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Ipstones

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"Ipstones, on the Longnor and Cheadle road, five and a half miles SE by S of Leek, and two miles N of Froghall Station, is a large village, with several good houses, on the declivity of a lofty eminence. It has several public houses, and two annual fairs, for cattle, sheep and swine, held on March 24th and November 9th. Its parish is an elevated moorland district, which has been much improved, by planting and lime culture, during the last 40 years. It contains about 7000 acres of land, belonging to the Rev J Sneyd, and J Bill, Rt Johnson, and E Chorley, Esqs, and some smaller proprietors. It is divided into two townships, viz, Ipstones and Morredge-with-Foxt, the former of which contains 938 and the latter 515 inhabitants.
Ipstones Sharp Cliffs are high and picturesque, and the quarries of gritstone, at Black Bank, furnish immense quantities of excellent grindstones, which are sent to various parts of the kingdom from the wharf on the Caldon canal, at Froghall, a hamlet two miles S of Ipstones, but mostly in Kingsley parish.
Belmont, near the river Churnett, and about a mile W of Ipstones, is the sylvan seat of Thomas Sneyd, Esq, surrounded by extensive woods of oak, ash, elm, and other trees. About 50 years ago, the late John Sneyd, Esq, received several gold medals for his extensive plantations in this neighbourhood.
Morredge and Foxt liberty forms the east end of Ipstones parish, including the small village of Botham-House, on the Leek and Ashbourn road, two miles NE of Ipstones, and the hamlet of Foxt, one mile SE of Ipstones. Morredge has 235, and Foxt 280 inhabitants, but 83 of the latter are in Checkley parish. Morredge is a corruption of Moor edge, and has many scattered farm-houses."
[From History, Gazetteer and Directory of Staffordshire, William White, Sheffield, 1851]

 

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Bibliography

'The Tale of Ipstones'
by Fred Brighton
Published 1937, by E Blocksidge, Dudley.

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Census

The population of Ipstones parish was as follows:
1801 -- 1204
1831 -- 1325
1841 -- 1370

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Churches

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Church History

"Ipstones Church, St Leonard, is a neat edifice, on the west side of the village, rebuilt in 1790. It contains the vault and several monuments of the Sneyd family. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the freeholders, and incumbency of the Rev John Sneyd, MA. of Ashcombe Hall.
The Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists have small chapels here.
Foxt Chapel of Ease is a small neat structure erected by the Rev John Sneyd, in 1838."
[From History, Gazetteer and Directory of Staffordshire, William White, Sheffield, 1851]

A view of St Leonard's Church (1).
A view of St Leonard's Church (2).
A view of St Leonard's Church (3).

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Church Records

Church of England Registers
The parish register of the parish church of St Leonard commences in 1561. The original registers for the period 1563-1934 (Bapts), 1563-1948 (Mar) & 1563-1948 (Bur), and Banns for the period 1891-1923 are deposited at Staffordshire Record Office.
Bishops Transcripts, 1673-1847 (with gaps 1677-78, 1763-65, 1821) are deposited at Lichfield Record Office.

Nonconformist Registers
The original registers of the Froghall Bethesda Chapel, for the period 1930-1946 (Marr), and the original registers of the Foxt Primitive Methodist Chapel, for the period 1919-1961 (Bapts) are deposited at Staffordshire Record Office.

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Description & Travel

A transcription of the section on Ipstones from A Topographical History of Staffordshire by William Pitt (1817)

Conservation Area Appraisals for Ipstones  - interesting accounts of the areas, with excellent historical detail, numerous photographs and maps

Conservation Area Appraisals for Foxt  - interesting accounts of the areas, with excellent historical detail, numerous photographs and maps

You can see pictures of Ipstones which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

The transcription of the section for Ipstones from the Topographical Dictionary of England (1859)

The transcription of the section for Ipstones from the National Gazetteer (1868) provided by Colin Hinson.

The transcription of the section for Ipstones from the Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72)

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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SK020497 (Lat/Lon: 53.044564, -1.971619), Ipstones which are provided by:

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Poor Houses, Poor Law

Ipstones parish became part of Cheadle Union following the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834.