Great Budworth

"GREAT BUDWORTH, a parish, township, and village, chiefly in the hundred of Bucklow, but partly also in the hundreds of Eddisbury and Northwich, in the county palatine of Chester, 3 miles N. of Northwich, and 18 miles to the N.E. of Chester. Northwich is its post town. It is situated on the banks of the river Weaver, and contains the chapelries of Antrobus, Barnton, Hartford, Little Leigh, Lostock-Gralam, Lower Peover, Northwich or Watermen's Church, Stretton, Tabley Chapel, Lower Whitley, Wilderspool or Stockton Heath, and Witton-cum-Twambrooks, besides numerous townships The Bridgwater canal crosses the parish, and near the village are two small lakes, called Budworth Mere and Pickmere. Many of the inhabitants are employed in the salt-works of the neighbourhood. The living is a vicarage" in the diocese of Chester, of the annual value of £626, in the patronage of Christ Church College, Oxford. The church, dedicated to All Saints, is in the Gothic style of architecture. It is an ancient building, with a fine embattled tower, and contains monuments of the Pooles, Warburtons, and Leycesters, and a peal of eight of the finest bells in Cheshire. In addition to the parish church, there are twelve district churches, situated in the chapelries above enumerated. The livings of all but Tabley Chapel are perpetual curacies, varying in value between £168 and £80. These churches will be noticed under the several chapelries in which they are situated. The charitable endowments of the parish, including the revenue of the free grammar school at Witton, amount to about £440 per annum, of which £25 belongs to the township of Great Budworth. The principal seats are Belmont House and Arley Hall, in the township of Great Budworth; and Marbury Hall, the seat of the Barrys. In the parish are several very old-fashioned houses, built of wood and plaster. R.E.E. Warburton, Esq., is lord of the manor of Great Budworth. This parish is of considerable extent, comprising an area of 35,920 acres, with a population over 18,000. The soil is clay, with sand.

"ALLOSTOCK, a township in the parish of Great Budworth, in the hundred of Northwick, in the county palatine of Chester, 4 miles to the N.E. of Middlewich. It is situated on a branch of the river Weaver. The Unitarians have a chapel here."

"ANDERTON, a township in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Bucklow, in the county palatine of Chester, 2 miles to the N.W. of Northwich. It is situated on the river Weaver and the Grand Trunk canal. The London and North Western railway passes near it. There are extensive salt-works along the river side."

"ANTROBUS, a township in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Bucklow, in the county palatine of Chester, 4 miles to the N. of Northwich. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Chester, value £80, in the patronage of the vicar of the parish. Antrobus Hall is the seat of Sir E. W. Antrobus, Bart., who is the proprietor of the whole township."

"APPLETON, a township united with Hull, in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Bucklow, in the county palatine of Chester, 3 miles to the S.E. of Warrington. The Bridgwater canal passes a little to the north of the township. Appleton Lodge is the principal residence."

"ASTON-BY-BUDWORTH, a chapelry in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Bucklow, in the county palatine of Chester, 3 miles to the N. of Northwich. In this chapelry is Arley Hall, an ancient mansion with a moat, originally built at the commencement of the 15th century, and rebuilt about the year 1755. It was the seat of the Warburtons as early as the reign of Henry VII. The manor is now held by the Egertons."

"BAMPTON, a village in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Bucklow, in the county palatine of Chester, not far from Northwich."

"BARNTON, a township in the parish of Great Budworth, and hundred of Bucklow, in the county palatine of Chester, 2 miles from Northwich, its post town. The Trent and Mersey canal passes near it. The living is a perpetual curacy* in the diocese of Chester, of the value of £120, in the gift of the bishop. The Wesleyans have a chapel here."

"BARTINGTON, a township in the parish of Great Budworth, and hundred of Bucklow, in the county palatine of Chester, 4 miles to the N.W. of Northwich."

"BIRCHES, a township in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Northwich, in the county palatine of Chester, 3 miles to the E. of Northwich."

"CASTLE NORTHWICH, a township in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Eddisbury, in the county palatine of Chester, 1 mile from Northwich."

"COGSHALL, a township in the parish of Great Budworth, in the hundred of Bucklow, in the county of Chester, 3 miles N.W. of Northwich, its post town. It is situated on the N. bank of the river Weaver."

"COMBERBACH, a township in the parish of Great Budworth, in the hundred of Bucklow, in the county of Chester, 2 miles N.W. of Northwich, its post town. It contains a small lake called Comberbach Water."

