Acton, Cheshire
Encyclopedia
Acton is a small village and civil parish lying immediately west of the town of Nantwich
in the unitary authority of Cheshire East
and the ceremonial county of
Cheshire
, England. The civil parish also includes the small settlement of Dorfold and part of Burford, with a total population of a little over 300. It is administered jointly with the adjacent civil parishes of Henhull
and Edleston
. Historically, Acton refers to a township and also to an ancient parish
in the Nantwich Hundred
covering a wide area to the west of Nantwich.
The area is agricultural, with dairy farming the main industry. Around a third of the area falls within the Dorfold Estate. Historically, agriculture was the major employer, but it has now been overtaken by the service industries, with many residents commuting significant distances outside the parish to work.
The civil parish is believed to have been inhabited since the 8th or 9th century. It contains many historic buildings, including two listed at grade I: Dorfold Hall
was considered by Nikolaus Pevsner
to be one of the two finest Jacobean houses in Cheshire, while St Mary's Church
has a tower dating from the 13th century, one of the earliest in the county.
in the Bronze Age
, giving rise to the name Actune, meaning "oak town", for the predominant pedunculate oaks
. A Roman road
from Middlewich
to Whitchurch
passed immediately to the north of the parish, but there is little evidence of settlement. An area north of Acton village was enclosed in the 8th and 9th centuries, and ancient field systems can be discerned elsewhere in this and the adjacent modern civil parishes.
Acton appears in the Domesday Book
of 1086; it was held by Earl Morcar
before the Conquest and afterwards by William Malbank, first baron of Wich Malbank (Nantwich
). One of the largest and wealthiest townships in the Nantwich Hundred
, the Domesday Book mentions a manor, mill, land for thirty ploughs, 10 acre
s of meadow, a strip of woodland 6 leagues
in length, a hawk's eyrie and a salt
house in Nantwich. The total value before 1066 was £10; for comparison, Nantwich was then valued at the same sum. Acton had one of the largest areas of meadow in Cheshire
at this time. The survey also mentions two priests in Acton but no church.
Dorfold or Deofold means "cattle enclosure" or "deer park". It does not appear in the Domesday survey, but according to some sources Edwin, Earl of Mercia
, elder brother of Earl Morcar and brother-in-law to Harold II
, had a hall there before the Conquest. A manor at Dorfold is recorded in Henry III
's reign (1216–72).
The church at Acton and its subsidiary chapels at Wrenbury
, Church Minshull
and Nantwich, together with some ploughland, were gifted by Hugh Malbank, second baron of Wich Malbank, to the abbot of the Cistercian Combermere Abbey
at its foundation in 1133. The abbey received tithe
s from Acton and monks gave services in the church. It is unclear when this church was built; the present church originates in the 13th century, with some authorities giving a date as early as 1180. Saxon carvings incorporated into its foundations suggest, however, that an earlier, possibly timber, church occupied the same site. Priests are listed in parish records from 1288. The church was the main parish church for a wide area to the west of Nantwich
in the ancient parish
of Acton
. Subsidiary churches were chapels of ease
; St Mary's Church, Nantwich
, for example, despite its size, remained a chapel of ease to Acton until the 17th century. At the Dissolution
in 1538, the abbey's land passed to the Cotton family; the tithes and advowson
were sold to Sir Richard Wilbraham in 1544, and later passed to the Tollemache family.
Early land usage was mainly agricultural
and forestry
, with wood being used as fuel for salt production in nearby Nantwich. As deforestation continued throughout the Middle Ages
, animal husbandry
and cereal
production grew in importance, and by the end of the sixteenth century, the forest had largely been cleared. Landowners of Acton and Dorfold during this period include the Vernon, Littlebury, Wettenhall, Arderne, Davenport and Bromley families.
, a prominent lawyer who served as Solicitor-general for Ireland under Elizabeth I
and held positions at court under James I
. Dorfold Hall
was constructed in 1616–21 for his younger brother and heir, Ralph Wilbraham, on the site of the earlier hall.
During the Civil War
, Acton village was taken by siege several times. The Battle of Nantwich
of 1644 took place adjacent to the village.
. The Chester
to Nantwich
branch of what later became known as the Shropshire Union Canal
was completed in 1774, ending just north of the parish at Basin End; the Nantwich to Birmingham
section was completed in 1835. The Tomkinson family objected to the route of the latter, leading to the construction of a half-mile embankment including an aqueduct to avoid the Dorfold Park. With the availability of canal and railway transport during the 18th and 19th centuries, the main produce of the area changed from cheese to milk
, and dairy
became the major industry.
The Dorfold Estate passed back to descendants of the Wilbraham family in 1861 on inheritance by Anne Tollemache, the wife of Wilbraham Spencer Tollemache, who served as High Sheriff of Cheshire
in 1865. The grounds of the hall were remodelled in 1861–2, with the construction of several buildings including the gate lodge. The present owners, the Roundells, are descendants of the Tollemaches via Julia Tollemache, daughter of Wilbraham and Anne Tollemache.
A parish hall was built in 1909 by local subscription, and served as an auxiliary military hospital for twenty covalescents during the First World War
. Mains electricity arrived in the area in 1932. Acton village suffered bombing during the Second World War
, particularly during one night in late 1940; there were at least four fatalities from the Wilmott Family. Refugees, mainly from Liverpool
, were housed in Acton, and Dorfold Park was used as a camp for American soldiers from November 1940.
and Edleston
; there are five councillors for Acton and one for each of Henhull and Edleston. Prior to 1965, Acton had a separate parish council.
From 1974 to 2009, the Borough Council was Crewe and Nantwich
, having previously been administered within Nantwich Rural Sanitary District (1875–94) and Nantwich Rural District
(1894–1974). Since 1 April 2009 it has been part of the unitary authority of Cheshire East
.
Acton falls in the Eddisbury
parliamentary constituency, covering rural south-west Cheshire, which has been represented since 1999 by Stephen O'Brien. Since its establishment in 1983, the Eddisbury constituency has been held by the Conservative party
, with the previous Member of Parliament being Alastair Goodlad
(1983–99).
The village of Acton lies on the A534 (Chester Road) 2¼ km (1½ miles) north west of the centre of Nantwich
and 7¾ km (4¾ miles) south west of Crewe
. The civil parish of Acton has a total area of 762 acres (3.1 km²), and also includes the small settlement of Dorfold, focused around Dorfold Hall
, as well as part of Burford, located around the A51
–A534 crossroads ; Burford also falls partly in Henhull
civil parish. Nearby villages include Burland
(to the west), Ravensmoor
(south west) and Rease Heath
(north east).
The majority of buildings throughout the civil parish are in red brick with slate roofs, with occasional "black and white" half-timbered
buildings, as well as the sandstone parish church. Much of Acton village dates from the 17th–19th centuries, centering around the church which dates originally from the 13th century. Fourteen council houses were built after the Second World War
in Acton village to the east of the A534, and this development was subsequently expanded with a mix of semi-detached houses and terraced bungalows, the total now numbering some fifty dwellings. In the 2001 census, 65% of dwellings in the civil parish were described as semi-detached or terraced.
