Bagnall 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
Staffordshire, England, north-east of
Stoke-on-Trent.
[OS Explorer Map: Stoke-on-Trent & Newcastle-under-Lyme: (1:25 000): ] Although Bagnall is located only a few short miles from the former industrial city of Stoke-on-Trent, it retains a sense of rural isolation and has been described as one of the most tranquil villages in Staffordshire.
Population
At the 2011 census, the parish had a population of 765.
History
The
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...
of 1086 did not record Bagnall as a settlement at that time but noted that the area that now comprises the parish was largely wasteland containing one or two ploughlands, being part of the parish of Endon.
The earliest form of the placename is composed of two Anglo Saxon elements. The Oxford Dictionary of Placenames, A D Mills (Oxford University Press, ) states:
Bagnall, Staffs. Badegenhall 1273. Probably "nook of land of a man called Badeca". Old English Pers. name (genitive -n) +halh.
The etymologist Duigan in his "Notes on Staffordshire Place-names" suggests Bacga as the personal prefix, and the Old English word holt meaning woodland as opposed to halh above.
The etymologist Eckwall sees the first element as Old English Bodeca as the personal noun, with the second syllable being either halh or holt.
Early evidence of an individual adopting or being attributed with the surname originating from the settlement occurred when William de Bagenold was a witness to the deed of a gift of Ela de Aldethelegh to Trentham Priory circa 1154 (source: Dugdale's Monistacon vol.6, page 397).
The siting of the early settlement at Bagnall probably owes its origins to some sort of religious observance, it being sited at a place where cross-moorland routes converged. It was certainly on the old salt route to Weston-on-Trent.
The potter
William Ault
William Ault (1842 – 12 March 1929) was an English potter, involved with a number of companies in the Staffordshire potteries and South Derbyshire making art pottery and more utilitarian wares.
In 1883 he established the Bretby Art Pottery ( ...
was born in Bagnall in 1842. He was involved with a number of companies in the Staffordshire potteries and Derbyshire making
art pottery
Art pottery is a term for pottery with artistic aspirations, made in relatively small quantities, mostly between about 1870 and 1930. Typically, sets of the usual tableware items are excluded from the term; instead the objects produced are mostly ...
and more utilitarian wares.
The parish church of Saint Chad
The parish church of Saint Chad is a Grade II listed building.
[Listed Building status:Saint Chads](_blank)
retrieved 13 April 2013 The current building was built in 1834 and was designed by J. Beardmore, with further alterations and refurbishments carried out in 1880. This church replaced an early church which was called Saint Michael which was established in the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
. This church is thought to have replaced an even earlier building which is thought to have Saxon origins. The present building stand on a hilltop. The church is constructed using coursed squared and rough dressed stone in a Gothic style. The footprint plan is of a rectangular shape. The bell tower and chancel were added in 1878.
[Reference to Saint Chad](_blank)
retrieved 13 April 2013
See also
*
Listed buildings in Bagnall, Staffordshire
References
External links
{{authority control
Villages in Staffordshire
Staffordshire Moorlands