Places: Saighton

SAIGHTON (SALGHTON/SAUGHTON)

The manor of Saighton was held by the canons of Saint Werburgh’s before the Norman Conquest and confirmed to the Benedictine monks in 1093 following the establishment of the abbey. A manor house was built at Saighton in the late fifteenth century for Abbott Simon Ripley.

After the dissolution of the abbey, Saighton Manor, with other lands, passed to the dean and chapter of the new cathedral. However, during the reign of Edward VI Sir Richard Cotton, comptroller of the royal household, procured the arrest and imprisonment of the dean and two of the prebendaries who were intimidated into granting him a lease of most of the cathedral lands at a reduced rent. Despite attempts by later deans to overturn this unfavourable lease it was confirmed by Queen Elizabeth, although at a higher rent.

The gatehouse of Simon Ripley’s manor house, dating from 1490, survives and is now part of a private school attached to the Victorian manor house which replaced the previous medieval buildings following purchase of the property by the Grosvenor family.

Part of the boundary wall to the north and west of old gatehouse is on the National Heritage List for England and is understood to be medieval.

A large army training camp was built in Saighton during the Second World War. It was closed in about 1999 and the land has since been redeveloped for residential housing.

The village remains a largely agricultural area.

Sources:

R. V. H. Burne, Chester Cathedral From its Founding by Henry VIII to the Accession of Queen Victoria (London, 1958), pp. 24-26, pp. 72-82

George Ormerod, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, (second edition, revised and enlarged by T. Helsby, London, 1882) vol. i, pp. 253-255; vol. ii, pp.769-770 (black and white image from this volume courtesy of HathiTrust)

Historic England:
Boundary Wall North and West of Abbey Gate College (1330250)
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1330250 National Heritage List for England
Abbey Gate College Gatehouse Gateway (1138394)
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1138394 National Heritage List for England
Abbey Gate College, the Main Block except the Gatehouse (1136660)
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1136660 National Heritage List for England