Geologically the county is included in the New Red Sandstone district of England, and is of the Carboniferous, Permian, and Triassic systems of formation. It is rich in limestone and coal. According to Mr Garner (Natural History of the County of Stafford), the following is a summary of its geological characters :—the Polley coal-field occupies 51 square miles; the South Staffordshire coalfield (excluding about 11 miles of it situated in other counties), 65; the Silurian limestone, &c., in the south of the county, 16; the Rowley basalt, 1; the Clent basalt, 2; the Arley coal-field, basalt, cornstone, &c., 7; the mountain limestone, 40; the Cheadle coal-field, 18; the Chiddleton coal-field, 1; the Meerbrook coal-field, 4; the millstone grit, 100; the New Red Sandstone (marl, gravel, rock, sand, and peat), 825.

The county is very rich in fossils. In the coal, the limestone, and the Silurian deposits the remains of marine animals and plants are especially numerous. The museums in several towns have good collections of corals, calamites, and ferns; and probably the finest examples of trilobites and encrinites have been found in this part of England. The teeth of the Megalichthys have been found in the coal strata, and the Dudley museum contains a specimen of M . hibberti, nearly entire. The county is very rich in mineral productions. In a single year 12,000,000 tons of coal and 1,173,866 tons of iron have been obtained. The greatest quantity of iron is raised in the north and of coal in the south. Of the places at which the various products are found may be named—Birch Hills for anthracite coal; Hanley Green for peacock coal; Longton for cannel coal; Wednesbury for haematite iron ore; Langley Close for grey marble; the Rowley Hills for basalt. At Bilston casting sand, at Kingswinford fire-clay and fire bricks, at Tutbury alabaster, at Powke Hill black marble, and at Hemley Green red ochre are produced. In December 1885 an important discovery of coal was made near Dudley. Mr S. Blewitt has driven from the Grace Mary pits about 250 yards towards the Ivy House estate, through the igneous rocks, and come upon a large area of the best hard coal, about thirty feet in thickness, and some thirty acres in area.

Climate and Agriculture.— As regards climate the county shares the characteristics common to the midland district of England. Agriculture, though not its distinctive feature, forms a very important item in the industry and wealth of Staffordshire. The returns for 1886 furnish the following report: in corn crops there were 94,273 acres; roots, artificial grasses, &c., 43,343; clover and grasses, 46,832; permanent pasture, 412,566; fallow, 7203; orchards, 1188; market gardens, 866; nursery grounds, 233; woods and plantations, 34,911. From the same returns we learn that the number of horses employed in agriculture was 16,031; unbroken horses and brood mares, 7802; cows in milk or in calf, 74,868; cattle under two years old, 56,224; two years and upward, 25,922; one-year-old sheep, 142,955; sheep under one year, 106,950; and pigs, 48,569. The total number of proprietors in the county was returned in 1873 as 43,371, possessing 638,084 acres, producing an annual rental of £3,630,254. The estimated extent of waste or common land was 7809 acres. Of the owners 33,672 owned less than one acre each. Eight proprietors were owners of more than 10,000 acres each, viz., Earl of Lichfield, 21,433; Earl of Shrewsbury, 18,954; Lord Hatherton, 14,901; Marquis of Anglesey, 14,344; Sir J. H. Crewe, 14,256; Duke of Sutherland, 12,744; Lord Bagot, 10,993; Sir T. F. F. Boughey, 10,505.

Manufactures.— The manufactures of Staffordshire are of a very varied character. Almost everything which is made of iron is manufactured in one town or another; and it would only be tedious to enumerate the almost infinite variety of goods produced. Wolverhampton and Willenhall are famous for locks, Cradley for nails, Oldbury for railway carriages, Walsall for spurs, bits, and saddlery, Tipton for anchors, Smethwick for glass, Soho for steam engines aud hydraulic jacks, Wednesfield for keys, Bilston for tinplate wares, and Bloxwich for bits. Thanks to the labours of Josiah Wedgwood and Flaxman, the pottery work of Staffordshire ranks among the most famous manufactures of the kingdom, and Etruria is a household word wherever the admirable and artistic Wedgwood ware is known. The ale produced at Burton-on-Trent finds a market in almost every civilized country in the world, and in some that can scarcely be so described.

Communication.— The county is admirably provided with railways, canals, and tramways. The main roads are excellent, and are well maintained and kept in capital condition.