The area is relatively flat, with an average elevation of around 50–60 metres. The high point is 61 metres at Acton village; the low point is 43 metres at Nantwich Aqueduct. The geology is Keuper marl
, with glacial sand deposit
underlying Acton village; glacial boulders originating in Cumbria
, such as the Bluestone, are occasionally uncovered. Outside Acton village settlement is sparse, and over 90% of the Acton, Henhull
and Edleston
combined area of 765 hectares (1890 acres) is open land. The predominant land usage is agricultural, mainly dairy
with some arable
, predominantly fodder crops and cereals. The Dorfold Estate (125.5 hectares; 310.1 acres) comprises around a third of the civil parish, and includes farmhouses, farmland, gardens, woodland and historic parkland. Around 3 hectares (7.4 acres) of semi-natural woodland within the park are believed to be ancient; other woodland includes Bull's Wood and several immature plantations. Dorfold Park has a lake, and many smaller meres and ponds are scattered across the farmland. The main line of the Shropshire Union Canal
runs broadly north–south to the east of the parish, with a short embanked section (around 300 metres) south of Nantwich Aqueduct falling within the parish boundary. Ravensmoor Brook runs north–south along the western boundary of the parish, and an unnamed brook runs north–south from Burford to just south of Monks Lane.
Historically, agriculture was the major employment sector; in 1831, for example, 63.9% of men over 20 were farmers or agricultural labourers. By the 2001 census, however, agriculture had been replaced by the service industries. The relatively high average distance travelled to work (17.5 km; 10.9 miles) reported in 2001 suggests that few residents were employed locally and many commuted significant distances to work.
In 2006, the total population of the civil parish was estimated as 340. In the 2001 census
, the recorded population was 311. Although this represents an increase of around 20% from 1901, the population remains below the 1851 figure (see graph). In 2001, 53.7% of the population were female and 98.4% of householders were white. Residents had an average (median) age of 38.0 years, with 23.2% aged under 16 and 12.2% aged 75 and over. The parish had a total of 124 dwellings, with an average household size of 2.55. 65.3% of dwellings were owner occupied; 21.0% were rented from the council or a housing association and 12.1% from a private landlord. 77.9% of households owned one or more cars. Of those aged 16–74, 45.3% held few or no academic qualifications (less than five GCSE
passes or equivalent). According to the census, 1.5% of those aged 16–74 were unemployed and 27.9% were economically inactive.
The Jacobean mansion Dorfold Hall
was built in 1616–21 for Ralph Wilbraham; it is listed at grade I. A two-storey building on a double-pile plan in red brick with stone dressings, the main façade features a recessed centre with two small wings and large windows. The hall and gardens are open to the public one afternoon weekly from April to October.
The entire estate is listed on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
. The grounds, remodelled to a design by William Andrews Nesfield in 1861–2, contain 7.5 hectares (18 acres) of gardens including a modern woodland garden. A grade-II*-listed gateway now situated in the wall to the west of the hall formerly belonged to Roger Wilbraham
's almshouses in Nantwich
, which were demolished in 1872. The wrought-iron gate features a sun motif with scrolls; it stands in a moulded stone opening flanked by niches containing busts and surmounted by lions.
Several other buildings within the park are listed at grade II. The oldest of these is an icehouse
with a circular brick-lined underground chamber which probably dates from the late 18th century. Several structures that are now listed date from the 1861–2 works to the grounds. The Jacobean-style gate lodge on Chester Road is in red brick with stone dressings and blue brick decoration. The clock tower over the carriage house features stone frames to the clock dials and is topped by a wooden finial with a weather vane. A large iron statue of a mastiff with puppies oversetting a food bowl stands in the forecourt of the hall; it is attributed to Pierre Louis Rouillard
and came from the Paris Exhibition of 1855.
is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin; it is listed at grade I. The tower dates originally from the 13th century, or a little earlier, and is one of the earliest in Cheshire
. Much of the remainder of the church dates from the 15th century, although the chantry was endowed in 1398 and the north aisle windows are 14th century. In 1757, the top of the tower collapsed during a storm and was rebuilt 4 metres (13 ft) shorter in Early Gothic Revival
style. The interior features carvings thought to date from the late 10th century, a Norman font, a stone bench around the walls, monuments to Sir William Mainwaring and Sir Richard Wilbraham and his wife, as well as Victorian stained glass by Charles Kempe
.
A sundial
dating from the late 17th century stands in the churchyard; it is mentioned in records of 1704 and is known to have been moved sometime after 1774. Of an unusual construction, with a long octagonal shaft capped with a ball finial, the sundial is believed to have originated as a medieval cross, perhaps destroyed under the Puritan government. It was originally decorated, with the ball being painted as a globe and the shaft having gold and black banding, and bore the twin inscriptions "Tempus Fugit: Mors Venit (Time flies, death comes)" and "Ut Hora: Sic Vita (As the hour, so life)". It is grade II listed and also designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Cricketer and rugby player A. N. Hornby
is buried in the churchyard; his grave features a carving of a wicket, bat and ball in marble.
St Mary's has been administered since 1991 as a united benefice, the Cross Country Group of Parish Churches, with St Bartholomew's, Church Minshull
, St Oswald's, Worleston
and St David's, Wettenhall
. It falls into the rural deanery of Nantwich
and the diocese of Chester
. Since 2007, the vicar has been the Reverend Peter Lillicrap. A magazine, Cross Country, is circulated across all four churches.
The centre of Acton village has been designated a conservation area
and contains several historic buildings. Apart from the church, the oldest buildings are a pair of grade-II-listed red-brick almshouse
s in the churchyard which were built by Sir Roger Wilbraham
in 1613. The black-and-white Star Inn dates from the late 17th century and is grade II listed. The Glebe House on Monks Lane, once the vicarage, is a handsome three-storey, five-bay building in red brick with massive chimney stacks, built in 1723–27; it is listed at grade II*.
Other grade-II-listed buildings include Church Farm House and Star Cottages; both are in red brick and date from the early 19th century. Opposite St Mary's Church stands a grade-II-listed red telephone box
which was installed in 1940. It is of the 1935 K6 type, designed by Giles Gilbert Scott
.
The Nantwich Aqueduct carries the Shropshire Union Canal
over the Chester
to Nantwich
road (A534) near the eastern boundary of the civil parish. Constructed in around 1826 by Thomas Telford
, the aqueduct has a single five-panelled arch and water trough with a balustrade, all in cast iron, carried by stone supports with pilasters. It is listed at grade II*.
Dorfold Dairy House was formerly the Dorfold Estate's home farm; a three-storey, three-bay, U-shaped building in red brick dating from the late 17th century, it is listed at grade II*. The adjacent red-brick farm building is grade II listed. Madam's Farm off Raven's Lane was the former dower house
of the Hall; a three-storey, three-bay, T-shaped building in red brick dating from the late 18th century, it is listed at grade II. Other grade-II-listed buildings within the parish include the black-and-white Cuckoo Cottage on Cuckoo Lane just north of Acton Grange, dating from the late 17th century, an unnamed red-brick cottage by the Burford crossroads, dating from the early 19th century, and the Old Farmhouse, Village Farm. The unlisted Dorfold Cottage is a Victorian house featuring a castellated tower and Gothic stucco-work
on the interior.
