History
Early history
The name Huntington is possibly Anglo-Saxon in origin, “ton” meaning a hamlet grouped around a hunting lodge in a forest. There is no single source of the settlement's history, but A History of the County of Stafford does provide an important insight into the early period of the village. Although only 4 km from Watling Street, the only Roman evidence found in Huntington was a coin and some pottery found near Cavans Wood in 1950. The Domesday record of 1086 shows the existence of Estendome but this may have been an error by the scribe as in 1198 the name is recorded as Huntendon and in 1262 as Huntingdon, meaning “hill of the huntsmen”. Records show Richard Forester was responsible for the village and managed the royal hunting forest of Cannock Chase for King William the First. During the 12th and 13th century, the area was part of the land of Lord Pillaton. The Chase and its forest is now a designated area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and deer still roam the area today.St Margaret Chapel
A medieval chapel, St Margaret-within-Cannock, was established around 1548 but the site now lies buried under the east slope of the former colliery spoil heap. There was possibly a medieval homestead and moat either in the north-west of the village or on the south side of Limepit Lane (originally Stonepit Lane). It was in this period that the name Huntington became more commonly used after many variations. Another medieval feature is St Chad's Ditch on the eastern edge of the parish along a line of the trees known as Huntington Belt. This ditch and bank possibly marked a boundary between who had hunting rights over different parts of the chase and that included the Bishops of Lichfield at St Mary and St Chads Cathedral. In 1661 there were 46 households and even in 1801 the population was only 114. The 1841 Tithe map (3) shows Lord Hatherton of the Littleton family owned nearly all the land in the “Township of Huntington” and the 1851 Census recorded 121 residents and over 800 acres of land. The Littletons originally lived at Pillaton Hall to the west of Huntington and then from 1742 until 1930 at Teddesley Hall (now demolished) just to the north. (4) In 1870, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (5) described Huntington as a township with 32 houses and a population of 161 from which “large quantities of white gravel have been sent hence to different parts of the kingdom for garden walks.” The gravel pit was also shown on the 1841 tithe map.Huntington Farm
Huntington Farm, dating from the early 18th Century, is now part of “The Barns Hotel”, a grade 2 listed building in Cocksparrow Lane. Oaklands Farm (which apparently lent pigs to the BBC 1970's “All Creatures Great and Small”) in Limepit Lane and Doggintree Farm also dated from the 18th Century but have been demolished for housing. “The Cottage” (now a B&B and restaurant) on the corner of Pear Tree Close is one of the oldest remaining buildings dating back to the 1770s. Several buildings of Pear Tree Farm remain from an older farm as do a few cottages from the 19th century hamlet near to the church.Coal mining
Huntington has a rich coal mining heritage that stretches back hundreds of years. The village sits on theSt Thomas Church
St Thomas Church was designed by Andrew Hayward and built in 1872. The Church was extended in 1879 and in 2016 a new stained glass window installed commemorating the mining history of the village. The school originally used the church site with another building added on the opposite side of the road erected by Lord Hatherton in 1898. Further building provided both a secondary modern school and primary school. These old school sites are now areas of housing with the new primary school on Colliers Way..Huntington Parish Council
11 Councillors currently serve on the Huntington Parish Council with the Parish being divided into two wards. The Littleton Ward covers the south end of the Parish and Chase Ward covers the North. The current chairman is Cllr John Newman and Vice Chairperson is Cllr Debbie Davies. The longest serving Councillor is Cllr Jeff Ashley that has amassed nearly 50 years of service as a councillor and was also a South Staffs District Councillor for 28 years. Council meetings are held every second Thursday of the month and are held in the Huntington Community Centre.Huntington Memorial Garden
The Huntington Memorial Garden opened in 2019 which remembers the local war heroes of World War 1 and the second World War. Bricks with the names of those who used to work down the Littleton Colliery form the foundation of the monument and a former mining winding wheel is situated on top. The Memorial Garden was funded by Huntington Parish Council and was spearheaded by Parish Councillor Scott Allport who chaired the Memorial Garden Committee. It was designed by architect Colin Sutton and cost in the region of £115,000 to create.Village amenities
Huntington has a number of facilities, including two pubs, The Littleton Arms and The Barns, as well as a Mccolls store which includes aNotable people
* James Simester (1871 in Huntington - 1905) he was converted at age fourteen and called to preach when sixteen, became an American Methodist missionary and educator to Foochow, China.Listed building
The parish contains oneReferences
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Huntington, Staffordshire Villages in Staffordshire South Staffordshire District Cannock Chase