The ancient parishes of Cheshire were the group of parishes that existed in the English county of Cheshire, roughly within the period of 1200–1800.[1] Initially, the ancient parishes had only an ecclesiastical function, but reforms initiated by King Henry VIII, developed by Queen Elizabeth I and expanded by later legislation led them to acquire various secular functions that eventually led to a split between the ecclesiastical parishes and the purely civil parishes that exist today.[2]
Ancient parish overall details
The data are in the form of two tables: the first one gives information about each ancient parish whilst the second one gives information about each chapelry that may exist within each ancient parish. This complexity is brought about by having ancient parishes which, after the dissolution of the monasteries in the sixteenth century, possessed in some form or another both an ecclesiastical role and a civil role. This dual role existed until the nineteenth century.
Acton, Aston iuxta Mondrem, Austerson, Baddington, Brindley, Burland, Cholmondeston, Edleston, Faddiley, Henhull, Hurleston, Poole, Stoke, Worleston; most of Coole Pilate, small parts of Newhall, Baddiley, and Dodcott cum Wilkesley, and part of Sound.
At one time included the chapelries of Church Minshull, Nantwich, and Wrenbury, and possibly contained the parish of Baddiley.
The two parishes of Ashton upon Mersey and Bowdon were split up into numerous small portions which were inter-mingled in a complex manner and can only be distinguished completely by viewing the relevant tithe maps for the area.
Altrincham, Ashley, Bowdon, Dunham Massey, Hale, Timperley. Parts of Agden, Ashton upon Mersey, Baguley, Bollington. Partington (in Carrington Chapelry).
The two parishes of Bowdon and Ashton upon Mersey were split up into numerous small portions which were inter-mingled in a complex manner and can only be distinguished completely by viewing the relevant tithe maps for the area. Bowdon also once included the parish of Ashton upon Mersey.
Cheadle Bulkeley, Cheadle Moseley. The Bosden component of Handford cum Bosden township.
The two townships of Cheadle Bulkeley and Cheadle Moseley were split up into numerous small portions which were inter-mingled in a complex manner and can only be distinguished completely by viewing the relevant tithe maps for the area.
Bache, Croughton, Great Boughton, Iddinshall, Newton by Chester, Saint Oswald (Chester), Wervin. The Crabwall part of Blacon cum Crabwall, part of Upton, and the islands of Hilbre and Little Eye in the Dee Estuary were in this parish.
Iddinshall was the detached part of this parish, as were Hilbre island and Little Eye, which may once have been part of the ancient parish of West Kirby.
Originally an extra-parochial place which was part of Delamere Forest, the parish was formed by unifying the forest part with Eddisbury, Kingswood, and Oakmere townships.
Alvanley, Frodsham, Frodsham Lordship, Helsby, Kingsley, Manley, Newton by Frodsham, most of Norley.
Frodsham and Frodsham Lordship are so inter-mingled that one needs to refer to the tithe maps in order to distinguish between them. Within Frodsham, the hamlets of Bradley, Netherton, Overton, and Woodhouses approached township status in their own right.
Little Leigh, Lower Whitley, Lower Peover, Witton.
Allostock. Anderton, Antrobus, Appleton, Aston by Budworth, Barnton, Bartington, Castle Northwich, Cogshall, Comberbach, Crowley, Great Budworth, Hartford, Higher Whitley, Hulse, Lach Dennis, Little Leigh, Lostock Gralam, Lower Whitley, Marbury, Nether Peover, Nirches, Northwich, Peover Inferior, Pickmere, Plumley, Seven Oaks, Stretton, Tabley Inferior, Wincham, Winnington, Witton cum Twambrook. Most of Dutton was in this parish, as well as a detached portion of Marrston township. Witton chapelry also contained a small part of the Rudheath Lordship.
Agden, Bickerton, Bickley, Broxton, Bulkeley, Chidlow, Cholmondeley, Chorlton, Cuddington, Duckington, Edge, Egerton, Hampton, Iscoyd, Larton, Macefen, Malpas, Newton by Malpas, Oldcastle, Overton, Stockton, Tushingham cum Grindley, Wigland, Wychough. A detached part of Bradley was part of this parish.
Iscoyd was part of the Whitewell Chapelry, Flintshire, Wales. Cholmondeley is said to have the status of "chapel of ease". Harthill was probably at one time part of this parish.
Oulton Lowe, Wettenhall. A small part of Marton township. Part of Over township.
Little Budworth used to be a chapelry of this parish. Vale Royal abbey complicates matters for this parish, as most of its lands were in Over parish (with some also in Weaverham ancient parish) Upon dissolution, its church was made a separate parish of Whitegate which included another township originally in Over: Darnhall, and also a large part of Marton township.
Originally included the parishes of Alderley, and Taxal. Also originally included the chapelry of Chelford (made a parish in 1674), and Gawsworth (made a parish in 1382, and containing Mutlow, which is said to be the possible meeting place of the old Domesday Hundred of Hamestan.). Woodford is sometimes said to have been part of Poynton chapelry. Newton township was said to have a chapel of ease in a map of 1740, though it was noted to be entirely ruined.
High Legh, Marthall cum Warford, Peover Superior, Snelson, Mere, Millington, Rostherne, Tabley Superior, Tatton. Part of Agden and Bollington townships.
Once contained Knutsford chapelry, but this was made a full parish in 1741. High Legh and Tabley Superior were marked as being "chapels of eased" on a 1740 map.
Acton Grange, Aston by Sutton, Aston Grange, Clifton, Daresbury, Halton, Hatton, Keckwick, Moore, Newton by Daresbury, Norton, Preston on the hill, Runcorn, Stockham, Sutton iuxta Frodsham, Thelwall, Walton Inferior, Walton Superior, Weston. Part of Dutton.
