Rugeley Manor of Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Puysland Farm; Lower Hall

In the civil parish of Rugeley. In the historic county of Staffordshire (Modern Authority of Staffordshire, 1974 county of Staffordshire).

Thompson lists as residential manor of the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield. However, VCH states "The manor had no capital messuage in 1298, and there seems to have been none before or after that date." There was a court held at Rugeley and the manor was held by the bishops but this may not have been a residential manor. This is definitely not the supposed moated manor, in Elmore Park, suggested by Salter which is no such thing (it was a small summer house). The Hagley manor of Rugeley was not held by the bishops. The Hagley manor was called Bank Top and clearly lay where Hagley Hall lay (SK039180), I've know idea why the VCH would suggest otherwise. It has been suggested that an old manor house, of which there are no remains, lay on the other side of Market Street from the churchyard of the (new) church (SK045138), this is a entirely possible location for the manor house.
The site of the mansion house of the Dean and Chapter in Rugeley in the mid 14th century. It was originally known as Puysland Farm, but from the 16th century it was known as Lower Hall. The 14th century timber-framed house stood until 1790, and the remaining part of the old stone wall around the ground was demolished in 1939. (Staffs HER)
The Staffs HER record certainly suggest the manor was not held by the bishop, but by the dean and chapter, an the early use of the name 'farm' implies it was let out, however it remains possible that this was a residential manor of the bishops in the earlier medieval period.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SK04421831

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 00994 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Books
  • Thompson, M.W., 1998, Medieval bishops' houses in England and Wales (Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing) p174
    Salter, Mike, 1997, Castles and Moated Mansions of Staffordshire (Malvern) p63 [erroneous]
    Greenslade, M.W., 1959 in Midgley, L.M. (ed), VCH Staffordshire Vol5 p154 - http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=53407
• Journal Articles
  • Landor, W.N., 1940, Rugeley Parish Magazine
    1914, Transactions of the Burton-on-Trent Natural History and Archaeological Society Vol7
• Other sources, 'grey' literature, unpublished works, etc. (Theses, in-house reports and other such)
  • Payne, Naomi, 2003, The medieval residences of the bishops of Bath and Wells, and Salisbury (PhD Thesis University of Bristol) Appendix B: List of Medieval Bishop's Palaces in England and Wales [available via http://ethos.bl.uk ]