STREETHAY WITH FULFEN
Streethay, east of Lichfield, was formerly a
township in St. Michael's parish, Lichfield,
covering 850 a. in the mid 19th century. It was
adjoined on the south-east by Fulfen, a township of 240 a., also in St. Michael's. (fn. 1) Both
Streethay and Fulfen were civil parishes from
the later 19th century. (fn. 2) Boundary changes in
1879 transferred a detached portion of Farewell
and Chorley parish north and east of Curborough House to Streethay and cottages at Darnford from Streethay to Fulfen. As the result of
the changes Streethay had an area of 978 a. and
Fulfen one of 250 a. (fn. 3) Further boundary changes
in 1934 established a new civil parish of Streethay of 1,341 a; it comprised 852 a. of the
existing parish of Streethay (the other 126 a.
being added to Lichfield), 239 a. of Fulfen (the
remainder being added to Whittington), 4 a.
from Lichfield, and 246 a. from Whittington. (fn. 4)
In 1980 the parish lost 61 a. on the west side of
Lichfield Eastern Bypass to Lichfield. (fn. 5) In 1983
Streethay was amalgamated with Alrewas to
form Alrewas with Streethay civil parish. (fn. 6) This
article deals with Streethay and Fulfen before
the boundary changes of the 20th century.
Streethay's western boundary was marked by
roads as far as Curborough brook, which it
followed before turning east round Curborough
House. The eastern boundary followed the line
of the Roman Ryknild Street as far as Streethay
hamlet, where it turned down Ash Tree Lane
and then south to Fulfen brook. Part of Fulfen's
boundary with Whittington followed Fulfen
brook and Darnford brook. (fn. 7)
The subsoil is Keuper Sandstone, and there is
an area of Keuper Marl north and north-east of
Streethay hamlet. South-east of the hamlet,
straddling Trent Valley Road, is a gravel terrace, and along Darnford brook is a stretch of
alluvium. (fn. 8) The soil is loam. (fn. 9) In Streethay
hamlet the ground lies between 230 ft. (70 m.)
and 246 ft. (75 m.). It rises to 279 ft. (85 m.) in
the north-west at Brownsfields Farm and lies at
246 ft. (75 m.) in the north at Curborough
House; to the east along Ryknild Street it falls to
204 ft. (65 m.). Fulfen Farm at 250 ft. (76 m.)
stands on a slight rise above low-lying ground.
An unnamed stream rises near Streethay's
western boundary and passes north of the hamlet to join Mare brook in Whittington.
Figure 24:
STREETHAY WITH FULFEN 1986
Twenty-six people were assessed for tax in
Streethay and Morughale in 1327 and 37 in
1380. Eight people were assessed in the mid
1520s, and 10 householders were assessed for
hearth tax in 1666. (fn. 10) In 1801 Streethay's population numbered 115. In 1841 it was 110 and
Fulfen's was 15; the respective figures were 144
and 14 in 1851 and 137 and 10 in 1861. After the
1879 boundary changes the figures were 217 and
38 in 1881, rising to 276 and 43 in 1891. In 1931
they were 252 and 72. After the 1934 boundary
changes the population of Streethay civil parish
was 263; it had risen to 391 by 1951 but had
fallen to 301 by 1961 and 271 by 1971. In 1981 it
was 288. (fn. 11)
The name Streethay, meaning an enclosure by
a Roman road, was recorded in the later 12th
century, and the hamlet was evidently settled by
the mid 13th century. (fn. 12) There was a green in the
later 16th century and presumably earlier. (fn. 13) The
hamlet had an alehouse in 1595. (fn. 14) By the later
18th century there were several houses and cottages near the green, (fn. 15) including Streethay House
Farm, originally L-shaped but extended in the
early 19th century by the addition of a porch and
a large bow on the east. The Anchor inn, north of
the green, existed under that name by 1824. (fn. 16)
The hamlet in 1851 had c. 50 inhabitants, including three railway labourers and their families; by
1881 the number had fallen to c. 40. (fn. 17) Prefabricated huts were built south-west of the Anchor in
the early 1940s for W.R.A.F. personnel from
Fradley airfield in Alrewas. Used as offices by
Lichfield rural district council after the Second
World War, the buildings were demolished in
1986. Twelve council houses were built on the
south side of Burton Old Road in the early 1950s,
and a small estate of privately built houses off
that road in Dyott Close dates from c. 1960. (fn. 18)
Eight more houses were built privately on the
north side of Trent Valley Road south-west of
the district council offices in the 1970s.
