Culcheth and Glazebury
Encyclopedia
Culcheth and Glazebury is a civil parish within the Unitary Authority of Warrington
Borough in the ceremonial county of Cheshire
, England
.
until the Norman Conquest, hence the village gets its name from the Celtic
for "at the edge of the wood".
Bronze age
pottery
discovered at Croft
suggests the area was inhabited 4,000 years ago.
The Culcheth family played an important role in shaping village fortunes.
Gilbert de
Culcheth
was lord of the Manor
of Culcheth
and built its first hall in 1200. He was survived by a son Hugh de Gilbert, and four daughters.
Hugh de Gilbert was murdered by a group of twelve angry men in 1246, leaving no male heir. This saw the land divided between daughters Margery, Elizabeth, Ellen and Joan. However, equality was unheard of and land could not be passed down to women.
The responsibility for the girls went to the Baron
of Warrington
who married off all the girls to his four sons. Eldest girl Margery, married Richard who took the name de Culcheth to ensure its survival. Each couple lived in their own sector of the Manor - Culcheth, Holcroft, Risley and Peasfurlong.
Religion played an important role. As Catholics during the Reformation
, services took place under complete secrecy in the family chapel which priests would enter through a secret passage by the fireplace in the great hall, and exit at a secluded spot on the tree-lined drive.
The Culcheths supported Charles I
in the English Civil War
, whilst their neighbours and enemies the Holcrofts backed Cromwell
and the Parliamentarians
.
The Culcheth name died out with Thomas Culcheth (who died in 1747) being the last. He had no heir, so the hall passed to his cousin Thomas Stanley
and then to John Trafford
, which is where the family line ends.
The Holcroft family also have some notoriety for a scandal involving the daughter of Lt-Col John Holcroft
who was an officer in Cromwell's army
. His daughter, Maria, married Irishman Lieutenant
Thomas Blood
against Holcroft's wishes. They married on June 16, 1650 in Newchurch
before moving to Ireland
.
At the end of the civil war, Cromwell
promoted Blood to the rank of Captain. Three years later he was elevated to Commissioner of Parliament
. Blood is most famous for devising a plot to steal the Crown Jewels
from the Tower of London
and using them as a ransom for Charles II
. In 1671 he and Maria disguised themselves as a parson
and his wife. They visited the Keeper
of the Jewels and Maria pretended to faint to cause a distraction.
The Keeper unlocked the Crown Jewels and, to his amazement, was seized and held in the strongroom. Just as Blood and his accomplice were leaving, the plan was hindered yet again since they were caught before even getting out of the grounds of the Tower.
The King took pity on Blood and, after serving a short sentence, he was returned to Ireland and his estate where he and Maria lived on a £500 a year allowance.
The lordship of the manor
of Culcheth and Culcheth Hall were latterly owned by the Withington
family. The Hall was demolished after World War II
and the estate has been developed as residential housing by Adam Lythgoe (Estates) Ltd.
Before the Civil War
, Glazebury was part of Culcheth, and known as Hurst
because of Hurst Hall.. It was formerly the seat of the Holcroft
family, before the Adamsons
lived there during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Hurst Hall is now the site of a garden centre.
The village name is unusual as the ending "bury" in English
place names usually signifies a fortified place. However Hurst became known as Glazebury in a different way. In the 17th century Civil War
combatants were buried in a road which became known as Bury Lane (now part of Warrington Road) and Glazebury is believed to take its name from a combination of bury and the word glaze from the nearby River Glaze.
The village has a parish church , primary school
and cricket
club amongst other facilities.
Glazebury has more pubs than shops. There are a number of walks around the village to Windy Bank Wood and Crow Wood.
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
Borough in 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
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...
.
Culcheth
The area was dense woodlandWoodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
until the Norman Conquest, hence the village gets its name from the Celtic
Celtic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
for "at the edge of the wood".
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...
pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
discovered at Croft
Croft, Cheshire
Croft is a village and civil parish in Warrington, Cheshire, England, about five miles north of Warrington town centre. According to the 2001 Census it had a population of 2,920. It is a rural, residential district....
suggests the area was inhabited 4,000 years ago.
The Culcheth family played an important role in shaping village fortunes.
Gilbert de
Nobiliary particle
A nobiliary particle is used in a family name or surname in many Western cultures to signal the nobility of a family. The particle used varies depending on the country, language and period of time. This article is dedicated to explain how noble families of different countries identify themselves by...
Culcheth
Culcheth
Culcheth is a large village approximately 6 miles north-east of Warrington, England. It is the principal settlement in Culcheth and Glazebury civil parish. The village has many amenities which make it a popular place to live. These include a library, a village hall, sports facilities, two...
was lord of the Manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
of Culcheth
Culcheth
Culcheth is a large village approximately 6 miles north-east of Warrington, England. It is the principal settlement in Culcheth and Glazebury civil parish. The village has many amenities which make it a popular place to live. These include a library, a village hall, sports facilities, two...
and built its first hall in 1200. He was survived by a son Hugh de Gilbert, and four daughters.
Hugh de Gilbert was murdered by a group of twelve angry men in 1246, leaving no male heir. This saw the land divided between daughters Margery, Elizabeth, Ellen and Joan. However, equality was unheard of and land could not be passed down to women.
