The estate was held by the Wolseley family from the 11th century, when Edric de Wholesley lived here.

It was granted to the family as a reward for killing the wolves which, by attacking the deer, were detrimental to the King's hunting in the county.

During the reign of Edward IV, Ralph Wolseley, who was a Baron of the Exchequer, created a deer park, and was granted a licence to crenellate the house.

[1][2][3][4] Sir Robert Wolseley, 1st Baronet (1587–1646), was a Royalist army officer during the Civil War.

It is now the Wolseley Centre: a nature reserve and the headquarters of the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust since 2003.