Yoxall is a 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 ...

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 on the banks of the River Swarbourn on the A515 road 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 ...

and south west of

Burton upon Trent Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in the borough of East Staffordshire in the county of Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 censu ...

. South of the village, Yoxall Bridge crosses the

River Trent The Trent is the third Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, longest river in the United Kingdom. Its Source (river or stream), source is in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through and drains the North Midlands ...

. The name Yoxall probably comes from

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 ...

= "

yoke A yoke is a wooden beam used between a pair of oxen or other animals to enable them to pull together on a load when working in pairs, as oxen usually do; some yokes are fitted to individual animals. There are several types of yoke, used in dif ...

's nook" = "secluded piece of land small enough to be ploughed by one team of oxen, or providing feed for a yoke of oxen".

Primary school

Yoxall St Peter's Primary School was built in 1901. In the 1960s the hall, the offices and the junior department were added on to the existing infant department. The school has a licence from the government to keep historical documents, including punishment books, registers and other school documents from the past.

Scouting

Yoxall has an active Scout group. It was formerly called Yoxall and Kings Bromley Scout group, however after a large number of children from neighbouring villages joined, it was renamed the Foresters Scout Group. There are approximately 120 children in the three sections.

Animal rights protest

In October 2004, an extremist group of

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...

campaigners stole Gladys Hammond's body from the village's graveyard. A group called the

Animal Rights Militia The Animal Rights Militia (ARM) is a banner used by animal rights activists who engage in direct action utilizing a diversity of tactics that ignores the Animal Liberation Front's policy of taking all necessary precautions to avoid harm to hum ...

claimed responsibility for the act as an attempt to force the closure of the nearby Darley Oaks Farm, owned and run by family members, where guinea-pigs were bred for medical research. On 23 August 2005 the farm's owners announced that they would be ceasing breeding of animals in the hope that Mrs Hammond's remains would be returned. Following a police investigation, arrests were made and on 10 April 2006 three men pleaded guilty to blackmail. They were subsequently given substantial prison terms.

Notable people

William Ferrers, 1st Baron Ferrers of Groby William Ferrers, 1st Baron Ferrers of Groby (31 January 1272 – 20 Mar 1325) was an English peer who lived under two kings, Edward I and Edward II. His baronial caput was Groby in Leicestershire. Origins He was born in 1272 at Yoxall in Sta ...

(1272 in Yoxhall – 1325) an English peer who lived under two kings, Edward I and Edward II. His baronial

caput A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may not ...

was Groby in Leicestershire. *

Thomas Astle Thomas Astle FRS FRSE FSA (22 December 1735 – 1 December 1803) was an English antiquary and palaeographer. He became a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and the Royal Society. Life Astle was born on 22 December 1735 at Yoxall on the b ...

FRS FRSE FSA (1735 in Yoxhall – 1803) an English antiquary and

palaeographer Palaeography ( UK) or paleography ( US) (ultimately from , , 'old', and , , 'to write') is the study and academic discipline of historical writing systems. It encompasses the historicity of manuscripts and texts, subsuming deciphering and dati ...

. *

Thomas Gisborne Thomas Gisborne (31 October 1758 – 24 March 1846) was an English Anglican priest and poet. He was a member of the Clapham Sect, who fought for the abolition of the slave trade in England. Life Gisborne was born at Bridge Gate, Derby, the so ...

(1758 – 1846 in Yoxhall Lodge) was an English Anglican priest and poet. Friends with

William Wilberforce William Wilberforce (24 August 1759 – 29 July 1833) was a British politician, philanthropist, and a leader of the movement to abolish the Atlantic slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780 ...

with whom he fought for the abolition of the slave trade in England. * George Astle (1773 in Yoxhall – 1830), a British naval

Rear-Admiral of the Blue Rear-Admiral of the Blue was a senior rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, immediately outranked by the rank Rear-Admiral of the White. Royal Navy officers currently holding the ranks of commodore, rear admiral, vice admiral and admira ...

. * James Thompson (VC) (1830 in Yoxhall – 1891) recipient of the

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 ...

for service during the Indian Mutiny. There is a small memorial plaque in St Peter's Church, Yoxall.

References

External links

Barton Alrewas and Yoxall Darts League
* * {{authority control Villages in Staffordshire Borough of East Staffordshire Civil parishes in Staffordshire