Title: GNOSALL, is a large and ancient village, 7 miles W
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GNOSALL, is a large and ancient village, 7 miles W. by S. of Stafford, and 6 miles E.by N. of
Newport. It has a station on the Shropshire Union Railway. Its parish is very extensive, being
about six miles in length, and comprising 2424 inhabitants, and about .8000 acres of land,
divided into the four Quarters of Gnosall, Cowley, Knightley, and Moreton, which support their
poor conjointly, as part of the Newport Union, which uses the old parish workhouse here, as
one of its establishments for the reception of paupers. They repair their roads separately, and
contain several hamlets, bearing different names. The soil is various, but the uplands have
generally a strong loam.  Here are several valleys with rivulets, and the meadows on their
banks are generally very productive. The Bishop of Lichfield is appropriator of the tithes and
lord of the manor of Gnosall, but they are held on lease by Captain Tennant, of Needwood.
Except three freeholds, the land in this manor (which comprises only one "quarter" of the
parish,) is copyhold, subject to small fines and heriots. The Church is a large edifice, in the
form of a cross, with a tower rising from the centre, and containing a clock and six bells. It is
dedicated to St. Lawrence, and had anciently a college of secular canons, valued in Tanner's
Notitia at £47.6s.8d.  It was repewed and thoroughly repaired in 1820, and enlarged by the
erection of galleries in 1826, partly from the rents of the "parish lands", noticed below. It has
nearly 1000 sittings, of which 350 are free. With the exception of the west end, which has five
lancent windows and perpendicular buttresses, the body of the church appears to be of the
latest style of English architecture; but the tower, to the' height of the roof, is in the Saxon
style.  The living is a perpetual curacy, valued at £136, in the incumbency of the Rev. John
Till, M.A., who has a good parsonage house, in the Elizabethan style, erected in 1850, at the
cost of £1100, of which he gave £400, and the rest was subscription.  There is a chapel of
ease at Knightley, and a new church at Moreton. Gnosall has two annual fairs, for cattle, &c.,
on May 7'h and Sept. 23'd: and a feast, or wake, on the second Sunday in August. The tithes
of this large parish have been commuted for £1540 per annum.
The Free School at Gnosall was built by subscription, and endowed, in 1653, by Edward
Cartwright, with a house and 10A. 1R. of land at Great Onn, and 6A. 2R. 9P. called Holtflats,
in the lordship of Cowley and Coton, for the education of 14 free scholars.  This property is
now let for about £30 per annum. An annuity of 40s., left by Alice Hudson, in 1660, out of
Broomhurst and Wheatcroft closes, in Apeton, is paid to the mistress of the Preparatory
School, which is attended by forty children.
BENEFACTIONS - In 1665, £50, left to the poor by Chas. Fyge, was laid out in the purchase
of 5A. 3R. of land, called North Moor-Pit, in the lordship of Cowley and Coton.  In 1692, five
closes of land were purchased with charity money belonging to Gnosall and Church Eaton.
Out of the rents, £22. 10s. per annum belongs to the Gnosall poor. In 1738, £84, given by
James Smart and others, was laid out in the purchase of 7A. 1 R. 3P. of land, called the
Further-Short-Flat, and now let for £10 a year, part of which is dispensed in a weekly
distribution of bread, and the rest in money. Francis James, at some date unknown, gave a
house and 26A. 2B 4P. of land, now let for £37 per annum, of which 6s. 8d. is paid to the
church wardens, and the remainder is distributed on May 1S' and Nov. 1S', in doles of 10s. to
the poor.  The overseers pay 30s. 4d. as the rent of a house and garden occupied by
paupers, but bequeathed by one Davenhill for a weekly distribution of bread.  The poor
parishioners have also two annuities, vix., 17s. 4d. out ofWakeley piece, in Billington, left by
Thomas Tornkinson: and 5s. out of Phillips' field, left by Joseph Bailey, the PARISH LANDS,
consisting of 13A. 3R. 15P, have been held by feoffees from an early period, in trust, to
distribute 6s.8d. yearly in bread, and to apply for the remainder of the rents in repairing the
church and relieving the poor. About the year 1820, no less than £1500 was expended in
roofing, repewing, and otherwise repairing the church.
APETON and RULE are small hamlets 21/2 miles S.E. of Gnosall, partly in Gnosall quarter,
and partly in Bradley parish.
COWLEY quarter contains a number of scattered houses, and the hamlets of COTON,
BEFCOTT and PLARDIWICK, extending from nearly one to two miles S.W. of Gnosall. The
principal freeholders are Sir T.F.F. Boughey, John Morris, Esq., Mrs Buckley, and the Earl of
Lichfield:  the latter of whom is lord of Plardiwick, which unites with High Onn, in the Church
Eaton parish, for the reparation of the highways, and is supposed to have once had a
castellated mansion, though no traces of such a building now remain. At Coton, there is an
Independent Chapel, built in 1823; and a steam corn mill.
KNIGHTLEY, the northern quarter of this parish, is a large estate, all belonging to the Earl of
Lichfield, and containing 15 farm houses, and several other scattered dwellings, from two to
three miles N. by W. of Gnosall. The common was enclosed in 1806, and the old enclosures
contain many excellent oaks. In 1840, the Earl of Lichfield built here a neat Chapel of Ease,
at the cost of about £700; it is dedicated to Christ, and has 200 sittings, and the duty is
performed by the incumbent of Gnosall and his curate. Knightley National Schools, for about
130 children, were built by subscription in 1844, with a house for the master and mistress, at
the cost of £500, on an acre of land given by the Earl of Lichfield.
MORETON, the southern and largest quarter of the parish, includes the scattered hamlets of
Coley, Bromstead, Wilbrighton, Outwoods and Chatwell, extending from two to four miles
S.W. of Gnosall, and bordering upon Shropshire. Chatwell, the most distant place, is said to
derive its name from St. Chad's Well, which was formerly in some repute.  The principal
landowners are Sir T.F. Boughey and John Cotes, Esq. Mr. Henry Green has a large farm at
Moreton, on which has made great improvements by draining, &c. At Chatwell is a valuable
bed of clay, and a stratum of limestone, worked by Mr. Thomas Bouitbee. The commons
were enclosed in 1793. The soil is well suited for turnips and barley. The Dude family were
formerly seated here, and one of them, Matthew Ducie Moreton, was created Lord Dude,
Baron of Moreton, in 1720; but on the death of his successor, without issue, that title became
extinct: but his second title of Baron Dude of Tortworth, descended to his sister's son, Thos.
Reynolds, whose descendant, the present Lord Ducie, has assumed the name of Moreton,
though the family has long been seated at Tortworth, in Gloucestershire. At Bromstead, is an
Independent Chapel.
MORETON CHURCH (St. Mary,) is a neat structure, in the Norman style, erected in 1838, at
the cost of about £1000, raised by subscription and grants.  It has 368 sittings, of which 271
are free. The land and stone were given by John Cotes, Esq., of Woodcote, who also gave
stone for the National School, built in 1846, with a house for the mistress, at the cost of about
£450.  The Parsonage House is a neat stone building, erected in 1839, by the late Bishop
Butler, at the cost of about £1300, including the out offices.  The benefice is a perpetual
curacy, in the patronage of the incumbent of Gnosall and incumbency of the Rev. Thos.
Bume. M.A., who receives yearly £45 from the Bishop of Lichfield and about £20 from the
parishioners.
GNOSALL
Arkinstall John, hairdresser
Ash Mrs Sarah
Plant Mrs Mary
Baddeley George Augustus, surgeon
Blackband Gerard, grocer, draper, and chandler
Bernard Benjamin, plumber, &c.
Coulson Thomas, revenue officer
Evans Thos., blacksmith & shopkpr
Gardner John, baker, &c.
Griffiths Joseph & Wm., saddlers
Grosvenor Rd, Robt & Ths., wheelwts
Hawkins John and Mrs, master and matron, Workhouse
Haynes Martha, grocer and draper
Hickin Rev Wm., B.A., incumbent of Ellenhall, Audmore
Jones John, surgeon
Madeley Joseph, wheelgt & shopkpr
Madeley Thomas, bricklayer
Morrey James, cooper
Parton Thomas, Free School master
Pearce Richard, maltster
Butter John, station master
Butter Job, tailor
Sellman Eliz., schimstrss., Workhouse
Sheridan David Tuite, schoolmaster
Till Rev John, M.A., incumbent
Till Mr Thomas
Steel Mrs Mary
Wright Miss Ann, Bellfield
Inns and Taverns
Anchor, Sarah Lowe
Duke's Head, Joseph Whittle
Horns, Mary Cotton
Red Lion, Wm. Bradbury
Royal Oak, Ezekiel Butler
Travellers' Inn, Spencer Perry
Boot & Shoemkrs
Anslow Rd., clerk
Norris John
Stanley Sam 1., mfr
Butchers
Belcher Sarah
Butler Ezekiel
Meadows Wm
Farmers
Ash Ths. Addison
Babb Thomas
Bailey Jas. Apeton
Belcher James
Belcher Thomas Manor House
Belcher Sarah
Butler Ezekiel
Haynes Mary
Meeson Matthew
Rogers Thos
Stokes Elizabeth
Wyatt Harvey, Esq. Brough Hall, (Robert Smith, bailiff)
POST OFFICE at Ths. Stones' Toll bar. Letters despatched 2Vi afternoon to Stafford
RAILWAY - Trains 5 times a day, each way
CARRIERS to Stafford, Wed. and Sat.
