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Croxden

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"Croxden, in a narrow but fertile valley, watered by the Peake rivulet, five and a half miles N by W of Uttoxeter, and three miles W of Rocester Station, is a hamlet of scattered houses, remarkable only for the venerable ruins of its Abbey, founded by Bertram de Verdon, in 1176, for monks of the Cistercian order. The principal entrance at the west end is nearly entire, and consists of a magnificent Gothic arch of excellent workmanship, above which the abbey wall rises to a height of 40 feet, overgrown with ivy. About 90 feet from this ruin, a large part of the wall, which formed the east end of the building, is still standing, and the foundations of the south transept, cloister and chapter house, may be distinctly traced amongst sheds and pig-sties. Many of the Verdon family are buried here, as also was the heart of King John, whose body is said to have been interred at Worcester, and his bowels at Croxton in Leicestershire.
The parish of Croxden contains 268 inhabitants and about 2400 acres of land, and in the poors' assessment is usually called Croxden-with-Great-Yate. The latter is a village half a mile NW of the church.
Dog Lane, a district of 800 acres and 25 souls, in Calton chapelry, is a detached member of Croxden parish, distant eight miles N by E of the church. Wootons, on the Rochester road, one mile SE of Croxden, is another hamlet in this parish."
[From History, Gazetteer and Directory of Staffordshire, William White, Sheffield, 1851]

 

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Bibliography

'The Abbey of St Mary, Croxden, Staffordshire, A Monograph'
by Charles Lynam
Published 1911, by Sprague & Co, London.

'Croxden Abbey, Its Buildings and History'
by Francis Aidan Hibbert
Published 1912, by Spottiswoode & Co, Colchester.

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Cemeteries

A transcript of the Monumental Inscriptions of St Giles, Croxden, has been published by the Birmingham & Midland SGH.

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Census

The population of Croxden parish was as follows:
1831 -- 272
1841 -- 268

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Churches

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Church History

"Croxden parish Church, St Giles, is a small decayed building, with a wooden belfrey. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Earl of Macclesfield, lord of the manor, and incumbency of the Rev William Higton, of Tean."
[From History, Gazetteer and Directory of Staffordshire, William White, Sheffield, 1851]

 

 

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Church Records

Church of England Registers
The parish register of the parish church of St Giles commences in 1673. The original registers for the period 1673-1812 (Bapts & Bur) & 1673-1837 (Mar) are deposited at Staffordshire Record Office. Baptism & Burial registers from 1812-date remain with the incumbent.
Bishops Transcripts, 1674-1867 (with gaps 1706-07, 1766-70, 1861 & 1865) are deposited at Lichfield Record Office.
A transcript of the parish registers for the period 1674-1812 was published by the Staffordshire Parish Register Society in 1912 and has been reprinted by the Birmingham & Midland SGH (with Bradley-in-the-Moors)

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Description & Travel

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

You can see pictures of Croxden which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

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

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

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

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK065397 (Lat/Lon: 52.954638, -1.904696), Croxden which are provided by:

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Poor Houses, Poor Law

The parish became part of Uttoxeter Union following the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834.