Stafford was already an important place when King Alfred’s daughter fortified the town against the Danes; she made it both a royal borough and a market town. William the Conqueror destroyed much of the town to build a castle after the defeat of Edric the Wild. The town then flourished with a magnificent new church and a royal charter. By Tudor times the population suffered a sharp decline, but then a few wealthy families revived its trade. In the 18th century shoe manufacturing became the dominant industry and the railways attracted heavy engineering.
- ISBN10 1860770495
- ISBN13 9781860770494
- Publish Date 1 November 1997
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher The History Press Ltd
- Imprint Phillimore & Co Ltd
- Format Paperback
- Pages 144
- Language English
- URL http://thehistorypress.co.uk/products/Stafford-Past.aspx