Audley, Staffordshire
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Audley is a large village and former
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
, now in the parish of
Audley Rural Audley Rural is a parish of Staffordshire, England, located four miles to the north-west of the town of Newcastle-under-Lyme. It is predominantly a rural area, of which Audley is the centre. Other settlements are Alsagers Bank, Bignall End, ...
, in the
Newcastle-under-Lyme Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. It is adjacent to the city of Stoke-on-Trent. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the population ...
district, in
Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...
, England. It is the centre of Audley Rural parish, approximately four miles (6 km) north west of
Newcastle-under-Lyme Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. It is adjacent to the city of Stoke-on-Trent. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the population ...
and 3 miles (5 km) from
Alsager Alsager ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is located to the north-west of Stoke-on-Trent and east of Crewe. At the United Kingdom 2021 Census, 2021 cen ...
near the Staffordshire-
Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
border. Audley is located on the B5500, the former
A52 road The A52 is a major road in the East Midlands, England. It runs east from a junction with the A53 road, A53 at Newcastle-under-Lyme near Stoke-on-Trent via Ashbourne, Derbyshire, Ashbourne, Derby, Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, Stapleford, Notting ...
. Just south of the A500, the village is approximately five minutes from the
M6 motorway The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 motorway, M1 and the western end of t ...
. The first mention of Audley is in the
Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...
of 1086, when it was called ''Aldidelege'', when the lands were held by a Saxon called Gamel. At this time, the area was very sparsely populated, and because of its distance from the major towns of
Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingd ...
and
Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...
there was little outside contact. There was a medieval castle at Audley Castle Hill during the late 13th century; only a low earthwork remains of the former
motte A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or Bailey (castle), bailey, surrounded by a protective Rampart (fortificati ...
. Excavations have yielded some stonework.


Church

The parish church of St James is on Church Street, at the top of Wilbraham's Walk. Christians have met together on the site of the present church building for nearly 1000 years. Part of the Lichfield Diocese of the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
, the church is linked to St John's, Alsager's Bank and St Martin's, Talke in a united benefice established by the Diocese. It is a Grade II* listed building, Thomas Audley, whose commemorative brass is i
St James Church
in Audley, was the son of the second Lord Audley, James (Baron Audley of Redcastle and Heleigh) and Elizabeth Lestrange of Knokyn. James 2nd Baron Audley's first wife was Joan Mortimer, daughter of Roger Mortimer. James's cousin Sir James Audley was Edward 'The Black Prince's' hero on the battlefield who was created 21st
Knight of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. The most senior order of knighthood in the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system, it is outranked in ...
. Sir James's father was Hugh Audley Baron Audley of Stratton.


Theatre

The volunteer-run Audley Theatre is located in the former Coronation Cinema on Hall Street. The cinema was originally opened in 1911. In the 1930s it was renamed the Palace Cinema, and after 1962 was converted into a bingo club. It later stood empty. It was purchased by the Audley Players in 1967, and renovated; in 1969 the Audley Theatre was opened by Jackie Trent and
Tony Hatch Anthony Peter Hatch (born 30 June 1939) is an English composer for musical theatre and television. He is also a songwriter, pianist, arranger and producer. Early life and early career Hatch was born in Pinner, Middlesex. Encouraged by his mu ...
.


Sport

Audley has football, cricket and bowling clubs within the village. For the 2010–2011 season the football club played in Division 1 of the Staffordshire County League
Staffordshire County Senior League The Staffordshire County Senior League is a Football (soccer), football competition based in Staffordshire, England. It was formed in 2005 as a merger of the Midland Football League (1994), Midland League (formerly known as the Staffordshire Senio ...
. Audley Cricket club 1st team play in the North Staffs South Cheshire Premier League North Staffordshire and South Cheshire League, which they won in 2007. They also have 2x other Saturday teams, 1x Sunday team and various junior teams from Under 19's through to Under 8's. Audley climbing centre offers a wide range of activities to the local area and Audley's Kent Hills cricket ground has hosted 3
Minor Counties The National Counties, known as the Minor Counties before 2020, are the cricketing counties of England and Wales that do not have first-class status. The game is administered by the National Counties Cricket Association (NCCA), which comes unde ...
games; v Shropshire in 2010 and v Suffolk in 2009 and 2006.


Schools


Ravensmead County Primary School
* Sir Thomas Boughey Academy
Wood Lane Primary School


Civil parish

In 1931 the parish had a population of 13,621. On 1 April 1932 the parish was abolished to form Audley Rural and
Talke Talke is a village in the civil parish of Kidsgrove, in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Newcastle-under-Lyme district, in Staffordshire, England. It is northwest of Newcastle-under-Lyme and southwest of Kidsgrove. Etymology Its unusua ...
, parts also went to Madeley and
Newcastle-under-Lyme Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. It is adjacent to the city of Stoke-on-Trent. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the population ...
.


Notable residents

* Smith Child (1730–1813), Royal Navy Admiral and established a pottery manufactory in Tunstall. * Samuel Salt (died 1792), lawyer and Whig politician in the House of Commons, 1768 to 1790. * Jeanie Gwynne Bettany (1857–1941), novelist * Joseph Taylor (1858–1942), mining engineer and Unitarian minister, emigrated to New Zealand * Joseph Emberton (1889–1956), architect of the early modernist period. * Robert Latham (1912–1995), academic and editor of ''The Diary of Samuel Pepys''


Sport

* Fred Buck (1879–1952), footballer, played over 420 games, mainly for
West Bromwich Albion F.C. West Bromwich Albion Football Club (), commonly known as West Brom or The Albion, is a professional association football club based in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the Englis ...
* Jack Maddock (1896–1972), footballer, played 243 games, including 173 for Port Vale F.C. *
Adam Kelso Fulton Adam Kelso Fulton (10 April 1929 – 27 August 1994) was a Scotland, Scottish rugby union internationalist. International career Positioned as Scrum-half (rugby union), scrum-half, he was capped twice playing both games against France a ...
(1929-1994), Scottish rugby union international, local doctor 1963-67 * Ronnie Jepson (born 1963), footballer for Port Vale and
Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
; played 354 games


See also

* Listed buildings in Audley Rural


References

* ''Audley Parish Millennium 1000 – 2000 AD'', ed. Robert Speake


External links


A brief history of Audley Village

Website for charities, organisations and businesses, in and around the Audley area

St James Church, Audley - website
* * * Audley Cricket Clu
website
{{authority control Villages in Staffordshire Former civil parishes in Staffordshire Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme