Creswell, Staffordshire
Encyclopedia
Creswell is a small village on the north-western edge of Stafford
, the county town of Staffordshire
, England
situated on elevated ground above the wide floodplain and extensive marshes of the River Sow
.
The village, just to the west of the M6 motorway
(junction 14), has a population of just a few hundred, although the parish boundary also incorporates the Primepoint business park on the other side of the motorway. The village also lies close to Doxey Marshes
.
The name Creswell is thought to come from Old English Cærsewella referring to the plant watercress (cærse in Old English and wella meaning spring or stream), meaning 'the spring where watercress grows.' A Neolithic
polished stone axehead was found in a garden in Creswell in 1960, and about a quarter of a mile to the north-west are the ruins of an ancient chapel, or meeting house.
,' which seems to date from c.1150. The only visible remains of this chapel is a partial ruin standing in fields to the northwest of the village proper. It had been in former times a subsidiary chapel of the Royal Free Chapel of St. Mary in Stafford
since 1346. Only the two adjoining north and east walls of the chancel survive, the north window having Early English narrow lancet windows which are typical of the 13th century, while the east wall displays features typical of the 15th century.
Extensive existing earthworks around the chapel ruin suggest other buildings were also present, but the claim that modern archaeological field investigations (have) uncovered no evidence of any buildings other than the chapel in the area...(and) that the antiquarian report mistook the remains of Medieval 'ridge and furrow
' farming as the overgrown walls and earthworks of another ruined building, lacks credibility to anyone making a visit and examining the earthworks present at the site, which by no means resemble the remains of ridge and furrow
farming as stated. Alternatively, the marks could be of much more recent origin. No reference is given as to when the 'modern archaeological investigations' were undertaken or where the report was published.
A 1428 inquisition stated that by ancient custom, the parishioners of Creswell buried their dead in the graveyard of the Church of Saint Bertelin in Stafford, since no burials are recorded at Creswell Chapel.
P-51 Mustang
aircraft crashed at Creswell. The pilot, Captain John Pershing Perrin, DFC
, age 25, on his first (and last) Mustang flight, was killed when his aircraft, belching smoke and flame, crashed into a Creswell Home Farm wheatfield. Captain Perrin chose to stay with the plane and attempt to land it at the nearest airfield, as he was flying over a populated area.... He was skimming over houses and schools, people - untold others in the town, going about their daily business, kids walking home from school, and this then-pilotless plane, fuel-laden, would be crashing among them.
At the time Captain Perrin was flying the brand new aircraft - one of the first D-variants of the plane to arrive in the UK - from Base Air Depot AAF582 Warton
near Preston, Lancashire to AAF122 355th Fighter Wing
combat air station Steeple Morden
in Cambridgeshire
.
from the American Embassy, Creswell Parish Council, Vice Lord Lieutenant
of Staffordshire and Mayor of Stafford in attendance. A bugler from the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Band performed Taps and other musical arrangements were performed by RAF Cosford
Voluntary Band. The ceremony concluded with a flypast and aerobatic display by a lone 1944 vintage P-51D Mustang.
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 county town 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...
situated on elevated ground above the wide floodplain and extensive marshes of the River Sow
River Sow
The River Sow is a tributary of the River Trent in Staffordshire, England.The river rises to the south of Newcastle-under-Lyme and flows south to become the major river through Stafford. It also flows near Bishop's Offley and Tixall. At Baswich it is joined by the River Penk, before meeting the...
.
The village, just to the west of the M6 motorway
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
(junction 14), has a population of just a few hundred, although the parish boundary also incorporates the Primepoint business park on the other side of the motorway. The village also lies close to Doxey Marshes
Doxey Marshes
Doxey Marshes is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its wet grassland habitat and its breeding wading birds and wildfowl. It is particularly noted for its populations of breeding snipe...
.
The name Creswell is thought to come from Old English Cærsewella referring to the plant watercress (cærse in Old English and wella meaning spring or stream), meaning 'the spring where watercress grows.' A Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
polished stone axehead was found in a garden in Creswell in 1960, and about a quarter of a mile to the north-west are the ruins of an ancient chapel, or meeting house.