A moated enclosure is located just outside Acton village, to the west of St Mary's Church; it is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Believed to represent the site of a medieval vicarage, it consists of a square moat surrounding a raised island, and is the only local example to be filled with water. The Bluestone is a granite boulder glacial deposit
situated near the Burford crossroads, which was unearthed during road building and is believed to originate from Cumbria
. The name is thought to derive from blue porphyritic
crystals, which are no longer visible. A local legend suggests that the boulder was thrown at Acton church from Bickerton Hill
by the Devil. The stone gives its name to the small settlement of Bluestone in Henhull
civil parish. The legend of the Devil throwing stones at Acton Church, may also refer to the stones which marked out the boundary of an area of land to the south of the Church, which was part of Dodcott cum Wilkesley Township. They are shown on the 1ST Edition Ordnance Survey Maps (1875) of the area. This area of land is suggested to have been the carucate of land in the vill of Acton granted to Combermere Abbey in 1130AD(Dodgson, p. 126, The Place-Names of Cheshire, Volume XLVI, Part 3, 1971). Meaning that these stones would have been placed here as boundary markers by the monks of the Abbey, to mark out their land, and over the centuries formed the basis of the legend.
The A534 (Chester Road) runs along the eastern boundary of the parish, cutting inwards at Acton village; it connects with the A51
at the Burford crossroads. It was estimated in 2005 that 3400 vehicles passed through the village daily on this road. The A534 (Cuckoo Lane) runs along the northern boundary. Monks Lane runs east–west from Acton village, and is commonly used as a cut off to the A534 (Cuckoo Lane). Marsh Lane, from Ravensmoor
to Nantwich, runs on the southern boundary of the parish, with Dig Lane connecting it to Ravens Lane in Burland
parish.
Acton is served by buses running between Crewe, Nantwich and Chester
. In a 2005 survey (also including residents of Henhull and Edleston), 42% of respondents indicated that they used this bus service at least twice a month. However, in the 2001 census, no Acton residents stated that they used public transport to travel to work.
The parish is reasonably well served with public footpaths, particularly in the north–south direction. The most frequently used are the Crewe and Nantwich Circular Walk
and the towpath of the Shropshire Union Canal
, both broadly north–south, and an east–west path that connects Acton village with Swanley
.
controlled school, it serves Acton as well as the nearby areas of Baddiley North
, Brindley
, Burland
, Edleston
, Faddiley
, Henhull
, Ravensmoor
, Swanley
and Woodhey
. As of 2005, there were 127 pupils. Acton civil parish falls within the catchment area of Malbank School and Sixth Form College
in Nantwich
.
The nearest NHS
hospital is Leighton Hospital
near Crewe
, administered by the Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust. Policing is provided by the Nantwich Neighbourhood Policing Unit, within the Eastern Area of Cheshire Constabulary
, ambulances by North West Ambulance Service
, and fire and rescue by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service
, with the nearest fire station being in Nantwich.
The parish hall in Acton village was built in 1909 and has been recently updated and extended. It forms a venue for theatrical and operatic performances, and also provides a meeting place for many local organisations. The Star Inn is another important meeting place. The mobile library
service visits Acton village weekly. As of 2005, there were no general stores, post offices, police stations or health centres within the civil parish; the nearest facilities are in Nantwich
.
Dorfold Hall Park hosts the annual Nantwich and South Cheshire Show, a single-day agricultural show
with trade stalls and ring displays organised by the Nantwich Agricultural Society. In 2006, the event drew an estimated 32,000 visitors. The show includes the Nantwich International Cheese Awards
, established in 1897 and claimed to be the largest cheese
exhibition in Europe. The 2007 Cheese Show attracted 2250 entries from around 24 countries.
ism. Joseph Partridge (1724–1796), schoolmaster of Acton free grammar school (1766–1772), was the author of the first history of Nantwich
. Alethea Lewis
(1749–1827), who was born in Acton, wrote essays and novels exploring Christian themes, many under the penname "Eugenia de Acton".
Sir Roger Wilbraham
(1553–1616), who purchased the Dorfold estate
in 1602, was a prominent English lawyer who served as Solicitor-General for Ireland
under Elizabeth I
and held positions at court under James I
. He founded almshouses in St Mary's churchyard in 1613. Henry James Tollemache
(1846–1939) of Dorfold Hall was the Conservative
MP
for West Cheshire
(1881–1885) and Eddisbury
(1885–1906). The current owner of the hall, Richard Roundell (b. 1944), is the deputy chairman of Christie's
and served as High Sheriff
of Cheshire
in 1984. His daughter,
Laura
(b. 1972), a former model and fashion editor of Harper's Bazaar
, married William Cavendish, photographer and heir to the 12th Duke of Devonshire
, in 2007.
Nantwich
Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...
in the unitary authority of Cheshire East
Cheshire East
Cheshire East is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England.The borough was established in April 2009 as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in...
and the ceremonial county of
Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England. The civil parish also includes the small settlement of Dorfold and part of Burford, with a total population of a little over 300. It is administered jointly with the adjacent civil parishes of Henhull
Henhull
Henhull is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, which lies to the north west of Nantwich. For administrative purposes, it is combined with adjacent civil parishes of Acton and Edleston to form a total area of 765 hectares...
and Edleston
Edleston
Edleston is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, which lies immediately to the south west of Nantwich. For administrative purposes, it is combined with adjacent civil parishes of Acton and Henhull to form a total area of 765 hectares...
. Historically, Acton refers to a township and also to an ancient parish
Acton, Cheshire (ancient parish)
Acton was an ancient parish in the Nantwich Hundred of Cheshire, England.At one time it included the townships of Acton, Aston juxta Mondrum, Austerson, Baddington, Brindley, Burland, Cholmondeston, Edleston, Faddiley, Henhull, Hurleston, Poole, Stoke, Worleston, most of Coole Pilate, parts of...
in the Nantwich Hundred
Hundreds of Cheshire
The Hundreds of Cheshire, as with other Hundreds in England were the geographic divisions of Cheshire for administrative, military and judicial purposes. They were introduced in Cheshire some time before the Norman conquest...
covering a wide area to the west of Nantwich.
The area is agricultural, with dairy farming the main industry. Around a third of the area falls within the Dorfold Estate. Historically, agriculture was the major employer, but it has now been overtaken by the service industries, with many residents commuting significant distances outside the parish to work.
The civil parish is believed to have been inhabited since the 8th or 9th century. It contains many historic buildings, including two listed at grade I: Dorfold Hall
Dorfold Hall
Dorfold Hall is a Jacobean mansion in Acton, near Nantwich, in Cheshire, UK. It is listed at grade I. It was considered by Nikolaus Pevsner to be one of the two finest Jacobean houses in Cheshire.The present owners are the Roundells.-History:...
was considered by Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
to be one of the two finest Jacobean houses in Cheshire, while St Mary's Church
St Mary's Church, Acton
St Mary's Church, Acton is an active Anglican church in Acton, a village to the west of Nantwich, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. A church has been present on this site since before the time of the Domesday Survey. The tower is the...
has a tower dating from the 13th century, one of the earliest in the county.
Early history
The civil parish of Acton was on the eastern edge of the Forest of MondremForests of Mara and Mondrem
The Forests of Mara and Mondrem were adjacent medieval forests in Cheshire, England, which in the 11th century extended to over , stretching from the Mersey in the north almost to Nantwich in the south, and from the Gowy in the west to the Weaver in the east...
in the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
, giving rise to the name Actune, meaning "oak town", for the predominant pedunculate oaks
Pedunculate Oak
Quercus robur is commonly known as the Pedunculate Oak or English oak. It is native to most of Europe, and to Anatolia to the Caucasus, and also to parts of North Africa.-Taxonomy:Q...
. A Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
from Middlewich
Middlewich
Middlewich is a market town in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is east of the city of Chester, east of Winsford, southeast of Northwich and northwest of Sandbach....
to Whitchurch
Whitchurch, Shropshire
Whitchurch is a market town in Shropshire, England on the border between England and Wales. It is the oldest continuously inhabited town in Shropshire. According to the 2001 Census, the population of the town is 8,673, with a more recent estimate putting the population of the town at 8,934...
passed immediately to the north of the parish, but there is little evidence of settlement. An area north of Acton village was enclosed in the 8th and 9th centuries, and ancient field systems can be discerned elsewhere in this and the adjacent modern civil parishes.
Acton appears in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086; it was held by Earl Morcar
Morcar of Northumbria
Morcar was the son of Ælfgār and brother of Ēadwine. He was himself the earl of Northumbria from 1065 to 1066, when he was replaced by William the Conqueror with Copsi....
before the Conquest and afterwards by William Malbank, first baron of Wich Malbank (Nantwich
Nantwich
Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...
). One of the largest and wealthiest townships in the Nantwich Hundred
Hundreds of Cheshire
The Hundreds of Cheshire, as with other Hundreds in England were the geographic divisions of Cheshire for administrative, military and judicial purposes. They were introduced in Cheshire some time before the Norman conquest...
, the Domesday Book mentions a manor, mill, land for thirty ploughs, 10 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s of meadow, a strip of woodland 6 leagues
League (unit)
A league is a unit of length . It was long common in Europe and Latin America, but it is no longer an official unit in any nation. The league originally referred to the distance a person or a horse could walk in an hour...
in length, a hawk's eyrie and a salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
house in Nantwich. The total value before 1066 was £10; for comparison, Nantwich was then valued at the same sum. Acton had one of the largest areas of meadow in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
at this time. The survey also mentions two priests in Acton but no church.
Dorfold or Deofold means "cattle enclosure" or "deer park". It does not appear in the Domesday survey, but according to some sources Edwin, Earl of Mercia
Edwin, Earl of Mercia
Edwin was the elder brother of Morcar, Earl of Northumbria, son of Ælfgār, Earl of Mercia and grandson of Leofric, Earl of Mercia. He succeeded to his father's title and responsibilities on Ælfgār's death in 1062...
, elder brother of Earl Morcar and brother-in-law to Harold II
Harold Godwinson
Harold Godwinson was the last Anglo-Saxon King of England.It could be argued that Edgar the Atheling, who was proclaimed as king by the witan but never crowned, was really the last Anglo-Saxon king...
, had a hall there before the Conquest. A manor at Dorfold is recorded in Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
's reign (1216–72).
The church at Acton and its subsidiary chapels at Wrenbury
Wrenbury
Wrenbury is a village in the civil parish of Wrenbury cum Frith, the unitary authority of Cheshire East, and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England...
, Church Minshull
Church Minshull
Church Minshull is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village is located approximately north west of Crewe and to the west of the River Weaver and the Shropshire Union Canal...
and Nantwich, together with some ploughland, were gifted by Hugh Malbank, second baron of Wich Malbank, to the abbot of the Cistercian Combermere Abbey
Combermere Abbey
Combermere Abbey is a former monastery in Combermere Park, between Nantwich and Whitchurch in Cheshire, England, near the border with Shropshire.-Topomony:...
at its foundation in 1133. The abbey received tithe
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
s from Acton and monks gave services in the church. It is unclear when this church was built; the present church originates in the 13th century, with some authorities giving a date as early as 1180. Saxon carvings incorporated into its foundations suggest, however, that an earlier, possibly timber, church occupied the same site. Priests are listed in parish records from 1288. The church was the main parish church for a wide area to the west of Nantwich
Nantwich
Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...
in the ancient parish
Ancient parishes of Cheshire
The Ancient Parishes of Cheshire refers to the group of parishes that existed in Cheshire, roughly within the period of 1200–1800. Initially, the ancient parishes had only an ecclesiastical function, but reforms initiated by King Henry VIII, developed by Queen Elizabeth I and expanded by...
of Acton
Acton, Cheshire (ancient parish)
Acton was an ancient parish in the Nantwich Hundred of Cheshire, England.At one time it included the townships of Acton, Aston juxta Mondrum, Austerson, Baddington, Brindley, Burland, Cholmondeston, Edleston, Faddiley, Henhull, Hurleston, Poole, Stoke, Worleston, most of Coole Pilate, parts of...
. Subsidiary churches were chapels of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
; St Mary's Church, Nantwich
St Mary's Church, Nantwich
St Mary's Church, Nantwich, is in the centre of the market town of Nantwich, Cheshire, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. It has been called the "Cathedral of South Cheshire" and it is considered by some to be one of the finest medieval...
, for example, despite its size, remained a chapel of ease to Acton until the 17th century. At the Dissolution
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in 1538, the abbey's land passed to the Cotton family; the tithes and advowson
Advowson
Advowson is the right in English law of a patron to present or appoint a nominee to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a process known as presentation. In effect this means the right to nominate a person to hold a church office in a parish...
were sold to Sir Richard Wilbraham in 1544, and later passed to the Tollemache family.
Early land usage was mainly agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
, with wood being used as fuel for salt production in nearby Nantwich. As deforestation continued throughout the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, animal husbandry
Animal husbandry
Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.- History :Animal husbandry has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals....
and cereal
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
production grew in importance, and by the end of the sixteenth century, the forest had largely been cleared. Landowners of Acton and Dorfold during this period include the Vernon, Littlebury, Wettenhall, Arderne, Davenport and Bromley families.
Civil War
In 1602, the Dorfold Estate was purchased by Sir Roger WilbrahamRoger Wilbraham
Sir Roger Wilbraham was a prominent English lawyer who served as Solicitor-General for Ireland under Elizabeth I and held positions at court under James I, including Master of Requests and surveyor of the Court of Wards and Liveries...
, a prominent lawyer who served as Solicitor-general for Ireland under Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
and held positions at court under James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
. Dorfold Hall
Dorfold Hall
Dorfold Hall is a Jacobean mansion in Acton, near Nantwich, in Cheshire, UK. It is listed at grade I. It was considered by Nikolaus Pevsner to be one of the two finest Jacobean houses in Cheshire.The present owners are the Roundells.-History:...
was constructed in 1616–21 for his younger brother and heir, Ralph Wilbraham, on the site of the earlier hall.
During the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, Acton village was taken by siege several times. The Battle of Nantwich
Battle of Nantwich
The Battle of Nantwich was fought during the First English Civil War, between the forces of Parliament and of King Charles I, northwest of the town of Nantwich in Cheshire on 25 January 1644...
of 1644 took place adjacent to the village.
18th century to the present day
In 1754, the Dorfold Estate was sold to Nantwich lawyer James Tomkinson, originally from BostockBostock
right|200px|thumb|Map of civil parish of Bostock in the former borough of Vale RoyalBostock is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 229. The village is...
