Foreword

Foreword

THIS VOLUME is the twelfth to appear in the Staffordshire set of the Victoria History of the Counties of England. Published by Boydell & Brewer on behalf of London University's Institute of Historical Research, the volume was researched and written by Dr. N. J. Tringham (county editor) and Dr. I. J. Atherton and Dr. A. E. Tomkins, all three of whom are lecturers in the history department at the University of Keele. Mr. M. W. Greenslade (former county editor) kindly helped with the preparation of the Index.

The work of the Victoria County History in Staffordshire is supported by Staffordshire County Council and Keele University with the assistance of an advisory board. The University of London gratefully acknowledges the continued support of those two bodies. The Trustees of the William Salt Library in Stafford kindly provide an office in the library for the use of the VCH staff. Thanks are also offered to the Jack Leighton Trust and the Bass Brewers Charitable Trust which both made grants of money used mostly to meet the costs of having maps drawn by a professional cartographer, J. A. Lawrence of Keele University, and of acquiring prints for use as illustrations. The modern photographs reproduced in the volume were taken specially by the National Monuments Record division of English Heritage. We also offer grateful thanks to Coors Brewing Co. of the USA, who have generously offered to fund the launch of this volume, and whose acquisition of Bass Brewing Ltd in 2002 came too late for inclusion in the text.

Many people have helped in the preparation of this volume, not least the owners of houses who kindly allowed access to their homes. General help was afforded by the head of the Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service and William Salt Librarian (Mrs. D. M. A. Randall) and her staff; the Derbyshire County Archivist (Dr. M. O'Sullivan); the staff at Burton Library; and Diana Lay of the Bass Museum in Burton. Documents kept at Burton Library during the preparation of this volume have since been moved to the record office at Lichfield.

For further information about VCH Staffordshire and its publications readers should consult the county website: www.staffordshirepast.net