Administration and Population.— The population in 1861 was 746,943; in 1871 858,326; and in 1881 981,013 (males 492,009, females 489,004), an average of 1·31 persons to an acre. Staffordshire is in the Oxford circuit, and is nearly all in the diocese of Lichfield. The seat of the bishopric and the will courts are at Lichfield. The assize town is Stafford. There are five hundreds, each having two divisions :—North Totmonslow (Leek) and South Totmonslow (Cheadle), North Pirehill (Potteries) and South Pirehill (Stone), North Offlow (Burton-on-Trent) and South Offlow (Walsall), East Cuttlestone (Rugeley) and West Cuttlestone (Gnosall), North Seisdon (Sedgley) and South Seisdon (Kinfare). The county has one court of quarter sessions, and is divided into twenty-two petty and special sessional divisions; and there are 247 civil parishes and sixteen poor law unions. The municipal boroughs number twelve: —Burslem, population 26,522; Burton-on-Trent (partly in Derbyshire), 39,288; Hanley, 48,361; Lichfield, 8349; Longton, 18,620; Newcastle-under-Lyme, 17,508; Stafford, 19,977; Stoke-on-Trent, 19,261; Tamworth (partly in Warwickshire), 4891; Walsall 58,795; West Bromwich, 56,295; Wolverhampton, 75,766. By the Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885, the parliamentary representation of Staffordshire was arranged as follows:—seven boroughs each returning one member, one borough returning three, and seven county divisions with one member to each,—making seventeen members for the whole county. The county divisions are named respectively Burton, Handsworth, Kingswinford, Leek, Lichfield, North-West, and West. The following is a list of the boroughs, with populations given by or based on the census of 1881 Wolverhampton (three members), 164,332; Hanley, 75,912; Newcastle-under-Lyme, 49,293; Stafford, 19,977; Stoke-on-Trent, 64,091; Walsall, 59,402; Wednesbury, 68,142; West Bromwich, 56,295.

History and Antiquities.— Much antiquarian learning has been employed in showing that Staffordshire was in early ante-Roman days famous for the presence and power of the Druids. Cannock Chase has been described as their headquarters in Britain; and Barr Beacon has been generally accepted as one of their principal places of worship, of which Drood or Druid Heath by its name still preserves the tradition. At the time of Caesar’s arrival in the island this part of England was peopled by tribes whom the Roman authors designate as Cornavii or Carnabii. The conquerors named the central part of the country, which included Staffordshire, Flavia Caesariensis. Two of their most famous roads, Watling Street and Icknield Street, passed through the county, —the first-named from Fazeley through Wall {Etοcctum) to Wroxeter {Uriconium), and the Icknield Street through Birmingham to Wall, and by Burton-on-Trent to Derby. In Saxon times Staffordshire formed part of the great kingdom of Mercia, which was remarkable for the tenacity with which the people clung to their old faith and resisted the introduction of Christianity. The new faith, however, prevailed over paganism, and a cathedral was founded at Lichfield. Through the influence of Offa, Pope Adrian in 786 made the see an independent archbishopric, but this honour was only possessed for a short period. Mercia was frequently invaded by the Danes, and several battles were fought in Staffordshire, notably at Tettenhall and Wednesfield (Woden’s Field), and a large number of Danes settled in this part. So rapidly did they occupy the laud that in 1016, when the Danish king Canute divided his conquests into four earldoms, Mercia was believed to have as many Danish as Saxon inhabitants. After the Norman Conquest the county was divided among the Conqueror’s retainers, the barons De Torri, De Montgomery, Fitz-Ansculf, and De Ferrers coming in for the lion’s share. Of after historical events the most noted are the defeat and execution of the earl of Lancaster by Edward II. in 1322, and the battle at Blore Heath in 1459, in which the Yorkists were victorious over the Lancasterians. During the Civil War Lichfield cathedral was besieged in 1643, and Lord Brook was killed by a shot fired from the battlements of the great tower. Mary queen of Scots was imprisoned in Tutbury Castle from 1569 to 1572. In 1745 Charles Edward, the Young Pretender, in his attempt to win the crown of England, penetrated as far as Leek.

Early British remains exist in various parts of the county; and a large number of barrows have been opened in which human bones, urns, fibulae, stone hammers, armlets, pins, pottery, and other articles have been found. In the neighbourhood of Wetton no fewer than twenty-three barrows have been opened, and British ornaments have been found in Needwood Forest. Several Roman camps also exist in different parts. But of mediaeval times the chief legacy is the cathedral at Lichfield ( q.v.), one of the most beautiful in the kingdom. Of other interesting places the most worthy of notice are Beaudesert, Bentley Hall, Chillington, Dudley Castle, Enville Hall, Ingestre, Stafford Castle, Tamworth Castle, Tixall, and Wrottesley Hall. More modern mansions are Ilam Hall, Alton Towers, Shugborough, Patteshull, Keele Hall, and Trentham. Of famous personages belonging to the county are John Dudley (duke of Northumberland), Cardinal Pole, Archbishop Sheldon, Col. John Lane, General Harrison, Lord Anson, Earl St Vincent, Izaak Walton, Dr Samuel Johnson, David Garrick, Josiah Wedgwood, Miss Seward, Mary Howitt.

See Plot, Natural History of Staffordshire, 1686; Erdeswick. Survey of Staffordshire, 1717; Shaw, History and Antiquities of Staffordshire, 1798-1801; Pitt, Topographical History of Staffordshire, 1817; Garner, Natural History of the County of Stafford, 1844; Langford, Staffordshire and Warwickshire, 1874; and the publications of the Salt Archaeological Society.