The site of Manor House, north of the hamlet, may have been occupied by the mid 13th
century. (fn. 19) By 1792 an inn called the Dog stood
near by on the east side of the Burton road; it
survived until the 1840s. (fn. 20) To the north the
name Rough Stockings, recorded in 1632, indicates an area cleared of trees. (fn. 21) A small farmhouse built there probably in the mid 18th
century was still occupied by farmworkers in the
1950s but was derelict in 1986. (fn. 22)
The lost hamlet of Morughale, south-west of
Streethay hamlet, existed by the mid 13th century. (fn. 23) The name means a nook of land (halh)
bestowed as a morning-gift (morgen gifu), referring to the Anglo-Saxon custom by which a man
gave land to his bride on the morning after their
marriage. (fn. 24) The centre of the settlement was
presumably somewhere along the former Morughale Lane, the western continuation of which,
over the Lichfield boundary, survives as Valley
Lane. (fn. 25) Until its disappearance in the late 15th
century Morughale seems to have been a more
important settlement than Streethay. Presentments made at the great court of the bishop's
manor of Longdon were invariably entered on
the court rolls under the heading of Morughale
and Streethay, and the open fields of both
hamlets lay principally around Morughale. (fn. 26) A
charter was dated at Morughale in 1443, but by
the late 1480s the hamlet had apparently been
deserted. (fn. 27) The only inhabited site around
Morughale to survive into modern times was
Bexmore Farm on the Lichfield boundary. (fn. 28)
Brownsfields Farm north-west of Streethay
hamlet may have been built or rebuilt in the earlier
17th century. Further north the area around Curborough House was known by 1297 as Little
Curborough, evidently to distinguish it from the
main settlement of Curborough in the adjoining
township. The site of Curborough House has been
occupied since at least the later 13th century. (fn. 29)
Pipe bridge, mentioned in 1386, carried a lane
running from Curborough House to Curborough
Hall Farm in Curborough and Elmhurst. It was in
a ruinous condition in 1489, when both Streethay
township and Curborough and Elmhurst township were ordered to repair it. (fn. 30)
Fulfen south of Streethay hamlet was mentioned in the mid 12th century. (fn. 31) The name
means foul marshland, which presumably lay
along Fulfen brook. In the mid 13th century
Fulfen was styled a vill, and it was later a
separate township in Longdon manor. (fn. 32) Fulfen
Farm was the centre of an estate by the 15th
century. (fn. 33) A green, recorded in 1435, lay east of
Fulfen Farm where the road from Lichfield,
Cappers Lane, forked north to Fisherwick and
south to Whittington. A cottage by the green
was taken down in 1819; others were built to the
east probably in the early 19th century. (fn. 34)
Darnford at the southern tip of Fulfen township was the site of a mill on Darnford brook by
1243. (fn. 35) The name means the hidden or secret
ford, (fn. 36) presumably in contrast to a more open or
accessible ford at Freeford further upstream.
Formerly there were cottages to the north, built
in the mid 19th century. (fn. 37)
The Roman Ryknild Street entered Streethay
in the south-west and ran through the eastern
side of the township. It was referred to as Broadway in the earlier 13th century and as Stony
Street in 1375. (fn. 38) It was joined south of Streethay
hamlet by Burton Old Road, a name also given to
the stretch of Ryknild Street up to the hamlet. A
cross, recorded in the mid 13th century, may
have stood at the junction, which was known as
Burton Turnings in the mid 19th century. (fn. 39) The
main route from Lichfield to Burton upon Trent
was by Burton Old Road, which was turnpiked in
1729. A tollgate stood near Manor House. An
order was made in 1742 for a lodge large enough
to take a bed for the keeper, who with his family
was to live in a nearby house. A new lodge was
built in 1767, on the west side of the road; it was
demolished after 1940. Trent Valley Road, providing a more direct route between Lichfield and
Burton, was built under an Act of 1832. The
Lichfield-Burton road was disturnpiked in 1879.
The Lichfield Eastern Bypass, opened in 1971,
enters the parish in the south and joins the
Lichfield-Burton road north-east of Streethay
hamlet. (fn. 40)
The Coventry Canal, completed in 1788,
runs along the edge of the Burton road northeast of Streethay hamlet, and there was a wharf
on the Whittington side of the boundary by
1817. (fn. 41) The Wyrley and Essington Canal,
opened in 1797 and partly closed in 1954, runs
through part of Fulfen. (fn. 42) The Trent Valley
Railway from Stafford to the Birmingham-London line at Rugby was opened along the
south-west side of Streethay in 1847 with a
station for Lichfield on the north side of Trent
Valley Road. A station master's house was built
near by. The South Staffordshire Railway running along the south-east side of Streethay was
opened in 1849 with a station, Trent Valley
Junction, where the railway crossed Burton Old
Road. Both stations were replaced in 1871 by a
new one where the lines crossed and the 1847
station was converted into the station master's
house. (fn. 43)
The opening of Trent Valley Road and of the
two railway lines led to the development of the
area south-west of Streethay hamlet. The farmhouse at Bexmore became an inn called the
Railway tavern, first recorded in 1854. (fn. 44) It lost
its custom to the Trent Valley hotel (later inn),
built near by on Trent Valley Road in the late
1870s. (fn. 45) Trent Valley House opposite the hotel
was newly built in 1861. (fn. 46) Streethay Lodge on
Trent Valley Road east of the Trent Valley
railway line was built in the 1850s, apparently
for William Leedham (d. 1863), a retired surgeon from Burton upon Trent and an uncle of
William Holland of Streethay House Farm. (fn. 47)
Trent Valley Brewery Co. opened a brewery on
the south side of the road in 1877. A row of
twelve cottages called Brewery Row was built to
the north for its workers; 58 people were living
there in 1881. The brewery was demolished in
1970. (fn. 48) In 1986 its site was occupied by the
premises of Douglas Plant Ltd. and Swan National Leasing. The South Staffordshire Waterworks Co. opened a pumping station east of the
brewery in the late 19th century. (fn. 49) Council
houses on the north side of Trent Valley Road
date from the 1950s and privately built houses
there from the 1970s.
