Madeley: Time Line 
History & Dates.

By Chris Machin

After The Battle of Hastings in 1066, Robert de Tosny, or Tonei, was granted land in Staffordshire, including Madeley, by William The Conqueror. Tosny was based at Stafford where his name became Robert de Stafford and then, Lord Stafford. His father had been a standard bearer at The Battle of Hastings.

1086 - The Doomsday Book: Before the Norman Conquest, the landowner in Madeley was named as Swain. Later, at the time of the Doomsday Book, the chief tenant in Madeley was ‘Ulviet’.

In the Doomsday Book, Madeley had land for 4 plough teams and the woodland covered 2160 acres.

Heighley is Anglo-Saxon for High Lea, or a high clearing, and in the Doomsday Book, it had land for one plough and was held by Alward.

The Stafford's built the first manor at Madeley. This was added to and fortified. It was said to resemble Stokesay Castle in Shropshire.

The Manor was where Madeley Great Park, a deer park, was located. One of the entrance’s was ‘Baldwin’s Gate’, and the parker (a person paid to look after and guard access to the park) would be Baldwin.

The original manor was added to and rebuilt around 1600. The ruins of this manor are now a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and are in a field off Manor Road.

Madeley Church was founded around 1200. (There may have been an earlier Saxon Church on the site) The Tower was built about 1400 (the parapet and pinnacles are modern). The South Porch was extended in the 17th Century. The door is 15th Century. The screen to the pulpit dates from 1635. The pulpit is 17th Century. A 15th Century open-work screen is in the South Aisle.

1216 - Henry de Audley was presented by Henry III with twelve hinds from Cannock forest to stock his deer park at Heighley. The names Cooksgate and Redgate refer to gates to the deer park, and explain why the main road from Bowsey Wood to Wrinehill, curves sharply at Redgate. The road follows the side of the old deer park.

1227 - A Royal Confirmation Charter shows that Henry de Audley received all the lands of Heighley from William de Betteley, and all the land under Heighley from Harvey de Stafford.

1246 - Henry de Audley dies. Hugh de Frodsham, a Kings Sergeant, is appointed constable of Heighley Castle.

1267 - Richard de Casellion is Vicar of Madeley

1272 - Simon de Mapham is Vicar of Madeley

1272 - Madeley Great Park is first mentioned in records. John de Whitmore, Lord of the Manor of Whitmore, surrendered to Nicholas de Stafford, Lord of the Manor of Madeley, 63 acres of land and 3 acres of woodland in exchange for pasture for 16 oxen in Madeley Park. The Park was probably in existence by about 1204, if it had existed earlier, it would have shown in the Pipe Rolls (these were records of accounting of the Exchequer Court with the sheriffs of each county for revenues which they had collected and were bound to hand over to the Treasury. They were called Pipe Rolls after their shape, which helped their preservation).

1293 - A document mentions that Madeley has an iron foundry, with wood and charcoal supplied from the park.

Late 13th Century - Adam, son of Lusi of Betley, is killed by a stag in Heighley Deer Park. Adam killed the stag before dying.

1293 - William Baldwin, a parker of Madeley is sued by Robert and Petronel Corbet for assault. Baldwin may have given his name to Baldwin’s Gate, which would be one of the entrance’s to the Park.

1303 - Thomas le Hunter is Vicar of Madeley

1320 - Joan, wife of the late Nicholas de Audley complained that men broke into her park at Heighley and assaulted her men. These were probably Yorkist supporters.

1339 - William, son of John de Bromley, thrust a knife into, and killed, Thomas le Cook of Audley, after a dispute between them in the kitchen at Heighley Castle. John de Whetales, the coroner, ordered Sherrifs Musard to arrest William after he had fled. Shortly after, William surrendered and produced The Kings Pardon, for the murder, on account of his good service in the war in France in the retinue of William de Ferle.

1293 - A manufactory of iron was in existence in Madeley. It was operated on behalf of the King, as Lord of the Manor.

