BETLEY & AREA DURING THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR

by Charles E S Fairey October 2017 Artwork by Roy P Rushton

Contents Introduction The Church of the Massacre Thomas Malbon

Crewe Hall Garrison

Betley

2 Heighley Castle Slighting

3 Doddington Hall

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5 Acknowledgements,

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References & Bibliography

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Front Cover Betley Church by Roy P Rushton, 1991

Back Cover Crewe Hall by Roy P Rushton, 2004 Holly Holy Day Re-enactment Saturday 26th January 2013

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1 Introduction The English Civil War took place between the years of 1642 and 1651, after a long period of disagreement between King Charles I, who became king of England in 1625, and his Parliament. Like his father James I, Charles believed in the ‘Divine Right of Kings’, but even more so than his predecessor. He wanted to rule in the way he felt fit, and felt he could do as he pleased, especially regarding taxation of the country, which caused many arguments between him and Parliament. Other disagreements and public suspicion about his religious leanings also caused distress. He had married Queen Henrietta Maria, a French Roman Catholic, whilst most of the country, were now of the Protestant faith, and had been since the Reformation, and feared a Catholic state would return. Every corner of the country was affected, and many places experienced the detrimental effects of the conflict. King Charles later tried to close Parliament, but being unsuccessful, left London for Nottingham, and raised his royal standard near the city’s Castle, in August 1642, signifying the start of Civil War. Both sides to the argument raised armies, and a long series of armed conflicts ensued. The Parliamentarians were known as ‘Roundheads’, and the Royalists, as ‘Cavaliers’. Charles I was executed on the 30th January 1649, after which Parliament ruled the country, and was led by Oliver Cromwell, who became Lord Protector, followed by his son Richard. By 1660, England’s short Republic was over, exiled Charles II, who had fought an unsuccessful campaign in 1651, was welcomed back to be the King, after a number of assurances to Parliament, and by the invitation of the People. On 23rd April 1661 Charles II was crowned King of England.

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The Church of the Massacre In December 1643 the Royalist Forces, under the command of Lord John Byron, advanced into the area, from Chester, with Irish reinforcements, hoping to take the Parliamentarian town of Nantwich ‘robbing, plundering and taking every man’s goods’.[1] Over the days up to Christmas 1643, a large group of Royalists came to Audlem, Hankelow, Buerton, Hatherton, Blakenhall, Wybunbury, and the rest of the area to the east of the Weaver, some marching to Barthomley. They also plundered the inhabitants of Balterley and Buddeleigh during this time, and much of the crops of the area were seized. About 20 locals, took refuse in St Bertoline’s Church at Barthomley, but misidentified the Royalist commander, a Major Connaught, as the Parliamentarian Lord Brereton, and gave them entry to the Church. Realising their mistake, they rushed into the tower, but were smoked out, and surrendered, hoping for quarter, but Major Connaught, had them stripped naked, and cut the throats of 12 of the prisoners, as well as wounding others, which he left for dead. Thomas Malbon who wrote an account of the English Civil War in this area, tells us that the victims, who had their throats slashed, were named: John Fowler, Henry

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Fowler, Thomas Elcocke, James Boughey, Randall Hassall, Richard Steele, another Richard Steele, William Steele, George Burrowes, Thomas Hollins, James Butler and Richard Cawell. Some sources claim that the massacre was an act of retaliation for John Fowler, shooting and killing one of the Royalist soldiers, or that it was unprovoked, whatever the case, it was a vicious crime of the English Civil War. After this Massacre which took place on the 23rd December 1643, the Royalists, continued ‘plundering and destroying’[2] Barthomley, Crewe, Haslington, and the surrounding villages, and on to Sandbach, ‘taking all their goods, victuals, clothes, and stripped many, both men and women, almost naked’.[3] Barthomley’s Elizabethan Rectory is also thought to have been burnt down at the Massacre. This event became famous and was used by the Parliamentarians, to show the brutality of the Royalists, it is said that it was also going to be used as one of the charges facing King Charles I, had he pleaded guilty at his trial, before being beheaded on 30th January 1649. St Bertoline’s ever since, has also been known as ‘The Church of the Massacre’.

The White Lion, Barthomley by Roy P Rushton, 1994

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Major John Connaught was tried for his war crime, at the Chester assizes, found guilty, and hanged at nearby Boughton, on the 17 th October 1654. His name has been used for one of the hamlets at Wychwood Park, near the village of Weston, namely ‘Connaught Brook’. In the past, two public houses existed next to Barthomley Church: one being The Punch Bowl or Steps, which no longer exists; and the other, the White Lion, now situated opposite the church. The White Lion Inn is a typical Cheshire black and white timber-framed thatched building, dated to 1614, and survived the Massacre.