Barratt John
Hall Wm., and to Newport, Tues.
COWLEY QUARTER
Marked 1 are at Befcott, 2 Coton, 3 Plardiwick, and the rest at Cowley.
2 Badger Edward, shoemaker
2 Baily Rev Kitelee Chandos, B.A., curate of Gnosall

MORETON
Marked 1 are at Bromstead, 2 Chatwell, 3 Coley, 4 Outwoods, and 5 at Wilbrighton
3 Alien Charles, manager, Mill
2 Bouitbee Thos, clay and lime mert
2 Brown James, butcher
2 Brown John, vict. Lion
2 Brown Wm., malster
Burne Rev Thomas, M.A., incumbent
Burne Thomas Higgins, jun., gent
4 Debney James, bricklayer
Green Henry, Esq., Moreton Park
1 Hall Joseph, shoemaker
2 Lowe Betsy, vict. Cook
1 Masefield John & Thos., shoemkrs
1 Podmore John, beerhs & shopkpr
1 Simmell Joseph, wheelwright
Turner John, beerhouse
Farmers
1 Adams John
Belcher James
2 Corden Wm
3 Fax Thos., Hall
5 Hall James
4 Harris Joseph
Johnson Joseph, Walton grange
Myatt Samuel
4 Talbot Thomas
4 Whittingham J.
5 Willington John
Shopkeepers
Brown Joseph
Deakin John
Wheat Wm.
Wheelwrights
Gripton Thos.
Tunnicliffe Thos.
Walton Matthew
POST OFFICE at Ts. Powell's - Letters desp. 5Vz evening, via Stafford
RAILWAY - Trains 4 times a day each way.
WHEATON ASTON
Bayley Jas., corn miller, joiner and thrashing machine, &C., maker
Bayley John Matthews, ale & porter dir., & agt. to London Assurance Co.
Bayley John, sawyer
Bird Thos., plumber, painter, &c.
Blakemore Benjamin, parish clerk

2 Bond George, vict. Navigation Inn
2 Davis Henry, engineer, &c.
1 Eccleshall Thomas, wheelwright
1 Evans Francis, blacksmith
3 Felton James, shoemaker
2 Humpage Thomas, blacksmith
Lowe Benjamin, vict. Fountain
2 Madeley Joseph, brickmkr. & beerhs
2 Rogers Wm., shopkeeper
1 Taylor George, wheelwright
2 Tornkinson Sarah, corn miller
3 Wilder John, schoolmaster
Farmers
1 Booth by Richd
Brassington Wm
2 Johnson Thos
3 Machin David
Machin Edward
1 Madeley John
Parton Joseph
1 Pearce Job
Swift Thomas, & maltster
2 Turner John
1 Turner Sarah
2 Wetton James
3 Wilder Wm
1 Wright George
KNIGHTLEY
Bratton Richard, shopkeeper
Chambers Wm., vict. 3 Horseshoes
Jarvis Joseph, wheelwright
Malpass John, wheelwright
Myatt Joseph & Mrs, National Schi
Norris Mr John Stacey, Hall
Farmers
Anslow Elizabeth
Ball Robert
Barnes Thomas
Bellingham Wm
Bentley T. & J.
Brown Thomas
Chambers Thos
Chambers Wm
Pearson Jno., kpr
Rogers Thomas
Shepherd Elizabth
Simkin Elizabeth
Skelhorn John
Skelhorn Thos
Stringer Wm
Taylor Richard, Hob Hills
Vernon Wm
Harley Edward, carpenter, &c.
Hitchcox Mr Thomas, sen.
Keeling Thos. Gadsby, schoolmaster
Lawson Thomas, wheelwright and timber merchant