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Rugeley
Rugeley shown within Staffordshire
Population	22,724 (2001 census)
OS grid reference	SK042180
District	Cannock Chase
Shire county	Staffordshire
Region	West Midlands
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Rugeley
Postcode district	WS15
Dialling code	01889
Police	Staffordshire
Fire	Staffordshire
Ambulance	West Midlands
European Parliament	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Cannock Chase
List of places: UK • England • Staffordshire

Coordinates: 52°45′36″N 1°56′20″W / 52.7599, -1.9388 Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 504 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (600 × 714 pixel, file size: 256 KB, MIME type: image/png) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Red_pog2. ... Staffordshire (abbreviated Staffs) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. ... The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ... The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. ... Cannock Chase is a local government district in England. ... Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of English administrative division used for the purposes of local government. ... Staffordshire (abbreviated Staffs) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. ... The region, also known as Government Office Region, is currently the highest tier of local government subnational entity of England in the United Kingdom. ... The West Midlands is an official Region of England, covering the western half of the Midlands. ... // Constituent country is a phrase used, often by official institutions, in contexts in which a historical, currently non-legally officially recognised country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This list of sovereign states, alphabetically arranged, gives an overview of states around the world with information on the extent of their sovereignty. ... A post town is a required part of all UK postal addresses. ... UK postal codes are known as postcodes. ... The WS postcode area, also known as the Walsall postcode area[2], is a group of postal districts around Burntwood, Cannock, Lichfield, Rugeley, Walsall and Wednesbury in England. ... +44 redirects here. ... There are a number of policing agencies in the United Kingdom. ... Staffordshire Police is the Home Office police force responsible for policing Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent in the West Midlands of England. ... A Fire Appliance belonging to the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service The fire service in the United Kingdom has undergone dramatic changes since the beginning of the 21st century, a process that has been propelled by a devolution of central government powers, new legislation and a change to operational... Map of the West Midlands Ambulance Services coverage The West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust is the authority responsible for providing NHS ambulance services in Herefordshire, Shropshire,Staffordshire, Telford and Wrekin, Warwickshire, West Midlands, and Worcestershire in the West Midlands region. ... This is a list of Members of the European Parliament for the United Kingdom in the 2004 to 2009 session, ordered by name. ... West Midlands is a constituency of the European Parliament. ... The United Kingdom House of Commons is made up of Members of Parliament (MPs). ... Cannock Chase is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places within counties List of places in Bedfordshire List of places in Berkshire List of places in Buckinghamshire List of places in Cambridgeshire List of places in Cheshire List of places in Cleveland List of places... This is a list of cities, towns and villages in the county of Staffordshire, England. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

Rugeley is a historic market town in the county of Staffordshire, England. It lies on the northern edge of Cannock Chase, and is situated roughly midway between the towns of Stafford, Cannock, Lichfield, and Uttoxeter. The population as at the 2001 census was 22,724 (including the Brereton and Etchinghill wards).^[1] The market town is a medieval phenomenon. ... Staffordshire (abbreviated Staffs) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Cannock Chase (grid reference SK000165) is a mixed area of countryside in the county of Staffordshire, England. ... , Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire in England. ... , Cannock is a town in Staffordshire, England, just north of the West Midlands conurbation. ... Not to be confused with Litchfield. ... , Uttoxeter is a small market town in East Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. ... Brereton, Staffordshire once had its own separate identity but now is incorporated into the town of Rugeley, being part of the Cannock Chase area. ... Etchinghill, also known as Etching Hill, was once a singular village, until it was engulfed by the simultaneous growth of Rugeley, Staffordshire. ...

The town was a centre of coal mining until 1991, when the Lea Hall colliery was demolished. The Rugeley B coal-fired power station dominates the skyline where a Flue Gas Desulfurization plant is currently being constructed. This will allow it to continue to generate electricity and comply with environmental legislation. The former Rugeley A station took its fuel directly from the neighbouring mine by conveyor belt. This was the first such arrangement in Britain. Surface coal mining in Wyoming in the United States of America. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar. ... For other uses, see Power station (disambiguation). ... Flue gas desulfurization is technology that employs a sorbent, usually lime or limestone, to remove sulfur dioxide(SO2) from the gases produced by burning fossil fuels. ...

Rugeley is twinned with the town of Western Springs, Illinois. Western Springs is an affluent suburb of Chicago located in Cook County, Illinois. ...

