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Aldford

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"ALDFORD, a parish comprising the townships of Aldford and Churton, in the higher division, and the chapelry of Churton Heath, or Bruera, and the townships of Great Boughton, Buerton, and Edgerley, in the lower division, of the hundred of BROXTON, county palatine of CHESTER, and containing 1684 inhabitants, of which number, 491 are in the township of Aldford, 5½ miles (S. by E.) from Chester. The living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry and diocese of Chester, rated in the king's books at £16. 17. 8½., and in the patronage of Earl Grosvenor. The church is dedicated to St. John the Baptist. This place derives its name from an old ford on the river Dee, which bounds it on the west, and is crossed by a good bridge: it had anciently a market and a fair. A castle was erected in the reign of Henry II., the earthworks of which only remain, nearly adjoining the church: during the siege of Chester, a garrison was placed here by Sir W. Brereton. Courts leet and baron are held for the manor, and are attended by the freeholders of Thornton and Alton, who have distinct juries. Here is a free grammar school, with an endowment of £200 per annum; and a school for boys and girls is supported by contributions among the inhabitants, the school-house having been erected at the expense of Earl Grosvenor. There are also six almshouses for widows, endowed with £22 per annum. Vestiges of a Roman road, connecting the northern and southern Watling-streets, are still visible." [From Samuel Lewis A Topographical Dictionary of England  (1831) ©Mel Lockie]

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  • Aldford, also a township in Aldford ancient parish, Broxton hundred (SJ 4853), became a civil parish in 1866.
  • The population was 331 in 1801, 521 in 1851, 113 in 1901, 96 in 1951, and 213 in 2001.
  • The civil parish was abolished in 2015 to become part of Aldford & Saighton.
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Cemeteries

Anglican
St John the Baptist, Aldford, Church of England
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Churches

  • Aldford: St. John the Baptist (Church of England). The ancient parish church for the township of Aldford.
  • Aldford, Methodist Chapel (Primitive). Built in 1891, closed in 1979. Registers of Baptisms 1963-1974 are at the Cheshire Archives & Local Studies.
Anglican
St John the Baptist, Aldford, Church of England
Methodist
Chapel Lane, Aldford, Methodist (Primitive)
Churton by Farndon, Methodist (Primitive)
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Civil Registration

  • Great Boughton (1837-69)
  • Chester (1870-1937)
  • West Cheshire (1937-74)
  • Chester & Ellesmere Port (1974-98)
  • Cheshire West (1998-2007)
  • Cheshire (2007-09)
  • Cheshire West & Chester (2009-15)
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Court Records

  • Broxton (1828-1974)
  • Chester (1974-2001)
  • Chester, Ellesmere Port & Neston (2001-12)
  • West Cheshire (2012-15)
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Description & Travel

You can see pictures of Aldford which are provided by:

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Gazetteers

The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland - 1868

"ALDFORD, a parish partly in the upper, partly in the lower division of the hundred of Broxton, in the county palatine of Chester, 5 miles to the S. of Chester. It is situated on the river Dee, which forms its western boundary, and is now crossed by a good bridge, in place of the "old ford" alluded to in the name of the parish. It is near the Shrewsbury railway. It includes the chapelry of Churton Heath and the townships of Great Boughton and Edgerley, and was formerly a market town. The living is a rectory* in the diocese of Chester, value £330, in the patronage of the Marquis of Westminster. The church is dedicated to St. John the Baptist. The courts, leet and baron, for the manor are held here. There is a free grammar school with a good endowment, and a school supported by subscription, the school-room being built by Earl Grosvenor. There are also six almshouses for poor widows. Near the church are some earthworks of a castle built in the reign of Henry II., by Robert de Aldford. During the siege of Chester, in the civil war, this castle was garrisoned by Sir W. Brereton. There are some traces of a Roman road."

"BUERTON, (or Bruera or Churton Heath) a chapelry and township in the parish of Aldford, hundred of Broxton, in the county palatine of Chester, 5 miles to the S.E. of Chester. The London and North-Western railway passes near it. The living is a perpetual curacy annexed to the vicarage of St. Oswald, Chester, in the diocese of Chester. The church is dedicated to St. Mary. It is old and of small size, and is called the Church on the Heath.

"CHURTON BY ALDFORD, a township in the parish of Aldford, in the higher division of the hundred of Broxton, in the county of Chester, 2 miles S.W. of Aldford."

"EDGERLEY, a township in the parish of Aldford, lower division of the hundred of Broxton, county palatine of Chester, 6 miles S.E. of Chester."

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Historical Geography

Places associated with Aldford ancient parish with separate pages

Aldford; Buerton (near Aldford); Churton by Aldford; Edgerley

 

  • 1936 April 1 — Gained part of Churton by Aldford (125 acres, pop. 0 in 1931), and lost part to Churton by Aldford (1 acre, pop. 0 in 1931).
  • 2015 April 1 — Abolished and incorporated into the parish of Aldford & Saighton.
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Maps

You can see maps centred on OS grid reference SJ422590 (Lat/Lon: 53.1247, -2.864513), Aldford which are provided by:

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Politics & Government

  • Tarvin Rural Sanitary District (1875-94)
  • Tarvin Rural District (1894-1936)
  • Chester Rural District (1936-74)
  • Chester (1974-2009)
  • Cheshire West & Chester (2009-15)
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Poor Houses, Poor Law

  • Great Boughton (1837-71)
  • Tarvin (1871-1930)
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Voting Registers

  • South Cheshire (1832-67)
  • West Cheshire (1868-85)
  • Eddisbury (1885-1948)
  • Chester (1949-74)