Lichfield St Michael in 1872

LICHFIELD St. Michael's church stands on Greenhill, at the SE side of the city; was erected in the time of Henry VIII., and partially rebuilt in 1644; has a fine spire; and contains a good font, an effigies of William de Watton of the time of Edward III., and many handsome monuments. A cemetery connected with it covers seven acres, is the chief cemetery of the city, contains the grave of Dr. Johnson's father, and is intersected by a noble avenue of elm trees.

St. Michael's parish includes also the hamlet of Freeford, the chapelry of Hammerwich, and the townships of Pipehill, Wall, Burntwood, Fisherwick, and Streethay, comprising 11,906 acres, and containing, within Hammerwich and Burntwood, recently opened coal-mines. Real property of the city portion, £10,196. Pop. of the whole, 5,112. Houses, 1,034. Pop. of the city portion, 1,986. Houses, 414.

The living of St. Michael is a perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Lichfield. Value, £368:  Patron, the Vicar of St. Mary. The perpetual curacies of Wall and Burntwood, within St. Michael's parish, also are separate benefices.

An 1872 Gazetteer description of the following places in Lichfield St Michael is to be found on a supplementary page.

• Edgehill
• Fisherwick
• Freeford
• Wall
• Woodhouses

[Description(s) from The Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72) - Transcribed by Mike Harbach ©2020]