Memorial to 2nd Baron Hatherton

The memorial stone to Edward Richard Littleton , 2nd Baron Hatherton, born 31st December 1815 - died 3rd April 1888 on display at St Michael and All Angels Church, Penkridge, Staffordshire. 

The church dates from 13th century, it was a wealthy foundation with quite a collection of buildings, including a chapter house and a refectory, close to the site of the present church. Most of these buildings were lost during the reformation, though the Old Deanery and Church Farm date from the collegiate days.

The structure of the present handsome and rather grand sandstone church dates from 13th century, though the tower and porch are a century later. Alterations during the 17th century gave the exterior much of it's perpendicular character but the church retains the original 13th century arcades inside. and the east window is in the Decorated style.

There are some distinguished 16th and 17th century monuments on display, notably the double decker tomb of father and son both called Sir Edward Littleton, of nearby Pillaton Hall, who died in 1610 and 1629 respectively.

Cross- legged knight effigy

Effigy of a cross-legged knight probably originally intended to be laid horizontally. A similar, less mutilated monument dated circa 1300 can be seen in the Draycott Chapel of St Margaret's Church, Draycott-in-the-Moors.

On display at Croxden Abbey, Staffordshire. 

The Old Bell, St Giles Church, Croxden

The Old Bell, St Giles Church, Croxden

The old bronze bell inscribed WR MR RO and dated 1588 believed to have been cast to commemorate the defeat of the Spanish Armada, was originally installed in the wooden belfry of the old stone fabric church at Croxden 420 years ago.

The old church was eventually taken down in 1806 and the bell was acquired by  Thomas ( later Sir Thomas) Warble of Leek and used in a mission chapel in the Peak District. After his death in 1909 the chapel fell into disuse and the bell was later returned to St Giles at Croxden.

The laying of the foundation stone of the new church took place on the 26th November 1884, a replacement stone church was complete with a new bell was built and then dedicated on the 12th September 1885 by the Bishop of Lichfield. The original bell was then later installed above the new bell even though the tower was designed to take only one bell.

However the old bell was made to fit in the confined space and when the bell was used over the years , one side rubbed on the sandstone tower wall, you can still see where part of the bronze has worn away.

The bell fell from the top of the tower in 2006 having been rung accidentally whilst it was out of order. Extensive corrosion of the metal fittings over the years caused it to fall from the top of the bell tower to the ground outside of the church, a distance of 45ft  an broke into many pieces, after a search with the aid of a metal detector most of the pieces were recovered to enable the bell to be re-assembled.

George and Sidney Johnson of Great gate re-assembled the bell and it's fittings, during 2008 it was then put on show inside the church for future generations to see.

Unfortunately due to the extensive damage the bell sustained after the fall the old bronze bell cannot be used and will never ring again.

One area of Littledean Jail that was fairly active was the Electric chair cell, People often said they felt sick and their whole body felt like it was on fire whenever anyone sat in that chair.

I remember an incident during one investigation 2 ladies were sat on the wooden bed in the electric chair cell, they had only been in there for literally 5 minutes when they came running out and screaming hysterically, when asked what was the matter they both said that someone had came in to that cell and sat down in the electric chair.

Below is a picture of the electric chair in question.

Lychgate of St George Church, Clun, Shropshire

Grade II Listed: The lychgate is much travelled. It was originally built in 1723, taken down in 1841 to make way for iron gates, re-erected at the gateway to Hand Causeway, returned to its original position about 1881, and restored in 1956.

Clun Castle

 Clun Castle, a ruined castle in the small town of Clun, Shropshire. It was established by the Norman Lord Robert de Say after the Norman invasion of England and went on to become an important marcher lord castle in the 12th century, with an extensive castle-guard system. The original motte and bailey castle was built in the late 11th century by William the Conqueror, who granted lands to some of his followers to defend the Anglo-Welsh border, which remained unsettled for many years after the conquest.  

It was probably built by Picot de Say, who had been granted the estates of Clun and Stokesay, who built Clun Castle high on a natural spur guarding the Clun Valley.

In 1155, the castle passed to William Fitzalan of Oswestry through his marriage to Isabella de Say, the castle was owned by the powerful Fitzalan family for the next 400 years. The exercised almost unlimited authority over the barony, administering a mixture of Welsh and English law. Before the castle was built there was a small Saxon settlement at Clun, but during the 12th century a new town was laid out next to the castle with a grid of streets, containing regular burgage plots or smallholdings. 

Under the Fitzalans, the castle suffered a number of attacks. In 1196 Rhys, Prince of south Wales captured the castle and burned it down. In 1215 John Fitzalan joined the rebellion against King John, who sent troops to attack the castle in retaliation. The castle withstood a later siege by Llewellyn of Wales in 1233.

In 1292 Richard Fitzalan succeeded to the title of Earl of Arundel and inherited large estates in Sussex. It's likely that he built the tower at Clun to reflect his powerful position. Shrewd investments and management of their Shropshire estates brought the Fitzalan family great wealth and influence, making them one of the richest families in England. This was reflected in the wider settlement of Clun: by the mid 13th century it was a large prosperous town, obtaining it's wealth from the wool trade.

By the mid 14th century, however, the Fitzalans had moved their main residence to Arundel Castle in Sussex. Clun became the family's country retreat, used largely as a hunting lodge. Nevertheless, it remained an important administrative centre the Fitzalans continued to draw a great deal of money from their marcher estates, Clun among them, and it seems to have been kept in reasonable condition throughout the remainder of the 14th century.

Today Clun Castle is classed as a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Monument. it's owned by the Duke of Norfolk, who also holds the title Baron Clun, and is managed by English Heritage.