The area on either side of Trent Valley Road
west of the Trent Valley railway was taken into
Lichfield in 1934. From 1946 it was developed
as a trading and industrial estate and includes a
factory opened in 1949 by Bound Brook Bearings (later G.K.N. Bound Brook) Ltd. (fn. 50)
ESTATES.
An estate known as STREETHAY
and centring on the later Manor House was held
of Longdon manor by Nicholas of Streethay in
the mid 13th century. (fn. 51) William of Streethay,
recorded in 1262 and 1283, had been succeeded
by his son Hugh by 1286. (fn. 52) Hugh was dead by
1305, leaving a son John, who was alive in
1337. (fn. 53) The estate was evidently later held by
William of Streethay (d. 1395 or 1396), whose
son Philip was still alive in 1418. A John Streethay was recorded in 1469. (fn. 54) Later heads of the
family were Thomas (d. 1521) and John (d.
1523). John was succeeded by his son Thomas
(d. in or before 1538). Thomas's heir was his son
Thomas (d. in or before 1540), who was succeeded by his brother John. (fn. 55) In 1574 John,
described as a gentleman, held 219 a. freehold
and copyhold in Streethay. (fn. 56) He was succeeded
that year by his son Philip. (fn. 57) In 1588 Philip held
what was called the manor of Streethay, which
he sold in 1591 to Richard Pyott, a London
alderman whose family were landowners in
North Staffordshire. (fn. 58)
Richard Pyott died in 1620, leaving a son
Richard (d. 1667). The younger Richard, sheriff
of Staffordshire in 1635–6, was succeeded by his
son John, who was succeeded in 1677 or 1678 by
his son Richard (d. 1728). Richard's heir was his
son John (d. 1729). John was succeeded by his
son Richard, a barrister, who later moved to
Chesterfield (Derb.) where his wife Pyarea had
property. Richard died childless in 1747, having
devised the Streethay estate, subject to his wife's
life interest, to a another barrister, Edward
Wilmot of Duffield (Derb.). (fn. 59)
In 1791 the estate covered 106 a. (fn. 60) Edward
Wilmot died in 1795, and in 1796 his son
Edward sold it to Richard Holland. (fn. 61) Richard
was the son of William Holland of Rodbaston
Hall in Penkridge (d. 1784), who was living at
Streethay by 1758 and owned Streethay House
Farm. (fn. 62) Richard died in 1835, and his son
William succeeded to both the Streethay and the
Streethay House Farm estates. William was
succeeded in 1839 by his son Richard. In 1851
the combined estate, then known as Streethay
House farm, covered 250 a.; by 1861 it had been
increased to 330 a. (fn. 63) In 1869 Richard sold it to
his brother William, on whose death in 1887 the
estate, mortgaged in 1878, passed to trustees. (fn. 64)
It was eventually bought in 1920 by Ernest
Pyatt, who sold it in 1946 to Mr. R. F. Foden,
the owner in 1986 when the estate covered
260 a. (fn. 65)
In the Middle Ages the house was surrounded
by a double moat. It was rebuilt, probably by
the Richard Pyott who succeeded in 1620, in
brick with a symmetrical front of three gabled
bays; the central bay projected, and over the
door was set the coat of arms granted in 1610 to
Richard Pyott (d. 1620). (fn. 66) In 1666 the house was
assessed for tax on 14 hearths. Most of it was
demolished in 1792. (fn. 67) What survives is apparently the back range of an enclosed courtyard to
which a short wing was added. The house was
converted into cottages used by farmworkers
until the later 20th century, when it was remodelled as the present house. It was bought in
1986 by Maj. R. Conningham. (fn. 68)
The remains of the moat round the house
were apparently used in the 18th century as a
garden feature and as fishponds. (fn. 69) A short
straight-sided canal was formed on the axis of
the house, probably in the late 17th or early 18th
century, stretching south-west from the remains
of the moat. A stone bath house with a corbelled
roof probably of the 17th century stands west of
the house. (fn. 70) In the early 18th century there was a
dovecot in the grounds. (fn. 71)
BEXMORE FARM
BEXMORE FARM in Morughale originated
as a virgate which Bishop Muschamp,
1198–1208, bought from Geoffrey son of Alard
and gave to his farrier Robert Ruffus. (fn. 72) The
bishop evidently made a further grant of land in
Morughale to Ruffus. (fn. 73) In 1298 two virgates
there were held by Robert le Rous, presumably
a descendant. (fn. 74) About 1300 Robert granted a
capital messuage to John son of Henry de la
Bourne. (fn. 75) The estate passed to the Rugeley family, (fn. 76) probably by 1363 when Nicholas son of
Richard Rugeley was disputing a half virgate in
Morughale. (fn. 77) In 1399 Nicholas son of Henry
Rugeley held what was called the manor of
Morughale. (fn. 78) Probably identifiable as Nicholas
Rugeley of Hawkesyard in Armitage, and later
of Saredon in Shareshill, (fn. 79) he left his estate in
Morughale to his wife Eleanor, who by 1443 had
married Richard Harcourt, lord of Saredon. (fn. 80)
By 1574 the estate was held by the 'heirs of
Harcourt'. It then comprised 58 a. held in severalty and 168 a. in the open fields of Streethay
and of Lichfield. Part of the land held in severalty was called Berkesmoor, meaning birch
moor, from which the name Bexmore is derived. (fn. 81) In 1580 Cassandra Cooke, mistress of
Robert Harcourt (d. 1558), and their son John
let the estate to Anthony Dyott, the owner of
Freeford, who bought at least part of it in
1584. (fn. 82) In the early 1750s Richard Dyott let part
of the estate in two portions, one of 26 a. with a
house and the other of 36 a. (fn. 83)
Another part of the estate was evidently acquired by or passed to Sir Theophilus Biddulph, Bt., of Elmhurst, who in 1723 sold it to
Thomas Capenhurst of Haunton in Clifton
Campville. Capenhurst was living at Bexmore in
1735, when he sold his estate there to Hugh
Annerley, also of Haunton. In 1790 Annerley's
son Hugh owned 21 a. at Bexmore, together
with the farmhouse; he sold the land and house
that year to the Revd. Hugh Bailye. (fn. 84)
The later descent is unknown until 1849,
when the house was owned by a Jane Godwin. (fn. 85)
In 1851 it was occupied, and may have been
owned, by William Sharrod, who farmed 45 a.
