Ranton Green

Abbey House is an early 19th-century ruined stately home in Ranton, Staffordshire, England.

Ranton Abbey or Ranton Priory was an Augustinian Priory in Ranton, Staffordshire, England, built c.1150 by Robert fitz Noel of Ellenhall. The priory flourished in the 13th century as a subordinate house to Haughmond Abbey (near Shrewsbury). Ranton was dissolved by the Suppression of Religious Houses Act 1535 for dissolving the lesser monasteries.Only the 14th-15th century tower and part of the south wall remain, although the cloisters and other parts are known to have still been standing in 1663. Many important personages were buried in the abbey including Sir Thomas Harcourt, Knt., of Stanton Harcourt, who died 12 April 1417. The ruins of Abbey House stand adjacent. Accord to Michael Raven (2004), Ranton Abbey: "was founded by Robert and Celestia Noel of Ellenhall about 1150 for Augustinian canons from Haughmond. In 1820 Thomas, 1st Earl of Lichfield, built a large house, a hunting lodge or weekend retreat, adjacent to the abbey...all that remains of the abbey is the large imposing tower (of the 15th century) and a little of the nave wall with a Norman doorway decorated with roll moulding. The house is now in ruins as it was accidentally burned down in 1942, during the Second World War, when troops of Queen Wilhelmina's bodyguard were quartered here."According to William White in his 1851 History, Gazetteer and Directory of Staffordshire: "Ranton, or Ronton, is a small scattered village, five miles (8 km) W of Stafford, comprising within its parish the scattered hamlets of Extolls, Long Compton, Park Nook, and including 320 inhabitants, and about 2670 acres of land, belonging chiefly to the Earl of Lichfield, and Francis Eld, Esq, and the former is lord of the manor, which, at the time of the Norman Conquest, was held by Goderick, a Saxon nobleman, and afterwards by the Noels and Harcourts. Swynfen Jones, Esq, and a few smaller owners have estates in the parish.About a mile W of the village is Ranton Abbey, an extra parochial liberty of 700 acres belonging to the Earl of Lichfield. The ancient abbey was founded by Robert Fitz-Noel, in the reign of Henry II, for regular canons of the order of St Augustine. Considerable remains of the abbey are still standing, including a lofty well-built tower, and the outer walls of the church. The abbey liberty contains 28 inhabitants and the Abbey House which is the seat of ED Moore, Esq."

Haughton railway station was a station in Haughton, Staffordshire, England. The station was opened on 1 June 1849 and closed in May 1949.

Gnosall () is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Stafford, Staffordshire, England, with a population of 4,736 across 2,048 households (2011 census). It lies on the A518, approximately halfway between the towns of Newport (in Shropshire) and the county town of Staffordshire, Stafford. Gnosall Heath lies immediately south-west of the main village, joined by Station Road and separated by Doley Brook. Other nearby villages include Woodseaves, Knightley, Cowley, Ranton, Church Eaton, Bromstead Heath, Moreton, and Haughton.

St Lawrence's Church is an Anglican church in Gnosall, Staffordshire, England. It is a Grade I listed building. The earliest parts of the church are of Norman architecture; it was later much modified. The church is unusual in having a central tower.

Ellenhall is a small Staffordshire village roughly 2.5 miles south of Eccleshall originally comprising part of the extensive estates of the Earl of Lichfield. The population as taken at the 2011 census was 144. The village consists of a scattered community of cottages, a hall, and several farms. Ellenhall has no shop, public house or post office. The village church stands on a natural mound close to the highest point at the northern end of the village and is dedicated to St. Mary. The grey sandstone chancel is the oldest part of the church dating from the 12th century, while the red-brick nave and tower represent a 1757 re-build of an earlier structure. The architect for the restoration was Andrew Capper.The registers of St Mary, Ellenhall, commenced in 1539. The original registers for the period 1599-1903 (Baptisms), 1563-1754 & 1813-1836 (Marriages) & 1539-1964 (Burials) are deposited at Staffordshire Record Office. Bishops Transcripts for the period 1673-1866 (with gaps) are deposited at Lichfield Record Office.

Ranton is a small hamlet in Staffordshire, England, situated 3.5 miles (5.6 km) west of Stafford, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east of Woodseaves and 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of Gnosall. The population taken at the 2011 census was 382. As of 2013, both public houses that once operated in Ranton were bought and subsequently removed from operation. Due to this, Ranton is now listed as a hamlet.

Gnosall railway station was a station in Gnosall, Staffordshire, England. The station was opened in June 1849 and closed on 7 September 1964.

Haughton is a village in Staffordshire, England, approximately 4 miles outside and to the west of the county town of Stafford. It lies on the A518 between Stafford and Gnosall. The name derives from a combination of the Mercian word halh meaning 'nook' and the Old English word tun meaning 'settlement', 'enclosure' or 'village.' A small and peaceful rural village, Haughton contains 2 public houses, The Shropshire and The Bell. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 1,082. In the centre of the village situated on the main road is Haughton church, alongside which is the Old Village School (now a bed and breakfast). The new school is set back from the main road and caters for pupils between the ages of 5 and 11. The village offers a selection of shops: a recently refurbished and combined Post Office, General Store and Newsagents, hairdressers, and Fish & Chip shop and a farm shop. Red Lion Farm of Haughton is a local distributor of high quality ice-creams, which are widely recognised throughout the county. The ice-cream is produced fresh on-site by house-owned Jersey Cows, which inhabit the farm along with a number of other animals, including Alpacas. A caravan site is also situated on the farm premises, becoming very popular during early summer periods. Haughton is widely known for its Christmas lights. Every year some of the village's most impressive houses have donation boxes outside them in order to raise money for charity. More information on this subject can be found on the Haughton home page, along with pictures of the most involved houses. St. Giles church is in the centre of the village. And the nearby school often use the Church on religious occasions. The church is mainly 15th and 16th centuries, but religious activities date further back in the village.

Brazenhill is rural area immediately north of the village of Haughton in Staffordshire, England. It is effectively defined by Brazenhill Lane which is a rural road running out of Haughton, bearing northwest, connecting with Station Road. Domestic properties along the road are Brazenhill House, Brazenhill Lodge, Brazenhill Cottage and The Laburnums and there are two farms Brazenhill Farm and Mayo Farm (a livery stable).

Coton Clanford is a small dispersed Staffordshire village lying in gently rolling countryside 3 miles due west of Stafford, England, and 1 mile southeast of Seighford. The name of the village is sometimes hyphenated to Coton-Clanford, appearing this way on some cottage names locally. The population for this village as taken at the 2011 census can be found under Seighford. It lies midway between the B5405 road, 1½ miles to the north and the A518 1½ miles to the south. The village has no shops, public houses or church, comprising only a few scattered houses and cottages, several dairy farms and a long disused 19th century chapel. This Primitive Methodist chapel was built in 1884, the foundation stone being laid 30 October 1884. The Chapel records 1891–1907, Coton Clanford Society and Methodist chapel minute books, 1903–1929, are stored at Stafford Record Office.[1] Judging from the very modest dimensions of this small building it is hard to imagine it having the capacity for a congregation of more than 30 worshippers. The village straddles Clanford Brook, which meanders southeastwards from Ranton towards Little Aston and Doxey and is bounded to the north by the southeastern edge of Seighford airfield and several large woods. In this village the English philosopher and cleric William Wollaston was born in 1659.

Apeton is a hamlet in Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England. It is located 5+1⁄2 miles (8.9 km) southwest of Stafford, in the civil parish of Church Eaton and the Borough of Stafford. Apeton is mentioned as Abetone in the 11th-century Domesday Book, when it was part of the land of Robert de Stafford.In the 1880s it was in the parish of Gnosall, until parts were transferred to Bradley and Haughton. The boundaries were changed again in 1934, when Church Eaton parish was extended to include Apeton to the north.