Spath
village in Staffordshire, England, UK
Spath is a small village located 0.3 miles (0.48 km) north of Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, England. The village is on the River Tean and is separated from Uttoxeter by the A50 road.
History
In UK railway history, Spath was on the now disused Churnet Valley Line, owned and operated by North Staffordshire Railway. The village is notable as the site of the first automatic half barrier crossing in the United Kingdom, which came into operation on 5 February 1961. The railway closed four years later and the road which crossed it via the automatic crossing is now gated. There is no remaining visible sign of the crossing.
Spath was the original home of the Stevensons of Uttoxeter bus company.
The public source identifies “Spath” as village in Staffordshire, England, UK. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Spath, village and Staffordshire.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Spath”, the useful work is to connect “village in Staffordshire, England, UK” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 8, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q7574006. Authority coordinates are 52.915, -1.873. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1961.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Spath”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Spath primary sources, Spath archive and Spath research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Spath”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Spath” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.