The Wedgwoods of Harracles

The Wedgwoods of Harracles represented the senior Wedgwood line until their extinction, in the male line, in the eighteenth century. Harracles came into the Wedgwood family through the marriage, in 1470 of John Wedgewode of Dunwood to Mary Shaw, daughter and heiress of John Shaw. The estate was inherited by his son John Wedgewode who married Anne Bowyer (See Bowyer of Kynpersley) - a two generations later the elder John Wedgwood inherited Harracles whilst his brother Richard settled in Biddulph near his Bowyer kin - it is from him that most modern Wedgwoods descend. John the Elder's increased his fortune considerably, became Lord of the Manor of Horton and it is to him and his family (he married Mary Egrton of Wall Grange) that the Brass in Horton Church is dedicated - reproduced from Josiah C. Wedgwood's A History of the Wedgwood Family (1908).

The lineage of the Harracles Wedgwood can be found here:

http://www.wedgwood.org.uk/HarraclesI.html

and an account of Harracles, now called Harracles Hall is given in the Victoria County History of Staffordshire, reproduced on the Wedgwood Family website here:

http://www.wedgwood.org.uk/Harracles.html


The Wedgwood Museum has a number of indentures pertaining to the family.


Further information on the village of Horton can be found here: http://www.thornber.net/staffs/html/horton.html