1340 - John de Grey is Vicar of Madeley

1341 - Ralph, Earl of Stafford procures from King Edward III (1312-1377), a market every Tuesday in Madeley and two annual fairs. One on St George's Day, April 23rd, and for two days after, and a second on St Leonard's Day, November 6th, and two days after. Madeley All Saints Church may have previously been dedicated to St Leonard.

1349 - Lord Stafford is allowed to add battlements to Madeley Manor. The King is fighting in France and worried about the loyalty of some of his Barons, but allows loyal followers to fortify their properties.

1349 - Ralph, Lord Stafford, is known to have had 100 cattle, excluding oxen, and 360 sheep on his estate at Madeley Manor.

1349 - Simon de Mundworthe is recorded as a parker for Madeley Great Park.

1360 - John de Birches is Vicar of Madeley

1369 - Leycett Park originated around this time. The Lord Stafford leased it from the Hospitallers Manor at Keele. There is no evidence of deer hunting, but coal mining had begun here by 1401.

1371 - The first mention in archives of a mill, a water mill and a fulling mill, at Madeley.

1382 - John de Coygon is Vicar of Madeley

1382 - An indenture refers to a forge at Heighley, below the castle.

1390’s - John Tochet, Baron Audley, sued John, son of James de Thekenes for removing game from his park at Heighley, and fish from his fishery at Betley, to the value of £10. A huge amount in those days. The Thekenes, or Thickness family, lived at Balterley Hall.

1399 - William Gregory of Betley is accused of stealing game at Heighley.

1399 - The Earl of Stafford sues John de Bromley for diverting water from the stream feeding his water mill at Madeley. At this time only the lord of the manor had the right to build and operate a mill.

1400 - Helen, daughter of Sir John Hawkestone, married William de Egerton. The Hawkestone's of Wrinehill line came to an end, and Wrinehill Hall became the seat of the Egerton family.

1401-02 - Robert de Walton is a parker at Madeley Great Park - He may have given his name to Walton’s Wood.

1426 - Hugh Egerton is born, in Wrinehill & at the time described as a parish of Madeley. In 1454 he led 1000 men to Longford, in Derbyshire to kill a Walter Blount, armiger (entitled to bear heraldic arms), and described as a gentleman, late of Madeley. Before surrendering, he obtained a Royal Pardon, and was discharged.

1433-1451 - John Pykkym is a parker at Madeley Great Park.

1433 - Nethersethey Park is first mentioned. It was probably used as a deer breeding reserve for the Great Park, and no actual deer hunting took place there.

1444 - The Earls of Stafford become the Dukes of Buckingham.

1450 - Richard Hankyn is Vicar of Madeley.

1459 - Lord Audley and 2400 Lancastrian Supporters are killed at The Battle of Blore Heath by the Earl of Salisbury’s Yorkist's.

1469 - Two bloomeries were operating at Heighley Castle. A bloomery’s output could be 100lb’s of iron per day.

1485 - Thomas Cooke is a parker at Madeley Great Park.

1502-03 - Thomas Chattok is a parker at Madeley Great Park.

1518-19 - Hugh Boughey is a parker at Madeley Great Park.

The Lord Stafford family, through a series of marriages became the Dukes of Buckingham. In 1521, Edmund Stafford, Third Duke of Buckingham (1477-1521) along with other nobility had grown to resent Henry VIII’s (1491-1547) advisor, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey (c.1475-1530). Wolsey was ‘low born’ and some of the nobility resented his influence with the king. Wolsey’s supporters had Buckingham tried for treason. The charges were listening to prophesies of the King’s death and of his succession to the crown and that he had expressed an intention to kill Henry VIII. Although the charges were probably false, Henry was jealous of Buckingham, of his Royal descent, his wealth, estates and connections and he was executed at Tower Hill on 17th May 1521. His body was buried in the church of The Austin Friars. All his land and estates became forfeit to the Crown. Reginald Whitacres is appointed parker to Madeley Great Park by the King after the execution of the Duke of Buckingham. The park was used for: deer hunting, stone mining, pannage (pasturage for pigs), rabbits, fishing, turbary (digging for turf or peat), wood, fuel and charcoal.

