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Tettenhall

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"Tettenhall, or Tettenhall Regis & Clericorum, is a large and fertile parish, extending from two to five miles WNW of Wolverhampton, and comprising 3143 inhabitants, and 7965 acres of land, including the villages of Tettenhall and Tettenhall Wood, Compton Liberty, and the Prebends of Pirton-with-Trescott, Bovenhill, Pendeford, and Wrottesley, in which are several neat houses and villas. Lord Wrottesley is lord of the manor of Tettenhall Clericorum, including Pirton and Wrottesley prebends, and forming the west side of the parish, and WF Fryer, Esq, and others are joint lords of the manor of Tettenhall Regis, which comprises the other two prebends. Tettenhall Wood forms part of JHH Foley's manor of Kinfare. Here are a number of other freeholders, the largest of whom are Miss Hinckes, and TH Pearson, George Holyoake, William Granger, TS Hellier, and Thomas Fowler, Esqrs.
Tettenhall village stands near the centre of the parish, two miles WNW of Wolverhampton, and comprises many respectable houses on and near the Shiffnal road, at the foot and on the declivities of a lofty and picturesque eminence, which rises above the Smestow rivulet, and the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal. The houses are chiefly occupied by gentry, and by persons engaged in the trade and commerce of Wolverhampton. Before the Norman Conquest, the village was called Theotenhall, signifying the house of pagans.
Bilbrook is a hamlet of scattered houses, partly in Codsall, but mostly in Tettenhall parish, four miles NW of Wolverhampton, and near Codsall Railway Station.
Bovenhill, near Tettenhall, is a small prebendal estate, with only 17 inhabitants, exclusive of those in Seisdon Union Workhouse, said to be within its limits.
Compton is a neat village, adjoining the canal and Tettenhall Wood, two miles W of Wolverhampton, where a considerable quantity of sand is got for the use of iron founders, and for mixing with water. Several handsome houses, and a great number of cottages, have been built at Tettenhall Wood, since its enclosure in 1809. The cottages are mostly occupied by lock makers. Among the pleasant villas of Tettenhall Wood is the seat of Miss Theodosia Hinckes, the proprietor of part of the Wightwick and Aldersley estates, the former lying one mile SW, and the latter one mile NE of Tettenhall.
Pendeford, commonly called Penford, ia a hamlet and estate of 1868 acres, near the source of the River Penk, three and a half miles N by W of Wolverhampton. The principal landowner is Thomas Fowler, Esq, of Pendeford Hall, a neat mansion, surrounded by picturesque and well-wooded scenery. Palmer's Cross, Lane Green, Barnhurst, and Cronk Hall, and part of the Birches are in this division of the parish.
Pirton, Trescott, and Wightwick, four and a half miles W by S of Wolverhampton, are neighbouring hamlets, forming Pirton-with-Trescott prebendal estate, now belonging to Lord Wrottesley. They contain only 306 souls.
The Wergs is a scattered hamlet, with several neat houses near Wrottesley, three and a half miles WNW of Wolverhampton. Mrs Fryer has a pleasant seat here.
Wrottesley Hall, with an estate of 2319 acres, is the seat and property of Lord Wrottesley, whose ancestors have possessed it since the first of Henry III, and whose father, Sir John Wrottesley, Bart, was raised to the peerage in 1838, and died in 1841. His Lordship was born in 1798, and his eldest son, the Hon Arthur Wrottesley, in 1824. The present hall is a magnificent structure, erected in 1696, and stands on rising ground, four and a half miles WNW of Wolverhampton. Dipton's Farm, the Wergs, and Kingswood are in Wrottesley prebendal estate, which has 285 inhabitants."
[From History, Gazetteer and Directory of Staffordshire, William White, Sheffield, 1851]

 

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Bibliography

'A Tettenhall History'
by GV Handcock
Published 1991, by Broadside, Tettenhall.

'A History of the Parish of Tettenhall, in the County of Stafford'
by James P Jones
Published 1894, by Simpkin & Marshall, London.

'A History of Tettenhall'
by MW Greenslade, DA Johnson, & NJ Tringham
Published 1984, by Staffordshire Libraries, Arts & Archives.

'History of Tettenhall College'
by GV Handcock
Published 1963, by Tettenhall College, Tettenhall.

'History of the Family of Wrottesley'
by George Wrottesley.
Published as a supplement to The Genealogist, 1903, Exeter.

'Genealogy of the Pearson Family of Tettenhall, Staffordshire'
by Hugh Pearce Pearson
Published 1893, by Lawrence Asylum Press, Ootacamund.

'Tettenhall'
by John Raven
Published 1990, by Broadside, Tettenhall.

