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Rugeley
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Rugeley, historically known as Rudgeley, is a market town in the county
of Staffordshire, England. It lies on the northern edge of Cannock
Chase, and is situated roughly midway between the towns of Stafford,
Cannock and Lichfield. The River Trent and the Trent and Mersey Canal
pass through the town.
In the
mediaeval period, Rugeley thrived on iron workings and was also a site
of glass manufacturing. The town was a centre of coal mining until
1991, when the Lea Hall colliery was demolished.
In 1855,
the town gained notoriety when a local doctor, William Palmer, was
accused of murdering an acquaintance, John Parsons Cook. It was claimed
that Cook had been poisoned, and in the months that followed, Palmer
was implicated in the deaths of several other persons, including his
own wife and brother. He was put on trial for the murder of Cook in
1856, and an Act of Parliament was passed to allow the trial to be held
at The Old Bailey, London, as it was felt that a fair jury could not be
found in Staffordshire. Palmer was found guilty of murder, and hanged
publicly outside Stafford gaol on June 14, 1856.
Rugeley
is twinned with the town of Western Springs, Illinois.
External links
Rugeley Web
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