Description:The rural village of Enville is situated south- west of Wolverhampton on the county boundary and on the road between Stourbridge to Bridgenorth. The village is possibly best known first for the grounds of Enville Hall, one of the most spectacular gardens in the Midlands in the 19th century, and, second, for cricket. In 1857, the village ground was considered to be superior to that at Lords and it was used as one of the local grounds for a qualifying match in the Prudential World Cup of 1979.
The name of the village is recorded as Efnefeld in the Domesday Book and derives from the Old English ‘efn’, meaning even or level, and ‘feld’ meaning open land. The name fits the topographical description of the flat ground in the parish.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, the manor of Efnefeld, is recorded as belonging to William Fitz Ansculf, a tenant-in-chief of the King. Not a great deal is known about William, except that the centre of his estates was at Dudley, around which his lands were clustered. Gilbert was William’s tenant at Enville. The manor had enough land under cultivation to require four ploughs. In addition there were four acres of meadow and a substantial amount of woodland. The recorded population was five villeins (tenants who held land in return for labour services), one bordar (smallholders who had brought land into cultivation on the edges of the village) and one serf. The manor was worth 24 shillings annually.
22 people were assessed in Enville for the poll tax of 1327. In 1666, by the time of the Hearth Tax assessment, a total of 95 households were assessed as liable for the payment of the tax. 29 households were considered too poor to pay. Enville Hall was the largest property with a total of 29 hearths. By 1676, there were 500 people living in Enville. In the mid 19th century, the census of 1861 recorded 850 inhabitants.
The present Enville Hall, the Staffordshire seat of the Grey family, Earls of Stamford and Warrington, was remodelled in the second half of the 18th century. The grounds were laid out to their first planned landscape between 1739 and 1768 by Harry Grey, the fourth Earl of Stamford, and received much praise Enville was one of the most celebrated landscapes in the 18th century. William Shenstone of The Leasowes appears to have had some involvement in the design, possibly as an adviser, although precisely what his contribution was is unclear. However the Chapel, built in the woods, is dedicated to him. In the 19th century, the style of the gardens at Enville changed with the accession of the 7th Earl. John Aiton was the head gardener in 1847, one of a distinguished family of horticulturalists. Ribbon borders and numerous flower beds were introduced and there were many new garden features, including an eaglery. A splendid conservatory was built in 1855, which was finally demolished in 1938. The gardens were opened to the public in 1853 and became popular with visitors. The Stamford Arms Hotel was built in 1857, with stabling for 50 horses, to help to provide accommodation for visitors to the gardens.
The parish church is dedicated to St Mary and dates from the 12th century. It was restored and enlarged by George Gilbert Scott in 1872-1875. Nonconformity did not flourish in Enville, although Wesleyan Methodists worshipped .in the house of Richard Smallman in the mid-19th century. However a chapel was never built in the vollage.
There was early provision for education in Enville. A free school for boys was endowed by Edward Gravenor in 1654, originally providing schooling for six poor boys. This was to become the National School in the 1840s and accommodated both boys and girls. A girls’ Free School was founded by Lady Dorothy grey in 1755 for the education of 12 poor girls. She laid down very clear instructions. The girls were to be taught to read, knit, spin, wash, scour pewter and make butter and cheese. The schoolmistress was not to be under 30 years old, of the Anglican religion and always unmarried. If she married, a new school mistress had to be appointed. The children could be taken in from the age of five and continue until the age of 17, unless sooner qualified to go into service. Both of these original endowments were supplemented by later benefactions. In 1861 a new school was built in the village by Lady Stamford. This was to evolve eventually into the Countess of Stamford and Warrington Primary School.
Enville was noted for a particular variety of black cherry and this led to the name of the ‘Cherry Wakes’ being applied to the fairs held on successive Sundays in late July and August. In the 19th century, the wakes were particularly popular with people from the nearby Black Country and were noted for their rowdiness. This led to the event being shortened to one day only.