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Introduction
The market town of Stone owes much of its prosperity and heritage
to its location. The King's Highway passed through the town
and the important Priory had much influence early on. In later
years coaching brought new prosperity, thereafter the canal
and then the railway. The rich history of the town is evident
at every street corner, the buildings and street names an echo
of years gone by.
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The Early Years
Stone was possibly the site of a Roman settlement (Rutunium), and
there existed a Roman road from Stone to Hanford, a coin of Trajan
was found when a housing estate was built.
The Foundation
of Stone
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It is generally agreed
that Stone gets its name from the cairn of stones or "stanas"
(Anglo-Saxon) that was built by Queen Ermenilda according to
Saxon tradition over the grave of her sons circa 670AD. It was
her husband, King Wulthere of Mercia who lived at a fortress
at Bury Bank. He was a pagan but converted to Christianity in
order to marry Ermenilda, once married he reverted to paganism
and refused to allow his sons Wulfad and Rufin to be brought
up as Christians, though he allowed his daughter Werburgh of
Trentham to follow her mother's religion. |
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two princes were converted to Christianity by Chad of Lichfield
whom they met when chasing down a white hart, which led them
to the hermit. It was the pagan Werebode, an unsuccessful suitor
of Werburgh, who told their father of their conversion. Wulthere
swore to kill his sons and rode after them, killing Rufin at
Burston and Wulfad at Stone. Later, filled with remorse Wulthere
allowed his Queen to build a priory on the site of their sons'
grave. A reredos of the slaying and Wulthere's conversion stands
in St.Dominic's church. The barriers at the top of the High
Street depict the story of King Wulthere. |
Medieval Manors and Markets
In medieval times Stone manor was held by Stone Priory and later by
the Colliers of Darlaston Hall and passed on to the Cromptons of Stone
Park with whom it stayed until the late 19th century.
The Priory was the important centre of the town, its wealth coming
from its land and holdings, wool being an important trade. By the
12th Century the Priory was an endowment of Kenilworth Priory, however
with the patronage of Robert de Stafford the Priory became independent.
The Priory acquired much land around Stone and fishponds by the Mill
(now Mill Hotel) provided fish for the Friday meals. The canons at
the Priory were required to give free hospitality to visitors and
nobles sent by the King, which was a drain on the Priory. Also travellers
would call there, the Priory located alongside the King's Highway
(now Abbey Street). In the 13th Century the Stone Priory was the biggest
in Staffordshire, but this then also made it a target for pillaging
and taxes. In the 15th century the priory declined and in the 1530's
it was decided to close it, many of the alabaster monuments being
removed to Austin Priory at Stafford by Lord Stafford. The buildings
and site were sold, the Church remained as the parish church, but
today there are hardly any visible remains of this once great Priory.
In 1251, under the reign of Henry III, Stone received its charter
to hold a market, which still takes place on a Tuesday. "Gorby's Market"
used to take place in May in the early 20th century, a fair for hiring
labour.
In Times
of Conflict
In the Barons Wars (1258-65) royalist forces attacked Stone,
possibly under the leadership of William La Zouche, to retaliate
against Simon de Montfort, he being the custodian of Kenilworth
Castle and Kenilworth Priory being attached to Stone Priory,
the Priory may have burnt down at that time.
During the Civil War no side garrisoned the town, though parliamentary
troops under Sir William Brereton passed through on their way
to the Battle of Hopton Heath in 1643. However Stone came under
parliament's control when parliamentarians took Stafford in
1643. As a consequence Stone had to make weekly payments to
them and quarter their troops. |
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In 1745 the Duke of Cumberland encamped his
English forces to the north of the town on an area known as the Mottley
Pits on the threat of the Jacobite Scots coming through Stone. He
had his men build embankments on which to stand his cannons, at once
increasing the cannon's range and creating a more defensive position.
The English forces included three battalions of guards, eleven battalions
of foot soldiers, and six regiments of horses and dragoons, all of
which was a drain on the town. In the event Bonnie Prince Charlie's
forces headed over to Derby, though a scout for his forces was captured
near to Stone and held at the Crown Hotel. An anonymous person arrived
to interrogate the prisoner; when the guards went to check on the
two it was found they had both escaped through the back of the Hotel.
How Stone Grew
Stone was an important staging post on the road from London to Chester.
The medieval "King's Highway" followed part of the present Lichfield
Road, Abbey Street, Crown Street and Newcastle Street. In the 17th
Century Stone was the third changing station for coaches from London
and the first from Chester, for this reason the public houses flourished,
many having stables. The road through Stone was turnpiked in 1729.
It is recorded that in 1834 at least 38 stagecoaches passed through
the town every day, and explained for the many inns providing food,
drink and accommodation.
Shoe manufacturing in Stone rivalled Stafford between 1794 and 1830;
Thomas Bostock built the first factory on the Oulton Road, which he
sold to Lotus in 1919, the Lotus factory became the GEC factory. By
1874 1,600 people in Stone were involved in the making of shoes. In
the middle of the 19th century there were sixteen boot and shoe makers
in the town, plus the support industries, tanners, last makers, cordwainers,
etc
Brewing was an important industry for the town, the brewers Bent's
and Joule's being well known. Mount Industrial Estate now situated
where Bent's Brewery stood until 1958. Francis Joule established his
company in 1758 on the site of an earlier brewery. Joule's Brewery,
its offices at the centre of the town and its entrance still visible
today at Somerfield's supermarket, obtained the copyright to the name
"Stone Ale" and the use of the red cross on a green background. Joule's
had warehouses alongside the canal and exported ales as far as Australia
and California. By 1834 there were 21 inns in the town, 13 of these
were in the High Street.
Josiah Wedgwood saw the importance of the canal network and the first meeting of the Trent and Mersey Canal took place at
the Crown Inn (now Crown Hotel) in 1766, James Brindley was commissioned to build
the canal. The canal, originally called the Grand Trunk Canal, was
opened in November 1771 with much celebration, so much so that when
the first boats arrived, the firing of cannons caused a bridge and
a lock to collapse, the damage was estimated at £1,000. The offices
of the Trent and Mersey Canal Company were based at Stone. By 1789
Stone was described as a "little seaport" evidence of this is still
visible with the wharf, dry docks and warehouses. Stone owed its economic
growth at that time to the canal; by 1818 there were 16 carriers in
the town, and the population more than doubled from 2,843 to 7,806.
The town was by-passed for some years by the railway, and the mail
moved from coaches to the new transport system signalling the demise
of the town as a staging post. So it was a cause of some celebration
when Viscount St Vincent cut the first turf for a Stoke to Stafford
railway line that opened in 1848. The station itself was built in
Gothic style. After entering through the central archway there were
separate waiting rooms for ladies and men on each platform.
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The town mill, dated 1792 though the original probably dates
back to the 12th century, sits on the Scotch Brook. Richard
Smith who patented Hovis flour was born there.
Stone had a pound for stray livestock where the Stafford Street
car park is situated now. Stocks were situated at Walton Bridge
at the Lamb Inn; the last ones were made by Isaac Dutton, wheelwright,
who was the first person to use them! The town pillory was in
the market place, last used in 1848.
In the High Street there had stood a cinema (now replaced by
shops), built originally as a town hall in 1870 at a cost of
£2,500, most of the cost was provided by Lady Forester, Mr Bostock,
Mr Meakin and local townspeople buying bricks.
Do you have any additions (or corrections) to this article?
If so, please email articles@into-stone.co.uk |
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