Stapenhill House was owned by the Spender family until 1820, when the owner, John Spender died, and it is thought that the house then was inherited by his children, including his daughter Sarah, whose husband, Joseph Clay, bought out the other heirs in 1824.

When Joseph Clay made his Will in January 1824, he stated that he had lately contracted to purchase “a messuage, dwelling house or tenement with all the outbuildings, yards, gardens, orchards and other appurtenances thereto belonging, situate and being in Stapenhill in the County of Derby, containing in the whole one acre, one rood and 26 perches … together with a seat in the north gallery of the parish church of Stapenhill” … and he left it all to his wife Sarah for her lifetime (she died at Stapenhill in 1831) and then equally to his surviving five children Two of the three sons had gone into the Church, the other son, Henry, became the owner of Stapenhill House, which he passed to his third son, Charles John, the elder two having become considerably wealthy, and having their own houses elsewhere.

Joseph’s third son, Charles John Clay, eventually inherited Stapenhill House. The above photograph taken in 1878 shows Ernest Clay (rear), Arthur Clay (left), Gerard Clay (right), the elder three sons of Charles John, enjoying the house in its heyday.

This OS map extract from around the same time reminds that Stapenhill House knew very different times. Most obviously, the Ferry Bridge had not yet been built; a ferry boat was still in operation followed by a walk across the meadows to Burton. In wet weather, or if you could not afford the penny crossing, the only alternative was a walk to the Trent Bridge.

Also very interesting to note, the main course of the river (and Staffordshire/Derbyshire county line) did NOT run alongside Stapenhill Gardens as it does now bu rather, turned left and cut across Andressey Island with a river bank close to the current footpath adjacent to the playing fields. The old course can just be seen on the North side of Saint Peter’s bridge up what is now known as the Silverway (bearly negotiable in a canoe).

Stapenhill House neighboured with Saint Peter’s Church and vicarage. The old vicarage garden gateway can still be seen as an isolated folly as you drive onto Saint Peter’s Bridge.

The original Stapenhill House gardens ran to Jerrams Lane where they were surrounded by a high brick wall. This rare view from that direction reminds that the gardens once boasted among other things, extensive greenhousing, heated vinery, peach house and a large kitchen vegetable garden.

Looking down the garden from Stapenhill House, it is slightly deceptive that the garden suddenly falls away down to another terrace next to the river.

The position of the main steps up from the river terrace (where Burton’s White Swan now stands) can still be clearly seen, although the actual steps have long since disappeared. Rather than the well known ornate gardens, the original Stapenhill House garden was simply a series of terraces with a hedge on the front of each.

Shown above is Charles John Clay in 1908. Another Stapenhill House resident.

Gerard Clay, Charles John’s second son, of four, all of whom were born at Stapenhill House, and lived there until their marriage, after which Gerard and his bride lived at what is now Needwood Manor Hotel. Much more on Gerard Clay can be found on the website by descendent, Robin Clay.

Taken in 1915 from across the river, the above photo gives a marvellous view of Stapenhill House with the Ferry Bridge in the foreground providing a very good feel of how imposing the house would have been to people walking across the bridge.

The last residents of Stapenhill House were the Goodger family who were well established Burton solicitors. They purchased the land and estate from the Clay family in 1911. Mrs Mary Goodger J.P made her mark on Burton’s history by being installed as the towns first (and as far as I am aware, only) Lady Mayor for 1931/32. She died shortly afterwards.

In 1933 crippled by inheritance tax, the house was demolished and her son, Henry Goodger, passed the land to Burton Corporation in memory of his mother and Stapenhill Pleasure Gardens was established providing free public access.

The original re-structuring of the garden incorporated a windmill design, probably influenced by the fact that Burton at one time sported a windmill of its own close to the present day railway station.

Stapenhill Gardens remains a popular and distinctive feature of Burton in the guise of Stapenhill Gardens. A modern sign informs of its Stapenhill House heritage.

