Place:Acton Trussell and Bednall, Staffordshire, England

source: Family History Library Catalog

Acton Trussell and Bednall was a civil parish in the Cannock Rural District of Staffordshire, England. When the nationwide municipal reorganization occurred in 1974 it was merged with the neighbouring parish of Teddesley Hay, while Cannock Rural District became a part of South Staffordshire District.

Acton Trussell

the following text is based on an article in Wikipedia

Acton Trussell is a village in the English county of Staffordshire. It is known as Actone in the Domesday Book. Located around 4 miles southeast of Stafford, it is an affluent village, with many large homes. Residents in this village have excellent views of Staffordshire farmland and Stafford Castle in the distance. Its close proximity to the M6 motorway (Junction 13) makes it a very convenient location for commuters. The majority of commuting from the village takes place to the areas of southern Staffordshire, eastern Shropshire and the West Midlands conurbation.

The village church dedicated to St James was originally built in 1212. It was then enlarged and rebuilt in 1869 under the direction of G E Street, the architect being Andrew Capper. The church was re-opened after restoration in 1870 having been closed for 44 years.

A 19th century description

"ACTON-TRUSSELL, a parochial chapelry, in the parish of Baswick, union of Penkridge, E. division of the hundred of Cuttlestone, S. division of the county of Stafford, 3½ miles (N. N. E.) from Penkridge; containing, with Bednall, 574 inhabitants. The township of Acton and Bednall comprises 2551 acres, of which 1400 are arable, and the remainder grass, with a few acres of plantation; the soil is a good gravelly loam. Acton lies west of Bednall, adjoining the river Penk and the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal. The living is a perpetual curacy, with that of Bednall united; net income, £234; patrons, the Trustees of William Hulme. The glebe-house was built in 1842 by the Rev. Matthew Davies, the incumbent; it commands extensive and beautiful views: the glebe consists of 32 acres. The chapel of Acton, dedicated to St. James, is an ancient edifice in the early English style, with a square tower: Bednall chapel, dedicated to All Saints, was rebuilt in 1844, and consecrated in July 1846; it is a neat structure with a bell-turret. There is a national school."

Adapted from: A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 9-12, by Samuel A. Lewis, and provided by British History Online.

Bednall

the following text is based on an article in Wikipedia

Bednall lies somewhat remote from main roads, in dairy-farming countryside some 2.5 miles southeast of Stafford, 2 miles east of M6 junction 13 and Acton Trussell; about a mile west of the A34 Cannock to Stafford road and about 1 mile southeast of Brocton, Staffordshire.

Staffordshire Research Tips

Reminder: Staffordshire today covers a much smaller area than formerly. The West Midlands now governs the southeastern corner of pre-1974 Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, although ceremonially still part of Staffordshire, is a unitary authority covering a large well-populated part of the north of the county.

• Ordnance Survey Maps of England and Wales: Staffordshire 1931 illustrates the parish boundaries of Staffordshire when rural districts were still in existence and before the West Midlands came into being. The map blows up to show all the parishes and many of the small villages and hamlets. Maps in this series are now downloadable for personal use. Between 1894 and 1934 a number of administrative changes to boundaries occurred and therefore The Staffordshire Ordnance Survey Map of 1900 is also useful.
• British History Online has a collection of local maps from the Ordnance Survey 1883-1893. Rural areas are included, but these may be especially useful for investigation the suburbs of large towns.
• The Victoria County History of Staffordshire has six volumes available through British History Online. Some Notes on British Medieval Genealogy is a website listing all the volumes of the Victoria County History of Staffordshire including those not yet online, together with the contents of each including the places covered.
• Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service announced in August 2015 that nearly all their parish registers are now online with Findmypast. Staffordshire Archives has three branches:

• Staffordshire Record Office, Eastgate Street, Stafford ST16 2LZ (phone and email contact details, opening hours, etc.)
• Stoke on Trent City Archives, City Central Library, Bethesda Street, Hanley, Stoke on Trent ST1 3RS (phone and email contact details, opening hours, etc.)
• Lichfield Record Office, The Friary, Lichfield WS13 6QG (phone and email contact details, opening hours, etc.)

• The William Salt Library is the reference library in Stafford and is adjacent to the county archive offices. They have an online catalogue of their holdings.
• GENUKI lists other large libraries in Staffordshire for Wolverhampton, Burton-upon-Trent, Dudley, Walsall, and Sandwell. The last three of these places are now in the West Midlands and may hold items of local interest which are no longer housed in Staffordshire libraries and archives. For example, The Walsall Archives Centre keeps local census records and local church records.
• The Birmingham & Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry includes Staffordshire in its remit. It has branches in Stoke-on-Trent, Burton-on-Trent and Wolverhampton. Publications are available through the BMSGH shop. Payments accepted by debit and credit card and by Paypal. Other family history and local history societies situated around Staffordshire are listed by GENUKI.
• The Midlands Historical Data project produces searchable facsimile copies of old local history books and directories of interest to genealogists. It specialises in the three counties of Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire, working closely with libraries, archives and family history societies in the area. Digital images are made freely available to participating organisations to improve public access. Free search index on its web-site to all its books. In many cases payment will be required to see the extract.
• GENUKI makes a great many suggestions as to other websites with worthwhile information about Staffordshire as well as leading to a collection of 19th century descriptions of each of the ecclesiastical parishes.
• The FamilySearch Wiki provides a similar information service to GENUKI which may be more up-to-date. An index of parishes leads to notes and references for each parish. The auxiliary website English Jurisdictions can also be helpful.
• A Vision of Britain through Time has

1. organization charts of the hierarchies of parishes within hundreds, registration districts (1837 onwards) and the rural and urban districts of the 20th century. They have just announced (August 2015) a future expansion to their data including 2011 census population data and links to post-1974 county organization.
2. excerpts from a gazetteer of circa 1870 outlining individual towns and parishes
3. reviews of population through the time period 1800-1960

• Brett Langston's list of Staffordshire Registration Districts and parishes within each registration district from 1837 to the present can indicate where to find details of civil registration entries since the process began in England.
• More local sources can often be found by referring to "What Links Here" in the column on the left.