HISTORY OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 65 



Trunk Canal runs through part of this village, which will doubtless 

 obtain many advantages from the facilities thus afforded for a com- 

 mercial intercourse with other parts of the kingdom. 



The parish church of Alrewas existed at an early period in the 

 ninth century, and was one of the prebends instituted by the Bishop 

 of Lichfield, in 822.* 



In the time of the Saxons this manor belonged to Algar, Earl of 

 Mercia. He left this with his other estates to Edwyn, his eldest 

 son ; but, after the Conquest, William I. disposed of most of them to 

 his followers and friends, and reserved Alrewas to himself. It seems, 

 as described in Doomsday-book, to have been nearly in the same 

 state at that period as at present ; for it had a church, a mill, and 

 twenty-six families of the common people. 



" The King," says this ancient and authentic record, " holds 

 Alrewas. Earl Algar formerly held it. The arable land is eight 

 carucates. In demesne there are two ; and one bondman, twenty 

 villans, and six bordars, with a priest, have six carucates. There 

 are twenty-four acres of meadow, and a fishery that yields a 

 thousand five hundred eels. Also a wood one mile in length, and 

 half a mile in breadth. In the time of King Edward the Con- 

 fessor, it was worth ten pounds : it is now worth eleven pounds." 



Thus at the time of the general survey of the kingdom, Alrewas be- 

 longed to the King, and continued demesne of the Crown till the 5th 

 of John, when Roger de Somerville obtained a grant of this manor, to 

 hold it in fee-farm for the old rent and 100 shillings increase.f 



From this period till the time of Charles II. the manor of Alrewas 

 came into the possession of several individuals, and by an indenture, 

 dated January 3, 1660, John Turton and his brother Philip Turton, 

 purchased of Sir Francis Boynton, Bart, the manor of Alrewas, 

 with the appurtenances, for the sum of <3130. John Turton, gent, 

 who purchased this, and succeeded to the other estates, mentioned 

 as appurtenances, was a Knight, and one of the Barons of the Ex- 

 chequer, in the reign of William and Mary, and afterwards one of 

 the Justices of the King's Bench. He died in 1707, and was suc- 

 ceeded by his grandson and heir John, who possessed the manor 

 nearly fifty years, and was one of the Justices of the Peace for this 

 county. In this capacity he was distinguished for profound 

 knowledge of the laws of his country, his equal distribution of 

 justice, and his exemplary life. He died August 18, 1771, aged 84, 



* Magna Britannia, Vol. V. p. 123. t Dugdale's Baronetage, Vol. II. p. 106. 



I 