"CROWLEY, a township in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Bucklow, in the county of Chester, 511, miles N. of Northwich, its post town, and 8 from Altrincham. The charities amount to £4 10s. per annum. By the Reform Act this township is included in the parliamentary limits of the borough of Wallingford."

"DANE BRIDGE, a village in the parish of Great Budworth, in the county of Chester, near Northwich. It is situated on the river Dane, near its junction with the Weaver. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Chester, value £130, in the patronage of the crown and bishop alternately."

"DUTTON, a township in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Bucklow, in the county palatine of Chester, 5 miles N.W. of Northwich, and 5 E. of Frodsham. It is situated near the river Weaver and the Grand Trunk canal. The grand Junction railway passes over Dutton-Bottom upon a viaduct of twenty arches, each being 63 feet span. This is the Duntune of Domesday Survey, when it belonged to the buttons, who still exercise peculiar authority over the strolling musicians and minstrels of the county. It gives the title of baron to the Duke of Hamilton. The trustees of the late Sir J. A. Aston are lords of the manor and sole proprietors."

"HARTFORD, a township and chapelry in the parish of Great Budworth, second division of the hundred of Eddisbury, county Chester, 1½ mile S.W. of Northwich, its post town, and 11 miles from Crewe. It is a station on the London and North-Western railway. The village, which is small, is situated on the river Weaver. It formerly belonged to the Twemlows. The soil is in general a stiff clay, alternating with gravel. The Manchester and Chester turnpike road is here carried over the railway by a viaduct. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Chester, value £117. The church, dedicated to St. John, is a rude brick structure with a tower containing a clock. There is a National school, with a small endowment. The principal residences are Hartford Manor, Hartford Hall, Hartford Hill House, Hartford Grange, and the Woodlands."

"HULL, a hamlet in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Bucklow, county Chester, 3 miles S.E. of Warrington. The Bridgwater canal passes to the N. of the hamlet, which forms part of the township of Appleton."

"HULSE, a township in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Northwich, county Chester, 4 miles S.E. of Northwich. It is situated on a branch of the river Weaver."

"INFERIOR TABLEY, a township in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Bucklow, county Chester, 2 miles S.W. of Knutsford, its post town. It is a small agricultural village, situated on the road leading from Northwich to Altrincham. The manor belonged to the family of Leycester prior to 1276, and in July, 1826, Sir J. F. Leicester, Bart., was created Baron Leicester, of Tabley. The old hall, now in ruins, is situated on an island, with a bridge connecting it to the grounds, and adjoining is a chapel, built at the expense of Lord De Tabley. A short distance from the old hall stands Tabley Hall, a building of red brick with stone dressings. The park, which is extensive and well-timbered, contains several lakes. A free school was erected in 1856 by the above mentioned nobleman, who is lord of the manor and sole landowner. The parochial charities produce about £1 per annum.

"LACH DENNIS, a township in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Northwich, county Chester, 3,1 miles S.E. of Northwich. There is no village."

"LITTLE LEIGH, (or Leigh-juxta-Bartington), a township in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Bucklow, county Chester, 3½ miles N.W. of Northwich, its post town, and 8 S. of Warrington. It is situated on the river Weaver and the Grand Trunk canal. The soil consists of loam and sand. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Chester, value £155, in the patronage of the Vicar of Great Budworth. The church is a small brick edifice, with a belfry containing one bell. There is a National school for both sexes, in which a Sunday-school is also held. The charities produce about £4 per annum. The Wesleyans have a place of worship. Lord Leigh is lord of the manor and chief landowner.

"LOSTOCK-GRALAM, a township in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Northwich, county palatine of Chester, 2 miles E. of Northwich, its post town, and 5 S.W. of Knutsford. It is a station on the Northwich and Altrincham branch of the Cheshire Midland railway. It is situated on the river Weaver, and the North Staffordshire canal passes through it. This is an ecclesiastical district, which includes also the townships of Hulse, Lach Dennis, and Wincham, and the hamlet of Lostock Green. The village is considerable. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Chester, value £120, in the gift of the incumbent of Witton. The church is a small modern edifice of brick, dedicated to St. John the Baptist. The Wesleyans have a chapel at Lostock Green. There is a National school."

"LOWER WHITLEY, an ecclesiastical district in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Bucklow, county Chester, 5 miles N.W. of Northwich. It comprises the townships of Lower and Over, or Inferior and Superior.

