In the wars of the reign of Henry III. most of the great families of Staffordshire, including the Bassets and the Ferrers, supported Simon de Montfort, and in 1263 Prince Edward ravaged the lands of Earl Robert Ferrers and destroyed Tutbury Castle. During the Wars of the Roses, Eccleshall was for a time the headquarters of Queen Margaret, and in 1459 the Lancastrians were defeated at Blore Heath. In the Civil War of the 17th century Stafford shire supported the parliamentary cause, but Tamworth, Lichfield and Stafford were garrisoned for Charles, and Lichfield Cathedral withstood a siege in
Much of Staffordshire in Norman times was waste land, but the moorlands of the north afforded pasturage for sheep, and in the 14th century Wolverhampton was a staple town for wool. In the 13th century mines of coal and iron are mentioned at Walsall, and ironstone was procured at Sedgeley and Eccleshall. In the 17th century the north of the county yielded coal, lead, copper, marble and millstones, while the rich meadows maintained great dairies; the woodlands of the south supplied timber, salt, black marble and alabaster ; the clothing trade flourished about Tam worth, Burton, and Newcastle-under-Lyme ; and hemp and flax were grown in the county. The Staffordshire pottery industry is of early origin, but was improved in the 17th century. It has been greatly extended in modern times.
The most important churches are the beautiful cathedral of Lichfield, and the churches of Eccleshall, Leek, Penk ridge, St. Mary's at Stafford, Tamworth, Tutbury and St. Peter's at Wolverhampton all of which are described elsewhere. Checkley, 4 m. south of Cheadle, shows _good Norman and Early English details. Armitage south-east of Rugeley, has a church showing good Norman work. Brewood church, 4 m. south-west of Penk ridge, is Early English. Audley church, north-west of Newcastle under-Lyme, is a good example of Early Decorated work. The remains of the Cistercian abbey of Croxden, north-west of Ut toxeter, are fine Early English, and at Ranton, west of Stafford, the Perpendicular tower and other portions of an Augustinian foundation remain. Among mediaeval domestic remains are the castles of Stafford, Tamworth, Tutbury and Chartley. Beaudesert, south of Rugeley, is a fine Elizabethan mansion in a beautiful undulating demesne. In the south-west, near Stourbridge, are Enville, a Tudor mansion, and Stourton Castle.
About three-quarters of the total area of the county is under cultivation, and of this three quarters is in permanent pasture, cattle being largely kept, and especially cows for the supply of milk to the towns. Like most of the midland counties Staffordshire is well wooded.
The southern industrial district, the Black Country (q.v.), is the main seat in England of iron and steel manufacture in ,all its branches. It covers an area, between Birmingham and Wolver hampton, resembling one great town, and includes such famous centres as Walsall, Wednesbury, Dudley (in Staffordshire) and West Bromwich. The northern industrial district forms the Potteries (q.v.) ; Cheadle east of the Potteries, is the centre of a
smaller coalfield ; Burton-upon-Trent is famous for its breweries. Chemical works are found in the Black Country and at Tunstall, glassworks at Tutbury; there are also a considerable textile in dustry, as at Newcastle-under-Lyme, paper mills in that town and at Tamworth, manufactures of boots and shoes at Stafford and Stone, silk and artificial silk at Leek and other manufactures in the county include rubber goods, and motor cars.
The main line of the L.M.S. railway runs from south-east to north-west by Tamworth, Lichfield (Trent Valley), Rugeley and Stafford. This company and the Great Western serve the towns of the Black Country by many branches from Birmingham, and jointly work the Stafford-Shrewsbury line. The L.M.S. has branches from Trent Valley to Burton-upon Trent, and from Rugeley through the Cannock Chase coalfields, from Stafford and from Burton-upon-Trent northward through the Potteries, with a line from Uttoxeter through Leek to Mac clesfield. The west and north line of the L.M.S. (Bristol–Derby) crosses the south-eastern part of the county from Birmingham by Tamworth and Burton with a branch to Wolverhampton. The L.N.E. serves Uttoxeter, Burton and Stafford. A considerable amount of coal transport takes place along canals, the Black Country especially being served by numerous branches.
The area of the ancient county is 749,602 acres; pop. (1931) 1,431,175. Area of ad ministrative county and associated county boroughs, 737,886 acres. Staffordshire contains five hundreds, each having two divi sions. It contains 6 county boroughs and 5 municipal boroughs. The county boroughs are :—Stoke-on-Trent, Wolverhampton, Walsall, Smethwick, Burton-on-Trent and West Bromwich; and the municipal boroughs are :—Lichfield, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Stafford (county town) Tamworth and Wednesbury. There are 23 urban districts which are as follows, given in alphabetical order :—Amblecot ; Audley ; Biddulph ; Bilston ; Brierley Hill; Brownhills ; Cannock; Coseley ; Darlaston ; Kidsgrove ; Leek; Quarry Bank ; Rowley Regis ; Rugeley ; Sedgley ; Short Heath; Stone ; Tettenhall ; Tipton ; Uttoxeter ; Wednesfield ; Willenhall; and Wolstanton United. Among other towns may be mentioned Abbots Bromley, Brewood, Cheadle, and Eccleshall. There are two cities in the county, Stoke-on-Trent and Lichfield. The county is in the Oxford circuit, and assizes are held at Stafford. The county is mainly in the diocese of Lichfield, but has small parts in those of Worcester, Hereford, Southwell and Chester.
Staffordshire is divided into seven parliamentary divisions each returning one member, Burton, Cannock, Kingswinford, Leek, Lichfield, Stafford and Stone. The parliamentary boroughs of Stoke-on-Trent and Wolverhampton return one member for each of three divisions, and the boroughs of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Smethwick, Walsall, Wednesbury and West Bromwich each return one member. The county and parliamentary boroughs return in all 18 members.