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{{Infobox UK place
| official_name = Lichfield
<!-- | local_name = City of Lichfield -->
| type = [[City status in the United Kingdom|City]] and [[civil parish]]
|
| civil_parish = Lichfield
| region = West Midlands
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| area_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lichfield.gov.uk/cc-statistics.ihtml|title=Lichfield City Council - Statistics|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724162428/http://www.lichfield.gov.uk/cc-statistics.ihtml|archive-date=24 July 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
| area_total_km2 = 14.02
| population =
| population_ref =
| os_grid_reference = SK115097
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| shire_county = [[Staffordshire]]
| website = [http://www.lichfield.gov.uk/ www.lichfield.gov.uk]
| module = {{Infobox mapframe|stroke-width=1|zoom=11|height=160|width=240}} City map
}}
'''Lichfield''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|ɪ|tʃ|f|iː|l|d}}) is a [[city status in the United Kingdom|cathedral city]] and [[Civil parishes in England|civil parish]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/about-statistics/geography/products/geog-products-area/names-codes/administrative/index.html |title=Names and codes for Administrative Geography |date=31 December 2008 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=15 September 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100403045115/http://www.ons.gov.uk/about-statistics/geography/products/geog-products-area/names-codes/administrative/index.html |archive-date=3 April 2010 }}</ref> in [[Staffordshire]], [[England]]. Lichfield is situated
Notable for its three-spired medieval [[Lichfield Cathedral|cathedral]], Lichfield was the birthplace of [[Samuel Johnson]], the writer of the first authoritative ''[[A Dictionary of the English Language|Dictionary of the English Language]]''. The city's [[recorded history]] began when [[Chad of Mercia]] arrived to establish his [[Diocese of Lichfield|Bishopric]] in 669 AD and the settlement grew as the ecclesiastical centre of [[Mercia]]. In 2009, the [[Staffordshire Hoard]], the largest hoard of [[Anglo-Saxons|Anglo-Saxon]] gold and silver metalwork, was found {{convert|
The development of the city was consolidated in the 12th century under [[Roger de Clinton]], who fortified the [[Cathedral Close, Lichfield|Cathedral Close]] and also laid out the town with the ladder-shaped street pattern that survives to this day. Lichfield's heyday was in the 18th century, when it developed into a thriving coaching city. This was a period of great intellectual activity; the city was the home of many famous people including Samuel Johnson, [[David Garrick]], [[Erasmus Darwin]] and [[Anna Seward]], prompting Johnson's remark that Lichfield was "a city of philosophers".
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Today, the city still retains its old importance as an ecclesiastical centre, and its industrial and commercial development has been limited. The centre of the city has over 230 [[Listed buildings in Lichfield|listed buildings]] (including many examples of [[Georgian architecture]]) and preserves much of its historic character.
==
The origin of the modern name "Lichfield" is twofold. At [[Wall, Staffordshire|Wall]], {{convert|3.5|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of the current city, there was a [[Romano-British culture|Romano-British]] village, [[Letocetum]], a [[Common Brittonic]] place name meaning "
The modern day city of Lichfield, and the Roman villa of Letocetum, are just two miles (3 km) apart. While these names are distinct in modern usage, they had a common derivation in the Brittonic original Letocaiton, indicating that "grey wood" referred to the region inclusive of modern day Lichfield City and the Roman villa.<ref name=":0" />
The earliest record of the name is when Chad (later Saint Chad) moves from York to Lichfield in 669. "Chad was made Bishop of the Mercians immediately after his deposition; Wilfred gave him the place (locus) at Lichfield (Onlicitfelda)<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Sargent |first=Andrew |title=Lichfield and the Lands of St Chad |date=2020 |publisher=University of Hertfordshire Press |year=2020 |isbn=978-1-912260-24-9 |pages=Pages 90, 264 |language=English}}</ref>
The prefix "on" indicates that the place given to Chad by Wilfrid was "in LIchfield", indicating the name was understood to apply to a region rather than a specific settlement.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Johnson |first=Douglas |title=VCH Staffordshire |publisher=Greenslade |edition=Volume 14, page 38}}</ref>
In the Lastingham Narrative (LN) of the same time, it stated that Chad acquired Licidfelth as his episcopal seat (sedes episcolpalem).<ref>Lastingham Narrative section of the Ecclesiastical History of the English People by the Venerable Bede, 731 CE</ref>