there. Some time before 1854 he converted the
house into an inn, the Railway tavern. (fn. 86) He died
in 1858, and his son Francis continued to run
the inn. After the opening of the Trent Valley
hotel in the late 1870s, the Railway tavern
became a farmhouse again. In 1881 Francis
Sharrod ran a 27–a. market garden at Bexmore.
He was still alive in 1900, but by 1904 the
business had been taken over by his son
Thomas. (fn. 87) The later history of the estate is
unknown. The farmhouse was demolished when
Eastern Avenue was laid out in 1972. (fn. 88)
Bishop Durdent, 1149–59, granted a tenement in Morughale to his clerk Walter as an
augmentation of his prebend in Lichfield cathedral. Bishop Peche in the later 1170s granted the
same tenement to Matthew the precentor. (fn. 89) In
the early 13th century it was held by Hugh of
Morughale. Soon afterwards Hugh or his son
Hugh, being in debt and 'driven by hunger',
sold it to Robert of Hulton. (fn. 90) Before 1241 the
precentor confirmed Hulton's possession and
gave him land called 'Blacknaveriding' to augment the holding. (fn. 91) In 1510–11 the lessee was
Thomas Harcourt, whose family held Bexmore
farm in Morughale with which it was presumably amalgamated. (fn. 92)
BROWNSFIELDS FARM
BROWNSFIELDS FARM apparently took
its name from the Brown family of Lichfield. In
1440 the estate of John Brown of Lichfield was
divided between his two daughters and coheirs,
one of whom, Alice, was the wife of William
Rugeley. (fn. 93) In 1562 Alice's descendants granted
land to Richard Hussey, who in turn sold land
called 'Brownes fields' to Michael Lowe of Timmor in Fisherwick and James Weston of
Lichfield. Weston died in 1589, and his interest
passed to his son Simon; Lowe died in 1593 or
1594, leaving his interest to his son-in-law
Edward Bromley. (fn. 94) Weston and Bromley sold
their shares to Richard Pyott (d. 1620), or his
son Richard, of Streethay, (fn. 95) and by 1632
Brownsfields was let. (fn. 96) When the Pyott estate
was broken up in 1796, Brownsfields was bought
by a farmer named Oldacres. (fn. 97) Thomas Oldacres, the owner in 1834, was succeeded c. 1850
by Edward Oldacres, possibly his son. Edward,
who was chaplain to the Lichfield poor-law
union, farmed 187 a. at Brownsfields in 1851. (fn. 98)
By 1861 his cousin Ralph Oldacres was farming
there. Ralph's sister Ann bought the farm in
1870. She was declared bankrupt in 1887, and
the farm was sold. (fn. 99) It was owned by William
Boston in 1928, (fn. 100) and remained in his family in
1986. The brick farmhouse dates from the earlier 18th century and possibly incorporates an
older core.