The gates still stand pround but it is as though the house in invisible allowing passers-by to look straight through to the rear gardens.

THIS PLEASURE GROUND WAS PRESENTED TO THE CORPORATION OF BURTON UPON TRENT
BY HENRY WILLIAM GOODGER IN MEMORY OF HIS MOTHER MARY GOODGER LATE OF
STAPENHILL HOUSE AND WAS OPENED FOR THE USE OF THE PUBLIC ON MAY 1ST 1933

Many of the original garden features are still in evidence, including the circle where my own children first learned to ride a bike without stabilizers!

And looking back to the steps that once led up to the main lawn. It is hard now to image a splendid house blocking the view to the road.

 To the left on the above photo, you can just about make our the original Windmill design. Just to the right of it is the location of the original main steps that ascended to the main house. The White Swan stands on what was once a tennis court and close to where Saint Peter’s bridge now crosses was the boathouse.

The final view shows the Stapenhouse and Gardens site after its latest make-over.

Slightly confusingly, and rather cheekily, a significantly smaller house near the original site has recently adopted the name ‘Stapenhill House’ but there is no relationship between the two properties.

Brizlincote Hall, completed in 1712 on the site of an original stone medieval manor house is one of Burton’s most interesting houses that manages to just about survive today. Who knows, one day it may get restored to its original spendour.

Select page to view:

• General History

Caldwell Hall

Select page to view:

• General History

Early History
The earliest recorded history of the Caldwell Hall site dates back to 942 AD as an Anglo-Saxon settlement. At this time, it is recorded as Caldewaellan. Close to the modern day hall, there is what appeared to be an important building surrounded by a moat. A small ancient part of the church on the estate are reputed to date back to these pre-Norman times.

After the Norman Conquest, William I, better known as William the Conqueror, was crowned King of England and the whole area effectively fell under his control. Two years later, in 1068, the Manor of Caldwell was one of numerous estates gifted by William to Burton Abbey. There was a significant Manor House at Caldwell. Richard de Calingewood was recorded as keeper in 1351.

As part of the Dissolution of Abbeys by Henry VIII, on 4th November 1540, Abbot Edys was finally forced to surrender Burton Abbey whereupon it was gifted with many lands, which included Caldwell and its manor, to Sir William Paget – a close adviser to Henry VIII who later became 1st Baron Paget of Beaudesert and was a descendant of the Marquis of Anglesey.

On William Paget’s death, Caldwell fell to his son, Henry Lord Paget and it was sold around 1560 to Peter Collingwood. Marriage between the Collinwood and Gresley families led to a relationship between Caldwell Hall and nearby Drakelowe Hall.

Another family associated with Caldwell Hall is the Sanders. Most famously, Thomas Sanders who was a Colonel in the Roundheads and led an army against Charles I in the Civil War. The Sanders family were responsible for replacing the Manor House with the much more substancial Caldwell Hall on the same site with the oldest existing parts dating back to 1678. The majority of what still stands is, however, Georgian.

The bow-windowed room on the left was the main drawing room; in the centre section were rooms which included the library and study; the bow-windowed room on the right was the dining room. The first floor housed a principal bathroom and bedrooms. The attic was primarily used for servants quarters. There were a total of 18 bedrooms.

After passing to Thomas Sander’s son, Caldwell Hall was eventually bequeathed to his grand-daughter, Elizabeth, who married local MP, John Mortimer. Their son sold the hall in turn to Henry Evans, a brewer from Burton upon Trent.

Henry Des Voeux
Henry Evans’ daughter, Miss Rebecca Evans, took over the Hall when Henry died but died herself, unmarried, in 1857 and the estate was sold by trustees to one of the most colourful characters to have lived there – Sir Henry des Voeux, 3rd Baronet. Sir Henry married the widow of Sir Roger Gresley, once again, establishing a link between Caldwell and Drakelowe.

