Elford in 1872

 

ELFORD, a parish in Lichfield district, Stafford; on the river Tame, and on the verge of the county, adjacent to the Derby and Birmingham railway, 4 miles ENE of Lichfield. It has a post-office under Tamworth, and a station, jointly with Haselour, on the railway. Acres, 2,070. Real property, £5,210. Pop., 461. Houses, 108. The property is divided among a few.

The manor belonged, before the Conquest, to Earl Algar; passed to the Crown; went to successively the Ardernes, the Stanleys, and others; and belongs now to the Howards. Elford Park is the seat of the Howards; was a frequent resort of Edward IV. for hunting; and gave lodging, for a night, to Henry VII. , when on his way to Bosworth. The grounds connected with it contain two barrows.

The living is a rectory in the diocese of Lichfield. Value, £300. Patrons, the Heirs of the late Col. Howard. The church is ancient; was restored in 1849; and has effigies of the Ardernes, the Stanleys, and the Smiths. Charities, £30. 

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