I am currently researching a small village called Alstonefield (alternative spelling Alstonfield) in the Staffordshire Moorlands. Close to the Derbyshire boarder, Alstonefield is a small village, with quaint houses, farms and green rolling hills.
In the centre is the village green, and St Peter’s Church with it’s bell tower a prominent feature on the landscape.
The church has had some alterations over the years, but part of the main church, naive and chancel date from the 1100’s, with some evidence of Saxon carvings dating much earlier.
More evidence within the graveyard includes Saxon crosses, some unfinished suggesting that this was a manufacturing site of such stone carvings. A square base stone supporting part of an Anglo-Scandinavian cross, cared in the 900’s survives. Some further fragments of stone carvings have been found within the graveyard and neighbouring gardens.
The gravestone of Ann Green, who died on the 11th April 1518 is believed to be the oldest identifiable gravestone in the country. The village commemorates each year with the Ann Green Festival, within the community.
Research is currently being compiled to search the vicars of Alstonefield. Please do get in touch if you have any information which could be contributed towards this community project.