Acton Trussell
Acton Trussell is a village in the English county of Staffordshire. It is known as Actone in the Domesday Book. Located around 4 miles southeast of Stafford, it is an affluent village, with many large homes but few local amenities (except for a Post Office which opens Tuesdays and Thursdays). Residents in this village have excellent views of Staffordshire farmland and Stafford Castle in the distance. Its close proximity to the M6 motorway (Junction 13) makes it a very convenient location for commuters. The majority of commuting from the village takes place to the areas of southern Staffordshire , eastern Shropshire and the West Midlands conurbation. Etymology. The name 'Acton' is derived from the Anglo-Saxon "Āctūn" meaning oak ("āc") + town ("tūn"); the Trussells were a Norman family who were early lords of the manor. St James church. The village church dedicated to St James was originally built in 1212. It was then enlarged and rebuilt in 1869 under the direction of G E Street, the architect being Andrew Capper. The main additions were a combined vestry and organ chamber on the north side and a new south porch. The church was re-opened after restoration in 1870  having been closed for 44 years. The churchyard contains war graves of a Durham Light Infantry soldier of World War I and a Royal Engineers soldier of World War II. The Moat House. The village has one very large pub and hotel 'The Moat House' not to be confused with 'The Moat House Group'. The Moat House in Acton Trussell is owned independently by the Lewis family. The pub section of the hotel was the original farm house built on the property. Roman Villa. In May 1985 the semi hexagonal wing of a Roman villa was discovered in the Churchyard . The wing of a Roman villa was discovered in 1985 outside the east boundary of the churchyard; excavations have been ongoing since then, carried out by Penk Valley Archaeological Group. The work has shown that occupation of the site dates back to at least the Neolithic period (late Stone Age), with finds from the Bronze Age and Iron Age proving continuing occupation up to and including the Romano-British period. The wing is a 2nd-century addition to a rectangular building in the churchyard; by the 4th century further additions had been made, and the now old 2nd-century villa , including the wing, was rebuilt. There are extensive ditched enclosures of the 1st and late 2nd centuries, replaced with a walled enclosure in the 4th century when the villa was extended. The size of the final build stretches from the wing, just outside the east boundary, westward to the tower, and is at least 43 metres. This was proved by a watching brief carried out in 2010 during pipework installation for toilet and tea-making facilities in the church.