Return to introduction or Go to next location Eccleshall
Eccleshall is an ancient village and has been the scene of several historical events. Early in the 7 th century the Mercians took Eccleshall from the British and destroyed the church and probably the village settlement that was there. In 669 Wulfhere, King of the Mercians gave Eccleshall along with a considerable area of land to the Bishop of Lichfield. In 1160 Bishop Durdent procured the grant of a weekly market and an annual fair. Eccleshall became involved with the Battle of Blore Heath in 1459 when Queen Margaret of Anjou made her base at Eccleshall Castle before and after the battle. The church and Eccleshall castle were involved in the Civil War in 1643. Because of its geographical position Eccleshall became an important centre as a market town and was on the coaching route from Chester to London.
Holy Trinity Church Chad (later St. Chad) was the first Bishop from 669 to 672. After the Danish raids of 1010 the ancient church was in ruins for 80 years. At the Conquest the Bishop was Leofwine followed by Peter in 1072 and in 1085 by Robert de Limesay. A Norman church was built in 1090 and a century later a major building programme was undertaken when Mushchamp was Bishop. The church is one of the most perfect 13 th century churches in the country.
A few remnants of the earlier church exist, these include a few Saxon fragments of a cross shaft were built into the wall of the vestry, a few stone fragments at the base of the tower are probably from the previous church and in the church grounds are the remains of a 10 th century cross. The importance of Holy Trinity Church to the Bishops of Lichfield is shown by the number of Bishops buried in the church. These are:
Around the walls of the church you can still see the grooves in the sandstone blocks made by archers as they sharpened their arrowheads for archery practice. As the archers formed an important force in every army during the Middle Ages sovereigns endeavoured to make training in the use of the bow obligatory on the whole population. In the thirteenth century every person 'not having a greater interest in land than 100d.' was required to have in his possession a bow and arrow, with other arms offensive and defensive, and 'all such as had no possessions but could afford to purchase arms' were required to have a bow with sharp arrows if they dwelt without, and one with blunt arrows if resident within the royal forests. Towards the close of the fifteenth century archery had fallen somewhat into decay in spite of enactments of this character, but its practice was revived by Henry VIII, himself a skilful bowman, and an Act was passed soon after his accession, extending the qualification with respect to the use of crossbows to 300 marks, and requiring all his subjects under sixty years of age 'who were not lame, diseased, or maimed, or having any other lawful impediment,' the clergy, judges, &c., excepted, to 'use shooting on the long bow' under penalty on default of 12d. per month. Parents were to provide every boy from seven to seventeen years of age with a bow and two arrows, and after seventeen he was to provide himself with a bow and four arrows; and butts for the practice of archery were to be erected in every town. Lastly, in order to prevent other pastimes such as football from interfering with archery practice, a penalty of 40s. a day was imposed on every person who shall for his gain, lucre, or living keep any common house, alley, or place of bowling, coiting, clough, eagles, half-bowls, tennis, dicing tables, or carding, or any other game prohibited by any statute heretofore made or any unlawful new game.
The places where they practiced archery was called ‘butts’ and place names still exist in Eccleshall where these butts were located e.g. Gaol Butts and Cross Butts. Eccleshall Castle About the year 1200 Bishop Muschamp obtained from King John licence to embattle his manor house set on flat ground beside the River Sow to the north of the church. The castle at that time was thought to have been semi-circular. The present rectangular court was laid out by Bishop Walter Langton when he either extensively repaired or entirely rebuilt the castle in 1310. During the civil war it sustained so much damage in a siege, prior to its being taken by the parliamentarians, as to be unfit for the residence of the bishops. A plan drawn up after the Civil War shows a second tower, joined to the first by a hall and chapel range. In 1695 the castle was occupied as a farmhouse and Bishop Lloyd rebuilt the south part and connected it with the remaining old buildings. Since then it has continued to be the palace of the see and has been repeatedly improved. Bishop William Lloyd built a new castle in red sandstone about 1690 to serve as his palace. Bishop Hough planted the grove which is now laid out in shrubberies and plantations. The woods belonging to the castle were extensive. Of the original castle only the three storey polygonal tower on the north-east corner, the lower part of the 2m thick curtain wall on the north, east and southern sides, the stone bridge and the now dry east and southern section of the moat exist. Eccleshall and events during the Civil War In 1642 Bishop Wright garrisoned the castle for Charles I. A group of Parliamentarian soldiers take over the church, ‘to keep their powder dry’. They are under the command of Sir William Brereton who took Stafford and its castle. The Parliamentarians place their siege cannons on the flat ground that is now the Tennis club site. This gives them a perfect position for the siege of the castle. And so a siege of the castle begins. The siege of the castle lasts 8 weeks and during this time the Bishop dies of a heart attack aged 83. Because of the siege his body remains unburied. A force of Cavaliers occupies the main street, the inn and the buildings that commanded the thoroughfare. On Wednesday 30 th August 1643 a lookout in the church tower sees a group of soldiers from Stafford approaching Eccleshall. He shouts to those in the church and a great cheer is heard. At the same time some of the Cavaliers in the castle are in the process of taking out the Bishops body for burial and to remove all the treasure from the castle, when a cry that a troop of Parliamentarians have arrived and were making for the church.. The Bishops body is dumped on the grass and the treasure is thrown away. There are scenes of panic from the Cavaliers with many running from the castle towards the high street and the church. Only 10 men are left in the castle. From the church the Parliamentarians rush out and are met by the Cavaliers who have come from the castle. Fierce hand to hand fighting erupts in the churchyard. And before long the churchyard is strewn with the bodies of the fallen. During the night an assault on the castle gateway by Parliamentarians is made and the castle gateway is taken. Seeing all is lost the remaining Cavaliers in the castle yield. All the other Cavaliers flee from Eccleshall. The Bishop is finally buried in the church. In 1646 Parliament ordered the castle to be destroyed
As the river eaves Eccleshall it starts to become wider and deeper as it makes its way towards Chebsey. Return to introduction or Go to next location
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