Saighton (; ) is a village and former

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

, now in the parish of

Aldford and Saighton Aldford is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Aldford and Saighton, in the county of Cheshire, England. (). The village is approximately to the south of Chester, on the east bank of the River Dee. The Aldford Brook joins ...

, in the unitary authority of

Cheshire West and Chester Cheshire West and Chester is a unitary authority with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It was established on 1 April 2009 as part of the 2009 local government changes, by virtue of an order under the Local Governm ...

and the ceremonial county of

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's coun ...

, England, a few miles south of

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

. The 2011 Census recorded a population for the parish of 202. The civil parish was abolished in 2015 to form Aldford and Saighton. Much of the surrounding land is owned by the

Duke of Westminster Duke of Westminster is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created by Queen Victoria in 1874 and bestowed upon Hugh Grosvenor, 3rd Marquess of Westminster. It is the most recent dukedom conferred on someone not related to the ...

History

The village is said to take its name from the Old English of ''salh'' and ''tun'' which translates into "the settlement where willow grows". The settlement predates the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conq ...

and is mentioned in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

as ''Saltone''. Most of the land and buildings in Saighton are owned by the Duke of Westminster's Eaton Estate, which has been in the ownership of the Grosvenor family since the 1440s. Saighton is described in 1870–72 in

John Marius Wilson John Marius Wilson (c. 1805–1885) was a British writer and an editor, most notable for his gazetteers. The ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' (published 1870–72), was a substantial topographical dictionary in six volumes. It was a c ...

's ''

Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales The ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' is a substantial topographical dictionary first published between 1870 and 1872, edited by the Reverend John Marius Wilson. It contains a detailed description of England and Wales. Its six volumes ...

'' as having a population of 272, 59 houses and a post office. In 1881 Saighton had a total population of 350, with most men working in farming, and most women who were employed working as servants. Saighton was a township in St. Oswald's ancient parish until 1866 when it became a civil parish. Six men from Saighton who lost their lives in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

are commemorated on the village's war memorial.

Places of interest

St Mary's Church is in the small settlement of Bruera, which lies between the villages of Saighton and

Aldford Aldford is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Aldford and Saighton, in the county of Cheshire, England. (). The village is approximately to the south of Chester, on the east bank of the River Dee. The Aldford Brook joins ...

, in

, England. It is designated by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

as a Grade II*

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

. The church contains

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

elements, but it has been subjected to alterations and modifications, particularly in 1896. Its

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

is combined with other churches St Peter, Waverton, and St John the Baptist, Aldford.

Saighton Camp Saighton Camp was a military installation located between Saighton and Huntington covering an area of approximately 33 hectares. History The camp was created between 1938 and 1939 for use as a military training camp during the Second World War. ...

was a military installation used by the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...

. It was used as a training centre for the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps ...

before its closure in around 1999. The site is being redeveloped for residential use. The streets on the new estate have names with military significance, such as Wellesley, Alanbrooke,

Green Howards The Green Howards (Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own Yorkshire Regiment), frequently known as the Yorkshire Regiment until the 1920s, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, in the King's Division. Raised in 1688, it served under vario ...

and Dragoon. St Mary's Church, Bruera-2

The village has a voluntary aided Church of England primary school, with older children travelling to nearby Christleton or Malpas for state secondary education. Abbey Gate College is an independent day school located on the outskirts of Saighton in the grounds of Saighton Grange. The village has a village hall which is used for local events. A number of former farm buildings in Saighton have been converted for business use.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Cheshire Former civil parishes in Cheshire Cheshire West and Chester

History

Places of interest

See also

References

External links