An estate in Little Curborough centring on
CURBOROUGH HOUSE originated in a virgate held in the later 13th century by John de
Somerville, lord of Wychnor in Tatenhill. John
was succeeded in or shortly after 1279 by his son
Robert, and Robert in 1297 by his son Edmund. (fn. 101) Edmund held the estate as ¼ knight's
fee of the bishop as lord of Longdon in 1298. By
1301 he was a clerk and claimed that he held no
lay fee. (fn. 102) His father apparently had granted an
interest in the estate to Sir Ralph de Cromwell
on Ralph's marriage to Edmund's aunt Joan in
1292–3, (fn. 103) and in the 1320s, after Edmund's
death, the estate passed to Sir Ralph's son, also
Ralph. (fn. 104) Ralph, Baron Cromwell, a descendant,
still had an interest in the estate in 1442–3. (fn. 105)
John Langton (d. by 1502) had acquired the
estate by 1497. His heir was his brother Henry,
who was dead by 1540, leaving a son John. (fn. 106)
John lived in Lichfield and was probably the
John Langton who was a member of the 1548
corporation. He was dead by 1560. (fn. 107) William
Langton, who held 20 a. in Little Curborough
with 115 a. in the open fields in 1571, was
probably the William Langton who died in
1610, leaving a son John who held the estate in
1623. (fn. 108) Its later descent is unknown until 1834,
when it was held by John Hanbury, who was
lessee of the adjoining estate in Curborough and
Elmhurst belonging to Curborough prebend. (fn. 109)
Hanbury died probably soon after 1851, leaving
two daughters as his heirs. (fn. 110) The later descent is
unknown until 1919, when the estate was
bought by Gordon Powell (d. 1966). His son
James was the owner in 1986. The estate then
covered c. 150 a. (fn. 111)
Curborough House, so called in 1851, (fn. 112) is a
small 18th-century brick farmhouse, enlarged to
the south in the same century. In the earlier 19th
century it was given a north wing and a new
roof, and there was internal remodelling. The
remains of a dovecot stand on the east side of the
house. (fn. 113)
An estate known in 1574 as MILLHURST, (fn. 114)
in the detached part of Farewell and Chorley
parish added to Streethay in 1879, originated as
part of Henry II's grant of land called Lindhurst
to the nuns of Farewell priory. (fn. 115) At the priory's
dissolution in 1527 the Crown granted its estates
to the dean and chapter of Lichfield cathedral
for the support of the choristers, and in 1550 the
dean and chapter granted them to William
Paget, Lord Paget, at fee farm. (fn. 116) The tenant at
Millhurst in 1574 was William Bird, who held
the messuage with 60 a.; his holding had increased to 85 a. by 1591–2. (fn. 117) The Bird family
remained tenants until the late 18th century. (fn. 118)
Soon after 1797 the farm, then 121 a., was sold
by Henry Paget, earl of Uxbridge, to Fairfax
Moresby of Stowe House in Lichfield. (fn. 119) By 1819
it was owned by Lord Anson and was part of the
235–a. estate centring on Curborough Farm in
Alrewas. It was still part of that estate in 1986. (fn. 120)
The only building which survives on the site is a
ruined brick barn dating from the mid or late
18th century.
About 1170 Geoffrey Peche gave to the nuns
of Farewell priory at the behest of his son
Richard the service of his man Turstan together
with a tenement in Morughale. The grant was
evidently a dowry for Geoffrey's daughter Sarah
on becoming a nun at Farewell. (fn. 121) The nuns
received other grants of land in the area, including one which carried a rent charge for the
support of a lamp in the priory church. (fn. 122)
The tithes of Streethay were divided among
several prebendaries of Lichfield cathedral. (fn. 123) In
1694 Bishop Lloyd assigned the small tithes to
the vicar of St. Mary's, Lichfield. (fn. 124) When the
tithes were commuted in 1848, the respective
prebendal shares of the great tithes were from
399½ a. (Stotfold), 139 a. (Bishops Itchington),
135 a. (Curborough), and 6½ a. (Dernford). The
Ecclesiastical Commissioners, as reversioners of
the prebends of Gaia Minor and Freeford, then
received tithes from 24 a. and 8 a. respectively;
the tithe received on behalf of Gaia Minor
prebend, however, was restricted to corn and
grain, as the tithe of hay was in the form of a
prescriptive payment of 2s. The great tithes
from a further 75 a. were divided into five parts,
assigned to the prebends of Weeford (two parts)
and Stotfold, Freeford, and Hansacre (one
each). In addition the great tithes from 60 a. had
been merged with the land from which they
arose and were owned by 15 individuals. The
dean and chapter of Lichfield, to whom Stotfold
prebend had been assigned in 1803, received a
rent charge of £79 4s. The rent charges for the
other prebendal tithes were payable to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners: £38 for Curborough, £14 for Bishops Itchington, £7 4s. for
Weeford, £5 12s. for Freeford, £3 12s. for
Hansacre, and £2 8s. for Gaia Minor. Further
rent charges ranging from £7 10s. to 1d. were
assigned to the 15 owners of the merged tithes.
The vicar of St. Mary's received a rent charge of
£52 10s.
William of Fulfen was recorded in 1286 as a
free tenant of the bishop as lord of Longdon,
and in 1298 Thomas of Fulfen and John of
Fulfen were half-virgaters. (fn. 125) Thomas Fulfen
died in 1422–3 leaving as heir his daughter
Agnes, widow of Richard Bertrem, (fn. 126) and his
estate appears to have been sold; in 1424 it was
occupied by Oliver Chatterton whose estate in
1453 was called the manor of FULFEN. (fn. 127) By
1461 Oliver had been succeeded by his son
Roger. In 1498 the owner was Thomas Chatterton, who may have still been alive in 1532–3. (fn. 128) It
was probably another Thomas Chatterton who
died holding Fulfen in 1572 with a son George
as his heir. (fn. 129) George was succeeded in 1606 by
his son Thomas, who in 1637 sold Fulfen to
Humphrey Chetham of Turton in Bolton-leMoors (Lancs.). Chetham may have been acting
as a trustee, and in 1638 he and Thomas conveyed the 206–a. estate to Sir Richard Dyott, the
owner of Freeford. (fn. 130) The estate descended with
Freeford until 1919 when it was sold to Gerald
Burton (d. 1960). His grandson, Mr. G. A.
