Gayton, Staffordshire
| Gayton | |
|---|---|
 Cherry Lane, Gayton |
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 Gayton
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| Gayton shown within Staffordshire | |
| Population | 154 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | SJ978285 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Stafford |
| Postcode district | ST18 |
| Dialling code | 01889 |
| Police | Staffordshire |
| Fire | Staffordshire |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| EU Parliament | West Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
Gayton is a small rural village and civil parish in Staffordshire, located approximately 1 mile from the A51 between Stone and Stafford. In 2001 it had 167 residents , with 1 letter box, one bus stop, and new village hall. The post box is owned now by the village as is the telephone booth. The post code for Gayton properties normally start with ST18.
The name Gayton is believed to mean either "a primitive enclosure approached from a gate or narrow way, from the Anglo-Saxon 'geat'" or "'Gaegas dwelling', derived from an Old English personal name").
Gayton (recorded as Gaitone) was listed in the Domesday Book (1086 AD), together with nearby Amerton, in the Pirehill hundred, as having 8 households, with 10 villagers and 6 smallholders, and the Tenant-in-Chief was Earl Roger of Shrewsbury. Agriculturally, they had 4 ploughlands, 1 lord's plough teams and 4 men's plough teams, and had a value to lord of £1.5, with the total amount of tax assessed 0.5 geld units. The village was documented to be held by Aelmer and Alric. It was also documented to have woodland of "1 league in length and half a league in breadth".
The Hearth Tax Assessment of 1666 documented that Gayton had 33 households liable for the payment of 48 hearths. The largest property was owned by George White who had six hearths. Seven households were deemed too poor to be able to pay the tax.
In 1851, Gayton was a 'scattered village', with 291 residents, and with 'commanding views over of Sandon Column, the plantations of the Earl of Harrowby, and the picturesque ruins of Chartley Castle.' The parish contained '1475 acres 2 roods 26 perches of fertile, loamy land, of which Earl Ferrers is the principal owner, and lord of the manor'.
Gayton was described in John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales in 1870-72 like this:
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Wikipedia