Transport

Rugeley has two railway stations, Rugeley Town and Rugeley Trent Valley, which lie on the Chase Line connecting Stafford, Walsall, and Birmingham. Rugeley Trent Valley also lies on the West Coast Main Line, although very few trains stop there. This is the top-level page of WikiProject trains Rail tracks Rail transport refers to the land transport of passengers and goods along railways or railroads. ... Rugeley Town railway station serves the town of Rugeley in Staffordshire, England. ... Rugeley Trent Valley is a railway station on the outskirts of Rugeley in Staffordshire, England. ... Map of the Chase Line. ... Stafford railway station (Ordnance Survey grid reference SJ918229) is an important main line interchange station in the United Kingdom. ... Walsall railway station is the principal railway station of Walsall, England, situated in the heart of the town. ... The tracks approaching the station Birmingham New Street is a major railway station located in the centre of the city of Birmingham, England. ... The WCML running alongside the M1 motorway at Watford Gap in Northamptonshire A Virgin Pendolino and freight train on the WCML The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important intercity railway lines in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system. ...

The major roads into Rugeley are the A460 from Cannock, and the A51 Lichfield to Stone. A new eastern bypass was opened in 2007 to take the A51 through traffic out of the congested town centre. The numbering zones for A-roads in Great Britain List of A roads beginning with 4 in Great Britain starting north of the A4 and south/west of the A5. ... The A51 road is a road in England linking Kingsbury in Warwickshire (just east of Birmingham), with Chester in Cheshire. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Bypass routes are a type of bannered highway usually used when the main route of the highway goes through a town and an alternate route of the same highway goes around the highway. ...

The River Trent and the Trent and Mersey Canal both pass through the town. For other uses see Trent River. ... The Trent and Mersey Canal is a canal linking the River Trent at Shardlow in Derbyshire to the River Mersey at Runcorn in Cheshire. ...

History

The town, historically known as Rudgeley, is listed in the Domesday Book. This name is thought to be derived from 'Ridge lee', or 'the hill over the field'. In the mediaeval period, it thrived on iron workings and was also a site of glass manufacturing. Rugeley has recently had some new, modern pubs including the Glass Works (Brewery St) and Wetherspoons. There is a charter fair that occurs during the first weekend in June, which is a huge attraction with most people from the town joining in-a fireworks display follows. There is a christmas lights switchon during December, which also includes a market and late night opening of shops. A line drawing entitled Domesday Book from Andrew Williamss Historic Byways and Highways of Old England. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... General Name, symbol, number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, period, block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Standard atomic weight 55. ... This article is about the material. ...

St. Augustine Church in Rugeley has memorials to the Levett family, who live at nearby Milford Hall and who established the Rugeley Home and Cottage Hospital on Church Street in 1866.^[2][3]

William Palmer

In 1855, the town gained notoriety when a local doctor, William Palmer, was accused of murdering an acquaintance, John Parsons Cook (who is buried in a still visible grave in the local St Augustine's churchyard). It was claimed that Cook had been poisoned, and in the months that followed, Palmer was implicated in the deaths of several other persons, including his own wife and brother, and possibly even some of his own children. He was put on trial for the murder of Cook in 1856, and an Act of Parliament was passed to allow the trial to be held at the Old Bailey, London, as it was felt that a fair jury could not be found in Staffordshire. Palmer was found guilty of murder, and hanged publicly outside Stafford gaol on June 14, 1856. Local legend has is that, on being instructed to step on to the gallows trap-door he asked the now famous question "Is it safe?". Furthermore, following the uproar surrounding the discovery of Palmer's activities, the town put in a special request to the Prime Minister requesting that they be permitted to change the name of the town to disassociate themselves from the murders. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister at the time was Lord Palmerston , who agreed to the request only on the condition that the town be named after him. For obvious reasons the locals declined this offer. Year 1855 (MDCCCLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Dr. William Palmer (born 1824 in Rugeley, Staffordshire, died June 14, 1856) was an English physician who was convicted of multiple murder in one of the most notorious cases of the 19th century. ... An Act of Parliament or Act is law enacted by the parliament (see legislation). ... The Old Bailey. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... is the 165th day of the year (166th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1856 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston (October 20, 1784 - October 18, 1865) was a British Prime Minister and Liberal politician. ...

