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Thorpe Constantine is a small village and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. It lies about north-east of Tamworth and 6 miles south-west of Measham. The nucleus of the parish is the Thorpe
estate Estate or The Estate may refer to: Law * Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations * Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries. ** The Estates, representat ...
.


History

The first part of the name is believed to be the Old Norse word '' thorp'' with the meaning ''outlying farm'', indicative of the village's location within the Danelaw. The second element comes from the name of the family that was in possession of the land in the 13th century. The population of the estate parish is given as 42 in 1848, the land covering . In 1870 it is given as 54, living in 5 houses.


Governance

The parish of Thorpe Constantine became part of
Tamworth Poor Law Union Tamworth may refer to: Places England * Tamworth, Staffordshire * Tamworth (UK Parliament constituency) Australia * Tamworth, New South Wales ** Tamworth Airport * Tamworth Regional Council * Electoral district of Tamworth United States and Cana ...
in
1836 Events January–March * January 1 – Queen Maria II of Portugal marries Prince Ferdinand Augustus Francis Anthony of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. * January 5 – Davy Crockett arrives in Texas. * January 12 ** , with Charles Darwin on board, r ...
. In
1894 Events January–March * January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire. * January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United S ...
it became a civil parish within the newly constituted
Tamworth Rural District Tamworth was a rural district in the English Midlands from 1894 to 1965. It was created under the Local Government Act 1894 from Tamworth rural sanitary district, and was one of a handful of rural districts to cross county boundaries, with pa ...
. During the boundary changes of 1934 the civil parish was enlarged with the addition of
Statfold Statfold is a former village in Staffordshire, England, about north-east of Tamworth. Population details as taken at the 2011 census can be found under Clifton Campville. These days little remains of the village itself, but the Norman parish ...
and Syerscote, and became part of Lichfield Rural District. In
1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
it became part of the new non-metropolitan district of Lichfield. The parish council meets jointly with Clifton Campville. Electorally the parish is part of ''Mease and Tame'' ward of Lichfield District, and lies within the parliamentary constituency of Tamworth.


Landmarks


Thorpe Hall

The manor house of Thorpe Hall is a privately owned Georgian style country mansion, and a Grade II listed building. William Ives, a successful Leicestershire vintner, bought Thorpe in 1631. His daughter and co-heir Jane married Richard Inge of Leicester, and the house became the Inge family home. The Inges were a prominent local family, five members of which served as High Sheriff of Staffordshire. Family members were Rectors of
Netherseal Netherseal (or 'Netherseale') is a village and civil parish in the English county of Derbyshire,OS Explorer Map 245: The National Forest :(1:25 000) :
and of Thorpe Constantine. Ives had built a three-storey, five-bayed mansion at Thorpe in 1651. In 1790 when another Inge family seat at Drakelow, Derbyshire was abandoned, Thorpe Hall was enlarged and improved. Two three-bayed, two-storeyed wings were added, and the main central block was decorated with balustrading and an entrance porch. The 1881 census discloses Rev George Inge and his family in residence with a staff of twenty-one. The family remained in occupation until at least 1925. Following the death of Hilda Mary Inge in 1953 the estate passed to the Lillingston family of Localsh. George David Inge-Innes-Lillingston was High Sheriff of Staffordshire in 1966. The property is now occupied by Hugh Inge-Innes-Lillingston and his wife Catherine.


Church of St Constantine

The parish church, dedicated to St Constantine, is a Grade II listed building. The church is in the grounds of the Hall, and has been an "estate church" since the 18th century, the parish being owned by the estate. These days it is only occasionally used for services. It is, however, a substantial building, with separate nave and chancel. Extensively rebuilt in 1883, and prior to that in the 18th century, parts of it may go back to the 14th century, including the tower with spire. The Inge family, owners of the estate, often supplied the rectors too.


Other settlements

The expansion of the civil parish in 1934 incorporated the civil parishes of
Statfold Statfold is a former village in Staffordshire, England, about north-east of Tamworth. Population details as taken at the 2011 census can be found under Clifton Campville. These days little remains of the village itself, but the Norman parish ...
and Syerscote, both of which settlements go back to early mediaeval times, though these days must be counted as former settlements.


Statfold

Statfold is an abandoned village, of which little trace now remains, though the listed manor house and church are still extant. Nowadays, the church has the status of a chapel; it is listed Grade II*.


Syerscote

Syerscote , roughly north-east of Tamworth and 3 miles west of Thorpe, is a former township of the parish of St Editha, Tamworth. In 1836 it became part of
Tamworth Poor Law Union Tamworth may refer to: Places England * Tamworth, Staffordshire * Tamworth (UK Parliament constituency) Australia * Tamworth, New South Wales ** Tamworth Airport * Tamworth Regional Council * Electoral district of Tamworth United States and Cana ...
; in 1866 it became an independent civil parish within the union. In 1894 it entered
Tamworth Rural District Tamworth was a rural district in the English Midlands from 1894 to 1965. It was created under the Local Government Act 1894 from Tamworth rural sanitary district, and was one of a handful of rural districts to cross county boundaries, with pa ...
and in 1934 became part of Thorpe Constantine civil parish. In 1848 the population was 46, on . The farmhouse of Syerscote Manor is listed Grade II. The name is believed to derive from
Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
, with the meaning of ''Sigerics cottages''. In the Middle Ages Syerscote was a
prebend A prebendary is a member of the Roman Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the ...
that funded one of 5 canons to the then collegiate
Church of St Editha, Tamworth The Church of St Editha is an Anglican parish church and Grade I listed building in Tamworth, Staffordshire, England. History The church of St. Editha is the largest parish church in Staffordshire. Most of the church is mid- to late-14th-ce ...
. In 1291 this income was valued at £4 a year. These days Syerscote is within the Church of England parish of St Leonard, Wigginton.


See also

* Listed buildings in Thorpe Constantine


References


Other sources

* Inge family papers at Staffordshire County Record Office reference D878 3211
1881 census records


External links


Staffordshire Past Track: Old images of Thorpe Constantine
{{authority control Villages in Staffordshire Civil parishes in Staffordshire Country houses in Staffordshire