The History of Audlem

What do we know of the history of Audlem?

This was the question posed to the packed audience of nearly 80 people who attended the first talk of the new season of Audlem History Society on Thursday.

Celia Bloor, our speaker, gave us a fascinating and beautifully-illustrated answer to that question, moving century to century over the long history of our village & its surroundings.

She began pre-Domesday, showing slides of the glacial mound which is now known as the Bear Stone by the Buttermarket, and explaining that there is no evidence here of a settlement. prior to Roman times. However, by the Domesday Book the cultivated land was listed in Audlem, and the surrounding areas of Buerton and Wilkesley (not yet Hankelow),indicating a population of between 50 and 100 people.

Celia spoke of the origin of local place names, so that Audlem means "formerly of theLime/Lyme". There are several other settlements in this vicinity with the name Lyme, notably Newcastle.

As Celia's talk unfolded, the factual evidence increased and we could recognise more familiar landmarks. By the nineteenth century, we were whirling through events, such as the opening of the Canal (1833), and the railway (1863).

Celia is a wonderful speaker, peppering her talks with great anecdotes, and she is a mine of information on our local history. We thank her for a great evening.