Historic Events at Barthomley

On 21st May the Rev. Canon Darrel Speedy gave an entertaining and interesting talk to members and friends of Audlem History Society, as a taster of the Society's forthcoming trip to Barthomley in June.

He surprised us first of all by saying that Barthomley has more than one eighth of a million visitors a day – but then quickly explained that most of them pass by on the M6!

He then told of St. Bertoline, a hermit who turned loaves into stone, & after whom the church is named, and also gave us potted histories of the local landed families who were connected with Barthomley church, including the Crewe family of Crewe Hall.

Alsager & Haslington were part of the vast parish of Barthomley until the 19th century. In fact there are only half a dozen medieval churches in this part of Cheshire compared to the many in Staffordshire, due to the size of the Barthomley parish, which was the centre of social life in this area in the 17th & 18th centuries.

We were then told of an outstanding Barthomley rector, Zachary Cawdrey, who had a very colourful & eventful career during the English Civil War & beyond.

Barthomley church has just had a newly-completed tower ceiling with lovely painted bosses, each representing an important aspect of the history of the parish, including the massacre of 12 victims in the church tower by the Royalists in the Civil War.

Barthomley Visit

The History Society's visit to Barthomley (and later in the day to Engelsea Brook Museum) is planned for Friday 12th June.

Please contact Dorothy Jones on 01270 811814 for more details.

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