"MARBURY, a township in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Bucklow, county Chester, 1½ mile N. of Northwich, its post town, and 7 miles S.W. of Nantwich. It is situated on the Grand Trunk canal, near the river Weaver. The township is of small extent, and in the reign of Henry III. was in the possession of the Marbury family, which became extinct in 1684. It was purchased by Richard Earl Rivers under a decree of the Court of Chancery in 1708, whose daughter, in marriage, brought it to the Barrymore family. Marbury Hall is the principal residence, and has latterly been much improved. It contains a rare collection of painting and antique sculpture. Near the Hall is an extensive sheet of water well stocked with all kinds of fish."

"MARSTON, a township in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Bucklow, county Chester, 2 miles N.E. of Northwich, its post town, and 1 mile S.E. of Great Budworth. It is a thriving village situated on the Grand Trunk canal, and is celebrated for its extensive salt mine, which has a shaft upwards of 250 feet. The interior extends over 33 acres, supported by pillars of salt 16 feet in height and 60 feet square. This interesting mine was visited by the late Emperor of Russia in 1844, when it was most brilliantly illuminated, and a splendid banquet provided. It was again visited in 1854 by several members of the British Association. There are numerous large salt manufactories and extensive boiler and salt-pan works, giving employment to the chief portion of the inhabitants. In consequence of the long distance this village is from the parish church and schools, a handsome Church of England school-room, with master's residence, was erected in 1855 by voluntary contributions, the site being presented by Lord de Tablet'. Divine service is performed every Sunday evening in the above school-room."

"NETHER PEOVER, a parochial chapelry in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Bucklow, county Chester, 3 miles S.E. of Knutsford, its post town, and 5 W. of Chelford. The village is situated on the Peover Eye brook, and is chiefly agricultural. It comprises the townships of Inferior and Nether Peover, Allostock, and Plumley. Peover is celebrated for its production of cheese. The soil is of a clayey and loamy nature on a subsoil of clay and marl. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Chester, value £96. The church, dedicated to St. Oswald, has a stone tower containing a clock and six bells. The church was built in the 13th century, and the tower added in 1562. It was thoroughly restored in 1852 at an outlay of £1,300. The parochial charities produce about £96 per annum. There is a National school for both sexes. Lord de Tabley and Sir Charles Shakerley, Bart., are lords of the manor.

"NORTHWICH, a township and ancient market town in the chapelry of Wilton and parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Northwich, county Chester, 11 miles S.E. of Warrington, and 2 N. by E. of Hartford station, on the Grand Junction line of the London and North-Western railway. It is the terminus of a short branch line from the Cheshire Midland railway. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Dune and Weaver, the latter of which is navigable for vessels of 100 tons as far as the town bridge, and for vessels of 80 tons as far as Winsford, 6 miles up the river. It is also within a short distance of the Trent and Mersey canal, which circumstance adds greatly to the commercial prosperity of the town. The salt springs, which give name to the town, wish in Saxon signifying a "salt work," are said to have been known to the Romans and the ancient Britons, who called it the "Black-Salt-Town," but the rich substratum of rock salt, on which the town stands, was not discovered till 1670. There are two beds of rock salt, an upper and a lower, both of which lie horizontally, and are covered by thick beds of gypsum. The lower bed is about 300 feet from the surface, and is that now principally worked. The chief mines are in the townships of Wilton, Winsham, and Marston, at which last place is the celebrated mine, comprising an area of 30 acres at the depth of 350 feet. The roof of the mine is supported by immense pillars of salt 30 feet in diameter and 16 feet high. It was in this mine that the late emperor of Russia was entertained, and, subsequently, eighty members of the British Association. On this last occasion the mine was lighted up by upwards of 1,000 coloured lamps, causing the crystalline masses of salt to sparkle as if the place were built with diamonds. The rock salt is generally coloured according to the surrounding strata, grey, yellow, brown, or red, and requires to be purified by being dissolved in water, and then evaporated, before it is fit for market. The salt springs, which were the first to be utilised, are usually met with at an average depth of 130 feet, and the brine is evaporated in immense iron pans, varying from 50 to 100 feet long, and heated by furnaces which play under each of the pans, whilst the flues of these furnaces terminate in lofty chimneys, which gives the town a dingy appearance. There are in all above 300 iron evaporating pans, each 600 to 1,000 square feet, 12 to 16 inches deep, and making above 30 tons per week. The average quantity of white and rock salt exported annually from this locality is 300,000 tons, and as much more from Winsford, which is 6 miles up the river. The white salt is chiefly exported to America and the East Indies, and the rock salt to Belgium, Prussia, and Russia. Shipbuilding, rope and sail making, brickmaking, iron and brass founding, and brewing, are the principal sources of employment. Some of the inhabitants are also engaged in building flat boats of a peculiar construction for conveying salt to Liverpool, and other places along the coast, and some business is done in the corn and malt trades. The town, which comprises only 4 statute acres, has a population under 2,000, but, with the suburban townships of Castle Northwich, Leftwich, and Wilton, about 8,000. It consists of several narrow and irregularly-built streets, and is intersected by the high road from London to Liverpool. Many of the houses are old, and bolted together to prevent them from falling, the ground in many places having subsided from 10 to 12 feet, owing to the enormous excavation is continually going on, which, in time, will reduce the whole surface below the level of the river Weaver. It contains the new townhall, in which the county courts, public meetings, concerts, &c., are held; a market house, erected in 1843, and situated between Market-street and the Apple-market; and gas-works, situated on Crumb-hill. The corn is chiefly sold from sample in a large room at the "Crown and Anchor." There are in the town two branch banks, a savings-bank, customs, and excise offices, the stationhouse in Cross-street, a small brick building with three cells, and the union poorhouse, which last is situated in the suburban township of Leftwich. The Poor-law Union of Northwich comprises sixty townships. It is also the seat of the new County Court, superintendent registry, and excise districts. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Chester, value £150, in the patronage of the bishop. The church, dedicated to St. Helen, is a large structure, chiefly remarkable for its semi-circular chancel and figured roof. Holy Trinity church, in Castle Northwich, was built by the trustees of the river Weaver. There is also another church, dedicated to St. Paul, which was erected in 1849. There are places of worship for the Roman Catholics, Independents, Baptists, Wesleyan, and Primitive Methodists; also National and other schools, one of which has a small endowment. Friday is market day. Fairs are held on the 10th April, 2nd August, and 6th December."

