HISTORY OF STAFFORDSHIRE. 337 



This church stands by the side of a public road in the vil- 

 lage; and to the west, on the opposite side of the rbad, is a 

 school, which is a plain old building, with two apartments, one 

 for the boys, and the other for the girls : it has also a small area 

 enclosed before it. This school was founded and endowed by Sir 

 John Offley. 



The Church is dedicated to AH Saints, and is a vicarage in the 

 patronage of Lord Crewe. The Rev. Peter Roberts is the present 

 vicar ; and the Rev. Alexander Simpson is curate, and Master of 

 the free-school. 



The benefactions to the poor of Madeley are rather numerous ; 

 amongst them those of Sir John Offley, and Ralph Horton, gent, 

 are most conspicuous. 



Little Madeley, is an irregular hamlet, situated about a mile 

 to the east of Madeley church. It contains some good farm-houses 

 and smaller tenements. 



Madeley Park, to the south, is the property of Lord Crewe; 

 part of it is in a state of nature, and overgrown with heath, and part 

 of it is now under cultivation. The soil is light, may be quickly 

 brought into culture, and promises to make useful land. 



The parish of Madeley contains 177 houses, 186 families; 529 

 males, 489 females : total, 1,018 persons. 



KEEL, is a parish and village in Pirehill North, pleasantly si- 

 tuated about three miles west of Newcastle-under-Lyme, on the 

 turnpike-road to Nantwich, in Cheshire. The village consists of 

 many good tenements, farm-houses, and cottages. The parish is 

 small, containing not quite 3000 acres. In the north and east 

 parts of it, are some mines of iron-stone and coal, both of which 

 are worked at Silverdale, where is also a smelting-furnace. The 

 manor is co-extensive with the parish. 



Though Keel is now an ' independent manor, it seems to have 

 i3een formerly an appendage to Newcastle-under-Lyme, as appears 

 from the old record called Testa de Nevill, which also shews that 

 it then belonged to the Knights Templars. 



The Church stands on a rising ground at the entrance of the 

 village. It is a neat stone building, of an oblong square figure, 

 embattled, with a tower at the west end, containing four bells. At 

 the west end are two doors of entrance, one on each side, opposite 

 to each other : that on the north side is seldom used. Keel Church 

 was rebuilt in 1790. The interior forms an area of about 55 feet 

 by 34. The font stands within a niche in the middle of the west 



