuel Smallbrook, dying in 1803, after which the Statfold tithes were collected directly by the Dean and Chapter of Lichfield Cathedral. The parish of All Saints became part of the parish of St Andrew

Clifton Campville Clifton Campville is a village, former Manorialism, manor and civil parish in Staffordshire, England.OS Explorer Map 232 : Nuneaton & Tamworth: (1:25 000) : It lies on the River Mease, about east of the City of Lichfield, west of Measham and ...

in the 18th century. For

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

purposes Statfold became part of Tamworth Poor Law Union in

1836 Events January–March * January 1 — Hill Street Academy is named Colombo Academy and acquired by the Government, establishing the first public school in Sri Lanka. * January 1 – Queen Maria II of Portugal marries Prince Ferdinand ...

. In

1894 Events January * January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire. * January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United States. * Ja ...

it became a

within the newly constituted

Tamworth Rural District Tamworth was a rural district in the English Midlands from 1894 until its abolition in 1965. The architect Alfred Edward Cheatle, Alfred Cheatle was for many years chairman. It was created under the Local Government Act 1894 from Tamworth, Sta ...

. This lasted until 1 April

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

, when Statfold civil parish was incorporated into Thorpe Constantine, and became part of

Lichfield Rural District Lichfield was a rural district in the county of Staffordshire, England from 1894 to 1974. It was enlarged in 1934 by gaining part of Staffordshire that had been administered since 1894 as part of Tamworth Rural District, which was otherwise in ...

. These days no obvious signs of the village centre exist, but it has been suggested that it lay just north of the chapel, and that it was deserted as a result of

enclosure Enclosure or inclosure is a term, used in English landownership, that refers to the appropriation of "waste" or "common land", enclosing it, and by doing so depriving commoners of their traditional rights of access and usage. Agreements to enc ...

in the early

Tudor Period In England and Wales, the Tudor period occurred between 1485 and 1603, including the Elizabethan era during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603). The Tudor period coincides with the dynasty of the House of Tudor in England, which began with ...

. By 1851 there were only 45 residents of the parish, living in the Hall or in one of 5 other houses. In 1870 the population was listed as 26, occupying .

Landmarks

Statfold Hall

The manor house o
Statfold Hall
is a brick building dating from 1571, and is

Grade II listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

. The manor has been in the hands of the Wolferstan family since 1590, following the marriage of Humphrey Wolferstan to Katherine, the heiress of the Stanley family, in 1565. Francis Pipe-Wolferstan (1826–1900) was born and died at the hall, He was an old-Etonian, first-class cricketer, barrister and farmer. The main fabric of the building dates to around 1700.

Chapel of All Saints

The mediaeval Chapel of All Saints is

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

, and stands in the grounds of the Hall. For many years it was used as a mortuary chapel for the Wolferstan family. Described in 1851 as "neglected", and the parish too small to support a minister, the chapel was restored for use as a parish church in 1906. These days it is described as "a private chapel and not open to the public". The building is a simple one-roomed construction, with pitched roof and gable ends. The church possesses features of

Norman architecture The term Norman architecture is used to categorise styles of Romanesque architecture developed by the Normans in the various lands under their dominion or influence in the 11th and 12th centuries. In particular the term is traditionally used f ...

, including typical rounded archways. The oldest parts are the west doorway and the font, both dating back to the 12th century. Other parts have been altered at various times through the centuries, especially in the early 14th century. Some parts may possibly be of

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 ...

date. Outside the chapel stands the also listed Wolferstan Memorial.

References

External links