Drayton-Bassett in 1868

[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer (1868)]

"DRAYTON BASSETT, a parish in the S. division of the hundred of Offlow, in the county of Stafford, 3 miles S.W. of Tamworth, its post town, and 1½ mile S.W. of Wilnecote railway station. It is situated in the valley of the Tame.

The manor was formerly in the possession of the Bassets and the earls of Leicester, but is now possessed by Sir R. Peel, Bart., whose seat is Drayton Hall. The village is considerable, and some of the inhabitants are employed in cotton spinning. The Birmingham and Fazeley canal passes through the eastern end of the parish, and the West Midland railway within half a mile. The soil is a rich loam.

The living is a rectory in the diocese of Lichfield, value £244, in the patronage of the lord chancellor. The church, dedicated to St. Peter, is a plain stone structure, with tower containing a clock and four bells. The great statesman, Sir Robert Peel, was interred in the nave of this church. Here is a free school, supported by Sir Robert Peel."

[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) - Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]