Acton was an 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...

 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...

 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

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

At one time it included the township

Township

The word township is used to refer to different kinds of settlements in different countries. Township is generally associated with an urban area. However there are many exceptions to this rule. In Australia, the United States, and Canada, they may be settlements too small to be considered urban...

s of Acton

Acton, Cheshire

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...

, Aston juxta Mondrum

Aston juxta Mondrum

Aston juxta Mondrum is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is about four miles north of Nantwich. The civil parish also includes part of Worleston village.-History:...

, Austerson, Baddington

Baddington

Baddington 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 and north of Audlem...

, 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...

, Cholmondeston

Cholmondeston

Cholmondeston is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village lies 5 miles to the north west of Nantwich. Nearby villages include Aston juxta Mondrum, Barbridge, Calveley and Wettenhall...

, 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...

, Hurleston

Hurleston

Hurleston 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. The parish is predominantly rural with scattered farms and buildings and no settlements...

, Poole

Poole, Cheshire

Poole 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 and to the west of Crewe. The Shropshire Union Canal runs through the parish...

, Stoke

Stoke, Crewe and Nantwich

Stoke is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The parish is predominantly rural with a total population of around 200. The largest settlement is Barbridge , which lies 3½ miles to the north west of Nantwich. The parish also...

, 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...

, most of Coole Pilate

Coole Pilate

Coole Pilate is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, which lies to the north of Audlem and to the south of Nantwich. The area is predominantly rural with scattered farms, and a total population of 60 people...

, parts of Dodcott cum Wilkesley

Dodcott cum Wilkesley

Dodcott cum Wilkesley is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The hamlet of Wilkesley lies 2½ miles to the west of Audlem and 7 miles to the south west of Nantwich. The parish also includes the small settlements of Butterley...

, Newhall

Newhall, Cheshire

Newhall 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 west of Audlem and 5 miles to the south west of Nantwich...

 and Sound

Sound, Cheshire

Sound is a hamlet and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The hamlet is located 3¼ miles to the south west of Nantwich. The parish also includes the small settlements of Newtown and Sound Heath...

, and possibly all or part of Baddiley

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...

. It also contained the chapelries

Chapelry

A chapelry was a subdivision of an ecclesiastical parish in England, and parts of Lowland Scotland up to the mid 19th century. It had a similar status to a township but was so named as it had a chapel which acted as a subsidiary place of worship to the main parish church...

 of 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...

, 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 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...

. By around 1870, the townships and chapelries of Baddiley, Church Minshull, Dodcott cum Wilkesley, Nantwich, Newhall, Sound and Wrenbury had been lost from Acton; the total area of the ancient parish was then 15,542 acres (6,290 hectares), with a population of 3,125.

Acton 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...

 served as 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...

. 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.