Swynnerton
Encyclopedia
Swynnerton is a village in Staffordshire
, England
.
St Mary's Church dates back to at least the 13th Century. Swynnerton received its charter from Edward I in 1306. During the 14th Century a market used to be held every Wednesday and an annual fair was held on August 15 each year. A grand manor house used to exist until its destruction in the English Civil War
by Cromwell's men, its replacement being Swynnerton Hall
, built in 1725 by Francis Smith of Warwick
, which still dominates the Swynnerton skyline today. The Roman Catholic church of Our Lady adjoins the hall, which was built in 1868 by Gilbert Blount
. Most of the houses in the village are post war and help to make up a thriving community. The village pub (The Fitzherbert Arms) has three bars, two dining areas, and accommodation.
Nearby Cold Meece houses a British Army
training area that used to be a Royal Ordnance Factory
, ROF Swynnerton. It is often used by the Air Training Corps
and the Army Cadet Force
.
Notable Residents:
Lord Stafford, whose family presence dates back several centuries; Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. [1807–1882] is believed to have penned his famous poem The Village Blacksmith in Swynnerton; a member of the Fitzherbert family who was keeper of the Tower of London is buried inside St Mary's church.
Key Moments in History
The one real love story in the life of George IV
is that which tells of his marriage with a lady who might well have been the wife of any king. This was Maria Anne Smythe-Matthews, better known as Mrs. Fitzherbert, who was six years older than the young prince when she first met him in company with a body of gentlemen and ladies in 1784.
Maria Fitzherbert's face was one which always displayed its best advantages. Her eyes were peculiarly languishing, and, as she had already been twice a widow, and was six years his senior, she had the advantage over a less experienced lover. Likewise, she was a Catholic, and so by another act of Parliament any marriage with her would be illegal. Yet just because of all these different objections the prince was doubly drawn to her, and was willing to sacrifice even the throne if he could but win her.
Maria Fitzherbert died on 27 March 1837. Although the marriage was declared invalid under English civil law, Pope Pius VII declared the marriage legal.
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...
.
St Mary's Church dates back to at least the 13th Century. Swynnerton received its charter from Edward I in 1306. During the 14th Century a market used to be held every Wednesday and an annual fair was held on August 15 each year. A grand manor house used to exist until its destruction in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
by Cromwell's men, its replacement being Swynnerton Hall
Swynnerton Hall
Swynnerton Hall is a 17th century country mansion house, the home of Lord Stafford, situated at Swynnerton near Stone , Staffordshire. It is a Grade I listed building....
, built in 1725 by Francis Smith of Warwick
Francis Smith of Warwick
Francis Smith of Warwick was an English master-builder and architect, much involved in the construction of country houses in the Midland counties of England...
, which still dominates the Swynnerton skyline today. The Roman Catholic church of Our Lady adjoins the hall, which was built in 1868 by Gilbert Blount
Gilbert Blount
Gilbert Blount was an English architect working mostly for Catholic Churches. He started his career as a civil engineer under Brunel and became superintendent of the Thames Tunnel works...
. Most of the houses in the village are post war and help to make up a thriving community. The village pub (The Fitzherbert Arms) has three bars, two dining areas, and accommodation.
Nearby Cold Meece houses a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
training area that used to be a Royal Ordnance Factory
Royal Ordnance Factory
Royal Ordnance Factories was the collective name of the UK government's munitions factories in and after World War II. Until privatisation in 1987 they were the responsibility of the Ministry of Supply and later the Ministry of Defence....
, ROF Swynnerton. It is often used by the Air Training Corps
Air Training Corps
The Air Training Corps , commonly known as the Air Cadets, is a cadet organisation based in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary youth group which is part of the Air Cadet Organisation and the Royal Air Force . It is supported by the Ministry of Defence, with a regular RAF Officer, currently Air...
and the Army Cadet Force
Army Cadet Force
The Army Cadet Force is a British youth organisation that offers progressive training in a multitude of the subjects from military training to adventurous training and first aid, at the same time as promoting achievement, discipline, and good citizenship, to boys and girls aged 12 to 18 and 9...
.
Notable Residents:
Lord Stafford, whose family presence dates back several centuries; Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. [1807–1882] is believed to have penned his famous poem The Village Blacksmith in Swynnerton; a member of the Fitzherbert family who was keeper of the Tower of London is buried inside St Mary's church.
Key Moments in History
The one real love story in the life of George IV
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
is that which tells of his marriage with a lady who might well have been the wife of any king. This was Maria Anne Smythe-Matthews, better known as Mrs. Fitzherbert, who was six years older than the young prince when she first met him in company with a body of gentlemen and ladies in 1784.
Maria Fitzherbert's face was one which always displayed its best advantages. Her eyes were peculiarly languishing, and, as she had already been twice a widow, and was six years his senior, she had the advantage over a less experienced lover. Likewise, she was a Catholic, and so by another act of Parliament any marriage with her would be illegal. Yet just because of all these different objections the prince was doubly drawn to her, and was willing to sacrifice even the throne if he could but win her.
Maria Fitzherbert died on 27 March 1837. Although the marriage was declared invalid under English civil law, Pope Pius VII declared the marriage legal.
External links
- Swynnerton Community Website
- Annual fair web pages
- Our Lady Parish Church web pages
- Swinnerton / Swynnerton Family web pages
Nearby locations
- YarnfieldYarnfieldYarnfield is a village in Staffordshire, England. It is considered part of historic Stone, and is near to other historic locations such as Eccleshall and Swynnerton.It is the site of a very large training and conference centre managed by BT...
- StaffordStaffordStafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
- StoneStone, StaffordshireStone is an old market town in Staffordshire, England, situated about seven miles north of Stafford, and around seven miles south of the city of Stoke-on-Trent. It is the second town, after Stafford itself, in the Borough of Stafford, and has long been of importance from the point of view of...
- EccleshallEccleshallEccleshall is a town in Staffordshire, England. It is located seven miles north west of Stafford, and six miles west of Stone. Eccleshall is twinned with Sancerre in France.-History:...