Staffordshire

Staffordshire, county, central England; Stafford is the administrative center. The county lies across the upper reaches of the Trent River and has a gently rolling terrain except in the north, where the southern tip of Peak District National Park incorporates an area of upland moors. Agriculture, especially dairy farming, predominates. Staffordshire includes the Potteries District, the area around Stoke-on-Trent that has been famous for the manufacture of porcelain, especially its lead-glazed earthenware figures—known as the Staffordshire figures—since the 18th century. Coal is mined in the southern section. In Anglo-Saxon times the area was included in the kingdom of Mercia. The area was invaded by the Danes at the end of the 9th century, and it was the scene of much fighting for the next two centuries. In 1997 Stoke-on-Trent was administratively separated from Staffordshire, although it remains part of the county geographically.