Ashley, Staffordshire
Encyclopedia
Ashley is a village and former civil parish
in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme of Staffordshire
, England
. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 508. The village is close to the border of Shropshire
, adjacent to Loggerheads
, and is 4 miles (6 km) west north west of Market Drayton
.
The church of St John the Baptist possess a 17th century tower with the remainder built in 1860-62 by J. Ashdown of London in a style representative of the13th-14th century. The church is on a raised mound which would leave one to think originally of Saxon or pre-Christian times. It is worth a visit for the spectacular tomb of Sir Gilbert Gerard (d. 1592) and his wife (d. 1608). Near to the church is a mound as yet unexcavated but thought to a burial ground from the time of the Black Death
.
The Roman Catholic chapel of Our Lady and St John a rather unimposing building not far from St John the Baptist. The church and rectory are just one building with a hint of gothic-like adornments an a colour washed stucco.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme of Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 508. The village is close to the border of Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, adjacent to Loggerheads
Loggerheads, Staffordshire
Loggerheads is a small village in north Staffordshire, England, on the A53 between Market Drayton and Newcastle-under-Lyme.-History:Loggerheads was home to the Cheshire Joint Sanatorium which is a tuberculosis sanitorium. It stood in Burntwood woodland. It was opened in 1923 and the last two...
, and is 4 miles (6 km) west north west of Market Drayton
Market Drayton
Market Drayton is a small market town in north Shropshire, England. It is on the River Tern, between Shrewsbury and Stoke-on-Trent, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" and earlier simply as "Drayton" ....
.
History
The name means "the forest clearing by the ash tree" the old village is in evidence in the lanes of Hookgate, Ashley Dale and Jugbank. Mainly sandstone cottages now mixed in with modern housing. From medieval times men have indiscriminately hacked clearings in the forests. Then linked them with tracks and lanes following no specific pattern.The church of St John the Baptist possess a 17th century tower with the remainder built in 1860-62 by J. Ashdown of London in a style representative of the13th-14th century. The church is on a raised mound which would leave one to think originally of Saxon or pre-Christian times. It is worth a visit for the spectacular tomb of Sir Gilbert Gerard (d. 1592) and his wife (d. 1608). Near to the church is a mound as yet unexcavated but thought to a burial ground from the time of the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
.
The Roman Catholic chapel of Our Lady and St John a rather unimposing building not far from St John the Baptist. The church and rectory are just one building with a hint of gothic-like adornments an a colour washed stucco.