Thomas Malbon Thomas Malbon (1578-1658), wrote about the English Civil War in Cheshire, and adjacent counties, between August 1642 and June 1656. The account, in the form of a diary, gives us detailed first-hand evidence of what happened in this area. He lived at Bradley Hall in Haslington, and was the son and heir of George Malbon. He also lived at Nantwich, presumably on Welsh Row, and was buried in the south aisle of St Bertoline’s. A stone plaque sits above his resting place. His memorial brass also remains, now fixed to the wall in the Crewe Chapel, see left. His two sons both fought on the Parliamentarian side.

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Crewe Hall During the English Civil War, the Jacobean Mansion of the Crewes of Crewe Hall was utilised by both the Parliamentarian and Royalist Forces. Sir Ranulph Crewe (1558-1646), who built Crewe Hall between 1615 and 1636, to replace, and next to the manor house of the Fouleshursts, had been prominent in Parliament since the reign of James I, firstly as an MP, later as the Speaker of the House of Commons, then as a Sergeant at Law, then King’s Sergeant, then Attorney General, and lastly Lord Chief Justice. His appointment as Lord Chief Justice was brief, due to King Charles I’s many conflicts with Parliament, and Ranulph was dismissed on 10th November 1626. Over the following years he lost much income, but petitioned the King and lords, as much as he could. Ranulph died at the age of 88, and was later buried in the Crewe Family vault, beneath the Crewe Chapel, at Barthomley.

Crewe Hall c.1650 by Wenceslaus Hollar

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Nantwich and the surrounding townships, largely supported Parliament, even John Crewe, Ranulph’s 2nd son, was amongst the local gentry who signed their names in allegiance to the Parliamentary cause. Throughout 1643 Nantwich had been attacked by Royalist forces, even a small Battle had taken place to its south east on January 28th 1643. Crewe Hall itself had been used in April 1643 to imprison Royalists and those sympathetic to their cause, and later in that same year as a Parliamentarian Garrison. After the Massacre at Barthomley and after Parliamentarian Sir William Brereton was defeated at the Second Battle of Middlewich, on the 26th, Crewe Hall saw its first siege, on the 27th December 1643. The Royalist forces attacked the house and its garrison, and lost about 60 men, with many more wounded, but more forces came to their aid, until the Parliamentarians could hold out no longer, and on the night of the 28 th December, with no help from the heavily besieged town of Nantwich, they had to surrender. The Royalists this time did give quarter and made more than a hundred soldiers prisoner. They were first imprisoned in the stables, but were later taken to Betley Church. After the Battle of Nantwich which took place on the 25 th January 1644, where Sir Thomas Fairfax defeated Lord Byron and the Royalists, lifting the siege of the town (known as ‘Holly Holy Day’, and which is reenacted every January by the Society of the same name, and the Sealed Knot), the Parliamentarians took back their local garrisons, imprisoning the Royalist soldiers, as they defeated them, place by place.

Garrison A Garrison in the English Civil War was a base, where troops of eitherside, were stationed. Castles, settlements and manor houses, up and down the country, were used by both the Parliamentarian and Royalist armies.

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On the 5th February 1644, the victorious Nantwich Parliamentarians besieged the Royalist garrison stationed at Crewe Hall, who had occupied it since they took the hall on the 28th December 1643. They attacked the Hall, at first from a distance, and the Royalist commander, Captain Fisher, capitulated, seeing that he and his garrison of troops could not win, and gave up the house and arms. 120 Royalist prisoners, some of which were wounded, were marched to Nantwich. Captain Fisher and his troops had to be protected from the angry locals, who they had treated poorly over their 6 week occupation. In the past, musket and pistol shot, dating to the Civil War period, has been recovered in the fields south of the hall, giving an indication of the violence of both sieges. The Hall was later requisitioned by Sir Thomas Fairfax in March 1644, who used it as his headquarters for his officers and about 400 soldiers. Like many other stately homes, which had been garrisoned by either or both, Parliament and the Crown, Crewe Hall had been robbed of anything of use, or value, to support the fight. As well as the homes of the gentry, their estate farms and cottages did not generate much rental income, due to the upheaval of the Civil War, and most cattle and crops had been seized or destroyed. As a local example, the whole population of deer in Delamere Forest had been decimated by hungry Civil War soldiers.

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Betley Betley, which is situated in North Staffordshire, also saw its fair share in the English Civil War. The Church of St Margaret of Antioch, which is situated near to the centre of the village, next to the primary school, on Church Lane, dates from the 15th century, of which the heart of the church is predominantly timber-framed, with unusual octagonal Spanish or Sweet Chestnut columns. The Chancel was repaired (or rebuilt) in 1610, by Ralph Egerton Esq of Betley, by direction of his Will, who was the lord of the manor, and whose monument sits inside. The tower was rebuilt in 1690, but blew down, the present tower, dates from 1713. The Church was used at one point in the English Civil War, as a prison, to house the captured Parliamentarian garrison of Crewe Hall, numbering over a 100 soldiers, after the successful Royalist siege of the 28th December 1643. The Curate of Betley during the Civil War, Ralph Hume (1619-1653) must have been rather displeased, being a man noted and respected for his puritan divine beliefs.[4]

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Some of the Royalist forces, during the Siege and later Battle of Nantwich, must have been stationed at Betley, because the Egertons of Wrinehill and Betley Old Hall, were Royalists. Some of the other timberframed houses, in the village and surrounding area, may have given accommodation to the soldiers, with or without occupiers protest. Even the Chancel of the Church, which was repaired or rebuilt in 1610, displays a number of musket shot craters, identified from their size and circular impact form (ignore the craters visible, which have been formed by pebbles eroding from their sandstone block homes), which are a feature of many churches also used during the conflict. Musket shot damage to churches often signifies the training of musketeers, or in some cases, execution of prisoners, like that which took place at St Mary’s Church in Nantwich, which had also been used as a stables for the garrison, and also as a prison, for this time, Royalists, after their defeat at the Battle of Nantwich on the 25th January 1644. Many churches were used as: lookout posts, from their tall towers; strongholds; bases; barracks; dormitories; stores; and prisons; during the Civil War. Later in the Civil War, on the 21st May 1644, Prince Rupert, Charles’ nephew, stayed at Betley, with his Royalist Army, from where they went to Haslington, Sandbach and Warmingham, en route to Rudheath and Knutsford, and the areas near these places, ‘plundering and taking all men and goods they could get, meddling with no cattle but horses’.[5] Randle Egerton, Esq, of Betley Old Hall, Betley’s lord of the manor, supported the Royalist cause, but was fined for his support under the Commonwealth, and suspected of being in contact with the exiled Charles II. He had held many reputable offices after the Restoration, including that of MP for Staffordshire between 1661 and 1669. He was even buried in Westminster Abbey, along with his wife, and two children.[6]

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Heighley Castle The remains of Heighley Castle stand on the edge of a high sandstone escarpment, above the Newcastle Road and the Checkley Brook, between Betley and Madeley Heath. The Castle was built by Henry de Audley in the early 13 th century, and had a large deer park. The Audleys also held fortifications at nearby Audley, and near Nantwich, at Newhall and Wardle.

Doddington Hall

James Touchet, Lord Audley supported the Royal cause during the English Civil War, and was General of the Irish Forces. He fled to France, during the time of the Commonwealth, but returned after the restoration of the monarchy, under King Charles II. The Castle ended its life in the Civil War, when in 1644 a Parliamentarian committee met at Stafford, and ordered the Castle to be slighted, i.e. demolished, to prevent it from being used by the Royalists, as a garrison. The rock cut moat and some of the ruined walls of the castle remain upon the steep sandstone edge, but since its slighting, much of the stone had been removed, sold, and / or used for the buildings in the area.

Slighting Slighting is a term which means that a fortification, such as a castle or a fortified house, is deliberately destroyed, partly or completely, so that the other side in a conflict cannot use it. In the English Civil War this was a common place practice, and the Parliamentarians carried this out systematically, up and down the country.

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Associated Buildings Doddington Hall Doddington Hall was the seat of the Delves family. At the time of the English Civil War, their hall was located next to the tower, known as Doddington Castle, see left, which dates from the 14th century. The hall was a late Elizabethan / early Jacobean, 3-storey mansion, quadrangular in shape, all within a medieval moat. A 1761 Estate Map depicts its layout, and two drawings of this hall are included in a 1762 Survey Book (both the map and book are available to view at Cheshire Record Office).

