Kingsley in 1817

Description from A Topographical History of Staffordshire by William Pitt (1817)

KINGSLEY.

Kingsley is a parish of considerable extent and population, the principal part of which is in Totmanslow South; it also includes the township of Whiston, in Totmanslow North. This part of the country has been greatly improved by inclosures and plantations of trees. This parish contains 213 houses, 216 families; 566 males, 572 females: total of inhabitants 1,138. The Caldon Canal passes through this parish.

The village of Kingsley is irregularly built, but contains some good houses, and a tape-manufactory, belonging to the Tean Company, in which 30 looms are employed.

The Church is a large and very ancient structure of stone, in a decayed state, with a low tower, and a flat roof. Three small ash trees grow on the roof at the east end, and have a most picturesque effect. They have existed there more than forty years; the seeds are supposed to have been sown by birds who alighted on the roof, and though the trees were frequently cut down, they always sprang up anew: they are now about five feet high. There is a free-school attached to this church; it stands at the northern angle of the east end, and the children of the village are instructed there in reading, writing, and arithmetic.

The church is dedicated to St. Peter: it is a vicarage in the gift of the Duke of Devonshire. The Rev. John Wood is the present vicar, and the Rev. William Carlisle curate. Longevity: There is an inscription in the church-yard to the memory of Mary Davenport, aged 97 years.

To the north-east of Kingsley stands Cotton-hall, the seat of Mr. Gilbert. It is in a low situation, sheltered by high hills and extensive plantations of fir. The hamlet of Cotton contains several rural tenements, and a small chapel.