All Saints, Sandon, Staffordshire

All Saints, Sandon, Staffordshire

There has been a church at this site in Sandon since at least 1130 when records confirm it was gifted to the Abbey of Combermere in Cheshire as part of a parcel of land in Sandon. No traces of the Norman church remain as the church has been adapted and rebuilt from the late 13th Century onwards.    

Standing at the edge of the parkland of Sandon Hall, the church has been associated with a number of influential noble families; the impact of their patronage on the building has been significant. These range from the imposing Chancel tombs (including the impressive Sampson Erdeswicke monument erected by him two years before his death in 1603 and subsequently damaged, allegedly, by Roundhead soldiers on their way to the battle of Hopton Heath across the Trent valley in 1643) to the remodelling and restoration of the church and the provision of the stained glass windows. The Earls of Harrowby have owned Sandon Hall since 1777 and their impact on the church since then has been considerable, including major restorations in the mid 19th and early 20th centuries.

Sarah was employed at Sandon Hall as a Wet Nurse

St Michael and All Angels, Penkridge, Staffordshire

St Michael and All Angels, Penkridge, Staffordshire

St Peter, Broughton, Staffordshire

St Peter, Broughton, Staffordshire

St. Peter's at Broughton was built by Thomas Broughton in 1630-34 as a chapel for Broughton Hall, which was being restored and extended at that time. It was built on the site of an earlier chapel. It is thought that the chapel was used exclusively by the family until 1711 when other local gentry worshipped there. Later it became the church for the nearby hamlets.

Sarah was a widow from 1918 until 1971

Aged 102

St Michael and All Angels, Adbston, Staffordshire

St Michael and All Angels, Adbston, Staffordshire

The exterior is mainly in Tudor-Gothic style. The Perpendicular 3-stage tower has angle buttresses, and a restored quatrefoil band (characteristic of Staffordshire) below the embattled parapet with pinnacles.

Christ Church, Knightly, Staffordshire

Christ Church, Knightly, Staffordshire

Christ Church was built in 1840 on land given by Lord Lichfield. The architect was Thomas Trubshaw and the foundation stone was laid by the Countess of Lichfield on the 14th January 1840. The Church cost £752 to complete and funded by the villagers and partly from the Diocese of Lichfield. The chancel extension, vestry and choir aisle were built in 1882 in memory of Major R. Hargreaves who lived at Knightley Grange. Christ Church historically was part of the parish of Gnosall and was established to serve the outlying hamlet of Knightley.

Aged 100

Noel John died on active service in Ceylon - which strictly speaking wasn't a conflict zone.

St Peter, Norbury, Staffordshire

St Peter, Norbury, Staffordshire
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St. Peter's at Norbury was largely built between in the first half of the 14th century. The brick tower may have been built by William Baker in 1759. Unfortunately the church was locked when we called but Pevsner describes the east window as too good to be true. It was designed by Miss C. S. Burne in 1873.

The memorial tablet includes a dramatic example of financial inflation in that a large scale building project running from 1826 to 1829 is reported to have cost only £700.00!

St James the Great, Salt, Staffordshire

St James the Great, Salt, Staffordshire
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The village church is dedicated to St James the Great and was built on land donated by the Earl of Shrewsbury and largely paid for by him. It has a large circular stained glass east window, an unusually tall south porch and an open stone bell turret mounted at the east end of the church hung with two bells. The impressive wood rood screen was designed by Augustus Pugin.

Albert Bassett died "in fatal equine accident" (sic)

St Chad, Slindon, Staffordshire

St Chad, Slindon, Staffordshire
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A very fine late Victorian church designed by Basil Champneys for J. C. Salt of the banking family. We were disappointed that the church was locked as we knew that Kempe stained glass could be found inside the building.

Charles Benton was a Stonemason.

All Saints, Chebsey, Staffordshire

All Saints, Chebsey, Staffordshire
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Standing above the village on a natural mound of higher ground, the church is mostly built from reddish sandstone in the Gothic style and dates from the 12th century. The west tower dates from the 15th century, and is constructed from mostly grey with some red sandstone blocks. The external staircase turret  (on the southeast corner of the tower) at Chebsey, is an unusual feature. The church was extensively renovated in 1897 under the supervision of Staffordshire ecclesiastical architect Andrew Capper. 

The monumental mason made a spelling error in the word "memory".

Eva died aged 100.

James Smith was a Tobacco Manufacturer - as was his son Thomas.

John Ball died on active service and was "interred within the British lines"

"How numerous are the mouldering dead" is an unusual first line to a poem.

Montague Noel "perished at sea in the course of convoy duty".

The Katyn Memorial - Cannock Chase, Staffordshire

The Katyn Memorial
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The Katyn massacre was a series of mass executions of Polish nationals carried out by the NKVD ("People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs", a Soviet secret police organisation) in April and May 1940. Though the killings took place at several different locations, the massacre is named after the Katyn Forest, where some of the mass graves were first discovered. The number of victims is estimated at about 25,000.

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All Saints, Bednall, Staffordshire

All Saints, Bednall, Staffordshire
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German Military Cemetery, Cannock Chase, Staffordshire

German Military Cemetery, Cannock Chase, Staffordshire
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The section reserved for Zeppelin Crew

Each of the four crews have their own memorial.

St James, Acton Trussel, Staffordshire

St James, Acton Trussel, Staffordshire
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The village church 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 main additions were a combined vestry and organ chamber on the north side and a new south porch. The church was re-opened after restoration in 1870 having been closed for 44 years.

"five other children .... who died in their infancy"