Hednesford was first recorded asHedenedford in AD 1153. The town has seen progressive name evolution over the last millennium, with the name being variously documented asEd(e)nesford,Adnesford,Hedg(e)ford,[4][5] and Hednesford.
The etymology of the placename is likely "The ford ofHeddīn",Heddīn being anOld English diminutive form of the given nameHeadda.[4]
An excerpt from William Yates' 1775 map of the County of Stafford, centred around Hednesford (thenHedgford)
The first recorded mention of Hednesford dates back to 1153, whenKing Stephen granted an exemption ofpannage dues to the smallhamlet ofHedenedford.[6]
The town can be found on William Yates' 1775 map of Staffordshire (pictured), showing it as a small village with 13 buildings.[5]
Hednesford developed as acoal mining town in the second half of the 19th century, with the opening of the Uxbridge Pit.[7]
The Valley Pit (first called the Pool Pit) in Hednesford town centre opened in the 1870s. To prevent this pit from flooding, the Cannock & Rugeley Colliery Company diverted the brook that fed Hednesford Pool (pictured on the 1775 map). This led to the pool drying up by 1900. In 1931, the site was reopened asHednesford Park.[8]
Between 1914 and 1918 two army training camps were built in the area,[9] and over half a million British andCommonwealth troops passed through destined for theWestern Front ofWorld War I.[10]
Economically, Hednesford has experienced widespread changes since the 1980s due to the decline of mining and manufacturing jobs in the region. However,Cannock Chase district has seen prolonged job growth in recent years.[13]
A £50 million regeneration was completed in 2012, with two new developments: Victoria Shopping Park, with aTesco store being theanchor tenant,[14] and Chase Gateway, containing anAldi and a new bingo hall, along with several other shops.[15] A new drill hall for the localArmy Cadet Force detachment was also constructed.[16]
Hednesford falls underCannock Chase district in the county ofStaffordshire. The town is divided into three wards: Hednesford Green Heath, Hednesford North, and Hednesford South.[20] The town is also parished and run by Hednesford Town Council. At the parish level, it is split into a different set of three wards:Pye Green, Anglesey, and West Hill.[21]
Hednesford is situated 16 miles (26 km) north-northwest ofBirmingham. The town centre is 160 metres (520 ft) above sea level,[23] but parts ofPye Green reach up to 232 metres (761 ft) above sea level.[24] No major rivers run through Hednesford, and the nearest large body of water isChasewater, 3 miles (4.8 km) to the southeast. The town is surrounded to the north and west byCannock Chase, a large, mixed area of countryside andArea of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is situated on theCannock Chase Coalfield.[25]
Just north of the town centre liesHednesford Park, a mixed-use recreational area with a play area, skatepark, cafe, and tennis courts,[26] and to the east of the town centre, the Hednesford HillsNature Reserve.[27][17] Hednesford has several other nature reserves, including the Anglesey Nature Reserve 750 yards (0.69 km) to the southwest of the town centre,[28] and the Old Brickworks Nature Reserve 1 mile (1.6 km) to the southeast.[29]
The urban area of Hednesford now spreads across a swathe of the northern fringe of Cannock, fromPye Green across toHeath Hayes, and is the southern gateway to the Cannock Chase AONB.[32]
In the decade to 2011 the number of dwellings in the town rose by 7.8% to 7,482.[33][34] Of the town's 7,277households in the 2011 census, 25.9% were one-person households including 10.7% where that person was 65 or over. 69.3% were one family with no others (8.2% all pensioners, 39.5% married orsame-sex civil partnership couples, 12.6%cohabiting couples and 9.1% lone parents).[35] 29.9% of households had dependent children[35] including 3.4% with no adults in employment.[36] 72.4% of households owned their homes outright or with a mortgage or loan.[3]
Of the town's 14,206 residents in the 2011 census aged 16 and over, 30.6% were single (never married), 51.3% married, 0.15% in a registered same-sex civil partnership, 2.4% separated, 9.0% divorced and 6.5% widowed.[37] 26.0% had no formal qualifications and 50.0% had level 2+ qualifications (meaning 5+GCSEs (grades A*-C) or 1+'A' levels/ AS levels (A-E) or equivalent minimum).[38]
77.3% of the 6,597 men aged 16 to 74 were economically active, including 50.2% working full-time, 5.4% working part-time and 14.6% self-employed. The maleunemployment rate (of those economically active) was 6.6% (See alsoMale unemployment).[39] 67.2% of the 6,515 women aged 16 to 74 were economically active, including 31.9% working full-time, 25.4% working part-time and 3.5% self-employed. The female unemployment rate (of those economically active) was 4.7%.[40]
