{"id":195668,"date":"2021-11-08T14:03:21","date_gmt":"2021-11-08T14:03:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/travel\/?p=195668"},"modified":"2022-03-16T11:46:18","modified_gmt":"2022-03-16T11:46:18","slug":"stafford-the-five-minutes-spare-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/travel\/stafford-the-five-minutes-spare-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Stafford The Five Minutes Spare Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ever wondered if Stafford would make a nice holiday destination? Find out with Five Minutes Spare.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Stafford can be found in the West Midlands in England. It has a population of about 68,000 people. It is closest to Wolverhampton but lies to the Northwest of Birmingham. Staffordshire, the county in which Stafford lies, is the third-largest county in England.<\/p>\n

We wanted to know how Stafford measures up as a staycation destination. Is it a good place to take your family? Will you create good memories here? Would you be better off in Benidorm? Let’s answer some of those questions and find out about the history of this beautiful market town.<\/p>\n

The Early Days of Stafford<\/h2>\n

Stafford takes its name from being known as a landing place. An old English that was called a staithe. The settlement was originally on the gravel bed at a fjord in the River Trent. This would have been a busy crossing point since before bridges we used fjords to cross rivers. A settlement would have grown up around the crossing point, where trade could have been made.<\/p>\n

It is believed that the true origins of Stafford occurred in 7oo AD. A Mercian prince named Bertelin founded the town on the peninsula. The original town lies underneath the St Bertelin\u2019s Chapel next to the College Church of St. Mary. This is just outside of the town centre. Other sources say that the tone was founded by Aethelflaed in 913 AD when it was turned into a burh. A burh was a small, rounded, defensible fort set usually on top of a hill. England was scattered with them throughout the era of Danish invasions.<\/p>\n

For anyone who has ever watched the Bernard Cromwell series \u201cThe Last Kingdom\u201d, You may recognise the name Aethelflaed. She was King Alfred the Great\u2019s daughter who was married off to the king of Mercia. She became a sort of warrior Princess, and many legends were written about her. She was frequently spotted leading her people into battle. During the famines that were intermittent in England at the time, Stafford was turned into an outlet for the distribution of grain. If you can imagine Stafford at the time, it would have been a haven for surrounding villagers fleeing both the Vikings and the shortage of food.<\/p>\n

The Burh that Aethelflaed founded here would later become the centre for the creation of Stafford-Ware, Roman-style pottery that was famed throughout England. It also made the centre point for the defence. When the Danes invaded, everyone nearby would flock to the burh and fight them off.<\/p>\n

The success of both the burh and the pottery led to Stafford being the home of the royal mint for two hundred years. Remember, this is at a time when England was only just uniting, so Stafford would have been an important city for the Mercian kingdom. It was made a county town as early as the tenth century.<\/p>\n

In 1070 AD, William the Conqueror built a castle at Stafford. The north rebelled against Norman rule in 1066, leading to many such buildings being erected throughout the north of England. This helped the invaders keep checks on those that fought back.<\/p>\n

During the time of the Domesday survey<\/a> which was ordered by the Norman invaders, the town of Stafford had 34 households. This is massive for that time. It put Stafford in the largest 40% of all known settlements at the time. There were three known owners listed in town. King William owned the largest portion of land, with 7 pounds of value in one piece and 18 burgesses in another. The Canons of St Mary owned 2 ploughlands, 2 teams to plough time with, 1 furlough of meadows, 1 mill, and was valued at 3 pounds annual revenue. Lastly, the land of Robert of Stafford was worth 3 pounds and 10 shillings. Staffordshire county was formed around this period.<\/p>\n

Medieval Stafford<\/h2>\n

By the year 1200, Stafford had a population of 1000 people. In 1206 it gained its first royal charter. That would have allowed the town to have a market weekly and an annual fair. Natives would have come from all over the county to trade goods here at Stafford, where the land crossed the river. Stafford would have been an annual fair town for about 300 years. This should indicate its importance.<\/p>\n

Saint Chad’s church in Stafford was built between the 12th and 13th centuries. At this time there would have been Franciscan Friars in Stafford. They were often known as Greyfriars because of the grey robes that they wore. Although they came to turn to preach, they would only remain there until 1539, when King Henry the eighth eventually dissolved the monasteries.<\/p>\n

In 1399, Richard II was shown off in the streets of Stafford as a prisoner of Henry Bolingbroke. Charles I came here as well after the English Civil War began. There was a battle nearby and later, the town would fall to the Parliamentarians and their dastardly ways. The castle only fell after a six-week siege.<\/p>\n

Let’s take a short break there and talk about some of the fun things that have happened in Stafford over the years.<\/p>\n

Fun facts about Stafford<\/h2>\n

Whether you live in Stafford or whether you are here for a holiday, we have gathered some of our favourite fun facts together for your appreciation. Read them below and have a giggle.<\/p>\n

Fun facts about Stafford:<\/p>\n