Stoke, Crewe and Nantwich
Encyclopedia
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 (at ), which lies 3½ miles to the north west of Nantwich
. The parish also includes the small settlements of Stoke Bank and Verona . Nearby villages include Aston juxta Mondrum
, Burland
, Calveley
, Haughton
, Rease Heath
and Wardle
.
; the name was first recorded in 1260. Barbridge is mentioned in John Leland's Itinerary from a visit of 1536. The civil parish was originally a township
in the ancient parish
of Acton
in the Nantwich Hundred
; it was served by St Mary's Church, Acton
. The manor was given by Randal de Praers to his son, who assumed the name Stoke, and later passed to the Beeston and Aston families. By 1622, it was held by the Minshull family of Stoke Hall. The manor was held by the Wilbraham family from 1753 to 1781, and was then sold to the Craven family.
During the Civil War
, Stoke was occupied by royalist
forces in December 1643, together with much of the surrounding area. In the 17th–19th centuries, the area appears to have had a substantial Quaker
population; a graveyard at Stoke Grange Farm was given to the movement in 1657 and remained in use until the mid-19th century. During World War II
, Stoke Manor provided accommodation for land girls
.
Barbridge had a watermill on Mill Pool Lane which was used until the 1880s. A smithy was active until the late 1940s. In the mid-19th century, an agricultural business was based in Barbridge which supplied machinery internationally, and a small engineering firm was later based in Stoke.
. From 1974 the civil parish was served by Crewe and Nantwich
Borough Council, which was succeeded on 1 April 2009 by the new unitary authority
of Cheshire East
. Stoke falls in the parliamentary constituency of Eddisbury
, and has been represented by Stephen O'Brien since 1999.
. The parish includes several small areas of woodland, including The Rookery . The north-eastern part of Hurleston Reservoir falls in Stoke (the majority is in Hurleston
), and there is also a small lake in the grounds of Stoke Hall, as well as several unnamed brooks and scattered small meres. The high point of the civil parish, south of Stoke Bank, has an elevation of around 60 metres; the ground slopes gently downwards to the east, with a low point of around 40 metres south of The Rookery.
The Barbridge Junction
on the Shropshire Union Canal
lies just to the north of the parish; the main line of the canal runs north–south through the parish and the Middlewich branch
runs east–west across it. Hurleston Junction
also lies immediately south of the parish in Hurleston
. The A51
(Chester Road) runs north–south through the parish; Stokehall Lane connects the A51 at Barbridge with Wettenhall Road via Bremilow's Bridge.
with a bell turret in the grounds of the hall dates from the late 18th century; it is also listed at grade II.
Stoke Manor is a red-brick manor house near Verona, now owned by the County Council and converted into flats. The farmhouse of Verona dates from the 18th century; it was described as haunted in Egerton Leigh
's Cheshire Legends of 1867.
The former Barbridge post office (now a private house) on Chester Road dates from the late 17th century. Stoke Cottage on Mill Pool Lane is an L-shaped brick building dating from the early 18th century which was extended in 1856. Both buildings are listed at grade II. Stoke Methodist Chapel in Barbridge was built in 1845. Barbridge has a public house, the The Olde Barbridge Inn.
Two canal bridges are listed at grade II. Bremilow's Bridge is a road bridge over the canal main line at Barbridge, which dates from around 1779 and was designed by Thomas Telford
. Sandhole Bridge crosses the Middlewich branch
at and was also designed by Telford.
and Tarporley High School
in Tarporley
.
, hero of the Battle of Quebec
of 1759, is supposed to have spent some of his childhood at Yew Tree House near Verona. Train driver Wallace Oakes
, born in Barbridge, was awarded a posthumous George Cross
in 1965 for safely stopping a Crewe–Carlisle train which had an engine fire; he died of his injuries a few days after the incident. A locomotive was later named in his honour.
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
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...
. The parish is predominantly rural with a total population of around 200. The largest settlement is Barbridge (at ), which lies 3½ miles to the north 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...
. The parish also includes the small settlements of Stoke Bank and Verona . Nearby villages include 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:...
, 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...
, Calveley
Calveley
Calveley is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village lies 5½ miles to the north west of Nantwich. The parish also includes parts of the settlements of Barrets Green and Wardle Bank. Nearby villages include...
, Haughton
Haughton, Cheshire
Haughton is a village and civil parish which lies northwest of Nantwich in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England...
, 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...
and Wardle
Wardle, Cheshire
Wardle is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village lies 4 miles to the north west of Nantwich. Nearby villages include Barbridge, Calveley and Haughton. The Shropshire Union Canal and the A51 run side by side...
.
History
Stoke means "hamlet", from the Anglo-Saxon. It formed part of the ancient Forest of Mondrum. Stoke is not mentioned by name in the Domesday surveyDomesday 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...
; the name was first recorded in 1260. Barbridge is mentioned in John Leland's Itinerary from a visit of 1536. The civil parish was originally a township
Township (England)
In England, a township is a local division or district of a large parish containing a village or small town usually having its own church...
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...
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...
; it was served by St Mary's Church, Acton
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...
. The manor was given by Randal de Praers to his son, who assumed the name Stoke, and later passed to the Beeston and Aston families. By 1622, it was held by the Minshull family of Stoke Hall. The manor was held by the Wilbraham family from 1753 to 1781, and was then sold to the Craven family.
During the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, Stoke was occupied by royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
forces in December 1643, together with much of the surrounding area. In the 17th–19th centuries, the area appears to have had a substantial Quaker
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
population; a graveyard at Stoke Grange Farm was given to the movement in 1657 and remained in use until the mid-19th century. During 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...
, Stoke Manor provided accommodation for land girls
Women's Land Army
The Women's Land Army was a British civilian organisation created during the First and Second World Wars to work in agriculture replacing men called up to the military. Women who worked for the WLA were commonly known as Land Girls...
.
Barbridge had a watermill on Mill Pool Lane which was used until the 1880s. A smithy was active until the late 1940s. In the mid-19th century, an agricultural business was based in Barbridge which supplied machinery internationally, and a small engineering firm was later based in Stoke.
Governance
Stoke is administered by Stoke and Hurleston Parish Council jointly with the adjacent civil parish of HurlestonHurleston
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...
. From 1974 the civil parish was served by 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...
Borough Council, which was succeeded on 1 April 2009 by the new unitary authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
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...
. Stoke falls in the parliamentary constituency of 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 :...
, and has been represented by Stephen O'Brien since 1999.
Geography, transport and economy
The civil parish has a total area of 662 acres (267.9 ha). The major land use is agricultural, predominantly dairy farmingDairy 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...
. The parish includes several small areas of woodland, including The Rookery . The north-eastern part of Hurleston Reservoir falls in Stoke (the majority is in 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...
), and there is also a small lake in the grounds of Stoke Hall, as well as several unnamed brooks and scattered small meres. The high point of the civil parish, south of Stoke Bank, has an elevation of around 60 metres; the ground slopes gently downwards to the east, with a low point of around 40 metres south of The Rookery.
The Barbridge Junction
Barbridge Junction
Barbridge Junction is the name of the canal junction located at Barbridge, Cheshire, where the Shropshire Union Canal Middlewich Branch terminates and meets the Shropshire Union Canal main line.-External links:***...
on 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....
lies just to the north of the parish; the main line of the canal runs north–south through the parish and the Middlewich branch
Middlewich Branch
The Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal is located in Cheshire, in the north west of England, and runs between Middlewich, where it joins the Trent and Mersey Canal, and Barbridge Junction, where it joins the main line of the Shropshire Union Canal...
runs east–west across it. Hurleston Junction
Hurleston Junction
Hurleston Junction is the name of the canal junction where the Llangollen Canal terminates and meets the Shropshire Union Canal main line at Hurleston, Cheshire, England....
also lies immediately south of the parish in 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...
