Brocton, Staffordshire
Encyclopedia
Brocton is a village and civil parish
in the Stafford
borough of Staffordshire
, England
. It about four miles (6 km) south-east of Stafford
town centre, and just outside the built-up area of Stafford, on the edge of Cannock Chase
. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,052.
It is one of the most affluent areas in Staffordshire and is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
(AONB). There is a single shop/post office and some of the most beautiful timber framed houses in Staffordshire. Good examples can be seen in Park Lane and The Green.
Brocton was once well known to servicemen as a World War I
Military Training Camp, remnants of which can still be seen up at the top of Chase Road. J.R.R. Tolkien came to Staffordshire
in August 1915 when he served his Military training at an Army camp on the ancient forest and Royal hunting ground of Cannock Chase
, Stafford
. The military camp
near Brocton was situated on the high ground of the 100 square miles (259 km²) of the chase, with its rolling moorland, unusual rock formations, and far-reaching views leading to dense forest all around. In March 1916 Tolkien married Edith Bratt and they moved into accommodations in Great Haywood, a small village on the edge of the Chase. Walking from the camp to his wife's house at the Presbytery
in Great Haywood
, Tolkien would have passed through the many-changing wild landscapes of the chase and past the great sessile oak
s of Brocton Coppice, many of which still stand at over 1000 years old. The name Cannock
itself comes from the Old English words 'Cann' meaning powerful and 'Aic' meaning oak.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Stafford
Stafford (borough)
Stafford is a local government district with borough status in Staffordshire in England. It is named after and includes the town of Stafford. It also includes the smaller town of Stone and numerous villages....
borough of Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It about four miles (6 km) south-east of Stafford
Stafford
Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
town centre, and just outside the built-up area of Stafford, on the edge of Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase is a mixed area of countryside in the county of Staffordshire, England. The area has been designated as the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Chase gives its name to the Cannock Chase local government district....
. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,052.
It is one of the most affluent areas in Staffordshire and is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
(AONB). There is a single shop/post office and some of the most beautiful timber framed houses in Staffordshire. Good examples can be seen in Park Lane and The Green.
Brocton was once well known to servicemen as a World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Military Training Camp, remnants of which can still be seen up at the top of Chase Road. J.R.R. Tolkien came to Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
in August 1915 when he served his Military training at an Army camp on the ancient forest and Royal hunting ground of Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase
Cannock Chase is a mixed area of countryside in the county of Staffordshire, England. The area has been designated as the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Chase gives its name to the Cannock Chase local government district....
, Stafford
Stafford
Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
. The military camp
Military camp
A military camp or bivouac is a semi-permanent facility for the lodging of an army. Camps are erected when a military force travels away from a major installation or fort during training or operations, and often have the form of large campsites. In the Roman era the military camp had highly...
near Brocton was situated on the high ground of the 100 square miles (259 km²) of the chase, with its rolling moorland, unusual rock formations, and far-reaching views leading to dense forest all around. In March 1916 Tolkien married Edith Bratt and they moved into accommodations in Great Haywood, a small village on the edge of the Chase. Walking from the camp to his wife's house at the Presbytery
Presbytery (architecture)
The presbytery is the name for an area in a church building which is reserved for the clergy.In the oldest church it is separated by short walls, by small columns and pilasters in the Renaissance ones; it can also be raised, being reachable by a few steps, usually with railings....
in Great Haywood
Great Haywood
Great Haywood is a village in central Staffordshire, England, just off the A51 about four miles from Rugeley.Great Haywood lies on the River Trent, where the Trent is met by its tributary, the River Sow...
, Tolkien would have passed through the many-changing wild landscapes of the chase and past the great sessile oak
Sessile Oak
Quercus petraea , the Sessile Oak, also known as the Durmast Oak, is a species of oak native to most of Europe, and into Anatolia.-Description:...
s of Brocton Coppice, many of which still stand at over 1000 years old. The name Cannock
Cannock
Cannock is the most populous of three towns in the district of Cannock Chase in the central southern part of the county of Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England....
itself comes from the Old English words 'Cann' meaning powerful and 'Aic' meaning oak.