Portal:Staffordshire
IntroductionStaffordshire (/ˈstæfərdˌʃɪər, -ʃər/; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands County and Worcestershire to the south, and Shropshire to the west. The largest settlement in Staffordshire is Stoke-on-Trent, which is administered as an independent unitary authority, separately from the rest of the county. Lichfield is a cathedral city. Other major settlements include Stafford, Burton upon Trent, Cannock, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Rugeley, Leek, and Tamworth. (Full article...) Selected articleThe federation of Stoke-on-Trent was the 1910 amalgamation of the six Potteries towns of Burslem, Tunstall, Stoke-upon-Trent, Hanley, Fenton and Longton into the single county borough of Stoke-on-Trent. An anomaly in the history of English local government, this was the first union of its type and the only such event to take place until the 1960s. lists the federation of Stoke-on-Trent as unique, as the publication precedes the recommendations of the Local Government Commission for England (1958–1967). These recommendations created other county boroughs by federation, for example the County Borough of Warley created by the Local Government (West Midlands) Order 1965 (SI 1965 No. 2139) and the County Borough of Teesside created by the Teesside Order 1967 (SI 1967 No. 396).}} The 1910 federation was the culmination of a process of urban growth and municipal change that started in the early 19th century. The first federation attempt was made in 1900 with a resurrection of the county plan. In 1902, Hanley Council led attempts to form an expanded county borough, but disagreement over the complex financial issues of rates, assets and loans caused Fenton to pull out, quickly followed by Burslem and Stoke, and the proposal was abandoned in 1903. The second and final federation process, between 1905 and 1910, was instigated by Longton Town Council with support from Stoke and Hanley and opposition from Fenton, Tunstall and Burslem. Issues again arose over the financial settlement and discussions continued during the progress of the Federation Bill through Parliament. The bill was passed in the House of Commons and was still under debate in the House of Lords when the six towns announced that they had come to an agreement. Passed in December 1908, the act came into force on 31 March 1910. The new Stoke-on-Trent was a county borough from then until [Local_Government_Act_1972|1974]. In addition, city status was granted to Stoke-on-Trent by King George V on 1 July 1925. Selected biographyGrand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia was a son of Grand Duke Michael Nicolaievich of Russia and a grandson of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia. In 1891 he contracted a morganatic marriage with Countess Sophie von Merenberg, a morganatic daughter of Prince Nicholas William of Nassau and a granddaughter of the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. For contracting this marriage without permission, Emperor Alexander III of Russia, stripped him of his military titles and banished the couple from Russia. For some years he lived in Wiesbaden, Nassau and in Cannes. He settled permanently in England in 1900, leasing Keele Hall in Staffordshire and later Kenwood House on the outskirts of London. During the ten years he lived in Staffordshire, he entered country society, and was very pleased when the town council of Newcastle-under-Lyme conferred him the distinction of Lord High Steward of the borough. Selected imageLichfield Cathedral is a late 12th century medieval cathedral situated in Lichfield, Staffordshire. The cathedral is dedicated to saints Chad and Mary and is the only medieval church in England with three spires. Did you know?27 August 2014
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