Place:Gnosall, Staffordshire, England

Watchers
NameGnosall
TypeParish (ancient), Village
Coordinates52.783°N 2.25°W
Located inStaffordshire, England
See alsoWest Cuttlestone Hundred, Staffordshire, Englandhundred of which the parish was a part
Gnosall Rural, Staffordshire, Englandrural district of which it was part 1894-1934
Stafford Rural, Staffordshire, Englandrural district of which it was part 1934-1974
Stafford (district), Staffordshire, Englanddistrict municipality of which it has been part since 1974
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
source: Family History Library Catalog
source: Family History Library Catalog
source: Family History Library Catalog
source: Family History Library Catalog
source: Family History Library Catalog
source: Family History Library Catalog


the following text is based on an article in Wikipedia

Gnosall is a large village and civil parish in the Borough of Stafford in Staffordshire, England, with a population of 4,736 across 2,048 households (2011 census). It lies on the A518, approximately half-way between the towns of Newport (in Shropshire) and the county town of Staffordshire, Stafford. Gnosall Heath lies immediately south-west of the main village, joined by Station Road and separated by Doley Brook. It is widely regarded as one of the largest villages in England.

A Vision of Britain through Time provides the following description of Gnosall from John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales of 1870-72:

"GNOSALL, a village, a parish, and a [registration] sub-district in the [registration] district of Newport and county of Stafford. The village stands on the river Rowley, adjacent to the Birmingham and Liverpool canal and to the Shrewsbury and Stafford railway, 6½ miles WSW of Stafford; and has a station on the railway, a post office under Stafford, and fairs on 7 May and 23 Sept. The parish is divided into the quarters of Gnosall, Cowley, Knightley, and Moreton; and includes the hamlets of Alstone, Befcote, Great Chatwell, Coton, Cowley, Moreton, Plardwick, and Wilbrighton, and parts of Apeton and Rule. Acres: 10,497. Real property: £17,154. Population: 2,400. Houses: 515. A number of cottages have become dilapidated; and a decrease of population has taken place. The Newport workhouse was here, but has been removed to Newport. The living is a vicarage, annexed to the [perpetual] curacy of Knightley, in the diocese of Lichfield. Value: £175. Patron: the Bishop of Lichfield. The church is partly Norman, partly of later dates; comprises a nave and two aisles, a chancel and cross aisle, with a central tower; and was once collegiate. The vicarage of Moreton is a separate benefice. There are a national school, and charities £173.
"The [registration] sub-district contains five parishes. Acres: 24,815. Population: 4,969. Houses: 1,022."

Italicised places in the Gazetteer quote have been redirected here.

NOTE: There are two other places named Coton in Staffordshire, both located within 10 miles of the hamlet mentioned above. The closest is Coton Clanford in Seighford parish; the other shows up in the name of a parish immediately on the other side of Stafford: Hopton and Coton.

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.

  • 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.
This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Gnosall. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WeRelate, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.