Rocester in 1872

ROCESTER, a village and a parish in Uttoxeter district, Stafford. The village stands near the confluence of the rivers Dove and Churnet, adjacent to the junction of the North Staffordshire railway with the branch line to Ashborne, and at the boundary with Derbyshire, 4 miles N by E of Uttoxeter; and has a station with telegraph at the railway junction, and a post-office under Ashborne. The parish contains also the hamlets of Rocester-Green, Combridge, Denstone, Quixhill, and Stub-wood. Acres, 2,105. Real property, £6,866. Pop., 1,175. Houses, 237. The property is divided among a few. Dove-Leys, Barrow-Hill, and Woodseat are chief residences.

A black abbey was founded here in 1146, by R. Bacun; but has left no remains. A one-arched-bridge, of 60 feet in span, was erected over the Dove in 1839-40. A large cotton-mill was built by the late. Sir R. Arkwright. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Lichfield. Value, £150. Patron, T. P. Bainbrigge, Esq. The church is ancient but good; was recently enlarged; and contains monuments of the Staffords. A section with a pop. of 147 is within the chapelry of Denstone. There are chapels for Baptists and Wesleyans, British schools, and charities £15.

An 1872 Gazetteer description of the following places in Rocester is to be found on a supplementary page.

• Combridge
• Quixhill
• Stubwood

[Description(s) from The Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72) - Transcribed by Mike Harbach ©2020]