Popular etymology has it that a thousand Christians were martyred in Lichfield around AD 300 during the reign of [[Diocletian]] and that the name Lichfield actually means "field of the dead" (see ''[[lich]]''). There is no evidence to support this legend, as with many [[Folk etymology|folk etymologies]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42340|title=Explaining the origin of the 'field of the dead' legend|publisher=British History Online|access-date=20 November 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526054813/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42340|archive-date=26 May 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>
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During the 9th century, Mercia was devastated by Danish [[Vikings]]. Lichfield itself was unwalled and the cathedral was despoiled, so [[Peter of Lichfield|Bishop Peter]] moved the see to the fortified and wealthier [[Chester]] in 1075. At the time of the [[Domesday Book]] survey (1086), Lichfield was held by the [[bishop of Chester]]; Lichfield was listed as a small village. The lord of the manor was the Bishop of Chester until the reign of [[Edward VI of England|Edward VI]].[[File:Staffordshire hoard annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Staffordshire Hoard]] was discovered in a field near Lichfield]] In 1102 Bishop Peter's successor, [[Robert de Limesey]], transferred the see from Chester to Coventry. The Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield had seats in both locations; work on the present Gothic cathedral at Lichfield began in 1195. (In 1837 the see of Lichfield acquired independent status, and the style 'Bishop of Lichfield' was adopted.)
In 1153 a markets charter was granted by King Stephen and, ever since, weekly markets have been held in the Market Square.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Markets - Lichfield City Council |url=https://www.lichfield.gov.uk/Markets_702.aspx#:~:text=Lichfield%20Markets&text=In%20the%201550%27s,%20during%20the,so%20to%20die%20in%20England. |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=www.lichfield.gov.uk}}</ref>
[[File:Lichfield Cathedral 2010-10-13.jpg|thumb|Lichfield Cathedral in modern times.]]
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The policies of [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] had a dramatic effect on Lichfield. The [[English Reformation|Reformation]] brought the disappearance of [[pilgrim]] traffic following the destruction of St Chad's shrine in 1538, which was a major loss to the city's economic prosperity. That year too the [[The Franciscan Friary, Lichfield|Franciscan Friary]] was dissolved, the site becoming a private estate. Further economic decline followed the outbreak of [[Black Death|plague]] in 1593, which resulted in the death of over a third of the entire population.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42337|title='Lichfield: From the Reformation to c.1800', A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 14: Lichfield (1990), pp. 14-24.|publisher=British History Online|access-date=22 November 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526054843/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=42337|archive-date=26 May 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>
Three people were burned at the stake for [[heresy]] under Mary I. The last public burning at the stake for heresy in England took place in Lichfield, when [[Edward Wightman]] from [[Burton upon Trent]] was [[Execution by burning|executed by burning]] in the Market Place on 11 April 1612 for promoting himself as the divine [[Paraclete]] and Saviour of the world.<ref>[[s:Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 61.djvu/201|Wikisource: ''Dictionary of National Biography'']]</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=9AxAAAAAYAAJ
[[File:Dr-Johnson.jpg|thumbnail|upright|200px|[[Samuel Johnson]] was born in Breadmarket Street in 1709]]
[[File:Samuel Johnson Statue.jpg|thumb|200px|Statue of Dr Johnson in Lichfield's Market Square<br />"The Doctor's statue, which is of some inexpensive composite painted a shiny brown, and of no great merit of design, fills out the vacant dulness of the little square in much the same way as his massive personality occupies—with just a margin for [[David Garrick|Garrick]]—the record of his native town."—[[Henry James]], ''Lichfield and Warwick'', 1872]]
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The first council houses were built in the Dimbles area of the city in the 1930s. The outbreak of [[World War II]] brought over 2,000 [[Evacuations of civilians in Britain during World War II|evacuees]] from industrialised areas. However, due to the lack of heavy industry in the city, Lichfield escaped lightly, although there were [[strategic bombing|air raids]] in 1940 and 1941 and three Lichfeldians were killed. Just outside the city, [[Wellington Bomber]]s flew out of Fradley Aerodrome, which was known as [[RAF Lichfield]]. After the war the council built many new houses in the 1960s, including some high-rise flats, while the late 1970s and early 1980s saw the construction of a large housing estate at Boley Park in the south-east of the city. The city's population tripled between 1951 and the late 1980s.
