Lichfield

Lichfield is a cathedral city in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is around 15 miles north east of Birmingham, and 25 miles south west of Derby. The city has a population of around 35,000.

Lichfield is primarily known for its early 13th century cathedral, one of only three in Britain to have 3 spires, as well as for being the birthplace of Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), the author of the first English dictionary. The cathedral and Johnson's birthplace are the town's popular tourist attractions.

Name origin

The name for the 1st-5th century Roman settlement in the area was Letocetum, which is from Common Brittonic for "grey wood". Following the arrival of Anglo-Saxons in the mid-5th century, the name passed into Old English as Licid, to which was added the word feld ("field").