Category: Articles

By Tim Lambert Saxon and Medieval Stafford In 913 the king’s sister, Ethelfleda, created a fortified settlement at Stafford called a burh. It was probably protected by a ditch and an earth rampart with a wooden stockade on top. (Later it was replaced by stone walls). In the event of a Danish attack, all the… Continue reading A History of Stafford

By Tim Lambert Early St Helens St Helens takes its name from a chapel, which was first mentioned in 1552. It was built where the road from Ormskirk to Warrington crossed the road from Prescot to Ashton. At that time the area that is now St Helens was divided into 4 townships. They were Eccleston,… Continue reading A History of St Helens

By Tim Lambert Stratford upon Avon was founded by the Saxons when they invaded what is now Warwickshire in the 7th century AD. The name Stratford is made up of Celtic and Saxon words. It was the straet ford that is the ford by the Roman road. Avon is a Celtic word meaning river or… Continue reading A History of Stratford upon Avon

By Tim Lambert Early Stockton on Tees Stockton began as a small village belonging to the Bishop of Durham. Sometime in the 13th century (the exact date is not known), the Bishop made the village of Stockton into a borough. In the Middle Ages most peasants were serfs, halfway between slaves and free men. The… Continue reading A History of Stockton on Tees

By Tim Lambert Dedicated to Pat Churchill Early Stockport Stockport began as a small village. However, in the 13th century, Stockport grew into a town. In 1260 the people of Stockport were given a charter, which gave them certain rights including the right to hold weekly markets and annual fairs. (In the Middle Ages fairs… Continue reading A History of Stockport

By Tim Lambert Early Swanmore In the 6th century AD, a people called the Jutes, from Denmark invaded Hampshire and they settled in the Meon Valley. The particular tribe who settled in that area were called the Meon and they gave their name to the river. They probably founded Swanmore. Mere is an old word… Continue reading A History of Swanmore

By Tim Lambert Sunderland in the Middle Ages Sunderland was made a town in 1154 when it was granted a charter. (A document granting the townspeople certain rights such as the right to hold a weekly market). Sunderland slowly grew. However, it only had a population of a few hundred in the Middle Ages. It… Continue reading A History of Sunderland

By Tim Lambert Early Swindon Swindon began as a Saxon village. The name Swindon is derived from the Saxon words swine dun meaning pig hill or the hill where pigs were bred. Swindon is mentioned in the Domesday Book (1086). At that time Swindon was a tiny village but by the late 13th century Swindon… Continue reading A History of Swindon

By Tim Lambert Titchfield in the Middle Ages In the 6th century AD, people called the Jutes from Denmark settled the Isle of Wight and part of Hampshire. A tribe called the Meon settled in the Meon Valley and they founded the settlement at Titchfield. Titchfield was originally a feld, which was an open area… Continue reading A History of Titchfield

By Tim Lambert Dedicated to Valerie Luff Medieval Taunton Taunton began as a Saxon village in Somerset. It was called Tone Tun. The Saxon word tun means farm or estate. The word Tone is Celtic and may mean a roaring river. By the 10th century, Taunton had grown from a village into a small town… Continue reading A History of Taunton