The story of Palmer was told in 'The life and crimes of William Palmer' (1998), starring Keith Allen in the role of the infamous doctor. It is also thought that the phrase 'What's your poison?' originated from the Palmer murders.^{[citation needed]} Keith Philip George Allen (born 2 June 1953) is a Welsh comedian, actor, singer and writer. ...

George Edalji

George Ernest Thompson Edalji (March 1876 – June 17, 1953) was famously and wrongly convicted of the 'Great Wyrley Outrages', but cleared as the result of an investigation by Arthur Conan Doyle. Julian Barnes' 2005 novel Arthur & George (ISBN 0-224-07703-1) recounts the entire episode in great detail. He was educated at a Rugeley school in the 1880s.

Christina Collins

The body of Christina Collins was discovered in the Trent and Mersey canal in Rugeley on 17th June 1839. She was believed to have been raped and murdered by Shale who had agreed to transport her from Liverpool to London to join her husband. The steps which she was carried up are still known as the 'bloody steps' to this day. Although, as they are made from sandstone, the steps have no doubt been replaced several times, local legend has it that they sometimes ooze blood and her ghost appears upon them. Christina's grave can still be seen today in the churchyard at St Augustine's church. Three of the four bargemen were charged with her murder. The story of her murder was the inspiration for an Inspector Morse mystery first broadcast in 1998, entitled 'The Wench is Dead'. Morse (left) as played by John Thaw in the television adaption (with Kevin Whately as Lewis (right)). Detective Chief Inspector Morse is a fictional character, who features in a series of thirteen detective novels by British author Colin Dexter, though he is better known for the 33 episode TV series...

Nearby places

Towns and cities

• Cannock
• Stafford
• Lichfield

, Cannock is a town in Staffordshire, England, just north of the West Midlands conurbation. ... , Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire in England. ... Not to be confused with Litchfield. ...

Villages

• Abbots Bromley
• Admaston
• Armitage
• Blithbury
• Brereton
• Colton
• Colwich
• Cheslyn Hay
• Etchinghill
• Great Haywood
• Hamstall Ridware
• Handsacre
• Hill Ridware
• Kings Bromley
• Little Haywood
• Longdon
• Mavesyn Ridware
• Slitting Mill
• Upper Longdon

Abbots Bromley is a village in Staffordshire, England. ... Admaston is a small hamlet in Staffordshire, England near to Abbots Bromley. ... Armitage is a village in Staffordshire, England. ... Colton is a village situated just outside the town of Rugeley in the English county of Staffordshire. ... Cheslyn Hay is a former mining village between Cannock and Walsall, on the Southern edge Staffordshire), England. ... Etchinghill may refer to Etchinghill, Kent Etchinghill, Staffordshire Category: ... Great Haywood (52°48′ N 2°00′ W) is a village in central Staffordshire, England, about four miles from Rugeley. ... Hamstall Ridware is a village in Staffordshire, England. ... Handsacre is a town in Staffordshire, United Kingdom. ... Hill Ridware and Mavesyn Ridware are small historical villages situated in the Lichfield Parish Dirstrict in the County of Staffordshire, England. ... Kings Bromley is a village in Staffordshire, England. ... Little Haywood is a medium-sized village in Staffordshire, approximately 4 miles from the town of Rugeley and 6 miles from the county town of Stafford. ...

Other

• Aelfgar Centre
• Blithfield Reservoir
• Brindley Heath
• Shugborough

The Aelfgar Centre is the sixth form college of two medium-sized high schools, Fair Oak Business and Enterprise College and Hagley Park Sports College in Rugeley, Staffordshire. ... Blithfield Reservoir is a large drinking water reservoir in South Staffordshire, England, owned by South Staffordshire Water. ... Brindley Heath is an area of heath land on Cannock Chase situated between Hednesford and Rugeley, Staffordshire. ... Shugborough Hall is a country estate in Staffordshire, England. ...

References

1. ^ Rugeley Online - Statistics
2. ^ Rugeley, A History of the County of Stafford, Victoria County History, L. Margaret Midgley, British History Online, 1959
3. ^ Rugeley, Churches, A History of the County of Stafford, Victoria County History, L. Margaret Midgeley, 1959, British History Online

External links

• Rugeley Online
• Rugeley Bypass
• Rugeley Power Station
• Brereton and Rugeley Parish Website