Places: Sandbach

Place Type

Parish

County

Cheshire

Deanery

Middlewich

Causes

EDC 5/12/3 – Ralph Wawayne contra Agnes Wawayne

 

SANDBACH

The parish of Sandbach is situated in the east of Cheshire, not far from the border with Staffordshire. It comprised the townships of Arclyd, Betchton, Bradwall, Hassal, Sandbach and Whelock. The parochial chapelries of Goostrey and Holmes Chapel contained a further seven townships.

In the Market Square are the Sandbach crosses, two Anglo-Saxon crosses probably dating from the ninth century. Both are decorated with figures on all sides, and one shows biblical scenes, including three scenes from the life of Christ. Although they are understood to have been complete during the reign of Elizabeth I, it seems that they were later broken up and parts were removed. They were restored as far as possible in their present position in 1816.

It is understood that there was a church in Sandbach at the time of the Norman Conquest. The advowson was given to the abbey of Dieulacres. This abbey was originally situated in Poulton near Chester but moved to a site near Leek in Staffordshire in the early thirteenth century. Following the surrender of the abbey in 1538 the rectory passed to the Crown and was leased to John Broughton and then in 1599 to William Tipper and Richard Cartwright and the advowson of the vicarage was granted in 1556 to Richard and Thomas Wilbraham and then passed in 1588 to William Leversage.

The existing church building dates from the fifteenth century, although some parts have survived from earlier dates. It was restored in 1847-49 by George Gilbert Scott with later additions and restoration. The base of the west tower is open on three sides and a public footpath across the churchyard passes through it. It is one of only two parish churches in Cheshire to have a right of way passing through it.

There is a marble relief in the church of John Armistead, vicar from 1828 to 1865.The Armistead family served as clergy in Sandbach continuously for over 100 years from 1828 to 1941.

The Old Hall Hotel, almost opposite the church, occupies a timber-framed hall dated 1656. It was formerly the home of the Radclyffe family. Between 1828 and 1865 twenty almshouses and a school were built in Sandbach.

The main industries in the nineteenth century were silk throwing and shoemaking with the later development of salt works and an iron foundry. However, the opening of the station in Sandbach on the Manchester to Crewe line led to its development as a residential area for commuters.

Sources:

John Minshull, St. Mary’s Church Sandbach, Cheshire (Sandbach, revised edition 1990) 

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. 95-109

G C Baugh, W L Cowie, J C Dickinson, Duggan A P, A K B Evans, R H Evans, Una C Hannam, P Heath, D A Johnson, Hilda Johnstone, Ann J Kettle, J L Kirby, R Mansfield, A Saltman, ‘Houses of Cistercian monks: The abbey of Dieulacres’, in A History of the County of Stafford: Volume 3, ed. M W Greenslade, R B Pugh( London, 1970), British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/staffs/vol3/pp230-235 [accessed 12 January 2025]

Historic England:
Sandbach Crosses, Market Square (1159937)
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1159937 National Heritage List for England
Church of St Mary, High Street (1330401)
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1330401 National Heritage List for England
Old Hall Hotel, High Street (1310849)
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1310849 National Heritage List for England

 

 

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