The city has continued expanding to the west. The Darwin Park housing estate has been under development for a number of years and has swelled the city's population by approximately 3,000. Plans
== Governance ==
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Based on the resident's location in Lichfield Distrist, there are technically two MPs. The current Member of Parliament for Lichfield, including the whole of the City, is the Conservative [[Michael Fabricant]], who has been MP for Lichfield since 1997. Fabricant was first elected for the [[Mid Staffordshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Mid Staffordshire constituency]] in [[1992 United Kingdom general election|1992]], regaining the seat for the Conservatives following [[Sylvia Heal]]'s victory for [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] at the [[1990 Mid Staffordshire by-election|1990 by-election]]. Fabricant took the seat with a majority of 6,236 and has remained a Member of Parliament since. The Mid Staffordshire seat was abolished at the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 general election]], but Fabricant contested and won the Lichfield constituency, which partially replaced it, by just 238 votes. He has remained the Lichfield MP since, increasing his majority to 4,426 in [[2001 United Kingdom general election|2001]], 7,080 in [[2005 United Kingdom general election|2005]], 17,683 in [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010]], 18,189 in [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015]], 18,581 in [[2017 United Kingdom general election|2017]] and 23,638 in [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019]].
[[Sarah Edwards (British politician)|Sarah Edwards]] was elected to the [[Tamworth (UK Parliament constituency)|Tamworth constituency]] in a [[2023 Tamworth by-election|byelection in 2023]].<ref name="bbc2023">{{cite news |title=Labour overturn 19,000 Tory majority for 'incredible' Tamworth win |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-67165541 |access-date=20 October 2023 |work=BBC News |date=20 October 2023}}</ref> [[Chris Pincher|Christopher Pincher]] was the previous MP until a [[Chris Pincher scandal|highly publicised scandal]] in 2022 after which he had the Conservative [[Whip (politics)|whip]] revoked and subsequently sat as an [[Independent politician|independent]] before announcing his resignation in September 2023.
==Geography==
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* Darwin Park
* The Dimbles
* Leomonsley
* Nether Stowe
* Sandfields
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== Demography ==
At the time of the
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; width:70%; border:0; text-align:center; line-height:120%;"
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! style="background:#fff; color:navy;"| 2001
! style="background:#fff; color:navy;"| 2011
! style="background:#fff; color:navy;"|2021
|- style="text-align:center;"
! style="background:#9cc; color:navy; height:17px;"| Population
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| style="background:#fff; color:black;"| 27,900
| style="background:#fff; color:black;"| 32,219
| style="background:#fff; color:black;"| 34,738
|- style="text-align:center;"
! style="background:#9cc; color:navy; height:17px;"| %±
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| style="background:#fff; color:black;"| -2.7%
| style="background:#fff; color:black;"| 15.5%
| style="background:#fff; color:black;"| 7.8%
|- style="text-align:center;"
|}
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In the Middle Ages, the main industry in Lichfield was making woollen cloth; there was also a leather industry. Much of the surrounding area was open pasture, and there were many surrounding farms.
In the 18th century, Lichfield became a busy coaching centre. Inns and hostelries grew up to provide accommodation, and industries dependent on the coaching trade such as coach builders, corn and hay merchants, saddlers and tanneries began to thrive. The
The invention of the railways saw a decline in coach travel, and with it came the decline in Lichfield's prosperity. By the end of the 19th century, [[brewing]] was the principal industry, and in the neighbourhood were large market gardens which provided food for the growing populations of nearby Birmingham and the [[Black Country]].
Today there are a number of light industrial areas, predominantly in the east of the city, not dominated by any one particular industry. The district is famous for two local manufacturers: [[Armitage Shanks]], makers of baths/bidets and showers, and [[Arthur Price|Arthur Price of England]], master cutlers and silversmiths. Many residents commute to Birmingham.
The city is home to [[Central England Co-operative]] (and its predecessor [[Midlands Co-operative Society]]), the second largest independent consumer co-operative in the UK.
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The city is served by the Samuel Johnson Community Hospital located on Trent Valley Road. This hospital replaced the now-demolished Victoria Hospital in 2006.