One of the first things he did was to have a stonework insignia, proudly bearing his HDV initials installed over the main entrance as can be seen above.

The Henry Des Voeux monogram can still be seen as the carriage waits outside the front door for Miss Milligan. The feature remains in good condition today and preserves his name.

Another well publicised gesture by Henry des Voeux was his donation of the large hall clock for use in the new Swadlincote Market Hall after a plea from local reverend. The original Caldwell Hall clock can be seen in the above 1933 photograph and once again, has survived the test of time and can still be seen today.

The Des Voeuxs lived at the hall until he died in 1858, whereupon his wife moved to London but retained ownership of the hall.

The Milligans
In 1875, on the death of Henry Des Voeux’s wife, the hall passed to Sir Henry’s nephew, Colonel Charles Milligan, who had served with the 39th Regiment. Aside from Charles, the family that moved into the hall was comprised of his wife Gertrude, who can be seen here on the left in a photograph taken at the hall in 1906.

Aside from Charles and Gertrude, the resident family was also comprised of their son Frank William; four daughters Ada Katherine, Blanche Justina, Eva Gertrude and Hilda Caroline; and a relative George, who was better known by his surname Dunbar. It is told that the use of his surname was to completed the first initals sequence of all of the residents as A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H.

The son, Frank, became a Lieutenant with the Rhodesia Frontier Force but was killed in action in 1900.

In 1934, the Milligan’s had an indoor staff of twelve, comprised of the housekeeper, cook, butler, two ladies’ maids; and more lower ranking footman, three housemaids, kitchen maid and scullery maid and hall boy. These two groups would eat separately in different rooms.

Aside from this, there were nine permanent outdoor staff being made up of head gardner, five gardners, groom, chauffer and farm bailiff.

Although Eva was the eldest, it was Blanche who was the best known and most dominant figure and in later years, was rarely seen out without her faithfull dog ‘Ben’; the two of them can be seen in the photograph on the right.

Blanche became a well known local figure during the Second World War years as a leading organiser of the Women’s Land Army, putting the Caldwell estate to good use in support.

Eventually, only Ada, Blanche and Eva remained and Caldwell Hall was famously, the hall of the three sisters. They can be seen below, some years earlier with their mother, Gertrude, enjoying a game of croquet at the hall.

They died respectively in 1951, 1953 and 1960 which brought to an end, the final era of Caldwell Hall being enjoyed as a private residence.

Following the death of the last surving Milligan sister, Eva, in 1960, the entire contents were auctioned off over a six day period from 25th October to 3rd November in 1836 different lots.

Among the prize items was a set of four hunting pictures by John Nost Satorius, originally bought for Caldwell Hall by Miss Milligan. They took pride of place in Caldwell Hall and are now of considerable value.

The Hall itself was auctioned by John German auctioneers and it became a business premises.

Caldwell Hall still survives today as a special school for children with behavioural difficulties and remains an integral part of the small village of Caldwell.

The final pictures provides a good feel for the main Caldwell Hall grounds complete with its own lake which, in its heyday, had a boathouse.

Early History

In the early 12th century, land at Brizlincote belonging to Burton Abbey was occupied by a man named Mabon and later by his son John. In the 1160s or early 1170s the Abbey granted the estate to John’s son, Richard of Brizlincote. The owner in 1219 was Robert of Brizlincote and later, his son John. By the later 1370s what was called the manor of Brizlincote was held by Elizabeth Cuyly, who married John Stanhope of Rampton in Nottinghamshire.

Brizlincote passed to their son, Sir Richard (d. 1436), who seems to have conveyed it to Robert Horton of Catton, in Croxall, Derbyshire (d. 1423). It remained in the Horton family until 1546, when Walter Horton granted it to Sir William Paget.

In 1560 Paget sold the estate to a London merchant, John Merry, whose family remained the owners until 1708 when it was bought by Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Chesterfield (d. 1714), whose main seat was at nearby Bretby. Philip’s son, also Philip, was then living in the Bishop’s Palace in Lichfield Cathedral Close, and the present house at Brizlincote was evidently built for him.

