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Lichfield in 1859

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Topographical Dictionary of England, Samuel Lewis - 1859

LICHFIELD, a city and county of itself, and the head of a union, in the S. division of the county of STAFFORD, 16 miles (S.E. by E.) from Stafford, and 118 (N.W. by N.) from London; containing 6761 inhabitants. This place, called by 'BedeLitidfeld, and by Ingulphus and Henry of Huntingdon Lichfeld, both implying "the field of the dead," is supposed to have derived its name from the traditionary martyrdom of more than 1000 Christians, who are said to have been massacred here in the reign of the Emperor Diocletian: an allusion to this event appears in the corporation seal of the city; and a spot within its precincts, in which they are said to have been interred, still retains the appellation of the Christian field. During the heptarchy, it appears to have been distinguished by the kings of Mercia, of whom Peada, son-in-law of Osweo, King of Northumbria, having been converted by the preaching of Cedd, a hermit, who had a cell near the site of St. Chad's church, is said to have erected the first Christian church here in honour of that recluse, who had been assiduous in his efforts to convert the Mercians to Christianity, and afterwards became their bishop.

In the reign of Offa, this see not only obtained the precedence of all the Mercian bishoprics, but through the interest of Offa with Pope Adrian, was made the archiepiscopal see, and invested with the greater part of the jurisdiction of Canterbury. Eadulph was appointed archbishop of Lichfield in 789, and had for his suffragans the Bishops of Worcester, Hereford, Leicester, Sidnacester, Elmham, and Dunwich; but, in 803, Leo succeeding to the pontificate, restored the primacy to Canterbury, and Eadulph, stripped of his supremacy, died in 812. At the time of the Conquest, Lichfield, notwithstanding the distinction which it enjoyed under the Saxon kings, was but an inconsiderable place; and in 1075, when the council decreed that episcopal sees should no longer remain in obscure towns, Peter, Bishop of Licedfeld, transferred his see to Chester, where it continued till it was removed by his successor, Robert de Limsey, to Coventry, whence it was, in 1148, restored to Lichfield, by Roger de Clinton, who began the church and fortified the castle, of which latter there is not the slightest vestige.

At what time, or by whom, the castle was originally built, has not been clearly ascertained; but it is, upon very good authority, asserted that Richard II., after his deposition from the throne, was detained here as a prisoner, on his route to the tower of London. During the parliamentary war, Lichfield embraced the royal cause, and Charles I., after the battle of Naseby, slept for one night in the Cathedral Close, which, in 1643, Sir Richard Dyott, with some of the principal gentlemen of the county, under the command of the Earl of Chesterfield, fortified against the republican forces by which the town was besieged, under Lord Brooke and Sir John Gell, the former of whom, having stationed himself in the porch of an adjoining house, was shot, by a member of the Dyott family, from the battlements of the cathedral. The attack being continued by Sir John Gell, the garrison surrendered on honourable terms, and the parliamentarians retired, leaving a body of troops, who, in the following month, were repulsed by Prince Rupert: and the royalists kept possession of the town till its final surrender to the parliament. During these conflicts the cathedral suffered material injury; its rich sculptures were destroyed, it was converted into stables by the parliamentarian troops, and, in 1651, it was set on fire, and, by order of parliament, left to neglect and decay. 

The CITY is built in a pleasant and fertile vale, within two miles of the Roman station Etocetum, and about the same distance from Offlow Mount; another station at Swinfen. The houses in the principal thoroughfares are handsome and commodious; the streets in general are well paved, and the town is well lighted, and amply supplied with water. Certain property, called the Conduit Lands, was granted in 1546 to trustees, by the brethren of the guild of the Blessed Mary, in Lichfield, "for the common wealth of the city and town," and for keeping in repair the conduit pipes and pumps, providing fire-engines, and defraying other charges incidental to supplying the city with water from the springs at Aldershaw, which are about one mile and a half from the city: the property consists of about 340 acres of land, and produces nearly £600 per annum. In the environs are mimerous elegant seats and villas. A mechanics institute was established a few years since, and is held in a room of the guildhall; the Rev. Mr. Law, the president, has endowed it with books and natural curiosities, and also contributes liberally towards its support. A permanent library is maintained by subscription, and there is also a newsroom.

