232 A TOPOGRAPHICAL 



dedicated to All Saints, in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter 

 of Lichfield Cathedral, and the present vicar is the Rev. Henry 

 White. 



CAVERSWALL is a parish at the western extremity of Totmanslow 

 north. It contains, besides the village of Caverswall, the township 

 of Weston Coyney and Hulme. The village is situated near the 

 source of the river Blithe, and consists of several good houses. 

 But the most remarkable object in this village is Caverswall Castle, 

 built by Sir William de Caverswell in the reign of Edward II. It 

 is a very strong and stately structure of stone, consisting of the 

 high keep, with an inner court and garden, and four lower towers, 

 one at each angle of the main building. A deep moat, supplied by 

 water from two springs, prevents access. The castle has two 

 fronts : the north-west front towards the village, is concealed by 

 an outer wall, which extends along the side of the street to the 

 church-yard. On entering the outer gate, another strong high 

 wall and gate exclude the intruder, for it is now consecrated 

 ground, being a nunnery. 



In the year 1811, a number of nuns, who had emigrated from 

 France, and settled at Preston in Lancashire, removed to Ca- 

 verswall Castle, as a more secluded place. This castle, which 

 was sold by the Hon. Booth Grey to Mr. Brett, a banker, of 

 Stone, in this county, was taken on lease by Walter Hill 'Coy- 

 ney, Esq. of Weston Coyney, for the nuns; and the sisterhood, 

 amounting to sixteen in number, with their confessor, came hither. 

 This priest, who is a man of very agreeable manners, has taken 

 much pains to convert several of the peasantry of the parish 

 to the principles of Catholicism. His success, however, has not 

 been commensurate to his zeal; when he has any thing to be- 

 stow upon them, they are mean and willing enough to receive it ; 

 but he has discovered that the majority of his converts come to 

 the chapel in Caverswall Castle more for the hope of gain than 

 the hope of salvation. In the mean time, the nuns are sufficiently 

 active in the good work of instructing young ladies in the prin- 

 ciples of their faith, and they have at present about 30 pupils in 

 progress. Their discipline is sufficiently strict ; the pupils wear 

 an uniform of buff-coloured cotton ; they are not suffered to ram- 

 ble beyond the bounds of the gravel-walk which surrounds the 

 moat, and two or three small fields ; they walk two and two, like 

 other boarding-school girls, and in their half-hour's exercise along 

 the walk in the garden, are required, as a religious duty, to utter 