STAFFORD, a parliamentary and municipal borough of England, and the county town of Staffordshire, is situated on the left bank of the river Sow, almost in the heart of England. It is 123 miles from London and 29 ¼ from Birmingham, and is in the southern division of the hundred of Pirehill. The principal trades of the town are tanning and the manufacture of boots and shoes, more especially for ladies. The oldest church is that of St Chad, said to be originally of Saxon origin. It was formerly a large and beautiful church, with chancel, nave, aisles, transepts, and a central tower, but has suffered severely from time, neglect, and rough treatment. Restoration was begun in 1855, and the operations led to the discovery of some fine interlacing Norman arches and a beautiful Norman archway with some rich sculptured work between the nave and tower. These were restored in 1856 and a new roof was put on the chancel in memory of Izaak Walton. In 1874, the nave, arcades, and open-timbered roof were restored in memory of Mr Thomas Salt; in 1874-75 the south aisle was rebuilt, and in 1884-85 the tower. The finest of the churches in Stafford is undoubtedly St Mary’s, which was admirably restored in 1844-45 by Sir Gilbert Scott, at a cost of £30,000. It contains some good monuments, and several very fine memorial windows of stained glass. Other churches worthy of mention are Christ Church, St Paul’s, and St Thomas’s. The grammar school is a very old foundation, enlarged by Edward VI.; the present building was erected in 1862. The free library was opened in 1882, and is now fairly well supplied with books. The William Salt library contains a unique collection of books, deeds, autographs, engravings, and drawings relating to the county, collected by Mr Salt and presented by his widow. It contains some 7000 volumes, between 2000 and 3000 deeds, and more than 9000 drawings, autographs, and valuable MSS., mostly relating to the history, topography, Ac., of the county. The town also possesses a good museum, collected principally by Mr Clement L. Wragge, and called by his name; specially interesting is its almost perfect collection of fossils. Stafford also contains a good school of art and a mechanics’ institute. Other prominent buildings are the shire hall, in which the assizes and quarter sessions are held, and the borough hall; the latter contains the municipal offices, and also has a large hall for public meetings. Stafford is well supplied with charitable institutions, among which may be mentioned the general infirmary, built in 1766; the county lunatic asylum in 1818; and the Coton Hill institution for the insane in 1854, beautifully situated on rising ground, which commands extensive views of some of the loveliest country in the county, while its own grounds are tastefully laid out. The householders of Stafford formerly possessed the right of using some very extensive common land situated north of the town; in 1880, however, all that remained (134 acres) was enclosed, and is now held for the people by a committee of householders elected annually. A part of this land, called Stone Flat, is preserved as a public recreation ground. Of another common named Coton Field, consisting of about 180 acres, 70 acres were in 1884 transferred absolutely to the freemen, and have been divided into 401 garden allotments, which are let at a small rental to resident freemen or their widows. The parliamentary borough (area 774 acres, with population of 18,904 in 1881) was extended in 1885, and is now identical with the municipal borough. The area of this is 1012 acres, and the population, 14,437 in 1871, was in 1881 19,977. The Act of 1885 reduced the parliamentary representation from two members to one.

Stafford was of considerable importance before the Conquest. The site was at first known as Berteliney or Betheney, from the island on which the earliest houses were built. As the town grew its name was changed into that of Stafford or Stadford. In 913 Ethelfleda, sister of Edward the Elder, erected a fortification here, generally called a castle, but doubtless one of those defensive mounds which from their admirable positions were afterwards selected by the Normans as the sites of their castles and strongholds. About a year and a half afterwards Edward the Elder built a tower, with walls and a fosse round it. Pennant says this was on the mount called Castle Hill by Speed. Stafford is mentioned in Domesday as a city paying £9 in customs. 1 here were 18 royal burgesses, and the earls of Mercia possessed twenty mansions. The number of houses entered is 178. William built a castle on the old site, of which he appointed Robert de lorn governor, who took the name De Stafford from that of the town, aud was the originator of the great family of the Staffords. At this time it contained a royal mint; some of the coins are still extant, hearing on the obverse the head and name of the king, and on the reverse “Godwinne on Staef.” Godwinne was the "king’s moneyer.” The castle of Robert de Torri was rebuilt by Ralph de Stafford in the reign of Edward III.; during the Civil War it was held for the Royalists by the earl of Northampton, but was taken for the Parliament by Sir William Brereton in May 1643. The castle was soon afterwards demolished by order of the Parliament. When fortified, Stafford had four gates. That on the south, near the river bridge, called the Green-gate, was taken down in 1780. The arch of the East-gate was standing a few years ago. The Gaol-gate was in ruins in 1680. The site of the fourth gate is unknown. King John confirmed and enlarged the privileges granted by the old charter. This was again confirmed by Edward VI., and on August 6, 1575, Elizabeth visited the town. Stafford adopted the Local Government Act, 1858, on April 23, 1872; and in 1876 an Act was obtained for extending the borough boundaries. The corporation now consists of a mayor, eight aldermen, and twenty-four councillors.