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Welcome to Endon with Stanley Parish Council

History of Endon

Endon Village

Endon is situated four miles south – west of Leek. Although there is a considerable amount of modern development along the road from the town of Leek to Stoke, Endon has an old village centre off the main road. The village is known for its annual well dressing.

The name Endon is thought to mean ‘Eana’s hill’, Eana being a woman’s personal name. This may refer to Endon Bank.

Endon is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ‘Enedun’ part of the King’s lands. Very little information is recorded however other than that there was enough land for one to two ploughs to till. The value of the manor was not given.

By the time of the Hearth Tax assessment of 1666, 40 people were assessed as liable to pay tax. The largest house had six hearths and belonged to Joseph Wilkinson. By the time of the 1821 census, the population was 445 and had reached 3,288 in the 1991 census.

There was a chapel at Endon as early as 1246. Endon’s present parish church is dedicated to St Luke and was built between 1719 and 1721 by subscription from local inhabitants. There was extensive rebuilding of the church in the late 19th century. The east window was designed by Morris and Co. In 1832 a Primitive Methodist chapel was opened at Hill Top and a New Connexion chapel was opened in 1888 which closed in 1977.

Local Photographs1The well dressing festival started in the parish in 1845. It is said to have been originated by a local shoemaker and his wife who, in that year, dressed a new well head, erected over Sinner’s Well and donated to the village by Thomas Heaton. The well dressing takes place on Spring Bank Holiday Monday. In Victorian times it attracted very large numbers such as over 2,000 in 1872. The attendance was no doubt helped by the development in 1867 of the railway from Stoke upon Trent to the Churnet Valley line at Leekbrook. This ran through the village and the original station for Endon was on the road to Stanley. This station closed in 1960. Another station was opened later in 1896 at Stockton Brook. It was closed in 1956 although the timber clad building is still there. The Caldon Canal also runs through Endon.

Industry in the area was represented tanyards, a fulling mill and by a large quarry, situated west of Moss Hill. The fine quality stone which it produced was used by the pottery industry. Heatons, well-known land surveyors in the county, have been based in Endon since 1804.

Educational provision came to Endon early. John Wedgwood gave land for a school adjoining the churchyard in 1750 and the building was put up by public subscription. The school was endowed by later charities and eventually it became known as Endon Parochial School, administered by a body of trustees. In 1939 this school became a junior school and was then known as St Luke’s Church of England Controoled School from 1958. It moved from its historic site in 1963 to a new school building on Leek Road. In the 19th century, this day school provision was also supplemented by Sunday schools run by the Church of England and the Methodist chapels.