Ramsor
| Ramshorn | |
|---|---|
 Ramshorn
|
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| Ramshorn shown within Staffordshire | |
| OS grid reference | SK084453 |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Postcode district | ST8 6xx |
| Police | Staffordshire |
| Fire | Staffordshire |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| EU Parliament | West Midlands |
The tiny hamlet of Ramsor (Methodist spelling) in North Staffordshire played a significant part in the origins of Primitive Methodism. Listed in the Domesday Book as Ramshorn, this ancient hamlet is a typical example of the depopulation of the countryside. Very little now remains of this village apart from a few farms and cottages. The Primitive Methodist Chapel is the only surviving public building.
Ramsor, spelling the name as it was pronounced, is the usual spelling in Primitive Methodist documents while Ramshorn is still the official spelling. The variant spellings will be used here to distinguish these.
Because of the importance of Ramsor in Primitive Methodism, this article
a) Sets out some background information on Ramshorn, and
b) Illustrates the place of Ramsor in Primitive Methodist history.
Ramshorn is mentioned in the Domesday Book, and this gives the official standard spelling used in maps, road signs, censuses, etc. Only a few farms and houses are left, but the fact of being in the Domesday Book means that Ramshorn is shown on maps when larger places are not.
Ramshorn is in the Parish of Ellastone, about 3 miles west of Ellastone village, about 2 miles north of the more famous landmark, Alton Towers, and south of the Weaver Hills. It lies in the border between the gentler lower valley of the River Dove, Derbyshire-Stafffordshire border, and the more rugged Staffordshire Moorlands. A substantial area of the village is now within the J C Bamford estate. This includes the site of the school, which is now completely demolished.
The falling population of Ramshorn illustrates well the general move from the countryside to towns and cities. A factor in the urbanisation of Britain was increasing demand for manpower in mills and factories, coupled with changes in agriculture requiring reduced manpower. Some once thriving villages like Ramshorn are reduced to almost nothing. This decline in rural population may be traced from census records.
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Wikipedia