Ranton, Staffordshire

Ranton is a small village in Staffordshire, situated 3.5 miles west of Stafford, 2.5 miles east of Woodseaves and 2 miles northeast of Gnosall.

All Saints church, Ranton

All Saints church, Ranton, is a small ancient structure, dating from the 13th century.

"The building was renovated in 1753, when the chancel was built. The east window was probably put in at this time. The bell turret was removed in 1889, but was re-erected in the 1940s in memory of Frank Russell and John Owen Timms, two local men who lost their lives in the Second World War. The new turret was not strong enough to support the bells, which had to be removed and put onto storage until the turret was rebuilt." [ [http://www.search.staffspasttrack.org.uk/engine/resource/default.asp?theme=134&originator=%2Fengine%2Ftheme%2Fdefault%2Easp&page=&records=&direction=&pointer=1113&text=0&resource=1447 "All Saint's Church, Ranton"] ] The church has a small bell-tower at the west end of the nave with two bells, and was repaired and a gallery erected in 1840. The restoration was supervised by Staffordshire ecclesiastical architect Andrew Capper. [ [http://www.achurchnearyou.com/venue.php?V=4313 "All Saints, Ranton"] ] The parish registers commence in 1655. The original registers for the period 1655-1993 (Baptisms), 1655-1984 (Marriages) & 1655-1993 (Burials) are deposited at Staffordshire Record Office. Bishops Transcripts, 1660-1868 (with gaps 1840-1854) are deposited at Lichfield Record office. [ [http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/STS/Ranton/ "Ranton"] ]

Ranton Priory

Standing close by are the ancient ruins of the Augustinian Priory, known locally as Ranton Abbey, which was built c.1150, and flourishing in the 13th century as a subordinate house to Haughmond Abbey (near Shrewsbury). [ [http://www.thornber.net/staffs/html/ranton.html Ranton Abbey] ] What remains today is the 14th century tower.

"Abbey House, next to the tower, was built in 1820. In the early 19th century the property became part of the estate of the Ansons of Shugborough, latterly Earls of Lichfield. Abbey House is now a ruin having been destroyed by fire in the Second World War while occupied by Dutch soldiers." [ [http://www.thornber.net/staffs/html/ranton.html Ranton Abbey] ]

Ranton Abbey "was founded by Robert and Celestia Noel of Ellenhall about 1150 for Augustinian canons from Haughmond. In 1820 Thomas, 1st Earl of Lichfield, built a large house, a hunting lodge or weekend retreat, adjacent to the abbey...all that remains of the abbey is the large imposing tower (of the 15th century) and a little of the nave wall with a Norman doorway decorated with roll moulding. The house...is now in ruins...it was accidentally burned down in 1942, during the Second World War, when troops of Queen Wilhelmina's bodyguard were quartered here." [ [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=hWTBe6Cx66YC&pg=PA252&lpg=PA252&dq=ranton+abbey+tunnel&source=web&ots=WBhw2vwVDK&sig=mWZbHPAaiC8KjlX9v9_DP2jYv1Q&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result#PPA253,M1 Michael Raven, "A Guide to Staffordshire and the Black Country," 2004, ISBN 0906114330, pp.252-3] ]

According to William White in his 1851 "History, Gazetteer and Directory of Staffordshire"::"Ranton, or Ronton, is a small scattered village, five miles W of Stafford, comprising within its parish the scattered hamlets of Extolls, Long Compton, Park Nook, and including 320 inhabitants, and about 2670 acres of land, belonging chiefly to the Earl of Lichfield, and Francis Eld, Esq, and the former is lord of the manor, which, at the time of the Norman Conquest, was held by Goderick, a Saxon nobleman, and afterwards by the Noels and Harcourts. Swynfen Jones, Esq, and a few smaller owners have estates in the parish.

:About a mile W of the village is Ranton Abbey, an extra parochial liberty of 700 acres belonging to the Earl of Lichfield. The ancient abbey was founded by Robert Fitz-Noel, in the reign of Henry II, for regular canons of the order of St Augustine. Considerable remains of the abbey are still standing, including a lofty well-built tower, and the outer walls of the church. The abbey liberty contains 28 inhabitants and the Abbey House which is the seat of ED Moore, Esq." [ [http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/STS/Ranton/ "History, Gazetteer and Directory of Staffordshire, William White, Sheffield, 1851"] ] Legend has it there is a tunnel running underground from the Abbey to a farm house in Ranton.Fact|date=October 2008

References

See also

* Ranton Green

External links

* [http://www.thornber.net/staffs/html/ranton.html Picture of Ranton Abbey Tower and Abbey House viewed from the south]
* [http://www.search.staffspasttrack.org.uk/engine/resource/default.asp?txtKeywords=ranton+abbey&lstContext=&lstResourceType=&lstExhibitionType=&chkPurchaseVisible=&txtDateFrom=&txtDateTo=&originator=%2Fengine%2Fsearch%2Fdefault%5Fhndlr%2Easp&page=&records=&direction=&pointer=1068&text=0&resource=1640 Photograph of Abbey House from the south, c.1912, in its heyday, with Abbey visible to left]