The responsibility for the girls went to the Baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
of Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
who married off all the girls to his four sons. Eldest girl Margery, married Richard who took the name de Culcheth to ensure its survival. Each couple lived in their own sector of the Manor - Culcheth, Holcroft, Risley and Peasfurlong.
Religion played an important role. As Catholics during the Reformation
English Reformation
The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th-century England by which the Church of England broke away from the authority of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church....
, services took place under complete secrecy in the family chapel which priests would enter through a secret passage by the fireplace in the great hall, and exit at a secluded spot on the tree-lined drive.
The Culcheths supported Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, whilst their neighbours and enemies the Holcrofts backed Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
and the Parliamentarians
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
.
The Culcheth name died out with Thomas Culcheth (who died in 1747) being the last. He had no heir, so the hall passed to his cousin Thomas Stanley
Stanley (surname)
Stanley is both a family name and a masculine given name dating from the 11th and 12th century English contraction of 'Stoney Meadow'...
and then to John Trafford
De Trafford Baronets
The de Trafford Baronetcy, of Trafford Park in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was restored after the Catholic Emancipation, by Royal Decree on 7 September 1841, for Thomas de Trafford...
, which is where the family line ends.
The Holcroft family also have some notoriety for a scandal involving the daughter of Lt-Col John Holcroft
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
who was an officer in Cromwell's army
New Model Army
The New Model Army of England was formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War, and was disbanded in 1660 after the Restoration...
. His daughter, Maria, married Irishman Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Thomas Blood
Thomas Blood
Colonel Thomas Blood was an Irish colonel best known for attempting to steal the Crown Jewels of England from the Tower of London in 1671...
against Holcroft's wishes. They married on June 16, 1650 in Newchurch
Newchurch
Newchurch is the name of several places in the United Kingdom:*Newchurch, Blaenau Gwent, Wales*Newchurch, Carmarthenshire, Wales*Newchurch, Herefordshire, England*Newchurch, Isle of Wight, England*Newchurch, Kent, England*Newchurch, Lancashire, England...
before moving to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
At the end of the civil war, Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
promoted Blood to the rank of Captain. Three years later he was elevated to Commissioner of Parliament
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
. Blood is most famous for devising a plot to steal the Crown Jewels
Crown jewels
Crown jewels are jewels or artifacts of the reigning royal family of their respective country. They belong to monarchs and are passed to the next sovereign to symbolize the right to rule. They may include crowns, sceptres, orbs, swords, rings, and other objects...
from the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
and using them as a ransom for Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
. In 1671 he and Maria disguised themselves as a parson
Parson
In the pre-Reformation church, a parson was the priest of an independent parish church, that is, a parish church not under the control of a larger ecclesiastical or monastic organization...
and his wife. They visited the Keeper
Keeper
-People:* Cyril Keeper , Canadian politician* Joe Keeper , Canadian long distance runner and Olympian* The Keeper of the Register, Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places* Gamekeeper* Lighthouse keeper* Museum curator...
of the Jewels and Maria pretended to faint to cause a distraction.
The Keeper unlocked the Crown Jewels and, to his amazement, was seized and held in the strongroom. Just as Blood and his accomplice were leaving, the plan was hindered yet again since they were caught before even getting out of the grounds of the Tower.
The King took pity on Blood and, after serving a short sentence, he was returned to Ireland and his estate where he and Maria lived on a £500 a year allowance.
The lordship of the manor
Manor
-Land tenure:*Manor, an estate in land of the mediaeval era in England*Manorialism, a system of land tenure and organization of the rural economy and society in parts of medieval Europe based on the manor*Manor house, the principal house of a manor...
of Culcheth and Culcheth Hall were latterly owned by the Withington
Withington
Withington is a suburban area of the City of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies south of Manchester city centre, about south of Fallowfield, north-east of Didsbury, and east of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, near the centre-to-south edges of the Greater Manchester Urban Area; in the...
family. The Hall was demolished after World War II
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...
and the estate has been developed as residential housing by Adam Lythgoe (Estates) Ltd.
Glazebury
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, Glazebury was part of Culcheth, and known as Hurst
Toponymy
Toponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
because of Hurst Hall.. It was formerly the seat of the Holcroft
Gentry
Gentry denotes "well-born and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past....
family, before the Adamsons
Donald Adamson
Donald Adamson is a historian, biographer, philosophical writer, textual scholar, literary critic, and translator of French literature...
lived there during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Hurst Hall is now the site of a garden centre.
The village name is unusual as the ending "bury" in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
place names usually signifies a fortified place. However Hurst became known as Glazebury in a different way. In the 17th century Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
combatants were buried in a road which became known as Bury Lane (now part of Warrington Road) and Glazebury is believed to take its name from a combination of bury and the word glaze from the nearby River Glaze.
The village has a parish church , primary school
Junior school
A junior school is a type of school which caters for children, often between the ages of 7 and 11.-Australia:In Australia, a junior school is usually a part of a private school that educates children between the ages of 5 and 12....
and cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
club amongst other facilities.
Glazebury has more pubs than shops. There are a number of walks around the village to Windy Bank Wood and Crow Wood.