Burton, was the owner in 1986, when he farmed
202 a. there. (fn. 131) The brick farmhouse is of the
early 19th century, and some of the farm buildings are of the mid 18th century.
The tithes of Fulfen belonged to the prebendary of Bishops Itchington in Lichfield cathedral. The small tithes were assigned to the vicar
of St. Mary's, Lichfield, in 1694. The tithes
were commuted in 1839. The prebendary received a rent charge of £53 1s. 11d. and the vicar
of St. Mary's one of £17 11s. Eight acres were
then tithe free. (fn. 132)
In the late 16th century small amounts of land
in Streethay were owned by the prebendaries of
Bishopshull and Tervin and by St. John's hospital in Lichfield. (fn. 133) The vicars choral of Lichfield
cathedral held 2 a. of meadow in Streethay in
1298, (fn. 134) and in the 15th century they held several
small parcels of land in Streethay and Fulfen. (fn. 135)
In the mid 19th century they still owned 5½ a. in
Streethay, north-west of Brownsfields Farm,
and 4½ a. in Fulfen, east of Fulfen Farm. (fn. 136) The
chantry of Canon George Radcliffe in Lichfield
cathedral, endowed c. 1460, possessed land in
Streethay and Morughale. After the chantry's
suppression in 1548 the land was bought by
Walter and Edward Leveson, evidently as speculators. (fn. 137) Land granted to Halesowen abbey
(Worcs.) in 1467 as the endowment of the
chantry of Boyce Hampton in the abbey in
8 a. on Streethay's western boundary. At
the Dissolution the land probably passed to Sir
John Dudley, who acquired the abbey's adjoining land at Pones fields in Lichfield. (fn. 138)
ECONOMIC HISTORY.
Agriculture.
The
open fields of Streethay, Morughale, and Fulfen
lay south-west of Streethay hamlet. Selions were
recorded in the mid 13th century in Cross field
and in fields called 'Ruding' and 'Brunehill'. By
the earlier 14th century there were five open
fields: Cross, Morughale Ridding, Brownhill,
Nether Bridge, and Over Bridge. (fn. 139) Cross field
lay on the north side of Ryknild Street; it
presumably took its name from the road junction at Burton Turnings where there may have
been a cross. (fn. 140) The field was partly inclosed by
1577. (fn. 141) Morughale Ridding field, which is presumably the earlier 'Ruding' field, lay north-east
of Cross field. In 1397 selions were recorded in
Further Mastrudding and Middle Mastrudding,
possibly divisions of Morughale Ridding field. (fn. 142)
At least part of the field had been inclosed by
1580. (fn. 143) Brownhill field probably lay on the east
side of Ryknild Street near the boundary with
Whittington. It was partly inclosed by 1577. (fn. 144)
Nether Bridge field and Over Bridge field lay to
the south on either side of Ryknild Street; the
bridge was evidently that which took the road
over Fulfen brook. (fn. 145) Inclosures in both fields
were recorded in 1580–1. (fn. 146) Open meadow lay in
1411 along Darnford brook and in 1577 along
Fulfen brook. (fn. 147)
There were 7 free tenants who held land of the
bishop in Streethay and Morughale in 1298: 2
held 2 virgates each, 2 a single virgate, and 3 a
half virgate. At Fulfen there were 2 free tenants
each holding a half virgate. There were in
addition 6 neifs, 5 of whom each held a half
virgate of 10 a. with meadow and one a virgate of
20 a. Two of the neifs were also recorded as
cottars in Morughale, where they each had a
nook, or quarter virgate, as did a third cottar
there. Labour services, for which a commuted
money payment was allowed, were required
from the neifs and cottars and from 4 of the free
tenants. For the free tenants the services comprised the carriage of malt, venison, and fresh
fish to various of the bishop's manors, carriage
of millstones to Lichfield, and mowing the demesne meadow at Williford in Whittington,
lifting hay there, and carrying it to Lichfield.
The neifs owed the same services, except that
they carried corn and malt to Brewood and
Haywood in Colwich only; in addition they
owed carriage of building stone from Cannock
to Lichfield and elsewhere, carriage of unspecified items to Stowe mill in Lichfield and
digging work there, and reaping at Beaudesert in
Longdon. The services of the cottars comprised
haymaking, driving animals to the bishop's
manors, herding pigs from their woodland pannage and driving them to Haywood and
Brewood, carriage of hens' eggs to Haywood and
Brewood, carriage of millstones, and cleaning
the bishop's houses. A cottar, moreover, was
obliged to assist the beadle of Longdon manor
when distress was taken, and he was liable for
service as reeve. (fn. 148)
Pannage was levied on the neifs and cottars at
the rate of 1d. for each year-old pig and ½d. for
each pig under a year old. If a neif had seven
pigs, he gave one to the bishop and was thereby
released from pannage for the remainder; sows
in farrow were exempt from pannage. Items
liable to be taken as heriot included the best
beast, all stallions, all pigs except one, all hives
of bees, whole bacons, an iron-bound cart, a
bronze pot, and a complete piece of linen.
