Harlaston 1924

Harlaston in 1924 is described as:

Formerly a chapelry to Clifton Campville,

Was constituted an ecclesiastical parish and rectory in 1845;

It is a small village on the south bank of the River Mease

1 mile east from Elford and Haselour station on the middle of the LMS railway

And 4 miles north of Tamworth in the Lichfield division of the County.

In the rural deanery of Tamworth, archdeanery of Stafford and diocese of Lichfield.

The Church of St Matthew is a small edifice in the Norman and early English styles,

Dating from 9th Century (Saxon)

Consisting of a nave, south porch and a Norman Tower at the west end

And containing a clock and three bells.

There is a marble tablet to Lady Eggerton, only daughter and heir of Francis Wolferstan esq. of Statfold, and wife of Sir John Egertonbart of Overton Cheshire who died in 1726, and other memorials to the Flavel family 1799, and to that of Webb 1753 and 1833

There are five stained glass windows;

The church was restored in 1883 at a cost of £1,450. and affords 150 sittings.

The register dates from the year 1693;

But an earlier register of the chapelry is mentioned as existing in the diocesan registry at Lichfield.

The living is a rectory, net yearly value £340 with residence in the gift of the bishop of Lichfield and held since 1904 by the Rev.Thomas Pelham Waters Thorman D.D of Washington University Herman de Trafford esq. J.P. and the Tamworth Co-operative Society Ltd are the chief landowners.

The soil is loamy; subsoil is clay and marl

The chief crops are oats, wheat and barley.

The area is 1,469 acres of land and 8 acres of water.

Rateable value £3,186. The population in 1921 was 228

Post Office. Mrs Alison Jane Winter, sub postmistress.

Letters  through. Tamworth.

Elford 2 miles distant is the nearest money order and telegraph office

Public elementary School (mixed), for 38 children; Miss D Knight mistress.

Police station P. C. Ernest Walker

Motor omnibus passes through on The. & Sat from Tamworth to Burton -on-Trent, returning the same evening.

Thorman Rev. Thos. Pelham Waters D.D. (rector). Rectory

Commercial

Alcock William. Miller (water)

Carter Charles, farmer Church Farm

Carter Henry, assistant overseer and collector of rates

Carter Howard, blacksmith

Coulton Cecil F. farmer

Coulton Mary (Mrs) farmer Dunnimere Farm

Fletcher Arthur John farmer

Gillespie Janet (Miss) district nurse

Haskew Frederick Junior Fishnets Farm

Latham Alfred – White Lion public house

Mercer Elizabeth (Mrs) saddler

Mercer Percy H. farmer Manor Farm

Tamworth Industrial Co-operative Society farmers

Weetman Albert, threshing machine proprietor