Rushall, West Midlands
| Rushall | |
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 Rushall Parish Church, dedicated to St. Michael The Archangel |
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 Rushall
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| Rushall shown within the West Midlands | |
| Population | 11,871 (2011.Rushall-Shelfield Ward) |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WALSALL |
| Postcode district | WS4 |
| Police | West Midlands |
| Fire | West Midlands |
| Ambulance | West Midlands |
| EU Parliament | West Midlands |
Rushall is a residential area of Walsall in the West Midlands of England. It is centred on the main road between Walsall and Lichfield, and was mostly developed after 1920. It was served by a railway station for about 100 years until the 1960s, though the railway which ran between Walsall and Lichfield remained open to goods trains until 1983.
The first record of Rushall occurs in Domesday Book (1086) where its total annual value to its lord was assessed as 10 shillings. This was from a village of eight households and a mill. The name means 'a place in marshy ground where rushes grow' and the early settlement by the Saxons probably occurred to the north of Rushall Hall, where there are remains of a moated site. 19th century excavations found Saxon coins in earthworks in that area.
The feudal lordship did not originally have its own parish church as the first mention of the church in 1220 describes it as a chapel of Walsall. However, the lords of Rushall were always independent and they secured the chapel's parish status. In 1440, John Harpur rebuilt Rushall Church on the chapel-site next to his Hall. It survived the Civil War to be rebuilt 1854-6. The old square tower remained until 1867.
Rushall is a village and parish on the Lichfield road, one mile (1.6 km) NE of Walsall, containing about 1,800 acres (7.3 km2) of land, abounding in excellent coal and limestone, the latter much celebrated for its superior quality, taking a polish almost equal to marble, and raised from mines nearly 80 yards (73 m) below the surface. The recent large increase in population has occurred chiefly in Ryecroft, on the north side of Walsall, where the inhabitants are chiefly miners.
The most attractive objects in Rushall are the ruins of the ancient Manor house, which, during the wars of the Roses, and of those between Charles I and Parliament, was strongly fortified and defended by a numerous garrison. During the civil wars, a Mr Pitt, of Wolverhampton, attempted to bribe Captain Tuthill to betray the garrison of Rushall, but his treachery was discovered, and he suffered death for it in 1640. Rushall Hall, a modern house, has been built near the ruins.
The manor anciently belonged to the family of Boweles, who passed it to that of Grobbere, and afterwards to the Harpurs, one of whom, John Harpur, Esq, endowed the vicarage, and rebuilt the church about the year 1444. Early in the 17th century, the manor became the property of the Leighs, from whom it passed to the late Rev Edward Mellish, whose executors, W & G Mellish, B Gurdon and W Tritton, Esqrs, are now the principal proprietors and lords of the manor.
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Wikipedia