Stafford

Stafford, a midland county of England, and its capital. The former lies between Derbyshire E. and Shropshire W., having Warwickshire and Worcestershire S.W. and S., and Cheshire N. The area is about 1,170 square miles, being mostly level, though broken by picturesque hills such as Axe Edge (1,756 feet), Cloud Thorpe, and Mow Cap in the N. Rivers are abundant, the Trent, the Dove, the Sow, and the Tame being the chief; a small tract is drained by the Severn. Agriculture thrives fairly in the valleys, but pastures are largely in excess of arable lands. The wealth of the county depends, however, on coal and iron. Wolverhampton, under-Lyme, and West Bromwich are the chief centres of hardware manufactures; whilst the potteries at Stoke, Hanley, and Burslem employ many hands. Tamworth, Lichfield, and Rugeley are towns of importance, in addition to STRAFFORD, the capital, which stands on the river Sow about 29 miles N.W. of Birmingham. Its origin dates from long before the Conquest, and though outside the prosperity being largely due to the leather and boot trades. The churches of St. Chad and St. Mary are interesting structures. There is a grammar school founded before Edward VI., a museum, and a fine library due to the gift of the Salt family The borough returns one member to Parliament.