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The English Medford.

THREE years ago we were asked by a business manager if Medford derived its name from any English locality. Without hesitation we replied affirmatively. In Vol. XXII, p. 21, our conclusions and reasons therefor may be found.

During the present year there has been published ‘Towns of New England, Old England, Ireland and Scotland’ by the State Street Trust Company of Boston. Its two parts form a book of four hundred and fifty pages, with numerous excellent illustrations. ‘Medford, Massachusetts,’ may be found on pages 123 to 125 of the second part, accompanied by the attractive view shown in our frontispiece. This was secured from Ian Forbes, Esq., of Robertson, England, and we reproduce it by courtesy of the Trust Company.

Following its good example thus set, the Register has sought information from oversea, relative to Medford, Staffordshire. We applied at the British Consulate in Boston and were told ‘It must be a small place, as there is no post office of that name in our list,’ and were advised to write to ‘Staffordshire County Council.’ Doing so, we were in due time in receipt of the following:—

Meaford—Staffordshire.

27th October, 1921.
Dear Sir,

I have your letter of the 10th instant desiring information with regard to the above. I do not think I can do better than send you the enclosed extract from Kelly's Directory of this County. The enclosed three pictures may also be of interest to you.

Yours faithfully,


[p. 72]

Meaford.

Meaford is a very small village and hamlet near the river Trent, about 1 1/4 miles north-north-west from Stone station, on the Colwich and Stoke section of the North Staffordshire railway, in the Kibblestone quarter of Stone parish, Stone division of the county, South Pirehill hundred, Stone union, petty sessional division and county court district, on the road from Stone to Newcastle. Divine service is held every Sunday afternoon in the school by the vicar of Christ Church, Stone. Meaford Hall, on the east side of the Trent, is the seat of Lieut.-Col. William Swinfen W. Parker-Jervis, D. S. O., and has been in the possession of the Jervis family for several generations; here was born, 19th January, 1735, John Jervis, the famous admiral, created Earl St. Vincent, 23rd June, 1797, in recognition of the splendid victory he achieved in that year over the Spanish fleet off Cape St. Vincent. Lieut.-Col. William Swinfen W. Parker-Jervis, D. S. O., is the principal landowner. The soil is gravel; subsoil, sandstone. The land is chiefly in pasture. The area is 1,376 acres. The population is included in Stone parish.

Letters through Stone, by messenger, and Stone is the nearest money order and telegraph office.

The children of this place attend the school at Stone.


We regret that we cannot in this issue present the beautiful views mentioned, but hope to in the near future.

By the above it will be seen that the English Medford, now called Meaford (pronounced Mefford), is not a municipality, but is an outlying ‘village or hamlet’ adjoining the town (or city) of Stone, being counted in its census return and served by its post office. In reading the above, and also a ‘Kelly's Directory’ of earlier date (in Boston), we are reminded of the acreage and extent of the Brooks estate in West Medford, and also of that little village and its facilities as we found it in 1870, and also of the relation it bore to the Medford of that time. We have replied with thanks to Clerk Joy, sending some illustrated literature relating to our Medford, and trust that thus reaching our ‘hands across the sea,’ we may get in closer touch with old Medford, we mean the older Medford, i.e., present Meaford, where three centuries ago Governor Cradock had his country home.

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