Church Lawton
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Church Lawton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority area of
Cheshire East Cheshire East is a unitary authority area with borough status in Cheshire, England. The local authority is Cheshire East Council, which is based in the town of Sandbach. Other towns within the area include Crewe, Macclesfield, Congleton, Wilms ...
and in the ceremonial county of
Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. Its eastern boundary forms part of the county boundary between Cheshire and
Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...
. As the village is near
Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England. It has an estimated population of 259,965 as of 2022, making it the largest settlement in Staffordshire ...
, it has a Stoke postcode. In addition to ribbon development connecting Kidsgrove (in Staffordshire) with Scholar Green (in
Odd Rode Odd Rode is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It borders the Staffordshire parish of Kidsgrove. Of particular note in the area is Rode Hall, seat of the Wilbraham family. ...
parish), the parish also contains the hamlets of Lawton Gate, Lawton Heath and Lawton Heath End, and the Lawton Hall estate. According to the 2001 census, the population of the entire parish was 2,201.Official 2001 Census Figures.
Neighbourhood Statistics website. Retrieval Date: 24 August 2007.


History

There is evidence of human activity within the parish stretching back to the
Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
period: a polished axe was found in the parish that was possibly made in
Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
. The collection of Church Lawton Barrows, also known as the Church Lawton Complex, is a significant
Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
site in the parish.Church Lawton Barrows.
The Megalithic Portal. Retrieval Date: 24 August 2007.
The Complex consists of three Bronze Age mounds of which only two (Church Lawton II and Church Lawton III) survive. Church Lawton III is the more important of the two, having been excavated in the early 1980s. It seems to have been built in two phases; the first phase consisted of one of the few
stone circles A stone circle is a ring of megalithic standing stones. Most are found in Northwestern Europe – especially Stone circles in the British Isles and Brittany – and typically date from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, with most being bu ...
found in Cheshire, which was roughly in diameter, with a turf and daub platform in the centre, on which dead bodies were probably placed as part of an
excarnation In archaeology and anthropology, the term excarnation (also known as defleshing) refers to the practice of removing the flesh and organs of the dead before burial. Excarnation may be achieved through natural means, such as leaving a dead body exp ...
ritual prior to burial. There were gaps to the north and south of the circle serving as entrances, with two of the stones standing upright, with the remainder deliberately placed on their side. The second phase covered the central part with sandy subsoil and surrounded it with a low turf wall.Morgan and Morgan (2004). page 92. Church Lawton II was also built in two phases. In the first, a low mound made from sand and gravel subsoil surrounded by a ditch was constructed. It was about in diameter and high. In the centre of the mound was a sand-filled boat-shaped hollow with a wooden lid. It was found to be empty of any bones, possibly because any bones had rotted away in the acidic soil environment. Eighteen pits, most likely cremation pits, were found on the mound, and four outside the surrounding ditch. Most of the contents of these were adults, but a few were children or foetuses. Two food vessels and two "Collared Urns" were also found. In the second phase, the diameter increased to , but there were only a number of fire pits and pyres discovered along with one actual cremation.Morgan and Morgan (2004). page 93. A number of pottery shards were also recovered, though they had been badly damaged by ploughing. Some pottery associated with the
Beaker culture The Bell Beaker culture, also known as the Bell Beaker complex or Bell Beaker phenomenon, is an archaeological culture named after the inverted-bell Beaker (archaeology), beaker drinking vessel used at the beginning of the European Bronze Age, ...
was also recovered from what would have been the soil surface at the time of construction, showing that this area had human habitation for an extended period. Nothing of substance is known about Church Lawton I, as it was partially destroyed by the building of the current A5011
Newcastle-under-Lyme Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. It is adjacent to the city of Stoke-on-Trent. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the population ...
to
Sandbach Sandbach (pronounced ) is a market town and civil parish in the Cheshire East borough of Cheshire, England. The civil parish contains four settlements: Sandbach, Elworth, Ettiley Heath and Wheelock, Cheshire, Wheelock. At the 2021 United Kingd ...
road some time before 1881. The remaining part of it was subsequently destroyed by the building of a petrol station, much later.


Medieval history

In 1338 Ralph de Lawton, who held the manor of ''Bog-lawton'' (now Church Lawton) surrendered it to Henry de Motlowe and his heirs. Henry, whose family came from Nether Alderley, later became
Lord Chief Justice of Ireland The Court of King's Bench (or Court of Queen's Bench during the reign of a Queen) was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror of the Court of King's Bench in England. The Lord Chief Justice was the most senior judge ...
.