"PEOVER, (or Peever Inferior), a township in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Bucklow, county Chester, 2 miles S.W. of Nether Knutsford. It is situated on the river Peover, which rises near Gawsworth, and runs 28 miles W. to the Weaver at Northwich. The village is of small extent, and wholly agricultural. Lord de Tabley is lord of the manor and principal landowner.

"PICKMERE, a township in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Bucklow, county Chester, 3½ miles N.E. of Northwich, and 3 E. of Great Budworth. It is situated on a small feeder of the river Weaver, and is wholly agricultural. The soil is of a clayey nature, upon a subsoil of gravel. The Wesleyans have a place of worship."

"PLUMBLEY, (or Plumby), a township in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Bucklow, county Chester, 2 miles S.W. of Knutsford. It is a station on the Northwich, Knutsford, and Altrincham section of the Cheshire Midland railway. It is situated near the river Weaver. The Wesleyans have a place of worship. Lord de Tabley is lord of the manor and principal landowner.

"SEVENOAKS, a township in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Bucklow, county Chester, 5 miles N.W. of Northwich, and the same distance S. of Warrington. The village, which is of small extent, is situated in the vale of the Dune, and is wholly agricultural. The soil is of a clayey nature, with a subsoil of clay and sand. There is a meeting-house for the Society of Friends."

"STRETTON, a township in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Bucklow, county Chester, 4 miles S.E. of Warrington, its post town. The village is on the Roman way to Kinderton. The soil is clay, with a subsoil of sand. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Chester, value £100. The church was built in 1827. There is a school for both sexes. T. Lyon, Esq., is lord of the manor."

"TWAMBROOKS, a township in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Norwich, county Chester, a quarter of a mile E. of Norwich."

"WILDERSPOOL, an ecclesiastical district in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Northwich, county Chester, adjoining Northwich, and 17 miles N.E. of Chester. It is situated near the confluence of the rivers Dune and Weaver and the Grand Trunk canal. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Chester, value £120."

"WINCHAM, a township in the parish of Great Budworth, county Cheshire, 2 miles N.E. of Northwich."

"WINNINGTON, a township in the parish of Great Budworth, second division of Eddisbury hundred, county Chester, 1 mile N.W. of Northwich. It is situated on the banks of the river Weever, here crossed by a stone bridge, near which is Winnington Hall, the seat of Lord Stanley of Alderley."

"WITTON-WITH-TWAMBROOKS, a township and parish chapelry in the parish of Great Budworth, hundred of Northwich, county Chester, a quarter of a mile E. of Northwich, of which it forms a suburb."