(Through his father, Buckingham was descended from Edward III’s son, Thomas of Woodstock, and his mother was Catherine Woodville, sister of Edward IV’s queen, Elizabeth. In 1500 he married Alianore, eldest daughter of Henry Percy, IV Earl of Northumberland. They had one son, Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford and three daughters. In 1509, he was made a Lord High Constable. In 1513, he was a Captain in the English Army fighting in France.).

(His father was Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham (1454?-1483). He had led an unsuccessful revolt in favour of Henry VIII’s father, Henry VII, against Richard III, but the revolt failed and he was beheaded on 2nd November 1484. In February 1466, he married Catherine Woodville, daughter of Richard, First Earl Rivers and sister to Edward IV’s queen. She married twice again. By Buckingham, she had 3 sons and 2 daughters).

After his execution, Madeley Manor was leased to Sir Francis Poyntz (d.1528), then to his wife and then to his nephew until 1547.

(Poyntz was the third son of Sir Robert Poyntz (d.1521) who was chancellor to Queen Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536), first wife of Henry VIII. With his father’s influence he was an esquire to Henry VIII by 1516, and then attendant to Henry in France in 1520. In 1527, he was sent as an Ambassador to Charles V (1500-1558), Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain to mediate between the Emperor and Francis I (1494-1547) of France. He died of plague in London in June 1528.)

In 1547, Thomas Offley (1505-1582) bought the Manor at Madeley for £1080.00. He was born in Stafford and, aged 12, was sent to school in London. He had a good voice and was a chorister at St. Paul’s Cathedral. He was apprenticed as a merchant tailor and by 1547 was a master of the Merchant Taylors Company. Also, in 1547 he was chosen as an Alderman and in 1553 he was made a Sheriff. In 1556, he was Lord Mayor of London. In the same year, he was knighted by Queen Mary (1516-1558). He is buried at St. Andrew Undershaft Church in London. He had a reputation as a frugal man:

‘Offley three dishes had of daily roast

An egg, an apple, and (the third) a toast.’

He introduced bell men, who would rouse London at night in the event of fire or burglary. He had three sons, but only one, Henry, survived him..

1525 - Randolph Egerton dies and an altar tomb to him, and his wife, Isabella, with angels and monks on the side is built in Madeley Church.

1532 - John Wright is Vicar of Madeley

1538 - Heighley Castle’s owner, the future Lord Audley, asked the king for the grant of Hulton Abbey as he had ‘no house but an old ruinous castle’.

1540 - John Leland, passing through Staffordshire, confirmed that Heighley Castle had decayed.

1557 - Ralph Hales is Vicar of Madeley

1567 - Humphrey Steele is Vicar of Madeley

1568 - A brass dated this year to John Egerton and his wife is in Madeley Church.

1575 - James Austyn is Vicar of Madeley

1571 - Bloomers are mentioned in the Madeley Parish Register - also in 1587 and 1617, although it may be referring to workmen based at the bloomer at Heighley. A bloomer was a way of making iron. Beside the Mill overlooking the Pool, there was at least one other mill in Madeley. This was in the area known as The Lum, along the river Lea past the sewerage works. Slag has been found here and could be the site of an iron furnace referred to in medieval times. There is no mention of it in a land tax assessment of 1781, so it must have ceased by this time. The road leading to this area is called Furnace Lane, possibly because of the iron smelters there in the past.

1586 - Peter Ridgway is a miller in Madeley, according to the Parish Register.

1586 - A brass to Robert Hawkins, a scholar of Ridge Hill, who died aged 14, is in Madeley Church

1589 - Robert Morris is Vicar of Madeley

1591 - A bloomer is mentioned at Heighley castle.

1613 - Nathanial Royle is Vicar of Madeley

1635 - John Jackson is Vicar of Madeley