Harriseahead
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Harriseahead is a village in the
county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
of
Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...
, England, just north of the Potteries (
Stoke on Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement ...
) and about south-west of
Biddulph Biddulph is a town in Staffordshire, England, north of Stoke-on-Trent and south-east of Congleton, Cheshire. Origin of the name Biddulph's name may come from Anglo-Saxon/Old English ''bī dylfe'' = "beside the pit or quarry". It may also ...
and close to the border with
Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
. Population details from the 2011 census can be found under
Kidsgrove Kidsgrove is a town in the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England, on the Cheshire border. It is part of the Potteries Urban Area, along with Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. It has a population of 26,276 (2019 census). ...
.


History

The
etymology Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...
is unknown; although the "-head" ending of the name, from Old English ''heafod'' indicates the town's high situation in the
Staffordshire Moorlands Staffordshire Moorlands is a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, is based in Leek, Staffordshire, Leek and is located between the city of Stoke-on- ...
.
Mow Cop Castle Mow Cop Castle is a folly at Mow Cop in the civil parish of Odd Rode, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. The ridge, upon which the castle sits, forms the ...
is on top of a hill just under a mile north of the village. It has been in the care of the
National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...
since 1937, but has a history linking it with
Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's br ...
. The County of Staffordshire is about as far inland as any county of the United Kingdom, and covers a distance of 55 miles from North to South and 36 miles from East to West. It has been hailed as the land of Crocks and Locks due to its links with canals and the pottery industry. There are few navigable rivers, and this lack of natural waterways initially put Staffordshire at a disadvantage when compared to other English counties. The coming of the canals was really to spur on industry and by the end of the 18th century Staffordshire sat at the economic and transport heart of the country. The county was endowed with an abundance of minerals including copper, lead,
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
and, most importantly, coal. As the majority of minerals required firing,
charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, cal ...
was initially used. As supplies became depleted, more and more coal had to be used. This had considerable effects on the developments of urban villages such as Harriseahead. The tectonic structure within the coalfield is made up of a series of North / South folds which gave rise to many outcrops and footrail mines such as those found in Harriseahead. The coalfield is exceptionally rich in coal seams. It has been suggested that there may be up to 30 different seams with of aggregate depth of some 140 feet. The most productive seams are to be found within the Middle Coal Measures, varieties including coking coals which formed the backbone of the local iron smelting industry.


Harriseahead in 1841

The census of 1841 showed that the village of Harriseahead had a population of some 578 persons, 303 of which were male and 275 of which were females. There were 111 separate dwellings, with an average occupancy rate of 5.28 persons per dwelling. Of the population only 35.8% were in work. Harriseahead was heavily involved with the coal mining industry for many years and now is a commuter village serving the urban conurbations of Stoke on Trent and as far away as Manchester and Birmingham. Along with other urban villages on the North Staffordshire Coalfield, the reliance on mining has been replaced, as the industry as a whole has declined both locally and nationally. The landscape still exhibits features of its former industrial heritage, including disused fustian mills the rebuilt winding house on Biddulph Road, the derelict buildings of Red Lion Pit, and the disused tramway which can be seen in the local fields.


Links with Methodism

The link with Methodism came when
Hugh Bourne Hugh Bourne (3 April 1772 – 11 October 1852) along with William Clowes was the joint founder of Primitive Methodism, the largest offshoot of Wesleyan Methodism and, in the mid nineteenth century, an influential Protestant Christian movement in ...
moved to Harriseahead in 1800, having bought an oak woodland there to supply pit props in Stonetrough Colliery and other local mines. In 1801 to 1802 he built a Methodist Chapel which became the centre of Methodist activity in that area and beyond. The
Primitive Methodist The Primitive Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination with the holiness movement. It began in England in the early 19th century, with the influence of American evangelist Lorenzo Dow (1777–1834). In the United States, the Primiti ...
movement grew out of this. The village used to have both a Primitive and Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, however a single functioning chapel remains in the form of the Methodist Memorial Chapel found on the corner of High Street and Chapel Lane. The Chapel continues to have its annual Anniversary Sermons and Flower Festival which are well received locally. The chapel closed in October 2018, holding a final service which was very well attended.James, L.
Bells ring for the final time as historic village church closes for good
''StokeonTrent Live'', published October 2018, accessed 25 December 2019


References


External links

{{authority control Villages in Staffordshire Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme