Places: Middlewich

MIDDLEWICH

The parish of Middlewich is situated in central Cheshire. It comprised the townships of Byley cum Yatehouse, Clive, Croxton, Kinderton, Middlewich, Minshull Vernon, Moresbarrow cum Parme, Newton, Occleston, Ravenscroft, Sproston, Stublach, Sutton, Weever and Wimboldsley cum Lea. The township of Middlewich is situated on junction of the Trent and Mersey Canal, dating from the late 1770s, and a branch of the Shropshire Union Canal. The main industry in the town was the manufacture of salt which was produced from brine springs and there was some silk manufacture.

The rectory of Middlewich was appropriated to the monastery of Lenton in Nottinghamshire in 1504, at which time it was worth £30 a year. After its dissolution in 1538 the advowson passed to the Crown and was sold to Sir William Brereton in 1607, with the appropriated rectory. In 1663 the advowson of the vicarage was acquired by the Lowe family. In 1817 the tithes and patronage of the vicarage were appropriated by a group of local landowners. Various early leases indicate that the vicar was to be paid an annual salary of 19 marks (£12 13s 4d) but in 1658, during the Interregnum, this was increased to £50 but this order for the increase was revoked following the Restoration.

The parish church is situated in the middle of the town of Middlewich. The oldest surviving parts of the church building date from the twelfth century but the chancel and most of nave were rebuilt in the late fourteenth century, and the tower was added about a hundred years later. The church was substantially restored in 1857-60. The chancel roof, dating from 1621, fell victim to death watch beetle and was replaced in 1951-2.

There were two battles in Middlewich during the Civil War, during the first battle in March 1642/3 the church was occupied by the royalists who were defeated by the parliamentarians. The church suffered some damage during the battle, following which the parliamentarian forces were said to have looted both the townspeople and the church. The second battle, some nine months later, was won by the royalists.

Sources:

George Ormerod, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester (second edition, revised and enlarged by T. Helsby, London, 1882), vol. iii, pp. 173-186

Raymond Richards, Old Cheshire Churches (Revised and enlarged edition, Didsbury, 1973), pp. 234-237

B. Ll. Vaudrey, ‘Some notes on the parish church of Middlewich, Cheshire’, Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, vol. 27 (1874-1875), pp. 1-12. Available online: https://www.hslc.org.uk/journal/vol-27-1874-1875/

‘House of Cluniac monks: The priory of Lenton’, in A History of the County of Nottingham: Volume 2, ed. William Page (London, 1910), British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/notts/vol2/pp91-100 [accessed 13 February 2025]

‘Middleton-in-Teesdale – Midley’, in A Topographical Dictionary of England, ed. Samuel Lewis (London, 1848), British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/england/pp310-313 [accessed 13 February 2025]

A Guide to St Michael & All Angels church Middlewich, (second edition), leaflet available in the church

 Historic England
Church of St Michael and All Angels (1138795)
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1138795  National Heritage List for England