Rocester

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rocester (pronounced ['ɹəʊ.stə]) is a village and civil parish in the East Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. Its name is spelt Rowcestre in the Domesday Book, i.e. something + Anglo-Saxon ceaster = "town"; but there is doubt as to what the Row- part came from. The Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names suggests the origin is either a person's name or fromrūh meaning rough.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Modern Times
4 External links

[edit] Geography

Th village is about four miles north of Uttoxeter, and close to the county border with Derbyshire. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,431. The village lies on a triangle of land between the River Churnet and River Dove, which join to the south. The parish borders, from the south going clockwise, the parishes of Uttoxeter Rural, Croxden, Denstone, Ellastone, all in East Staffordshire, and then Norbury and Roston, Marston Montgomery and Doveridge, all in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire.

[edit] History

A Roman fort was founded on the site about 69 AD as an intermediate point between Derby and Newcastle-under-Lyme. The remains of the earthworks can still be seen. After the Romans departed, in the 2nd century, the village remained in use by the Anglo-Saxons throughout the Middle Ages.

In 1141 the St Mary's Augustinian Abbey was built on the site now known as Abbey Fields. The order was disbanded in 1538; the Abbey and its chapel were demolished and a manor house was built on the site. The village church, St Michael's, was constructed in the 13th Century. However, it was mostly rebuilt in 1873 although the tower is the original.

In 1781 an old corn mill on the River Dove was purchased by Richard Arkwright and converted to a water-powered cotton mill. This introduced industry to a predominantly agricultural community. With industry came the canal and railway networks, and Rocester became an important trading point. The mill was a great driving force in the expansion of the village; its owners were responsible for much building in the village.

[edit] Modern Times

The mill remained the primary employer until the 1950s, and finally closed in 1985. By this time another major employer had arrived in the village, JCB. The present factory, on the site of the original 1950s factory, was opened in 1970 and is the World Headquarters for the company.

Today, 2006, the village has several businesses, a school, and a church. Rocester is home to the football team Rocester F.C..