The younger Philip died as Earl at Bretby in 1726, following which the Brizlincote Hall estate of 295 acres,  was occupied by tenant farmers. In 1846, it passed to the Earl of Carnarvon who also owned Bretby Hall and was famous for financing the excavation of Tutankhamen’s Tomb. One of the best recorded later tenants was William Nadin whose sons, Joseph and Nathaniel, founded Nadin J & N & Co. Colliery in Stanton.

The ordinance survey map of 1882 shows that, aside from two cottages, Brizlincote Hall had the whole of Brizlincote valley to itself. Brizlincote Lane was though, soon to be developed as for superior houses.

In 1921, the main 253 acre farm was sold to William Lomas of King Sterndale near Buxton, Derbyshire. The Lomas family remain associated with Brizlincote well into the 21st century.

Manor House and Hall
It is not certain exactly where the original large stone medieval manor house, demolished around 1708, was situated, but it is thought to have been close to the site of the present house on an ideal platform on the top of a hill.

Brizlincote Hall was completed in 1712 and is built of red brick with sandstone dressings on a square plan with five bays on the front and rear and two bays on the sides. It has two main storeys with an attic and an upper attic, and the north and south elevations have a string course and rusticated quoins; the windows are variously furnished with triangular, segmental, and scrolled pediments. The cellars are lit by oval windows pierced through the rusticated and moulded stone plinth on which the house stands. The most striking architectural features are the giant segmental pediments that dominate the entire width of each elevation at the level of the first attic; behind the pediments, the lead roofs are broken by an upper attic with a hipped, tiled roof and panelled brick stacks.

The architect is unknown, but the house has similarities with the later Bunny Hall in Nottinghamshire, designed by its idiosyncratic owner, Sir Thomas Parkyns. On completion, it was described as “one of the finest small baroque houses in England”.

The front and rear elevations of Brizlincote each have a central doorway with eared architraves; console brackets support a canopy with a scrolled pediment above. Both doors have inscriptions dated 1714: over the north door (the main entrance) NON IGNARA MALI MISERIS SUCCERRERE DISCO (‘No stranger to suffering I have learnt to aid the wretched’), and over the south door HOMO. HOMINIS. LUPUS (‘Man is a wolf to man’). The inscriptions were possibly set up by Philip Dormer Stanhope, the future politician and wit (d. 1773), who presumably moved to Bretby immediately after his father succeeded as earl in 1714.

Also of interest, some of the windows are still bricked up as a legacy from the days of ‘Window Tax’ first introduced in 1696 under King William III. Tax was paid based on the number of windows in a property which was selected as a very simple way to guage the prosperity of the taxpayer. The tax was thought of as very unfair and as a counter, many house owners bricked up windows  (hence the term ‘Daylight Robbery’). The idea was that when Window Tax was replaced with a fairer method of taxation, the windows could be unblocked and glazed again. This was done in the vast majority of cases but the fact that they remain blocked in Brinzlicote Hall now makes for an interesting historic feature.

Internally, the house retains many primary features but also some later fixtures from the end of the 18th century when a service wing was added on the west side and other parts of the house were replanned; the rather cramped staircase dates from that period. On the first floor the original plan of a grande salle with direct access to corner chambers is still recognisable despite the later insertion of panels. Moulded wall panelling and doors survive from the early 18th century, and one room retains its primary coving, complete with cyma, drip, and egg-and-dart moulding.

The present lime-ash floors in the attic date from the late 18th century, as do the stud, rush, and plaster partition walls. Only one room seems to have been heated, and another room was used for storing cheese: it has a lattice door for ventilation and two cheese racks.

The main approach to the house was from the north-west through landscaped grounds. Stone piers survive at what was the central entrance to the main enclosure and an avenue of limes continues towards the house, which stands, however, slightly to the north of the axis. The house is now approached from the south-east through a courtyard which originally had a curved wall incorporating buildings.