By the later 16th century Richard Pyott's
Streethay estate, the largest in the township,
comprised 219 a. of which 45 a. lay in the open
fields. (fn. 149) By 1632 his son's estate of over 600 a.
comprised 10 holdings, the largest of 134 a. and
the others between 71 a. and 31 a., besides 91 a.
of open-field land, some of it in Lichfield. By
1688 the estate comprised the home farm, 3
tenanted farms, and 6 smallholdings. (fn. 150)
Small acreages of blendcorn, wheat, barley,
rye, oats, peas, and beans were grown on the
Pyotts' home farm in the early 18th century.
Flax was then grown by some of the Pyotts'
tenants: nearly 26 a. of it were sown in 1707, and
between 1717 and 1724 one tenant received
leases of various closes of land of up to 14 a. for
growing flax. (fn. 151) Turnips were grown at Fulfen in
1707. (fn. 152) On the home farm in 1721 there were 10
cows with 4 calves, 20 fat sheep, 50 store sheep,
3 large pigs, and 4 store pigs. (fn. 153)
Timber on the Pyotts' estate in 1709
amounted to nearly 1,000 trees and saplings,
both oak and ash, chiefly in the northern part. (fn. 154)
Much was cut down in the 1790s when the estate
was broken up. (fn. 155) At Fulfen a wood was recorded
in 1545. (fn. 156) In the late 18th century there was a
plantation north-east of Fulfen Farm, (fn. 157) and
there was still woodland in Fulfen in 1844. (fn. 158)
A shepherd was living north of Streethay
House Farm in 1861 and 1871, and in the latter
year one was living at Brownsfields Farm and
one at Fulfen Farm. There was still a shepherd
at Fulfen Farm in 1881. (fn. 159) Sheep numbered 178
at Streethay House farm in 1887, when there
were also 27 milking cows, 36 other cattle, and
13 pigs. The crops then grown on the farm were
oats and wheat. (fn. 160) At Brownsfields farm in 1928
there were small acreages of wheat, oats, potatoes, mangolds, and swedes, besides a herd of 36
dairy cows. (fn. 161) Crops were grown on nearly twothirds of the 593 ha. (1,465 a.) returned for
Streethay civil parish in 1984. Wheat and barley
accounted for 350 ha., while potatoes, cabbages,
and cauliflowers, grown principally at Fulfen,
covered 32 ha. There were over 400 head of
cattle in the parish and nearly 500 sheep and
lambs, and at Streethay House farm there were
2,600 turkeys. (fn. 162)
James Bird, described as a gardener in 1841
and as a market gardener in 1850, had a
smallholding centred on Yewtree Cottage (later
Austin Cote Farm) in Burton Old Road. It
covered 20 a. in 1851. (fn. 163) After Bird's death in
1859 the business was taken over by the tenant,
John Burton, who farmed 50 a. there as a market
gardener in 1861. By 1871 the smallholding
appears to have reverted to use as an ordinary
farm, Burton and his son George having moved
their market-garden business, probably to the
nearby Yewtree House in Lichfield. (fn. 164) By 1860
Francis Sharrod of Bexmore farm had a market
garden of 35 a., reduced to 27 a. by 1881. Sharrod was still in business in 1900 but had been
succeeded by his son Thomas by 1904. Thomas
apparently discontinued the business. (fn. 165) In 1919
George Burton's son Gerald bought Fulfen
farm and turned it over to market gardening,
specializing in broccoli. (fn. 166) Walter Best, who had
a smallholding at Newlands in Burton Old
Road, claimed to be the largest grower of tomatoes in the district in 1908; he also grew fruit and
vegetables and delivered dairy produce. He was
still in business in the late 1930s. (fn. 167)
Warren and fisheries.
The bishop as lord of
Longdon had a warren in Streethay in 1452–3. (fn. 168)
Land called 'coningray', recorded on the Streethay estate in 1632, was presumably the site of a
former warren. (fn. 169)
Carp, tench, perch, and eels were put into the
moat around the Pyotts' house in 1705. In 1706
the moat and two pools were stocked with 300
carp, and the moat and nearby pools were
regularly stocked in the years following. In 1723
the moat contained 250 carp, 40 tench, and an
unspecified number of pike, perch, roach, and
eels; a pool called Horsemoor pit then had 72
carp, 48 perch, and 3 tench. (fn. 170) At Fulfen a pool on
the north side of Cappers Lane was fished by the
Dyotts of Freeford in 1764, when carp from it
were sent to stock a pool at Freeford. The
Fulfen pool was itself stocked with carp and
tench in the later 1780s; in 1824 it contained
carp, tench, trout, and perch. It was still being
fished in 1837. (fn. 171)
Mill.