Of people in employment aged 16 to 74, 14.3% worked in basic industries (ONS categories A, B, and D-F including 12.2% in construction), 13.9% in manufacturing, and 71.8% inservice industries (ONS categories G-U including 19.6% inwholesale andretail trade and vehicle repair, 11.9% in health andsocial work, 8.0% in education, 6.0% in public administration, 5.9% in transport and storage, 4.5% in administrative and support service activities, and 4.0% in accommodation and catering).[41] While 16.9% of households did not have access to a car or van,[42] 84.6% of people in employment travelled to work by car or van.[43]
79.1% of residents described their health as good or very good.[3] The proportion who described themselves asWhite British was 96.9%, with all white ethnic groups making up 97.9% of the population. The ethnic make-up of the rest of the population was 0.88% mixed/multiple ethnic groups, 0.56%Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi, 0.18%Chinese, 0.15% otherAsian, 0.28%Black and 0.046% other.[44] 2.2% of Hednesford's residents were born outside the United Kingdom.[45]
The responses to the voluntary question "What is your religion?" were 'No religion' (23.3%),Christian (69.8%),Buddhist (0.18%),Hindu (0.17%),Jewish (0.006%),Muslim (0.21%),Sikh (0.21%) and other religion (0.26%). 5.9% gave no answer.[46]
The civil parish of Hednesford constitutes 96.8% of the population of the town. In the 2011 census it had 16,789 residents,[47] 7,239 dwellings,[48] and 7,058 households.[49]
The majority of Hednesford's working population works in theservice industry.[41] Hednesford, along with other towns in Cannock Chase district, is primarily acommuter town, with 8,655 more people commuting out of Cannock Chase than into Cannock Chase every day. Commuters primarily travel to nearby towns and cities such asLichfield,Walsall,Stafford andBirmingham.[50]
Large employers in the town include the Tesco in Victoria Shopping Park, employing 220 people,[51] as well as anAmazon fulfillment centre located inRugeley which employs 1000 permanent staff members.[52] Amazon contracts a dailyNational Express West Midlands bus which runs fromWillenhall to the fulfillment centre through Hednesford.[53]
Historically,coal mining was a very important industry in Hednesford, employing thousands of people in the area[25] with upwards of 48 coal mines onCannock Chase Coalfield.[54]Coal production decreased locally as well as nationally throughout the 1970s and 1980s,[55] and the last coal mine on the coalfield,Littleton Colliery, closed in 1993.[56]
The town centre of Hednesford is home to a miners' memorial. 3,500 miners are commemorated on individual bricks on a wall topped with a model of aDavy lamp, as well as placed into the ground surrounding Hednesford's clock tower.[25]
The town also houses the Museum of Cannock Chase, built on the site of the former Valley Colliery. The museum is dedicated to the history of coal mining in the region but also hosts community events.[63] It is operated by the Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust.[64]
Hednesford lies 3 miles (4.8 km) west of the ruins ofBeaudesert Hall, formerly one of the family seats of theMarquesses of Anglesey. Demolition began in 1935 but was never completed, and today the site is used for recreation byscouting groups.[65][66] Another part of the estate has since been turned into the Beau Desert Golf Club.[67]
Hednesford's original bus station located off Victoria Street closed in 2012. The site was then used for the construction of Victoria Shopping Park.[74][75]
Kingsmead School, previously known as Kingsmead Technology College, andStaffordshire University Academy, previously known as Blake High School and Blake Valley Technology College, are bothsecondary schools for pupils aged 11–18 that serve the area. Both schools have academy status.[79][80] Hednesford Valley High School is a school for children withspecial educational needs, which services the local and wider areas.[81]
Hednesford also contains 5primary schools, with several others located in neighbouring towns.[82]
The town's most prominent sportsperson is former footballerBrian Horton, who played for the Pitmen in the late sixties and early seventies. After a long professional career, he went on to manageManchester City,Macclesfield Town andPort Vale amongst others.[87]
^L. Margaret Midgeley, ed. (1959)."Cannock: Manors and economic history".A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 5, East Cuttlestone Hundred.Archived from the original on 27 May 2023. Retrieved27 May 2023.
^"Hednesford Park".The Friends of Hednesford Park.Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved30 May 2023.
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