Brizlincote Hall was the subject of this 1910 postcard

The coachhouse and stables on the south side of the yard were demolished in 1959 at which time, the ruins of a barn were still in evidence.

Select page to view:

• General History

When Michael Thomas Bass II, grandson of William Bass, the founder of Bass Brewery, became head of the combined Bass, Ratcliff and Gretton Brewery, he had Rangemore Hall built in the late 1850s. During the rebuilding, the main road use to run outside the main house, it was diverted to accommodate the new buildings, that is why, what was once a straight road between the two public houses has a bend outside Rangemore Hall. In 1860 Michael Thomas Bass and his family moved in. The grounds and gardens were beautifully laid by a famous landscape gardener Edward Milner and it became the subject of a number of Burton postcards.

Rangemore Hall was reconstructed and extended by his son, Michael Arthur Bass, when he inherited it from his father. A large part of the estate was leased by the Duchy of Lancaster it was subsequently purchased outright by Lord Burton in 1884. The work on the house began in 1898, it was carried out in the Italian style of architecture. During the reconstruction it was fitted out with all mod cons of the time from electric lights to electric lifts. The walls in the dining room were made high enough to hang seven Gobelin tapestries. Below, is a view of the much used drawing room.

The billiard room, not the snooker room as would be the case in later grand residencies, because snooker had noy yet gained popularity. This room was well used by Gentlemen staying at the house after dinner. Staff and servants were taught to listen at the door when game was in play, and to enter after hearing a shot had been played so as not to disturb the players at an inopportune time.

And the very light and airy library.

When the work was completed in 1902, the extension was twelve times bigger than the original manor it was attached to.

King Edward VII made his first public visit to Burton on Trent since his accession to the throne, where he stayed at Rangemore Hall from Friday February 21st till Monday the 24th.  The King was accompanied by one of his well known travelling mistresses, Lilly Langtry, for whom a special one-bedroom flat with discrete access was prepared.

During his stay on the Saturday, he made a public visit to Burton and the brewery where he started a special brew to commemorate his visit, known as “The Kings Ale”. On Sunday, his Majesty attended a public service at Rangemore Church before returning to London on Monday morning.

Just beyond the lake, Lord Burton had a mound constructed and a gap cleared in the forest with two bullet-proof booths one on either side of the clearing connected by rail tracks. The mound was made of shale covered with earth and lawn. A local blacksmith who was persuaded by the Baron to work for him full time, made a magnificent stag out of iron and hide with beautiful head and horns. The servants in the booths would pull the stag along the tracks by rope for Lord Burton and his guests to shoot. The mound has long since disappeared.

Guests were often from very high society. The below Royal Party, for example, was taken on January 5th, 1907 in front of Rangemore Hall with guests including a return visit from King Edward VII, last there in 1902, together with Queen Alexandra. Tantilizingly, it also features Mrs Keppel, another of the King’s well-known mistresses, seated while Queen Alexandra (now deaf) stands behind. Also of note, Mres Keppel was the great-grandmother of Camilla Parker-Bowles, second wife of Charles, Prince of Wales.

Rear: Austro-Hungarian Ambassador, Lady Alice Stanley.
Back Row: Hon. Col. Legge, Marquis of Soveral, Duchess of Devonshire, Mr Hamar Alfred Bass, Lord Elcho, Miss Jane Thornewill, H.M. Queen Alexandra, Lord Burton (Michael Arthur Bass), Lady Mar & Kellie, Prince Henry of Pless
Front Row: Lady Noreen Bass, Miss Muriel Wilson, Lady Desborough, Lady de Grey, H.M. King Edward VII, Lady Burton (Harriett Bass), Princess Henry of Pless, Mrs Alice Fredrica Keppel, Miss Bunny Thornewill

Nellie Lisa Bass, seen above, inherited Rangemore Hall and the title of Baroness Burton after the death of her father, Lord Burton in 1909. For 70 years Baroness Burton divided her time between Rangemore Hall and her two Scottish homes. Rangemore Hall was becoming too large for her, she once complained of having to cut her servants to seventy. She sold it to Staffordshire County Council on 24th October 1949 for £40,000.