Dutton township was in this parish and the parish of Great Budworth. Poolsey chapelry was built in 1236, near Dutton. It was "lost" when people abandoned it for the nearby Dutton chapel, and was last mentioned in 1778. Aston was made a parochial chapelry in 1635. Thelwall chapelry was a detached area associated with Daresbury chapelry.
Capenhurst, Great Saughall, Little Saughall, Shotwick, Woodbank
The extra-parochial area of Shotwick Park, which is entirely enclosed within this parish and the River Dee estuary, may once have been part of this parish,
Little Stanney, Stoke. Parts of the townships of Whitby, Backford, and Ince (that part in Eddisbury Hundred) were also in Stoke parish.
Stanlow and Great Stanney, although extra-parochial areas, seem later on to have had some connection with Stoke parish. Stoke parish may originally have been part of Chester Saint Oswald parish, which had burial rights in Stoke up to the late 13th century.
It is sometimes claimed that Barrow parish may have once been part of this parish. Prior's Hey, an extra-parochial area, was later on sometimes said to be part of Tarvin.
Acton, Cuddington, Onston, Wallerscote. Most of Crowton and Weaverham cum Milton townships.
A very small part of Crowton township lay in Norley township in Frodsham parish, and vice versa. The location of Vale Royal Abbey complicated the picture for Weaverham cum Milton township, with parts of that township (Hefferson Grange, Weaverham Wood, and small parts of Sandiway) being in Whitegate parish.
Caldy, Frankby, Grange, Great Meols, Hoose, Little Meols, Newton cum Larton, West Kirby. Most of Greasby township lay in this parish (with the remaining small part in Thurstaston parish.)
Darnhall. The greater part of Marton township parts of Over township; and parts of Weaverham townships lay in this parish.
The presence of Vale Royal Abbey and its dissolution in the sixteenth century complicates matters for this parish. It was created as a result of the abbey's dissolution, when the parish was also known as "New Church"
Arrowe, Barnston, Landican, Noctorum, Oxton, Pensby, Prenton, Thingwall, Woodchurch. The greater part of Irby township was in this parish, as was a small part of Claughton cum Grange township.
It is claimed that Woodchurch township might once have originally been part of Landicam, which in turn might have possible origins in a church that predates the Domesday book.
Basford, Batherton, Blakenhall, Bridgemere, Checkley cum Wrinehill, Chorlton, Doddington, Hatherton, Hough, Hunsterson, Lea, Rope, Shavington cum Gresty, Stapeley, Walgherton, Weston, Wybunbury. Part of Willaston township was in this parish.
Most of Wrinehill (in Checkley cum Wrinehill) was in Staffordshire. The parish was originally much larger, and included the parishes of Audlem, Coppenhall, Wistaston, and (possibly) Baddiley.
Macclesfield Forest and Wildboarclough were made a separate chapelry known as Macclesfield Forest chapelry sometime before 1789. Pott Shrigley, Rainow, and Wincle were also later made separate chapelries.
Downes Chapel was said to be here in 1472. Pott Shrigley was originally part of Macclesfield chapelry in Prestbury parish, but was later made a separate chapelry in its own right.
Various areas of Cheshire were not included in any ancient parish. As Dunn states: The reasons are various and occasionally obscure. Dunn later goes on to state that associations with religious houses (priories, abbeys and so on) or with the Crown seem to explain most of them, but this area of research is still ongoing.[59] The following table contains the extra-parochial places or areas of Cheshire with some details about each of them:[59][60][61]
The separate portions of this Lordship were absorbed into the newly created parishes that contained them in the period from 1858 to 1866.
Formed the Rudheath Lordship, which was made up of a number of detached parts in Sandbach parish (Earnshaw township), Twemlow township (No Town Farm), and elsewhere.
Dodgson, J. McN. (1970a), The place-names of Cheshire. Part one: Country name, regional and forest names, river names, road names, the place-names of Macclesfield hundred, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN0-521-07703-6
Dodgson, J. McN. (1970b), The place-names of Cheshire. Part two: The place-names of Bucklow Hundred and Northwich Hundred, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN0-521-07914-4
Dodgson, J. McN. (1971), The place-names of Cheshire. Part three: The place-names of Nantwich Hundred and Eddisbury Hundred, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN0-521-08049-5
Dodgson, J. McN. (1972), The place-names of Cheshire. Part four: The place-names of Broxton Hundred and Wirral Hundred, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN0-521-08247-1
Dunn, F. I. (1987), The ancient parishes, townships and chapelries of Cheshire, Chester: Cheshire Record Office and Cheshire Diocesan Record Office, ISBN0-906758-14-9
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Ormerod, G. (1882), History of the county palatine of Chester. (3 Volumes) (Edition edited by Helsby, T ed.)
Phillips, A. D. M.; Phillips, C. B. (2002), A new historical atlas of Cheshire, Chester, UK: Cheshire County Council and Cheshire Community Council Publications Trust, ISBN0-904532-46-1
Sylvester, D.; Nulty, G. (1958), The historical atlas of Cheshire ((Third Edition) ed.), Chester, UK: Cheshire Community Council
Sylvester, D. (1980), A history of Cheshire. (The Darwen county history series). (2nd Edition.), London and Chichester, Sussex: Phillimore & Co. Ltd., ISBN0-85033-384-9
Youngs, F. A. (1991), Guide to the local administrative units of England. (Volume 2: Northern England), London: Royal Historical Society, ISBN9780901050670
Winchester, A. (2000), Discovering parish boundaries, Princes Risborough, United Kingdom: Shire Publications, ISBN0-7478-0470-2