Creswell Chapel
Most of the recorded history of the village centres around 'Creswell Chapel of EaseChapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
,' which seems to date from c.1150. The only visible remains of this chapel is a partial ruin standing in fields to the northwest of the village proper. It had been in former times a subsidiary chapel of the Royal Free Chapel of St. Mary in 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...
since 1346. Only the two adjoining north and east walls of the chancel survive, the north window having Early English narrow lancet windows which are typical of the 13th century, while the east wall displays features typical of the 15th century.
Extensive existing earthworks around the chapel ruin suggest other buildings were also present, but the claim that modern archaeological field investigations (have) uncovered no evidence of any buildings other than the chapel in the area...(and) that the antiquarian report mistook the remains of Medieval 'ridge and furrow
Ridge and furrow
Ridge and furrow is an archaeological pattern of ridges and troughs created by a system of ploughing used in Europe during the Middle Ages. The earliest examples date to the immediate post-Roman period and the system was used until the 17th century in some areas. Ridge and furrow topography is...
' farming as the overgrown walls and earthworks of another ruined building, lacks credibility to anyone making a visit and examining the earthworks present at the site, which by no means resemble the remains of ridge and furrow
Ridge and furrow
Ridge and furrow is an archaeological pattern of ridges and troughs created by a system of ploughing used in Europe during the Middle Ages. The earliest examples date to the immediate post-Roman period and the system was used until the 17th century in some areas. Ridge and furrow topography is...
farming as stated. Alternatively, the marks could be of much more recent origin. No reference is given as to when the 'modern archaeological investigations' were undertaken or where the report was published.
A 1428 inquisition stated that by ancient custom, the parishioners of Creswell buried their dead in the graveyard of the Church of Saint Bertelin in Stafford, since no burials are recorded at Creswell Chapel.
Wartime air crash
On 4 July 1944 a United States Army Air ForcesUnited States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
aircraft crashed at Creswell. The pilot, Captain John Pershing Perrin, DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
, age 25, on his first (and last) Mustang flight, was killed when his aircraft, belching smoke and flame, crashed into a Creswell Home Farm wheatfield. Captain Perrin chose to stay with the plane and attempt to land it at the nearest airfield, as he was flying over a populated area.... He was skimming over houses and schools, people - untold others in the town, going about their daily business, kids walking home from school, and this then-pilotless plane, fuel-laden, would be crashing among them.
At the time Captain Perrin was flying the brand new aircraft - one of the first D-variants of the plane to arrive in the UK - from Base Air Depot AAF582 Warton
Warton, Fylde
Warton is a village on the Fylde in Lancashire, England.The village is about six miles from Preston and eight miles from Blackpool. It is located on the banks of the River Ribble, close to its entry into the Irish Sea. It is best known for its airfield, BAE Warton and its associated aircraft works...
near Preston, Lancashire to AAF122 355th Fighter Wing
355th Fighter Wing
The 355th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command's Twelfth Air Force. It is stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona, where in operates the A-10 Thunderbolt II...
combat air station Steeple Morden
Steeple Morden
Steeple Morden is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, about south west of Cambridge and west of Royston. It is part of the South Cambridgeshire local government district....
in Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
.
Perrin Memorial
On 4 July 2007,the 63rd anniversary of Captain Perrin's death, a monolithic stone memorial was erected at the crash site to commemorate the pilot's supreme act of heroism. A joint Anglo-American dedication service was held that day with representatives of the Perrin family, the U.S. Air Force, the Assistant Air AttachéAir attaché
An air attaché is an Air Force officer who is part of a diplomatic mission; this post is normally filled by a high-ranking officer.An air attaché typically represents the chief of his home air force in the foreign country where he serves. The day-to-day responsibilities include maintaining contacts...
from the American Embassy, Creswell Parish Council, Vice Lord Lieutenant
Lord Lieutenant
The title Lord Lieutenant is given to the British monarch's personal representatives in the United Kingdom, usually in a county or similar circumscription, with varying tasks throughout history. Usually a retired local notable, senior military officer, peer or business person is given the post...
of Staffordshire and Mayor of Stafford in attendance. A bugler from the U.S. Air Forces in Europe Band performed Taps and other musical arrangements were performed by RAF Cosford
RAF Cosford
RAF Cosford is a Royal Air Force station in Cosford, Shropshire, just to the northwest of Wolverhampton and next to Albrighton.-History:...
Voluntary Band. The ceremony concluded with a flypast and aerobatic display by a lone 1944 vintage P-51D Mustang.