Mavesyn Ridware is a village and
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
in
Lichfield District
Lichfield () is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. It is administered by Lichfield District Council, based in Lichfield.
The dignity and privileges of the City of Lichfield are vested in the parish council of the 14 km² ...
,
Staffordshire, England. The parish had a population of 1,048 in 2001, increasing to 1,128 at the 2011 Census.
It includes the villages of
Hill Ridware, Rake End, Pipe Ridware and
Blithbury, all of which lie between the
River Trent
The Trent is the third-longest river in the United Kingdom. Its source is in Staffordshire, on the southern edge of Biddulph Moor. It flows through and drains the North Midlands. The river is known for dramatic flooding after storms and ...
and a small tributary, the
River Blithe. To the east is the parish of
Hamstall Ridware and to the south the larger village of
Armitage
Armitage is a village in Staffordshire, England on the south side of the Trent and Mersey Canal south just outside of the market town of Rugeley and north of the city of Lichfield, and noteworthy for the Armitage Shanks sanitary porcelain factor ...
.
![Lines family sketchbook - Disc1 046 - Water-Mill near Ridware](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Lines_family_sketchbook_-_Disc1_046_-_Water-Mill_near_Ridware.jpg)
Heritage
Mavesyn Ridware contains two notable buildings: the
parish church dedicated to St Nicholas and the Gatehouse of the erstwhile Manor House.
The name "Mavesyn" derives from the French ''Malvoisin'', which was the name of the
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
family that acquired the estate after the
Norman Conquest
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Con ...
of 1066. The church contains many monuments to members of that family and to their successors as lords of the manor, the Cawardens and the Chadwicks.
The Gatehouse is timber framed with a later skin of brick and stone. Growth rings on the timbers indicate that the building was erected in 1391–1392.
Amenities
The village is not served by public transport, other than a minibus service to
Handsacre or
Rugeley
Rugeley ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Cannock Chase District in Staffordshire, England. It lies on the north-eastern edge of Cannock Chase next to the River Trent; it is situated north of Lichfield, south-east of Stafford, nort ...
, which must be booked in advance by phone or on the web. The nearest railway station is at Rugeley (5 miles, 8 km).
Ridware has a bowls club and a youth club. There is a village hall for hire.
Notable residents
*
Henry Fourdrinier
Henry Fourdrinier (11 February 1766 – 3 September 1854) was a British paper-making entrepreneur.
He was born in 1766, the son of paper maker and stationer Henry Fourdrinier, and grandson of the engraver Paul Fourdrinier, 1698–1758, sometimes ...
(1766–1854), paper manufacturer and inventor, spent his last years at the Old Rectory.
*
Ashby Haslewood (1810–1876), first-class cricketer and educationalist, was rector of Mavesyn Ridware in 1866–77.
[Alumni Cantabrigiense]
Retrieved 5 May 2017.
/ref>
See also
* Listed buildings in Mavesyn Ridware
References
External links
GENUKI: Mavesyn Ridware
{{authority control
Villages in Staffordshire
Civil parishes in Staffordshire