Place:Abbots Bromley, Staffordshire, England

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source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Abbots Bromley is a village and civil parish within the English county of Staffordshire, England. A notably affluent part of the county, Abbots Bromley was rated the best place to live in the Midlands by the Sunday Times in 2013 and again in 2016. The village is a regular entrant and often winner of the Staffordshire Best Kept Village Competition which takes place across the county each year. Originally organised by the Community Council of Staffordshire there is a best-kept village award for a large and small village in each of the county's Districts and Boroughs. Whilst down the years the East Staffordshire district prize has been awarded to Abbots Bromley on a number of occasions the overall county title continues to elude. In August 2017 the village won the double honour of winning both the best kept village and community council trophy award, a double not achieved for many years. This double was repeated again in 2018. In 2019 the competition was taken on by The Community Foundation for Staffordshire and Abbots Bromley won for the third consecutive year. Through the competition Abbots Bromley maintains a healthy rivalry with nearby Yoxall, also a regular winner in the East Staffordshire section.

The village is world-renowned for its annual Horn Dance, an ancient tradition which attracts visitors from far and wide.

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

The village's name means 'clearing/wood frequented by broom'. The prefix 'abbots' was added because the village was held by Burton Abbey.

The first historical record of the village dates from 942, when the manor of "Bromleage" was given to Wulfsige the Black. The will, dated 1002, of Wulfric Spot, Earl of Mercia, gave the village to the Abbey of Burton upon Trent. There is some evidence that the current settlement was a planned town – there is evidence of burgage plots, a grid pattern of streets and a wide market place.

Domesday Book

Abbas Bromley is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086–7 as Brunlege, when it was part of the land of St Mary of Burton.

Royal Charter

In 1227, a weekly market was confirmed by Royal Charter at the site of the Buttercross (recorded in 1339, the present structure said by Pevsner to date from the 17th century), which survives to the present. The current, triangular market place is now grassed over and serves as a village green and the focus for events on Horn Dance Day.

Dissolution of the Monasteries

The village remained affiliated to the Abbey till the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1545. Henry VIII gave Bromley Abbatis to Sir William Paget, Clerk of the Signet and Privy Councillor. The village was known as Paget's Bromley for several centuries, (distinguishing it from the part of the parish in the hands of the Bagot family, still known as Bagot's Bromley) but eventually the influence of the Paget family declined, and the name reverted to Abbots Bromley.

Industry

Despite being an agricultural centre on account of its market and fairs, Abbots Bromley enjoyed some industrial success. In the 16th century it was a major centre for glass manufacture. In 1606 it gained a grammar school, now Richard Clarke First School.

Decline

Despite nineteenth century efforts to connect the village to the expanding railway network the North Staffordshire Railway received an act of parliament to build a branch line from Stowe-by-Chartley which was never taken advantage of. Abbots Bromley remained comparatively isolated and in decline, losing its market, fairs and economic status.

20th century

By the 1950s the village faced economic decay and an ageing population. It was also comparatively late in receiving mains electricity and gas services. More recently it has become a dormitory settlement for surrounding urban areas such as the West Midlands conurbation and Derby. There has been some new development as well as the restoration of historic buildings, with a Millennium Hall perhaps the most noted recent example.

Historic buildings

The village has a large number of listed buildings, and its historic core has conservation area status, reflecting its pre-industrial townscape. Of these, the half timbered Church House, The Goats Head Inn, which is claimed to be the original town hall, and the Schoolhouse (Richard Clarke's 1606 Grammar School) are some of the most noteworthy. The Market Cross (Buttercross) has been designated a scheduled Ancient Monument.

Gallery

Listed Buildings in Abbots Bromley

• Dwellings at No's 5, 6, 7, 8, High Street, Grade II, Hall Hill Lane
• Bagot's Bromley Monument, near Bromley Farmhouse, Grade II
• Bank House, Grade II, High Street.
• Barn and Cartshed close to Park Lodge, Grade II.
• Barn in Goose Lane, Grade II.
• Barn, Hurst Farm, Grade II.
• Barn, High Elms Farm, Grade II.
• Batkin House, Harley Lane, Grade II.
• Bentilee Park Farmhouse, Grade II.
• Bromley House, Grade II.
• Cael Cottage, Grade II.
• Cedar Cottage, Grade II.
• Chesterton House, Grade II.
• Saint Nicholas Parish Church, Grade II.
• Church View Farmhouse. Grade II.
• North West Leafields Farm, Associated building and structures. Grade II.
• Coleridge House School, Grade II.
• Croft's House, Grade II.
• Crofts Cottage, Grade II.
• Dandelion Cottages and Associated structures, Grade II.
• Falcott Inglenook, Grade II.
• Georgian House, Grade II,
• Gilleon's Hall, Grade II.
• Goats Lodge, Grade II.
• Granary and Associated structures at Hurst Farmhouse, Grade II,
• Grange Farmhouse, Grade II.
• Narley Farmhouse, Grade II.
• Heatley Green Farmhouse, Grade II.
• Dwelling on Market Place, Grade II.
• Dwelling Owned by Goodwin, Grade II.
• Inglenook Oak Cottage, Grade II.
• Lancsuss House, Grade II.
• Laurel Cottage, Grade II.
• Leacross Cottage, Grade II.
• Leafields Farmhouse, Grade II.
• Lychgate to the parish Church Saint Nicholas, Grade II.
• Manor Farmhouse, Grade II.
• Maxstoke House, Grade II.
• Middleton House, Grade II
• five different Milepost in the parish, Grade II.
• Mount Pleasant Farmhouse, Grade II.
• Norfolk House, Grade II.
• Norman Villa, Grade II.
• Northwood House, Grade II.
• Park Lodge, Grade II.
• Parkside Farmhouse, Grade II.
• Premises of C. Taswell, Grade II.
• Newsagent Premises of J.M. Meadows, grade II.
• Butchers Shop Premises of V.G. Wilson, Grade II.
• Rose House, Grade II.
• Saint Helens, Grade II.
• Assorted structures Bentilee Park Farm, Grade II.
• Assorted structures Leafields Farmhouse, Grade II.
• Sunny Brae and Sunny Mead, Grade II.
• Bagot Almshouses, Grade II.
• Bagot Arms, Grade II.
• Bakery, Grade II.
• Big House, School, Grade II.
• Butter Cross, Grade II.
• St. Mary and St. Anne school, Grade II.
• Coach and Horses Public House, Grade II.
• The Cross, Dwelling, Grade II.
• The Green, Grade II.
• Hurst Farmhouse, Grade II.
• The Maltings, Dwelling, Grade II.
• Old Schoolhouse, Grade II.
• Royal Oak Public House, Grade II.
• Town End Farmhouse, Grade II.
• Gilleon's Hall, Associated structures. Grade II.
• War Memorial, Grade II.
• Wheelwright House, Grade II.

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