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Norton le Moors
St Bartholomew's Church, Norton le Moors
Norton le Moors Location within Staffordshire
Population	11,157
OS grid reference	SJ8907751462
District	North Staffordshire
Shire county	Staffordshire
Region	West Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Postcode district	ST6
Police	Staffordshire
Fire	Staffordshire
Ambulance	West Midlands
UK Parliament	Staffordshire

The ecclesiastical parish of Norton le Moors is found at the north-eastern corner of the city of Stoke-On-Trent, in the county of Staffordshire. The majority of the parish is in the city however some lies in the Staffordshire Moorlands district. It is approximately 3.4 miles (5.5 km) from Hanley, one of six major towns that joined together to form the city of Stoke-on-Trent in 1910. Norton le Moors borders Ball Green in the north, Stockton Brook in the east, Milton in the south, and Bradeley in the west, making it one of a number of small villages in the Stoke area. The school in Norton is known as Norton Primary School.

History

The civil parish of Norton le Moors was established in 1837 until it was abolished in 1965 and incorporated into the parishes of Bagnall, Brown Edge and Stoke on Trent. Two years later Norton Parish Council obtained permission to change its name to Brown Edge Parish Council. Norton le Moors appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Nortone, meaning North town. At the time of the Domesday Survey the village was held by Robert de Stafford. During the Middles Ages the area developed due to its location on the road from Leek to Burslem, later turned turnpiked as the Leek to Newcastle road.

Population

As of 2001, the population for the ward of Norton and Bradeley stood at 11,157 however the population for Norton le Moors itself has significantly changed over time. The UK National Census revealed that in 1801, the total population for the parish was 1480 and up until 1891 the population continued to increase. In 1901 the population of the parish had dropped from 9919 in 1891 to 4600, a drop of 5319 people. The population started to increase again for the next 20 years until there was a decline in 1931. Since then the population has been steadily increasing.

Population data from 1801-1961

Year	Population 20 years earlier	Population 10 years earlier	Current Total Population
1801	-	-	1480
1811	-	1480	1761
1821	-	1761	1983
1831	-	1983	2407
1841	-	2407	2891
1851	-	2891	3327
1881	-	6902	8870
1891	-	8870	9919
1901	-	3692	4600
1911	-	4600	5299
1921	-	5299	5910
1931	-	3903	4462
1951	4462	-	6132
1961	-	6132	9000

Figures from the 2001 census show that the ward for Norton and Bradeley have 38.89% of economically active between the ages of 16-74 in full time employment, 10.83% in part time employment and 17.37% are retired.

Occupations

Norton developed largely due to the presence of coal and the introduction of iron trade to the parish. The first recorded collier in the parish registers was as early as 1598. A survey of records going back to 1778 showed that 14 mines were in operation in the parish drawing on seams called the Ten Feet, Little Row, Holly Lane, and Cockshead. As early as 1740 coal was being drawn at Whitfield, with Chatterley Whitfield Colliery opening for trading in 1867. However in 1872 it was bought out by the Chatterley Iron Company Limited to provide regular and convenient supply of coal for their iron furnaces. In 1804 an iron forge was sold at Ford Green. This was the forerunner of Ford Green ironworks, later extensively developed by Robert Heath.

File:1881 Norton le Moors Occupational Orders.png

1881 Occupational Orders

Statistics from the 1881 census data shows that the vast majority of employment and industry was in various mineral substances, which mainly employed men, however woman were also employed although in small numbers. Although occupation figures for woman were mainly unknown in 1881 the top occupation was in the domestic service or offices sector.

Church of St Bartholomew

Norton le Moors most noticeable landmark is the Church of St Bartholomew situated on Norton Lane. Built in 1737 (although significantly rebuilt in 1915,) the brick and stone parish church was built by Richard Trubshaw. The church of 1737 forms the western end of the present building. The building was doubled in size when the eastern half was added in 1915. To this day it remains as one of the oldest surviving buildings in the Staffordshire Potteries. The church's location perched on top of a hill makes for expansive views out towards neighbouring areas such as Smallthorne and Burslem to the west as well as views to the Staffordshire Moorlands in the south and the Peak District beyond to the east making for an attractive location.

Education

Situated in Norton to the north east of Stoke on Trent close to the city boundary in North Staffordshire, lies Norton Primary School. There has been a school in Norton since the 1890s however the schools new building was opened in 2002. Norton Primary School is a co-educational community school for children aged 3 to 11, maintained by the City of Stoke-on-Trent Children’s Services Department.

Location in the north of Stoke-on-Trent Holden Lane High School has a catchment from the neighbourhoods of Norton-le-Moors, Sneyd Green, Milton, Baddeley Green and Ball Green. Established in 1963 to accommodate 450 pupils the school has enlarged and established over the years and now accommodates over 1200 pupils aged 11-16.

Transport

By Car

Norton le Moors is accessible through a range of lanes such as Norton Lane, Endon Road and Knypersley Road. The main road that runs parallel to the village is Leek New Road which leads to Newcastle-under-Lyme and Leek.

By Train

The closest train station to Norton le Moors is Longport which is approximately 2.5 miles away from the centre of Norton le Moors

Sport

The local football team is Port Vale FC but a minority support their arch rivals Stoke City who got promoted to the Premier League in 2008 and have remained in the top division for the last few years.