'Around Tettenhall & Codsall in Old Photographs'
by Mary Mills
Published 1990, by Alan Sutton, Stroud, Gloucestershire.

'Bilston, Tettenhall & Wednesfield. (Images of England Series)'
by Mary Mills & Tracey Williams
Published 1998, by Tempus, Stroud, Gloucestershire.

'Tettenhall & Pattingham (The Archive Photograph Series)'
by Alec Brew
Published 1997, by Chalford, Stroud, Gloucestershire.

'By Road & Rail to Tettenhall'
by Ned Williams
Published 1980, by Uralia Press, Wolverhampton.

 

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Cemeteries

A transcript of the Monumental Inscriptions for St Michael & All Angels, Tettenhall, has been published by the Birmingham & Midland SGH.

Wolverhampton Archives have microfilm copies of the burial registers of Danescourt Cemetery, Wergs Road, Tettenhall for the period 1959-1972.

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Census

The population of Tettenhall parish was as follows:
1831 -- 2618
1841 -- 3143

A surname index of the 1851 census for Tettenhall parish is included in the 1851 Staffordshire Census Surname Index, Vol 13, Wolverhampton, published by the Birmingham and Midland SGH.

A surname index only of the 1891 census for Tettenhall is included in the 1891 Census Surname & Folio Index for Dudley, Sedgley & Wolverhampton & District published by the Birmingham & Midland SGH.

 

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Church History

"The Parish Church, St Michael, was a royal free chapel, and enjoyed all the privileges of such peculiars. It was anciently collegiate. The college was founded previous to the Norman Conquest, and had a dean and five prebendaries, till the period of its dissolution, in the reign of Henry VIII. The present church is supposed to be a part of the original foundation, but it was enlarged in 1825. The font is curiously ornamented with Gothic sculpture, and in the vestry is a venerable oak chest, hewn out of a solid block, and strongly plated with iron. The perpetual curacy is in the patronage of Lord Wrottesley, and incumbency of the Rev Edward J Wrottesley.
The Wesleyans have a chapel in the village of Tettenhall, built in 1825."

[From History, Gazetteer and Directory of Staffordshire, William White, Sheffield, 1851]

Postcard of St Michael's Church c1917

Tettenhall Wood ecclesiastical parish was formed in June, 1868. Christ Church, Tettenhall Wood, was erected in 1866, in stone, in the Early English style.

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Church Records

Church of England Registers
The parish register of the parish church of St Michael & All Angels commences in 1602. The original registers for the period 1602-1968 (Bapts), 1602-1948 (Mar) & 1602-1946 (Bur), and Banns for the period 1754-1799 are deposited at Staffordshire Record Office.
Bishops Transcripts, 1687-1859 (with gaps 1692-96, 1699-1715, 1717-1800, & 1837) are deposited at Lichfield Record Office.
A transcript of the St Michael & All Angels registers for the periods (part 1) 1602-1744, and (part 2) 1745-1839 (Mar) was published in 1930 and 1967 by the Staffordshire Parish Register Society and has been reprinted by the Birmingham & Midland SGH.

The parish register of the church of Christ Church, Tettenhall Wood commences in 1868. The original registers for the period 1868-1988 (Bapts) & 1868-1989 (Mar) are deposited at Staffordshire Record Office.

 

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Description & Travel

A transcription of the section on Tettenhall from A Topographical History of Staffordshire by William Pitt (1817)

Conservation Area Appraisals for Tettenhall Wood  - interesting accounts of the area, with excellent historical detail, numerous photographs and map

You can see pictures of Tettenhall which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

The transcription of the section for Tettenhall from the Topographical Dictionary of England (1859)

The transcription of the section for Tettenhall from the National Gazetteer (1868) provided by Colin Hinson.

The transcription of the section for Tettenhall from the Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72)

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Genealogy

The Tettenhall virtual village pages include information on Tettenhall history and a genealogy section.

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SJ884000 (Lat/Lon: 52.597666, -2.17269), Tettenhall which are provided by:

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Military Records

A transcription of the Muster Roll of 1539 for Tettenhall Regis

A transcription of the Muster Roll of 1539 for Tettenhall Clericorum

A transcription of the Muster Roll of 1539 for Wightwick

A transcription of the Muster Roll of 1539 for Compton

A transcription of the Muster Roll of 1539 for Pendeford

A transcription of the Muster Roll of 1539 for Trescott

A transcription of the Muster Roll of 1539 for Perton

A transcription of the Muster Roll of 1539 for Wergs

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Poor Houses, Poor Law

Tettenhall parish became part of Seisdon Union following the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834.
Seisdon Union Workhouse stood on the Upper Green in Tettenhall. It was an old building which was enlarged in 1836, to accomodate 80 paupers.