Boundary stone on the north bank of Rising Brook, approximately 75 metres south east of Dutton's Pool

649/0/10012

RUGELEY SLITTING MILL Boundary Stone on the north bank of Rising Brook, approximately 75m south-east of Dutton's Pool

21-FEB-11

GV II A late C18/early C19 boundary stone.

DESCRIPTION: Constructed of local stone, this boundary marker is positioned on the north side of Rising Brook. It is rectangular on plan with a rounded top. There are no markings or lettering, although the south face appears to have some tool marks to the centre. The stone is roughly hewn, particularly on its broader, south face. The broader faces are oriented towards the stream and away from it. The marker forms a pair with another stone across the brook, although they face in different directions.

HISTORY: The hamlet of Slitting Mill, near Rugeley, is named after the settlement's historic role in the nail making industry. Slitting mills and forges produced iron nails for the neighbouring ironworks in and around Cannock Chase. Iron bars were flattened, and then 'slit' into rods. The mill is known to have been in operation under Walter Chetwynd before 1646, and there is documented milling and forging taking place in the hamlet, formerly known as Stonehouse, in the C18 and C19. Boundary markers, constructed of stone, appear to have been placed along the Rugeley and Horton Parish border in the late C18/early C19. The boundary is, at least in part, defined by the watercourse known as Rising Brook. An embankment by the brook was created in 1809 by Thomas Hopkins and E. Barker. However, the markers are not shown on any known historic or modern maps. This stone is one of a pair that were placed either side of Rising Brook, to the south-east of Slitting Mill and Dutton's Pool.

SOURCES: Midgley, LM, (ed), A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 5: East Cuttlestone hundred, (1959) Retrieved from British History Online: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53407 [Accessed 05/10/10] Staffordshire Sites and Monuments Record: PRN Number: 53915 - MST17682 & PRN 04200 -MST3924

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION:: The boundary stone on the north bank of Rising Brook, approximately 75m south-east of Dutton's Pool, Slitting Mill, Rugeley, Staffordshire, of late C18/early C19 date, is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * Intactness: it is a good example of a pre-1840 boundary stone, and stands in its original location * Historic interest: it illustrates the administrative development of this rural industrial part of the West Midlands * Group value: it has strong group value with another surviving boundary stone, on the opposite bank of Rising Brook