==Media==
Local news and television programmes are provided by [[BBC West Midlands]] and [[ITV Central]]. Television signals are received from the [[Sutton Coldfield transmitting station|Sutton Coldfield]] transmitter. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Sutton_Coldfield|title=Sutton Coldfield (Birmingham, England) Full Freeview transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|accessdate=25 September 2023}}</ref>
The city's local radio stations are [[BBC Radio WM]], [[Capital Mid-Counties]], [[Heart West Midlands]], [[Greatest Hits Radio Birmingham & The West Midlands]], [[Smooth West Midlands]], [[Free Radio Birmingham]] and [[Cannock Chase Radio FM]], a community radio station that broadcast from [[Cannock Chase]]. <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cannockchaseradio.co.uk/|title=Cannock Chase Radio |access-date=25 September 2023}}</ref>
Local newspapers are [[Lichfield Mercury]] and Lichfield Live. <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/|title=Lichfield Live |access-date=25 September 2023}}</ref>
== Places of interest ==
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*The Market Square - In the centre of the city, the square contains two statues, one of Samuel Johnson overlooking the house in which he was born, and one of his great friend and biographer, [[James Boswell]].
*[[Beacon Park]] - An {{convert|81|acre|ha|0|adj=on}} public park in the centre of the city, used for many sporting and recreational activities.
*[[Minster Pool]] & [[Stowe Pool]] - The two lakes occupying 16 acres in the heart of Lichfield: Stowe Pool is designated a [[Site of Special Scientific Interest|SSSI]] site as it is home to native White-Clawed Crayfish. By Stowe Pool stands Johnson's Willow, a descendant of the original enormous tree which was much admired and visited by Samuel Johnson. In 2021
*[[The Franciscan Friary,Lichfield|The Franciscan Friary]] - The ruins of the former Friary in Lichfield, now classed as a [[Scheduled monument|Scheduled Ancient Monument]].
*[[Lichfield Clock Tower]] - A Grade II listed 19th century clock tower, located south of Festival Gardens.
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===Buses===
Lichfield has regular bus services in and around the city, in addition to longer distance services. The bus station is located on Birmingham Road, opposite Lichfield City railway station, although as part of the Friarsgate development plans have been approved for it to be moved next to the railway station. [[Arriva Midlands]], [[Diamond
Lichfield has college services for the [[Rodbaston]] campus of [[South Staffordshire College]], run by
===Road===
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[[File:Julian Arguelles.jpg|thumb|160px|Julian Arguelles]]
[[File:Siobhan Dillon West End Live 2010.jpg|thumb|160px|Siobhan Dillon 2010]]
* [[Alasdair Steele-Bodger]] CBE, FRCVS (1924–2008), veterinary surgeon
* [[Elaine Horseman]] (1925–1999), author
* [[Denis Alva Parsons]] MBE, ARBS (1934–2012), sculptor<ref>[http://stjosephsdarlaston.co.uk/misc.htm St Joseph's R.C. Church, Church Street, Darlaston, Denis Parsons MBE – Artist in wood and stone] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902074514/http://stjosephsdarlaston.co.uk/misc.htm |date=2 September 2018 }} retrieved December 2017</ref>
* [[Michael Laskey]] (born 1944), poet<ref>[http://www.poetryinternationalweb.net/pi/site/poet/item/10932 Poetry International Rotterdam, Michael Laskey, (United Kingdom, 1944)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223044526/http://www.poetryinternationalweb.net/pi/site/poet/item/10932 |date=23 December 2017 }} retrieved December 2017</ref> and editor
* [[Tony Christie]] (born 1943), singer<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/tv/tony-christies-heartbreaking-admission-breaks-26063806.amp | title=Tony Christie's heartbreaking admission as he breaks silence on dementia | date=24 January 2023 }}</ref>
* [[John Hinch (musician)|John Hinch]] (1947–2021) drummer, original drummer of [[Judas Priest]]
* [[Louis Lillywhite|Lieutenant General Louis Lillywhite]] CB, MBE, QHS (born 1948) retired British Army physician,<ref>[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/58929/supplement/2 The London Gazette, Publication date: 31 December 2008, Supplement:58929, Page:2] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180126031348/https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/58929/supplement/2 |date=26 January 2018 }} retrieved December 2017</ref> [[Surgeon-General (United Kingdom)|Surgeon-General]] 2006/2009
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* [[James Austin (judoka)|James Austin]] (born 1983) judoka, competed at the [[2012 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Adam Christodoulou]] (born 1989), racing driver
* [[Freya Gregory]] (born 2003), footballer
== Twinnings ==
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[[Category:Lichfield| ]]
[[Category:Cities in the West Midlands (region)]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Staffordshire]]
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