In 1243 a rent from a mill at Darnford
was granted by Geoffrey son of Benet of
Lichfield to Reynold de Cleydon, a canon of
Lichfield cathedral. (fn. 172) In the early 14th century
the mill was held by Robert of Rodswell, archdeacon of Chester, whose heir granted it to
William of Freeford and his son Robert. (fn. 173) In
1365 Sir John Freeford, William's heir and
other son, granted the mill to two chaplains of
Lichfield cathedral, one of whom in 1373 transferred it to the chaplain serving a chantry
founded by Cleydon. (fn. 174) The mill was held by
successive chaplains until the suppression of the
chantry; a lease made in 1545 was surrendered
to the Crown in 1561. (fn. 175) In 1610 the mill was held
on lease by Anthony Dyott, the owner of Freeford. It was then described as three water mills,
presumably under one roof. Dyott bought it
from the Crown in 1611, subject to a 40s. fee
farm. (fn. 176) His family still owned the mill in 1782. (fn. 177)
By 1811 the mill was owned by William
Dennitts, probably the lessee of Fulfen farm. He
sold it that year to George Webb of Hill
Ridware, in Mavesyn Ridware. It then comprised three corn mills and a malt mill. (fn. 178) Webb
constructed a substantial mill pool. (fn. 179) By 1818 it
had been converted into a paper mill, run by
James Webb. The conversion may have taken
place by 1815 when a paper maker was living
near by at Greenhill in Lichfield. (fn. 180) Isaac Newey,
presumably a lessee, was running the papermaking business in 1828 and 1841. (fn. 181) By 1851 the
mill had been converted back to grinding corn,
but by 1860 it was used for grinding bones, still
its function in 1864. (fn. 182) By 1867 ownership had
descended to George Webb's great-granddaughters, Emily Briggs and Mary Gillson.
With their husbands they sold it in 1871 to
Richard Dyott of Freeford, who in 1872 redeemed the fee farm. (fn. 183) Under Dyott's chairmanship a co-operative of 16 local farmers was
established to use the mill for cheese making. (fn. 184)
It was apparently no longer working in 1881,
when the millhouse, a brick building of the early
19th century, was occupied as a farmhouse. (fn. 185)
The mill has been demolished.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
The township of
Morughale and Streethay made presentments at
the great court of Longdon manor in 1297. In
1327 it was represented by two frankpledges,
evidently one for each of the constituent settlements: in 1437 the Streethay frankpledge attended the great court, but Morughale was fined
for not sending its representative. (fn. 186) Two frankpledges were sent in 1457 but one only by the
late 1480s, probably an indication that Morughale hamlet was no longer inhabited. The
township was still known by the double name in
1642 but by the early 18th century simply as
Streethay. (fn. 187) There was a constable for Morughale and Streethay by 1377. (fn. 188) Election to the
office at the Longdon great court was recorded
by the later 15th century. (fn. 189) A constable was still
chosen at the court in 1839. (fn. 190)
A township for the area around Curborough
House also made presentments at the Longdon
great court. Known as Little Curborough in
1297, it was called Curborough Somerville by
1327. In that year it was represented by two
frankpledges but by one only in 1375. (fn. 191) The
inhabitants evidently consisted at that date simply of the owner of the estate and his household:
in 1386 it was reported that no frankpledge came
because there was no tenant living there. By
1401 the township had ceased to exist separately
and any presentments relating to the area were
thereafter made by the frankpledges for Morughale and Streethay. (fn. 192) In 1436, however, Curborough Somerville again constituted a separate
township, which survived at least until 1629. (fn. 193)
Fulfen was originally part of Morughale and
Streethay township but had become separate by
1486. A single frankpledge attended the Longdon great court until 1499; after that date presentments were again made by the frankpledge
for Morughale and Streethay. (fn. 194) Fulfen presented separately again in 1578, and a frankpledge was still sent in 1642. (fn. 195)
In the earlier 16th century Millhurst and the
nearby land of the nuns of Farewell priory
formed a township known simply as Curborough. Its frankpledge attended the Farewell
manor court and was usually the same man who
acted as the Curborough Somerville frankpledge
for Longdon manor. It remained a separate
township in the early 18th century. (fn. 196)
A pinfold at Streethay was mentioned in
1599. (fn. 197) In the early 19th century it stood in Ash
Tree Lane, then known as Pinfold Lane; it was
still there in 1900 but had been removed by
1921. (fn. 198) A pinner for Streethay was appointed at
the Longdon court in 1728 and until 1839. (fn. 199)
Parochially Streethay was part of St. Michael's, Lichfield, and by 1637 it had its own
sidesman. (fn. 200) There was an overseer of the poor in
the late 1720s. (fn. 201)
Fulfen was claimed as extra-parochial in 1825,
probably because it was owned by the Dyotts of
Freeford, itself regarded as an extra-parochial
area. (fn. 202) Although Fulfen was sometimes treated
as part of Streethay, as in 1861, it appears to
have become a civil parish of itself under an act
of 1857. (fn. 203) It remained separate until 1934, when
it became part of the new Streethay civil parish. (fn. 204) Streethay was placed in Lichfield poor-law
union from 1836, and Fulfen joined on being
recognized as a civil parish. (fn. 205) As part of
Lichfield rural district Streethay civil parish
became part of the new Lichfield district in
1974.
Streethay and Fulfen subscribed to the
Whittington association for the prosecution of
felons, formed by 1780 and surviving in 1828. (fn. 206)
CHURCH.
Although Streethay was part of St.
Michael's, Lichfield, some inhabitants attended
church at Whittington by the late 17th century. (fn. 207) In 1983 the part of Fulfen east of
Lichfield Eastern Bypass was transferred from
St. Michael's to Whittington parish. (fn. 208)
NONCONFORMITY.
None known.
EDUCATION.
No evidence.
CHARITIES FOR THE POOR.
None known.