Marchington in 1817

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

Marchington.

Marchington is a small village, situated at the northern extremity of the Hundred of Offlow, with the woody eminence of Needwood gradually rising on its southern side, and the winding stream of the Dove as its boundary to the north. The manor now belongs to Earl Talbot.

The earliest record of this manor is in the will of Wulfric Spot, the founder of Burton Abbey, dated ad1004, in which he grants it to Wulfag. It was afterwards part of the demesne lands appertaining to the honour of Tutbury, given by the Conqueror to Henry de Ferrers, and is thus mentioned in the Survey recorded in Doomsday-book:

"Henry holds Merchametone, in which are two hides, and in Edgarsley one virgat of land. Uluric formerly held it, and was a freeman. The arable land is seven carucates. In demesne there are two, with one servant, eighteen villans, and nine bordars, who have three carucates. There are forty acres of meadow, a wood affording pasture for cattle or deer, three miles in length, and one mile and a half in breadth." The whole was then valued at one hundred shillings.

Marchington Woodlands is another hamlet in this parish. It consists of a number of scattered houses and farms, on a rising ground, for a mile or two westward of Marchington Chapel.

Hounhill is a manor in the chapelry of Marchington. It consists of about 500 acres of rich pasture-land, mostly of a stiff soil. On the north-west side is a considerable quantity of alabaster. It belongs to Lord Vernon.