In 1851 Stone was described as being pleasantly situated on the banks of the River Trent, and the Trent and Mersey Canal, seven miles N by W of Stafford, and nine miles SSE of Newcastle-under-Lyme. It was a very lively town, and a great thoroughfare for coaches, carriers and travellers, till the railways robbed it of this traffic. No fewer than 38 stage coaches passed through the town daily.