. The Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
to Nantwich
Nantwich
Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...
branch of what later became known as the Shropshire Union Canal
Shropshire Union Canal
The Shropshire Union Canal is a navigable canal in England; the Llangollen and Montgomery canals are the modern names of branches of the Shropshire Union system and lie partially in Wales....
was completed in 1774, ending just north of the parish at Basin End; the Nantwich to Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
section was completed in 1835. The Tomkinson family objected to the route of the latter, leading to the construction of a half-mile embankment including an aqueduct to avoid the Dorfold Park. With the availability of canal and railway transport during the 18th and 19th centuries, the main produce of the area changed from cheese to milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
, and dairy
Dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...
became the major industry.
The Dorfold Estate passed back to descendants of the Wilbraham family in 1861 on inheritance by Anne Tollemache, the wife of Wilbraham Spencer Tollemache, who served as High Sheriff of Cheshire
High Sheriff of Cheshire
The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions...
in 1865. The grounds of the hall were remodelled in 1861–2, with the construction of several buildings including the gate lodge. The present owners, the Roundells, are descendants of the Tollemaches via Julia Tollemache, daughter of Wilbraham and Anne Tollemache.
A parish hall was built in 1909 by local subscription, and served as an auxiliary military hospital for twenty covalescents during the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Mains electricity arrived in the area in 1932. Acton village suffered bombing during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, particularly during one night in late 1940; there were at least four fatalities from the Wilmott Family. Refugees, mainly from Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, were housed in Acton, and Dorfold Park was used as a camp for American soldiers from November 1940.
Governance
Acton has been administered since 1965 by Acton, Edleston & Henhull Parish Council, jointly with the adjacent civil parishes of HenhullHenhull
Henhull is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, which lies to the north west of Nantwich. For administrative purposes, it is combined with adjacent civil parishes of Acton and Edleston to form a total area of 765 hectares...
and Edleston
Edleston
Edleston is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, which lies immediately to the south west of Nantwich. For administrative purposes, it is combined with adjacent civil parishes of Acton and Henhull to form a total area of 765 hectares...
; there are five councillors for Acton and one for each of Henhull and Edleston. Prior to 1965, Acton had a separate parish council.
From 1974 to 2009, the Borough Council was Crewe and Nantwich
Crewe and Nantwich
Crewe and Nantwich was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district with borough status in Cheshire, England. It had a population of 111,007...
, having previously been administered within Nantwich Rural Sanitary District (1875–94) and Nantwich Rural District
Nantwich Rural District
Nantwich Rural District was a division of Cheshire until 1974, when it merged with the Nantwich and Crewe Urban districts to create the borough of Crewe and Nantwich....
(1894–1974). Since 1 April 2009 it has been part of the unitary authority of Cheshire East
Cheshire East
Cheshire East is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England.The borough was established in April 2009 as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in...
.
Acton falls in the Eddisbury
Eddisbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Eddisbury is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.- Boundaries :...
parliamentary constituency, covering rural south-west Cheshire, which has been represented since 1999 by Stephen O'Brien. Since its establishment in 1983, the Eddisbury constituency has been held by the Conservative party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
, with the previous Member of Parliament being Alastair Goodlad
Alastair Goodlad, Baron Goodlad
Alastair Robertson Goodlad, Baron Goodlad, KCMG, PC, is a British Conservative politician who served as the British High Commissioner to Australia from 2000 until 2005....
(1983–99).
Geography and economy
Nantwich
Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...
and 7¾ km (4¾ miles) south west of Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
. The civil parish of Acton has a total area of 762 acres (3.1 km²), and also includes the small settlement of Dorfold, focused around Dorfold Hall
Dorfold Hall
Dorfold Hall is a Jacobean mansion in Acton, near Nantwich, in Cheshire, UK. It is listed at grade I. It was considered by Nikolaus Pevsner to be one of the two finest Jacobean houses in Cheshire.The present owners are the Roundells.-History:...
, as well as part of Burford, located around the A51
A51 road
The A51 is a road in England running from Kingsbury in Warwickshire to Chester. The road follows the following route:*Kingsbury*Tamworth*Lichfield*Rugeley *Little Haywood*Great Haywood*Weston*Sandon...
–A534 crossroads ; Burford also falls partly in Henhull
Henhull
Henhull is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, which lies to the north west of Nantwich. For administrative purposes, it is combined with adjacent civil parishes of Acton and Edleston to form a total area of 765 hectares...
civil parish. Nearby villages include Burland
Burland
Burland is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, about 2½ miles west of Nantwich. The civil parish also includes the small settlements of Burland Lower Green, Burland Upper Green, Hollin Green and Stoneley Green, as well...
(to the west), Ravensmoor
Ravensmoor
Ravensmoor is a village in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, located at . It is split between the civil parishes of Baddiley and Burland...
(south west) and Rease Heath
Worleston
Worleston is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village lies 2½ miles north of Nantwich and 3 miles west of Crewe...
(north east).
The majority of buildings throughout the civil parish are in red brick with slate roofs, with occasional "black and white" half-timbered
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
buildings, as well as the sandstone parish church. Much of Acton village dates from the 17th–19th centuries, centering around the church which dates originally from the 13th century. Fourteen council houses were built after the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in Acton village to the east of the A534, and this development was subsequently expanded with a mix of semi-detached houses and terraced bungalows, the total now numbering some fifty dwellings. In the 2001 census, 65% of dwellings in the civil parish were described as semi-detached or terraced.
The area is relatively flat, with an average elevation of around 50–60 metres. The high point is 61 metres at Acton village; the low point is 43 metres at Nantwich Aqueduct. The geology is Keuper marl
Keuper marl
Keuper marl is the former name for a layer of mudstones and siltstones from the late Triassic period . Typically red, or occasionally...
, with glacial sand deposit
Till
thumb|right|Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material , and this characteristic, known as matrix support, is diagnostic of till....
underlying Acton village; glacial boulders originating in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, such as the Bluestone, are occasionally uncovered. Outside Acton village settlement is sparse, and over 90% of the Acton, Henhull
Henhull
Henhull is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, which lies to the north west of Nantwich. For administrative purposes, it is combined with adjacent civil parishes of Acton and Edleston to form a total area of 765 hectares...
and Edleston
Edleston
Edleston is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, which lies immediately to the south west of Nantwich. For administrative purposes, it is combined with adjacent civil parishes of Acton and Henhull to form a total area of 765 hectares...
combined area of 765 hectares (1890 acres) is open land. The predominant land usage is agricultural, mainly dairy
Dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...
with some arable
Arable land
In geography and agriculture, arable land is land that can be used for growing crops. It includes all land under temporary crops , temporary meadows for mowing or pasture, land under market and kitchen gardens and land temporarily fallow...
, predominantly fodder crops and cereals. The Dorfold Estate (125.5 hectares; 310.1 acres) comprises around a third of the civil parish, and includes farmhouses, farmland, gardens, woodland and historic parkland. Around 3 hectares (7.4 acres) of semi-natural woodland within the park are believed to be ancient; other woodland includes Bull's Wood and several immature plantations. Dorfold Park has a lake, and many smaller meres and ponds are scattered across the farmland. The main line of the Shropshire Union Canal
Shropshire Union Canal
The Shropshire Union Canal is a navigable canal in England; the Llangollen and Montgomery canals are the modern names of branches of the Shropshire Union system and lie partially in Wales....
runs broadly north–south to the east of the parish, with a short embanked section (around 300 metres) south of Nantwich Aqueduct falling within the parish boundary. Ravensmoor Brook runs north–south along the western boundary of the parish, and an unnamed brook runs north–south from Burford to just south of Monks Lane.
Historically, agriculture was the major employment sector; in 1831, for example, 63.9% of men over 20 were farmers or agricultural labourers. By the 2001 census, however, agriculture had been replaced by the service industries. The relatively high average distance travelled to work (17.5 km; 10.9 miles) reported in 2001 suggests that few residents were employed locally and many commuted significant distances to work.
Demography
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, the recorded population was 311. Although this represents an increase of around 20% from 1901, the population remains below the 1851 figure (see graph). In 2001, 53.7% of the population were female and 98.4% of householders were white. Residents had an average (median) age of 38.0 years, with 23.2% aged under 16 and 12.2% aged 75 and over. The parish had a total of 124 dwellings, with an average household size of 2.55. 65.3% of dwellings were owner occupied; 21.0% were rented from the council or a housing association and 12.1% from a private landlord. 77.9% of households owned one or more cars. Of those aged 16–74, 45.3% held few or no academic qualifications (less than five GCSE
General Certificate of Secondary Education
The General Certificate of Secondary Education is an academic qualification awarded in a specified subject, generally taken in a number of subjects by students aged 14–16 in secondary education in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is equivalent to a Level 2 and Level 1 in Key Skills...
passes or equivalent). According to the census, 1.5% of those aged 16–74 were unemployed and 27.9% were economically inactive.
Dorfold Estate
Dorfold Hall
Dorfold Hall is a Jacobean mansion in Acton, near Nantwich, in Cheshire, UK. It is listed at grade I. It was considered by Nikolaus Pevsner to be one of the two finest Jacobean houses in Cheshire.The present owners are the Roundells.-History:...
was built in 1616–21 for Ralph Wilbraham; it is listed at grade I. A two-storey building on a double-pile plan in red brick with stone dressings, the main façade features a recessed centre with two small wings and large windows. The hall and gardens are open to the public one afternoon weekly from April to October.
The entire estate is listed on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens
In England, the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of special historic interest in England provides a listing and classification system for historic parks and gardens similar to that used for listed buildings. The register is managed by English Heritage under the provisions of the National...
. The grounds, remodelled to a design by William Andrews Nesfield in 1861–2, contain 7.5 hectares (18 acres) of gardens including a modern woodland garden. A grade-II*-listed gateway now situated in the wall to the west of the hall formerly belonged to Roger Wilbraham
Roger Wilbraham
Sir Roger Wilbraham was a prominent English lawyer who served as Solicitor-General for Ireland under Elizabeth I and held positions at court under James I, including Master of Requests and surveyor of the Court of Wards and Liveries...
's almshouses in Nantwich
Nantwich
Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...
, which were demolished in 1872. The wrought-iron gate features a sun motif with scrolls; it stands in a moulded stone opening flanked by niches containing busts and surmounted by lions.
Several other buildings within the park are listed at grade II. The oldest of these is an icehouse
Icehouse (building)
Ice houses were buildings used to store ice throughout the year, prior to the invention of the refrigerator. Some were underground chambers, usually man-made, close to natural sources of winter ice such as freshwater lakes, but many were buildings with various types of insulation.During the...
with a circular brick-lined underground chamber which probably dates from the late 18th century. Several structures that are now listed date from the 1861–2 works to the grounds. The Jacobean-style gate lodge on Chester Road is in red brick with stone dressings and blue brick decoration. The clock tower over the carriage house features stone frames to the clock dials and is topped by a wooden finial with a weather vane. A large iron statue of a mastiff with puppies oversetting a food bowl stands in the forecourt of the hall; it is attributed to Pierre Louis Rouillard
Pierre Louis Rouillard
Pierre Louis Rouillard was a French sculptor known for his sculptures of animals. He was one of a "school of French animalières" which also included Pierre-Jules Mêne, Antoine-Louis Barye, Auguste Caïn and François Pompon...
and came from the Paris Exhibition of 1855.
Other landmarks
St Mary's Church
The red sandstone parish churchSt Mary's Church, Acton
St Mary's Church, Acton is an active Anglican church in Acton, a village to the west of Nantwich, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. A church has been present on this site since before the time of the Domesday Survey. The tower is the...
is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin; it is listed at grade I. The tower dates originally from the 13th century, or a little earlier, and is one of the earliest in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
. Much of the remainder of the church dates from the 15th century, although the chantry was endowed in 1398 and the north aisle windows are 14th century. In 1757, the top of the tower collapsed during a storm and was rebuilt 4 metres (13 ft) shorter in Early Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style. The interior features carvings thought to date from the late 10th century, a Norman font, a stone bench around the walls, monuments to Sir William Mainwaring and Sir Richard Wilbraham and his wife, as well as Victorian stained glass by Charles Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
.
Sundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
dating from the late 17th century stands in the churchyard; it is mentioned in records of 1704 and is known to have been moved sometime after 1774. Of an unusual construction, with a long octagonal shaft capped with a ball finial, the sundial is believed to have originated as a medieval cross, perhaps destroyed under the Puritan government. It was originally decorated, with the ball being painted as a globe and the shaft having gold and black banding, and bore the twin inscriptions "Tempus Fugit: Mors Venit (Time flies, death comes)" and "Ut Hora: Sic Vita (As the hour, so life)". It is grade II listed and also designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Cricketer and rugby player A. N. Hornby
A. N. Hornby
Albert Neilson Hornby, commonly designated A. N. Hornby, nicknamed Monkey Hornby was one of the best known sportsmen in England during the nineteenth century excelling in both rugby and cricket...
is buried in the churchyard; his grave features a carving of a wicket, bat and ball in marble.
St Mary's has been administered since 1991 as a united benefice, the Cross Country Group of Parish Churches, with St Bartholomew's, Church Minshull
St Bartholomew's Church, Church Minshull
St Bartholomew's Church, Church Minshull is in the village of Church Minshull, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of...
, St Oswald's, Worleston
Worleston
Worleston is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village lies 2½ miles north of Nantwich and 3 miles west of Crewe...
and St David's, Wettenhall
Wettenhall
Wettenhall is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village lies 3½ miles to the south west of Winsford and 6 miles to the north west of Crewe. The parish also includes the settlements of Chapel Green and Woodside...
. It falls into the rural deanery of Nantwich
Nantwich
Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...
and the diocese of Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
. Since 2007, the vicar has been the Reverend Peter Lillicrap. A magazine, Cross Country, is circulated across all four churches.
Acton village
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
and contains several historic buildings. Apart from the church, the oldest buildings are a pair of grade-II-listed red-brick almshouse
Almshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
s in the churchyard which were built by Sir Roger Wilbraham
Roger Wilbraham
Sir Roger Wilbraham was a prominent English lawyer who served as Solicitor-General for Ireland under Elizabeth I and held positions at court under James I, including Master of Requests and surveyor of the Court of Wards and Liveries...
in 1613. The black-and-white Star Inn dates from the late 17th century and is grade II listed. The Glebe House on Monks Lane, once the vicarage, is a handsome three-storey, five-bay building in red brick with massive chimney stacks, built in 1723–27; it is listed at grade II*.