Doddington Hall

In September 1642, at the start of the War, the King had Thomas Delves of Doddington, arrested and imprisoned, for his support and signing of allegiance to the Parliamentarian cause. On the 29th September 1642, Lord Grandison, with a Royalist Army marched into Nantwich, and occupied the town, plundering the town’s folk, and taking all their weapons. In the days following, his troops took all the arms from Woodhey (near Faddiley), Baddiley, Doddington, Haslington, and many other places, also seizing anything of value or use from the gentry’s houses, and then departed to support the King. Again, like Crewe Hall, in April 1643, after a battle at Cholmondeley, the Parliamentarian forces in the area, imprisoned a number of Royalists, their sympathisers, as well as traitors, at Doddington Hall.

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In September 1643, the Nantwich Parliamentarian forces, with Sir William Brereton, stayed in Blakenhall, Checkley, Doddington, and the surrounding villages, then marched and stayed at Market Drayton, recruiting more soldiers, along their way. They were travelling to the Shropshire town of Wem, which on arrival they fortified, whilst occupying the town. On hearing that the Royalists were on their way to Nantwich, Brereton and a large part of the force, left Wem, but the Royalists had been repulsed by the Nantwich garrison, and were back on their way to Wem. Brereton had only left a garrison of about 300 soldiers at Wem, along with Colonel Thomas Mytton, but they forced the Royalists to retreat, on the 17th/18th October 1643. Later in that year, after the Royalist siege and taking of Crewe Hall, the Royalist forces who were besieging Nantwich, and had attacked most of the surrounding area, besieged Doddington Hall on the 4th January 1644. Captain Thomas Harwar of Bridgemere was the garrison’s commander, with 100 well armed soldiers, and provisions for 2 weeks, but gave up the hall with little resistance, possibly due to what he had heard had happened elsewhere. He and his soldiers were allowed to depart just with their clothes, and went to Wem. After the victory at the Battle of Nantwich, the Parliamentarian forces besieged Doddington, on the 7th February 1644, using cannons as well as muskets. The Royalists realised that there was no hope of any aid, so surrendered. The soldiers, some wounded, were ordered to leave the hall, with 40 arms, with most of them going to Nantwich, presumably to serve Parliament. Parliament then re-garrisoned the hall, and utilised the 200 arms, victuals, gunpowder, matches and bullets, left behind by the beaten Royalists. Later in the conflict, Prince Rupert, and a Royalist Army, some of which passed by Doddington, were attacked and killed by Captain Churche and Captain Whitney, who kept the 40 strong Parliamentarian garrison.

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Acknowledgements 

Roy P Rushton (Artwork: ‘Betley Church, 1991’, ‘The White Lion, Barthomley, 1994’ & ‘Crewe Hall, 2004’)

References 1-3,5. Memorials of the Civil War in Cheshire and the Adjacent Counties, Thomas Malbon & Edward Burghall, Edited by James Hall, 1889. 4,6. Betley: A Village of Contrasts, Edited by Robert Speake, 1980, pages 52-53 & 57.

Bibliography 

Betley: A Village of Contrasts, Edited by Robert Speake, 1980.

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Betley Through the Centuries, Godfrey N Brown, 1985.

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Barthomley: The Story of an Estate Village, Edited by Robert Speake, 1995. Barthomley Church and the Civil War, Dr Peter Gaunt, pages 16-20, Cheshire History No. 35, 1995-96. Parish Church of St Bertoline, Barthomley: Church Guide, Cheshire Heritage & Recreation. The Crewes of Crewe Hall: A Family and a Home, Ray Gladden, Edited by Jerry Park, 2011. Memorials of the Civil War in Cheshire and the Adjacent Counties, Thomas Malbon & Edward Burghall, Edited by James Hall, 1889. The King’s Divided Palatine: Civil War in Cheshire, Derek John Brownsword-Hulland, 1994. Discovering Cheshire’s Civil War, Cheshire County Council Countryside and Recreation Division, 1983. An Historical Account of the Town and Parish of Nantwich, Joseph Partridge, 1997. The Battle of Nantwich 1644, John Barratt, 1993.

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Battle of Nantwich & Winter Fayre, Programmes, 2013-2017.

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Battle of Wem and Country Fayre, Programme, 1991.

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Betley Church, Barthomley Church and Crewe Hall may be visited at normal hours, throughout the year. Doddington Castle may be visited on certain dates, each year.

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Crewe Hall Charles E S Fairey’s History Website: https://sites.google.com/site/charlesfaireyhistorian © Charles E S Fairey, 2017