Description:Seighford is situated close to the west of Stafford. The name may derive from the Anglo-Saxon word, ‘seohtre’, a brook, so meaning a ‘ford over a brook’. At the time of the Domesday Survey of 1086, Seighford, or Cesteforde, was held by the Bishop of Chester. The manor was a sizeable one, also incorporating Aston, Doxey, Coton Clanford and Bridgeford and with sufficient arable land to merit eight ploughs.
The Seighford estate held by the Eld family, who began to purchase land in Seighford and the adjoining parishes from the 16th century onwards, becoming the main landowners in the area. Seighford Hall is said to have been given to Richard Eld by Queen Elizabeth I as a reward for his services as paymaster to the Royal forces in Ulster. Elizabeth’s coat of arms is over one of the fireplaces in the Hall. The building is timber-framed and is now a home for the elderly.
The Hearth Tax returns of 1666 list 25 households in Seighford and 12 in Great and Little Bridgeford, as liable for the payment of the tax.
The dedication of the parish church to St Chad suggests that there may have been a church here in Saxon times. The present church has substantial Norman features, notably the north arcade and the chancel arch. Some rebuilding was carried out in 1748 and the tower dates from that date.
In the early 20th century, agriculture was the predominant economy of the village, supported by agriculturally- related trades. Wheat, barley and oats were the main crops. In 1928, however, there was a pianoforte dealer to be found at Seighford.
An operational wartime airfield, or relief landing ground, was opened at Seighford in 1942 and Vickers Wellington III bombers were flown from here until 1945. It was also the base for the D-Day gliders, Horsas and Hotspurs. In 1956 the aerodrome was acquired by Boulton Paul and used for aircraft research and development. The runway was lengthened in 1959 when Canberras flew from here. Boulton Paul left the site in 1966 and attempts to gain planning permission to develop Seighford as an airport for Stoke on Trent foundered.