Other grade-II-listed buildings include Church Farm House and Star Cottages; both are in red brick and date from the early 19th century. Opposite St Mary's Church stands a grade-II-listed red telephone box
Red telephone box
The red telephone box, a public telephone kiosk designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, is a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom, Malta, Bermuda and Gibraltar, and despite a reduction in their numbers in recent years, red boxes can still be seen in many places and in current or former...
which was installed in 1940. It is of the 1935 K6 type, designed by Giles Gilbert Scott
Giles Gilbert Scott
Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, OM, FRIBA was an English architect known for his work on such buildings as Liverpool Cathedral and Battersea Power Station and designing the iconic red telephone box....
.
Elsewhere in the civil parish
Shropshire Union Canal
The Shropshire Union Canal is a navigable canal in England; the Llangollen and Montgomery canals are the modern names of branches of the Shropshire Union system and lie partially in Wales....
over the Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
to Nantwich
Nantwich
Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...
road (A534) near the eastern boundary of the civil parish. Constructed in around 1826 by Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford
Thomas Telford FRS, FRSE was a Scottish civil engineer, architect and stonemason, and a noted road, bridge and canal builder.-Early career:...
, the aqueduct has a single five-panelled arch and water trough with a balustrade, all in cast iron, carried by stone supports with pilasters. It is listed at grade II*.
Dorfold Dairy House was formerly the Dorfold Estate's home farm; a three-storey, three-bay, U-shaped building in red brick dating from the late 17th century, it is listed at grade II*. The adjacent red-brick farm building is grade II listed. Madam's Farm off Raven's Lane was the former dower house
Dower house
On an estate, a dower house is usually a moderately large house available for use by the widow of the estate-owner. The widow, often known as the "dowager" usually moves into the dower house from the larger family house on the death of her husband if the heir is married, and upon his marriage if he...
of the Hall; a three-storey, three-bay, T-shaped building in red brick dating from the late 18th century, it is listed at grade II. Other grade-II-listed buildings within the parish include the black-and-white Cuckoo Cottage on Cuckoo Lane just north of Acton Grange, dating from the late 17th century, an unnamed red-brick cottage by the Burford crossroads, dating from the early 19th century, and the Old Farmhouse, Village Farm. The unlisted Dorfold Cottage is a Victorian house featuring a castellated tower and Gothic stucco-work
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
on the interior.
Till
thumb|right|Closeup of glacial till. Note that the larger grains in the till are completely surrounded by the matrix of finer material , and this characteristic, known as matrix support, is diagnostic of till....
situated near the Burford crossroads, which was unearthed during road building and is believed to originate from Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
. The name is thought to derive from blue porphyritic
Porphyry (geology)
Porphyry is a variety of igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystals, such as feldspar or quartz, dispersed in a fine-grained feldspathic matrix or groundmass. The larger crystals are called phenocrysts...
crystals, which are no longer visible. A local legend suggests that the boulder was thrown at Acton church from Bickerton Hill
Bickerton Hill
Bickerton Hill refers to two low red sandstone hills that form the southern end of the Mid Cheshire Ridge in Cheshire, north-west England. The high point, Raw Head, lies on the northerly hill and has an elevation of 227 metres...
by the Devil. The stone gives its name to the small settlement of Bluestone in Henhull
Henhull
Henhull is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, which lies to the north west of Nantwich. For administrative purposes, it is combined with adjacent civil parishes of Acton and Edleston to form a total area of 765 hectares...
civil parish. The legend of the Devil throwing stones at Acton Church, may also refer to the stones which marked out the boundary of an area of land to the south of the Church, which was part of Dodcott cum Wilkesley Township. They are shown on the 1ST Edition Ordnance Survey Maps (1875) of the area. This area of land is suggested to have been the carucate of land in the vill of Acton granted to Combermere Abbey in 1130AD(Dodgson, p. 126, The Place-Names of Cheshire, Volume XLVI, Part 3, 1971). Meaning that these stones would have been placed here as boundary markers by the monks of the Abbey, to mark out their land, and over the centuries formed the basis of the legend.
Transport
A51 road
The A51 is a road in England running from Kingsbury in Warwickshire to Chester. The road follows the following route:*Kingsbury*Tamworth*Lichfield*Rugeley *Little Haywood*Great Haywood*Weston*Sandon...
at the Burford crossroads. It was estimated in 2005 that 3400 vehicles passed through the village daily on this road. The A534 (Cuckoo Lane) runs along the northern boundary. Monks Lane runs east–west from Acton village, and is commonly used as a cut off to the A534 (Cuckoo Lane). Marsh Lane, from Ravensmoor
Ravensmoor
Ravensmoor is a village in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, located at . It is split between the civil parishes of Baddiley and Burland...
to Nantwich, runs on the southern boundary of the parish, with Dig Lane connecting it to Ravens Lane in Burland
Burland
Burland is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, about 2½ miles west of Nantwich. The civil parish also includes the small settlements of Burland Lower Green, Burland Upper Green, Hollin Green and Stoneley Green, as well...
parish.
Acton is served by buses running between Crewe, Nantwich and Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
. In a 2005 survey (also including residents of Henhull and Edleston), 42% of respondents indicated that they used this bus service at least twice a month. However, in the 2001 census, no Acton residents stated that they used public transport to travel to work.
The parish is reasonably well served with public footpaths, particularly in the north–south direction. The most frequently used are the Crewe and Nantwich Circular Walk
Crewe and Nantwich Circular Walk
The Crewe and Nantwich Circular Walk is a long-distance walkers' path in the Cheshire East area of Cheshire, England. As the name suggests, the walk forms a circuit around the towns of Crewe and Nantwich...
and the towpath of the Shropshire Union Canal
Shropshire Union Canal
The Shropshire Union Canal is a navigable canal in England; the Llangollen and Montgomery canals are the modern names of branches of the Shropshire Union system and lie partially in Wales....
, both broadly north–south, and an east–west path that connects Acton village with Swanley
Swanley, Cheshire
Swanley is a small settlement at in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is divided between two civil parishes, Baddiley and Burland...
.
Education and public services
Acton Church of England Primary School in Acton village opened in 1843 and was extended in 1988. A Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
controlled school, it serves Acton as well as the nearby areas of Baddiley North
Baddiley
Baddiley is a scattered settlement and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The civil parish also includes the north-western part of the village of Ravensmoor , as well as the small settlements of Baddiley Hulse, Batterley Hill, and...
, Brindley
Brindley
Brindley is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village lies 3¾ miles to the west of Nantwich. The parish also includes the settlements of Brindley Lea, Ryders Bank and part of Radmore Green, with a total...
, Burland
Burland
Burland is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, about 2½ miles west of Nantwich. The civil parish also includes the small settlements of Burland Lower Green, Burland Upper Green, Hollin Green and Stoneley Green, as well...
, Edleston
Edleston
Edleston is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, which lies immediately to the south west of Nantwich. For administrative purposes, it is combined with adjacent civil parishes of Acton and Henhull to form a total area of 765 hectares...
, Faddiley
Faddiley
Faddiley is a small village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village is located 4 miles to the west of Nantwich. The parish also includes the small settlements of Larden Green and Woodhey or Woodhey Green, with a total...
, Henhull
Henhull
Henhull is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, which lies to the north west of Nantwich. For administrative purposes, it is combined with adjacent civil parishes of Acton and Edleston to form a total area of 765 hectares...
, Ravensmoor
Ravensmoor
Ravensmoor is a village in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, located at . It is split between the civil parishes of Baddiley and Burland...