In 1944 the American GIs occupied Rangemore Hall until 1945, some have left their names inscribed on the walls and door of one of the outhouses behind the caretaker’s lodge.

The Baroness moved to Needwood House, still on the estate just one mile from Rangemore Hall, she still travelled to her Scotland homes, always taking her beloved Cairn Terriers with her. The Baroness Burton, born in 1873, led a very active life and died in 1962.

In January 27th 1954 Rangemore Hall was opened as ‘Needwood School for the Partially Deaf’ with 46 children all of whom have been transferred from other deaf schools. The average total number of pupils has been approximately 120 (the maximum number of pupils that could be taken in was 150). During the 1980s the number of pupils coming to Needwood was getting smaller, at the time it closed in 1985 the number of attendants was down to 26.

Just before the school’s closure, over 500 former pupils and staff came to the last grand reunion to say their farewell. The Hall still exists today as luxury apartments.

‘Bladon Castle’, just outside of Newton Solney, is not really a castle at all but an extravagant joke by a well-known local landowner that went very wrong!

At the end of the eighteenth century, domestic service was the most common occupation which effectively made the upper and middle classes the country’s largest employer. With society organised very much by class, some people lived lives of unimaginable privilege but with status came responsibility.

It had just been demonstrated in the strongest possible way how things could turn very badly when status was seen to be abused. England’s aristrocats were suddenly very self-aware of conspicuous consumption. Local High Bailiff, Abraham Hoskins, was about to make a serious mis-judgement in this regard.

Hoskins had risen through the ranks from being a successful solicitor with a number of lucrative business interests to become the High Baliff of Burton upon Trent. He was also a director of the Burton Boat Company which leased shipping rights on the River Trent from Lord Paget. A respected pillar of society, his daughter, Sarah Hoskins, married Michael Thomas Bass senior the head of Bass brewery.

In 1795, aged 66, he was winding down and wanted to enjoy the leisurely lifestyle of a land-owning squire. He purchased land at Newton Solney from Sir Henry Every. Designer and architect, Francis Bernasconi, produced plans for an impressive Italianate mansion, Newton Hall, set in landscaped parkland.

At this time, there was a fashion for elaborate architectural conceits known as follies (from French folie meaning a delight or favourite place). Rich landowners, with plenty of leisure and money to burn built elaborate structures such as mock Greek temples, Roman arches, Swiss bridges, Chinese pagodas, and impressive towers in the grounds of their great houses.

Abraham Hoskins, believed to have been strongly influenced by his very much ‘indulged’ and fashionable eldest son, Abraham Hoskins junior, who in his late thirties, still lived at Newton Hall, commissioned a folly on land which formed part of the estate, on the summit of Bladon Hill which was very visible and looked down at the river trent.

The folly, designed by leading architect Sir Jeffrey Wyatville, looked for the world like a castle with pointer armoury windows and full battlements but was in fact, no more than a single long wall, rather like a film set.

In the climate of the Napoleanic war in mainland Europe, England was suffering hardship and was under serious threat of being invaded by Napolean’s Grande Armee. Hoskins had completely under-estimated how antagonistic his fake ‘castle’ would be and there was absolute upcry.

With such strong local reaction, the Hoskins family tried to defuse the situation by hurriedly building blocks of rooms behind the castle frontage an moved in claiming that this had always been the intended purpose. This was however, a far from popular idea with the Hoskins themselves. They had left the great comforts of Newton Hall to live at a site that had no services, including running water, and no sensible access. Daily supplies had to be hauled uphill by mule. Added to that, in tough times, the unexpected expense of having to turn the folly into an habitable ‘Bladon Castle’ had seriously stretched family finances with even talk of having to sell Newton Hall. Abraham senior died soon afterwards, in 1805. A marble tablet in Burton’s Saint Modwen’s church commemorates his life. Abraham junior was left in charge of the family’s very dwindling fortune. It turned out to be an extremely expensive folly!