. 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...
(Chester Road) runs north–south through the parish; Stokehall Lane connects the A51 at Barbridge with Wettenhall Road via Bremilow's Bridge.
Demography
In 2006, the total population of the civil parish was estimated as 210. The 2001 census recorded a population of 201, in 94 households. The historical population figures were 127 (1801), 143 (1851), 191 (1901), 229 (1951) and 156 (1971).Landmarks
The grade-II-listed Stoke Hall on Stokehall Lane is a large L-shaped mansion in red brick dating originally from the early 17th century, but with a 19th century appearance. The hall originally belonged to the Minshull family, who owned the manor of Stoke in the 17th century. A disused dovecoteDovecote
A dovecote or dovecot is a structure intended to house pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be square or circular free-standing structures or built into the end of a house or barn. They generally contain pigeonholes for the birds to nest. Pigeons and doves were an important food source historically in...
with a bell turret in the grounds of the hall dates from the late 18th century; it is also listed at grade II.
Stoke Manor is a red-brick manor house near Verona, now owned by the County Council and converted into flats. The farmhouse of Verona dates from the 18th century; it was described as haunted in Egerton Leigh
Egerton Leigh
Egerton Leigh DL, JP was a British soldier, landowner, Conservative politician and author.-Personal life:The member of an ancient Cheshire family, Leigh was the son of Egerton Leigh and Wilhelmina Sarah, daughter of George Stratton...
's Cheshire Legends of 1867.
The former Barbridge post office (now a private house) on Chester Road dates from the late 17th century. Stoke Cottage on Mill Pool Lane is an L-shaped brick building dating from the early 18th century which was extended in 1856. Both buildings are listed at grade II. Stoke Methodist Chapel in Barbridge was built in 1845. Barbridge has a public house, the The Olde Barbridge Inn.
Two canal bridges are listed at grade II. Bremilow's Bridge is a road bridge over the canal main line at Barbridge, which dates from around 1779 and was designed 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:...
. Sandhole Bridge crosses the Middlewich branch
Middlewich Branch
The Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal is located in Cheshire, in the north west of England, and runs between Middlewich, where it joins the Trent and Mersey Canal, and Barbridge Junction, where it joins the main line of the Shropshire Union Canal...
at and was also designed by Telford.
Education
There are no educational facilities within the civil parish. The parish falls within the catchment areas of Calveley School in CalveleyCalveley
Calveley is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village lies 5½ miles to the north west of Nantwich. The parish also includes parts of the settlements of Barrets Green and Wardle Bank. Nearby villages include...
and Tarporley High School
Tarporley Community High School
Tarporley High School and Sixth Form College is a secondary school in the village of Tarporley, Cheshire, England.-Admissions:It has around 1,000 pupils with 64 teachers. It is an over-subscribed school...
in Tarporley
Tarporley
Tarporley is a large village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England....
.
Notable residents
General James WolfeJames Wolfe
Major General James P. Wolfe was a British Army officer, known for his training reforms but remembered chiefly for his victory over the French in Canada...
, hero of the Battle of Quebec
Battle of the Plains of Abraham
The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, also known as the Battle of Quebec, was a pivotal battle in the Seven Years' War...
of 1759, is supposed to have spent some of his childhood at Yew Tree House near Verona. Train driver Wallace Oakes
Wallace Oakes
Wallace Arnold Oakes GC was a train driver with British Railways who was born in Barbridge, Cheshire and lived at Wheelock Heath, Sandbach, Cheshire....
, born in Barbridge, was awarded a posthumous George Cross
George Cross
The George Cross is the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom, and also holds, or has held, that status in many of the other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations...
in 1965 for safely stopping a Crewe–Carlisle train which had an engine fire; he died of his injuries a few days after the incident. A locomotive was later named in his honour.