, Swanley
Swanley, Cheshire
Swanley is a small settlement at in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is divided between two civil parishes, Baddiley and Burland...
and Woodhey
Faddiley
Faddiley is a small village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village is located 4 miles to the west of Nantwich. The parish also includes the small settlements of Larden Green and Woodhey or Woodhey Green, with a total...
. As of 2005, there were 127 pupils. Acton civil parish falls within the catchment area of Malbank School and Sixth Form College
Malbank School and Sixth Form College
Malbank School is a comprehensive secondary school and sixth form in Nantwich, Cheshire with pupils of both sexes aged from 11 to 18.-Admissions:It is in the west of Nantwich, close to the boundary with Henhull, on the A534 and the Shropshire Union Canal....
in Nantwich
Nantwich
Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...
.
The nearest NHS
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
hospital is Leighton Hospital
Leighton Hospital
Leighton Hospital is a hospital located in the town of Crewe in the county of Cheshire, England. Together with Victoria Infirmary, Northwich, it forms part of the Mid Cheshire Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust.-Level of care:...
near Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
, administered by the Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust. Policing is provided by the Nantwich Neighbourhood Policing Unit, within the Eastern Area of Cheshire Constabulary
Cheshire Constabulary
Cheshire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the English unitary authorities of Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton and Warrington. The force is responsible for policing an area of with a population of roughly 1 million.The Chief Constable of the...
, ambulances by North West Ambulance Service
North West Ambulance Service
The North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust was formed on 1 July 2006 as part of Health Minister Lord Warner's plans to reduce the number of NHS ambulance service trusts operating in the United Kingdom....
, and fire and rescue by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service is the statuory fire and rescue service for the English county of Cheshire, consisting of the unitary authorities of Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton and Warrington. It has 24 fire stations...
, with the nearest fire station being in Nantwich.
Culture and community
Bookmobile
A bookmobile or mobile library is a large vehicle designed for use as a library. It is designed to hold books on shelves so that when the vehicle is parked the books can be accessed by readers. It usually has enough space for people to sit and read books inside. Mobile libraries are often used to...
service visits Acton village weekly. As of 2005, there were no general stores, post offices, police stations or health centres within the civil parish; the nearest facilities are in Nantwich
Nantwich
Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...
.
Dorfold Hall Park hosts the annual Nantwich and South Cheshire Show, a single-day agricultural show
Agricultural show
An agricultural show is a public event showcasing the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show , a trade fair, competitions, and entertainment...
with trade stalls and ring displays organised by the Nantwich Agricultural Society. In 2006, the event drew an estimated 32,000 visitors. The show includes the Nantwich International Cheese Awards
International Cheese Awards
The International Cheese Awards is a cheese show and competition held each year at Dorfold Park in Nantwich, England. It represents the most important cheese events in the UK and one of the most important events on the global level...
, established in 1897 and claimed to be the largest cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
exhibition in Europe. The 2007 Cheese Show attracted 2250 entries from around 24 countries.
Notable residents
Edward Burghall (1600–1665), vicar of St Mary's (1646–1662), was the author of Providence Improved, a diary of 1628–1663, an important document in the history of PuritanPuritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
ism. Joseph Partridge (1724–1796), schoolmaster of Acton free grammar school (1766–1772), was the author of the first history of Nantwich
Nantwich
Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...
. Alethea Lewis
Alethea Lewis
Alethea Lewis was an English novelist, born at Acton, near Nantwich, Cheshire. Her father was the Reverend James Brereton. Althea was two years old when her mother died, and her father sent her away to live with her maternal grandfather...
(1749–1827), who was born in Acton, wrote essays and novels exploring Christian themes, many under the penname "Eugenia de Acton".
Sir Roger Wilbraham
Roger Wilbraham
Sir Roger Wilbraham was a prominent English lawyer who served as Solicitor-General for Ireland under Elizabeth I and held positions at court under James I, including Master of Requests and surveyor of the Court of Wards and Liveries...
(1553–1616), who purchased the Dorfold estate
Dorfold Hall
Dorfold Hall is a Jacobean mansion in Acton, near Nantwich, in Cheshire, UK. It is listed at grade I. It was considered by Nikolaus Pevsner to be one of the two finest Jacobean houses in Cheshire.The present owners are the Roundells.-History:...
in 1602, was a prominent English lawyer who served as Solicitor-General for Ireland
Solicitor-General for Ireland
The Solicitor-General for Ireland was the holder of an Irish and then United Kingdom government office. The holder was a deputy to the Attorney-General for Ireland, and advised the Crown on Irish legal matters. At least one holder of the office, Patrick Barnewall played a significant role in...
under Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
and held positions at court under James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
. He founded almshouses in St Mary's churchyard in 1613. Henry James Tollemache
Henry James Tollemache
Henry James Tollemache was a British Conservative Party politician. He served as the Member of Parliament successively for West Cheshire and Eddisbury ....
(1846–1939) of Dorfold Hall was the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for West Cheshire
West Cheshire (UK Parliament constituency)
West Cheshire is a former parliamentary constituency, which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
(1881–1885) and Eddisbury
Eddisbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Eddisbury is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.- Boundaries :...
(1885–1906). The current owner of the hall, Richard Roundell (b. 1944), is the deputy chairman of Christie's
Christie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
and served as High Sheriff
High Sheriff
A high sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.In England and Wales, the office is unpaid and partly ceremonial, appointed by the Crown through a warrant from the Privy Council. In Cornwall, the High Sheriff is appointed by the Duke of...
of Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
in 1984. His daughter,
Laura
Laura Cavendish, Countess of Burlington
Laura Cavendish, Countess of Burlington was previously known as the model Laura Roundell, the daughter of City businessman Richard Roundell, deputy chairman of Christie's and his wife Anthea, both of Dorfold Hall, a Jacobean house in Cheshire...
(b. 1972), a former model and fashion editor of Harper's Bazaar
Harper's Bazaar
Harper’s Bazaar is an American fashion magazine, first published in 1867. Harper’s Bazaar is published by Hearst and, as a magazine, considers itself to be the style resource for “women who are the first to buy the best, from casual to couture.”...
, married William Cavendish, photographer and heir to the 12th Duke of Devonshire
Peregrine Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire
Peregrine Andrew Morny Cavendish, 12th Duke of Devonshire, KCVO, CBE , is a British peer. He is the only surviving son of the 11th Duke of Devonshire and his wife, the former Deborah Mitford. He succeeded to the dukedom following the death of his father on 3 May 2004...
, in 2007.
Sources
- Hall J. A History of the Town and Parish of Nantwich, or Wich Malbank, in the County Palatine of Chester (2nd edn) (E. J. Morten; 1972) (ISBN 0-901598-24-0)
- Lamberton A, Gray R. Lost Houses in Nantwich (Landmark Publishing; 2005) (ISBN 1-84306-202-X)
- Latham FA, ed. Acton (The Local History Group; 1995) (ISBN 0-9522284-1-6)
- Morgan P, ed. Domesday Book: Cheshire (Phillimore; 1978) (ISBN 0-85033-139-0)
- Pevsner N, Hubbard E. The Buildings of England: Cheshire (Penguin Books; 1971) (ISBN 0-14-071042-6)
- Richards R. Old Cheshire Churches (Batsford; 1947)
- Robinson JM. A Guide to the Country Houses of the North-West (Constable; 1991) (ISBN 0-09-469920-8)