A small theatre, in which Mrs. Siddons made her first appearance after her marriage, is open during the races, and occasionally at other times; and an amateur concert, called the Cecilian Society, has been established nearly a century. The races take place in September, when a queen's plate of 100 guineas is run for on the first day; the course is on the road to Tamworth, about two miles from the city. Lichfield is not a place of much trade; there are extensive coach and harness manufactories, and two factories for spinning worsted thread. The Wyrley and Essington canal runs within a quarter of a mile, and joins the Fazeley and Birmingham line about three miles distant. The railway from Manchester, via Stone, to Rugby, passes by Pows-mill, three-quarters of a mile distant, where is a principal station, with a new approach direct to the market-place. The market is on Friday, and there are cattle-markets on the first Monday in every month, for cattle, sheep, bacon, and cheese; the charter fairs are on Shrove-Tuesday and Ash-Wednesday, and there are others on the 10th of January, and first Tuesday in November. The market-house is a commodious building, occupying the site of the ancient market-cross; in the centre is a colossal statue in stone of Dr. Samuel Johnson, erected in 1838, and presented by the Rev. J.T. Law, chancellor of the diocese. 

The city was anciently GOVERNED by a guild, at the head of which were a master and four wardens, assisted by a council of twenty-four brethren. This guild, established in 1387, was dissolved in the 2nd of Edward VI., who granted to the inhabitants a charter of incorporation, which was confirmed and enlarged by Mary and Elizabeth, the former of whom erected the city into a county of itself. Subsequent charters were conferred by James I. in 1623, and by Charles II. in the 16th of his reign, tinder the latter of which the corporation consisted of two bailiffs and twenty-one brethren, assisted by a recorder, steward, town-clerk and coroner, sheriff, and two serjeants-at-mace. The government is now vested in a mayor, six aldermen, and eighteen councillors, under the act of the 5th and 6th of William IV., cap. 76; the city is divided into two wards, the municipal and parliamentary boundaries being co-extensive; a sheriff is appointed by the council, and the number of magistrates is seven. 

Two chief constables are chosen by a jury of burgage tenants, at their court leet, held on St. George's day; and several petty constables at the great portmote court on the 22nd of July. The freedom of the city is inherited only by the eldest sons of freemen, and acquired by servitude in one of the seven trading companies of the Cordwainers, Smiths, Saddlers, Bakers, Weavers, Tailors, and Butchers. The city first exercised the elective franchise in the 33rd of Edward I., and continued to make regular returns till the 27th of Edward III., from which period it ceased till the time of its incorporation by Edward VI., who restored the privilege; two members are sent to parliament, and the sheriff is the returning officer. The recorder holds quarterly courts of session, and also a court of record weekly, for the recovery of debts to any amount above 40s.; there is a sheriff's court every month, for the recovery of debts under that amount, and the justices preside at a petty-session weekly.

The guildhall is a neat edifice of stone, ornamented with a pediment in front, in the tympanum of which are the city arms; the hall is spacious, and well adapted to the purposes of the several courts, and underneath is the common gaol for the city. Formerly an annual fete, called the Court of Array, took place on Whit-Monday in the guildhall, whence it was immediately adjourned to an eminence named Greenhill, where a temporary bower was erected; the expense was defrayed by the corporation. This ceremony is supposed by some to have been instituted by King Osweo, to commemorate a victory obtained by him over Penda; but others, with more probability, ascribe it to an act passed originally in the reign of Henry II., ordaining the high constable in each town frequently to inspect the arms of the inhabitants. It is still kept up with some difference, but the expense is now defrayed by subscription. The town is the place of election for the southern division of the county. 

At Burntwood and Wall, in this parish, are chapels of ease, both erected by subscription. There are places of worship for Independents, Wesleyans, and Kilhamites, and Roman Catholics.  St. John's hospital was founded in the reign of Henry III., by one of the bishops of the diocese; and, in 1252, Randulph de Lacock, canon of Lichfield, endowed it with lands at Elmhurst and Stichbrook, for the maintenance of a priest, and the support of the poor and infirm. It was visited by the bishops of Lichfield for many years, but fell into neglect and decay, from which it was retrieved by Bishop Smyth, who was translated to structure, with a low square tower. 

 

[Description(s) from The Topographical Dictionary of England (1859) by Samuel Lewis - Transcribed by Mike Harbach ©2020]