Abraham Hoskins junior, with strong interests in betting and country sports, invested in hare coursing with characteristic over-the-top exuberance. He set up his own breeding pack of hounds, all with names beginning with ‘H’, such as Hasty, Highlander, Hermes, High Flyer, Huntingdon and Henrietta. Although he achieved some fame, the huge sums lavished on his ‘hobby’ bore no relation to the relatively modest money generated and prizes took the form of trophies rather than cash. Inevitably, the money soon drained away and in 1836, Hoskins was forced to sell Newton Hall to his neighbour, Lord Chesterfield, and move to a ‘much more modest’ house in Uttoxeter.

Lord Chesterfield rented Newton Hall to Burton brewer, William Worthington but in 1890s another local brewer, Richard Ratcliff of the highly successful merged Bass, Ratcliff and Gretton Brewery, purchased the property. It was sold by the Ratcliff estate and became the Newton Park Hotel in 1966.

Ratcliff’s brewing partner, John Gretton, accompanied him to Newton Solney and moved into Bladon Castle. By this time, the property had been made much more comfortable and was equipped with efficient pumps to supply water and had a good access track.

The War Office requisitioned Bladon Castle during the Second World War following which, it was purchased by Air Chief Marshall Sir Ralph Cochrane who most famously, led the dam busters raid and Berlin airlift and who became Managing Director of Atlantic Shipbuilding Co. (1953 – 56), Rolls Royce Ltd. (1956 – 61) and Chairman of RJM Exports Ltd. (1962). It was later owned by neighbouring Sheperd’s farm.

As if still sensitive of public disapproval, ‘Bladon Castle’ is now completely shielded from view by ‘Castle Woods’.

With its interesting if chequered history, Bladon Castle was the subject of a Burton postcard.

Civic Arms and Regalia

Select page to view:

• Civic Arms – General
• Borough Council of Burton upon Trent
• Local Civic Stonemasonary
• Crested Ware
• East Staffordshire District Council

In the 12th Century, defensive body armour used by knights had reached the level where the complete body was fully encase in armour, complete with full facial helmet. The downside of this is that it was not easily possible to identify anyone on the battlefield.

The practice was soon established of wearing ‘colours’ that could easily be recognised; most particularly, a large shield. Initially, simple shield designs making use of two or so colours were used but soon, shields began to bear symbols or ‘Charges’ such as an Eagle or Lion. Matching colour ‘Crests’ worn by a knight on top of his helmet also became of great significance.

The design featured on the Shield was ‘blazoned’ on a colourful fabric ‘Tabard’ worn over the Knight’s armour from which the expression ‘Coat of Arms’ was derived.

Heralds were soon established, around 1150 AD, as experts who kept records of all such ‘Bearings’ and who they officially belonged to allowing knights to be recognised by the arms they bore on their shields and the crests they wore on their helmets. Heralds soon acquired an expert knowledge of these and became responsible for recording arms, and then later for regulating and controlling their use.

Heraldry, under official control, became the means of identification of leading combatants in mediaeval warfare. Initially, only the higher nobility used Armorial Bearings but gradually, the practice spread downwards through the ranks and the Mediaeval Crusades and frequent wars did much to spread the usage and popularity of Armorial Bearings and it quickly spread through the whole of Europe.

By the 16th Century, the use of body armour had greatly declined as foot-soldiers were replaced by artillery and firearms. The golden age of military heraldry had been and gone but heraldry was by then well embedded in the class system and Arms had become very elaborate and extended to ‘Regalia’.

Civic arms eventually became established with Arms being granted to cities or towns rather than to individuals for civic usage.