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Steam Comes to Colton Parish The Act of Parliament for the construction of the ‘Trent Valley Railway’ was passed in July 1845. Sir Robert Peel M.P. was the chief promoter and cut the first sod at Tamworth in November 1845. The engineer was Robert Stephenson (son of George) and his assistant was George Bidden. The…

The first evidence we have of a mill at Colton is in the Domesday Book. It is entered under the holding of Robert of Stafford and is said to be paying 12 pence, quite a lot of money in 1086 when Domesday was compiled. This mill existed for hundreds of years and provided a good…

Medieval Glassmaking in and around Colton The fact that there were glass furnaces producing high quality glass in the late medieval period in the vicinity is well documented. Much of this activity took place on land belonging to the Bagot family from Blithfield. Most of the glass furnaces were in Bagots Wood but we also…

  Colton lies on top of a bed of Kauper Marl which is a rich clay soil. That means it is highly fertile for growing crops. Marl was used as a top dressing and many generations have exploited this fact. Colton all through its history has been a farming community. There are still signs of…

Occupations in Colton in the Early 20th Century (Based on the Census of 1901) Talk by Allan Lloyd.4 ​ The population of Colton (including detached parts of Colwich) in the1901 census was 760. According to the census of 2001 the village a century later numbered 701 inhabitants. Despite the relative constancy of the population a…

Employment in Colton Colton is a small village set in the rural Staffordshire landscape. For many centuries the two manorial Lords who owned the majority of the land in and around Colton would have employed the majority of residents in Colton. The only other hints that we have of possible earlier employment for villagers other…

Village Occupations How people have earned a living in Colton through the ages. Census 1901 Occupations recorded in the 1901 Census Farming in Colton Farming practices in Colton through the ages Medieval Glassmaking in and Around Colton The evidence we have of this occupation. The Mills at Colton An account of the mills that once…

St. Mary’s Church One evening in March I happened to be in the church and was struck by the pure atmosphere of light and colour that was being radiated through the windows by the evening sun. The stained glass windows give an ethereal beauty to the church. PLEASE NOTE THE WINDOWS AND DESCRIPTIONS ARE NOT…

St Mary’s Church Colton It’s did you know time, and this month I have been putting together a few interesting facts about the organ. The first organ of 1851 was incorporated into the present organ by the organ builder G.M.Holdich of London, and was dedicated on the 25th March 1879. The recital, that day, was…

Illumination Prior to 1930 Colton Church would be illuminated by candles made from sheep fat and known as Tallow candles. The candles we see used today are made from Bees Wax and probably smell much sweeter than those made from sheep fat! During the early 1930’s electricity came to the village of Colton. Mrs Maud…