Governance

Church Lawton is an ancient parish, though there is some evidence that it was previously part of the ancient parish of
Astbury Astbury is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Andrew Astbury, English swimmer * Ian Astbury, English rock singer * Jill Astbury, Australian researcher into violence against women *William Astbury William Thomas Astbury FRS ( ...
(now Newbold Astbury). It also was part of
Nantwich Nantwich ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It has among the highest concentrations of listed buildings in England, with notably good examples of Tudor and Georgian architecture ...
Hundred,
Congleton Congleton is a market town and civil parish in Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. It is on the River Dane, south of Manchester and north of Stoke on Trent. At the 2021 census, the parish had a population of 28,497 and the built-up area ha ...
Poor Law Union A poor law union was a geographical territory, and early local government unit, in Great Britain and Ireland. Poor law unions existed in England and Wales from 1834 to 1930 for the administration of poor relief. Prior to the Poor Law Amendment ...
and
Rural Sanitary District Sanitary districts were established in England and Wales in 1872 and in Ireland in 1878. The districts were of two types, based on existing structures: *Urban sanitary districts in towns with existing local government bodies *Rural sanitary dis ...
, and after 1866 it formed part of Congleton Rural District. County boundary changes in 1965 led to an exchange of small pieces of land between it and the civil parish of Kidsgrove, in Kidsgrove Urban District, in the neighbouring county of
Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...
.Youngs (1991). page 24. From 1974 the civil parish was served by Congleton Borough Council, which was succeeded on 1 April 2009 by the new
unitary authority A unitary authority is a type of local government, local authority in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Unitary authorities are responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are ...
of
Cheshire East Cheshire East is a unitary authority area with borough status in Cheshire, England. The local authority is Cheshire East Council, which is based in the town of Sandbach. Other towns within the area include Crewe, Macclesfield, Congleton, Wilms ...
. In terms of parliamentary representation, Church Lawton was in the Cheshire Southern Division from 1832 to 1867; in the Cheshire Mid Division, from 1867 to 1885; in the Crewe Division, from 1885 to 1948; and from 1948 it was in
Knutsford Knutsford () is a market town and civil parish in the Cheshire East district, in Cheshire, England; it is located south-west of Manchester, north-west of Macclesfield and south-east of Warrington. The population of the parish at the 2021 Uni ...
County Constituency, but it is currently in
Congleton Congleton is a market town and civil parish in Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. It is on the River Dane, south of Manchester and north of Stoke on Trent. At the 2021 census, the parish had a population of 28,497 and the built-up area ha ...
County Constituency. In local government Church Lawton is covered by Church Lawton Town Council. It consists of 10 councillors, with one acting as Chairman of the Council for a term of 12 months. There is an Annual Parish Meeting on the fourth Wednesday of April.


Notable people

* Charlie Burgess (1883 in Church Lawton – 1956), an English footballer who played over 200 games mainly for Stoke City. * Andor Gomme (1930 – 2008 in Church Lawton), a British scholar of English literature and architectural history, frequent reviewer for the ''Times Literary Supplement'' and an academic at
Keele University Keele University is a Public university#United Kingdom, public research university in Keele, approximately from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as the University College of North Staffordshire, it was granted uni ...
. He lived in Barleybat Hall from 1960. * Phil Sproson, footballer for Port Vale 1977 1989 500 appearances lives in Church Lawton


Freemen

Below is a very short list of Freemen of Church Lawton and when the title was bestowed: *Mr Austin Fernihough (October 2022)


See also

* Listed buildings in Church Lawton * All Saints Church, Church Lawton * Lawton Hall * Lawton railway station


Notes and references


Bibliography

*Dunn, F. I. (1987). ''The Ancient Parishes, Townships, and Chapelries of Cheshire.'' Chester, United Kingdom: Cheshire Record Office and Chester Diocesan Record Office, Cheshire County Council. . *Morgan, V., and Morgan, P. (2004). ''Prehistoric Cheshire.'' Ashbourne, Derbyshire: Landmark Publishing Company. . *Youngs, F. A. (1991). ''Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. Volume I: Northern England''. London: Royal Historical Society. .


External links

{{authority control Villages in Cheshire Civil parishes in Cheshire