Hatherton is a hamlet and

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 below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in the unitary authority of

Cheshire East Cheshire East is a unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The local authority is Cheshire East Council. Towns within the area include Crewe, Macclesfield, Co ...

and the ceremonial county of

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

, England. The hamlet is located on the B5071 at , to the north east of

Audlem Audlem is a village and civil parish located in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire in North West England, approximately south of Nantwich. Close to the border with the neighbouring county of Shropshire, t ...

and to the south east of

Nantwich Nantwich ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It has among the highest concentrations of listed buildings in England, with notably good examples of Tudor and Georgian architecture. ...

. The civil parish has an area of and also includes the small settlements of Birchall Moss, Broomlands and part of Artlebrook, with a total population of 360 in 2011. Nearby villages include

Hankelow Hankelow is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village lies on the A529 road, A529, around north east of Audlem and south of Nantwi ...

Stapeley Stapeley is a hamlet (at ) and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The hamlet lies 2¼ miles to the south east of Nantwich. The parish also includes the small settlements of Broa ...

, Walgherton,

Wybunbury Wybunbury is a village (at ) and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village lies 3¼ miles to the south east of Nantwich and 3¾ miles to the south of Crewe. The parish al ...

Blakenhall Blakenhall is a suburb and ward in Wolverhampton, England. Toponymy and history Blakenhall's name, according to toponymists comes from the Old English 'blæc', meaning 'black' or dark coloured, & 'halh' meaning 'nook' or 'corner'. It was deve ...

and Buerton.Search a
Cheshire East Council Public Map Viewer
(accessed 8, 14 March 2020) The A529 runs through the parish and the

River Weaver The River Weaver is a river, navigable in its lower reaches, running in a curving route anti-clockwise across west Cheshire, northern England. Improvements to the river to make it navigable were authorised in 1720 and the work, which included ...

forms the western boundary. Hatherton was first recorded in the

Domesday survey 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 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

as ''Haretone''. The 18th-century Hatherton Manor farmhouse is listed at grade II*, and there are also grade-II-listed

timber-framed Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...

and brick farmhouses and former

country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...

s. The hamlet has a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

chapel. The

Hatherton Flush Hatherton Flush is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by the River Weaver in Hatherton, near Wybunbury, Cheshire, England. It is protected for its variety of wetland plants. Species found at the site include the locally rare plants ...

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...

is a

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

by the Weaver that supports marsh helleborine, marsh lousewort and tubular water-dropwort, which are rare in Cheshire.

History

''Haretone'' was a small manor at the time of the

of 1086, and was held by William Malbank, Baron of Wich Malbank (

), with an annual value of 10

shilling The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 12 pence o ...

s. Before the

Norman Conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...

, it had been held by Ulfkil, when it had been valued at £2. Five households were recorded, interpreted as a manor house, lodge and two farms, as well as five ploughlands and a small wood.Cheshire Federation of Women's Institutes, pp. 116–17 The old Hatherton Hall was replaced by a farmhouse. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, Sir Thomas Smythe of Hatherton was a Parliamentarian who was among the Cheshire gentry who signed the "Cheshire Remonstrance" of 1642.Wybunbury Neighbourhood Plan, pp. 7–9, 11–12 The parish had two

chapels. The earliest dates from 1864, and is a

Primitive Methodist The Primitive Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination with the holiness movement. It began in England in the early 19th century, with the influence of American evangelist Lorenzo Dow (1777–1834). In the United States, the Primiti ...

chapel on Crewe Road (now the B5071). A Wesleyan Methodist chapel was constructed on Audlem Road (now the A529) in 1900; it closed in 1968. During the First World War, eighty German prisoners-of-war were interned in Hatherton and employed as agricultural labourers, and the stables of The Broomlands near Birchall Moss served as an equine hospital. The stables were later converted into dwellings and a village store and post office, which has since closed. In 1881, more than two-thirds of the men in the parish were engaged in agriculture. Hatherton was within the Delves-Broughton estate until it was broken up in around 1920. In the 1960s, the

Co-operative Wholesale Society A co-operative wholesale society, or CWS, is a form of co-operative federation (that is, a co-operative in which all the members are co-operatives), in this case, the members are usually consumer cooperatives. According to co-operative economi ...

bought many local farms and ran them as Co-op farms. The 1967–68 outbreak of

foot-and-mouth disease Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) or hoof-and-mouth disease (HMD) is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids. The virus causes a high fever lasting two to six days, followe ...

caused major problems for dairy farms in the

area, including Joseph Heler's in Hatherton. The parish remained largely rural in 1990, with only minimal development noted since the 1960s.

Governance

Hatherton is administered jointly with the adjacent parish of Walgherton by Hatherton and Walgherton Parish Council. From 1974 the civil parish was served by

Crewe and Nantwich Crewe and Nantwich was, from 1974 to 2009, a Non-metropolitan district, local government district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Cheshire, England. It had a population (2001 census) of 111,007. It contained 69 civ ...

Borough Council, which was succeeded on 1 April 2009 by the

unitary authority A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...

. Hatherton falls in the parliamentary constituency of

, which has been represented by

Kieran Mullan Kieran Mullan (born 6 June 1984) is a British Conservative Party politician who was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Crewe and Nantwich at the 2019 general election. Early life and career Mullan was born in 1984. He grew up in so ...

since 2019, after being represented by Laura Smith (2017–19),

Edward Timpson Anthony Edward Timpson, (born 26 December 1973) is a British Conservative Party politician who was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Eddisbury in Cheshire at the 2019 general election. He was previously MP for neighbouring Crewe a ...

(2008–17) and

Gwyneth Dunwoody Gwyneth Patricia Dunwoody (née Phillips; 12 December 1930 – 17 April 2008) was a British Labour Party politician, who was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Exeter from 1966 to 1970, and then for Crewe (later Crewe and Nantwich) from February 1 ...

(1983–2008).

Geography, ecology and transport

The civil parish has an area of . The A529 runs north–south through the parish and the B5071 (Crewe Road) runs to the north-east from the A529 junction at Oakes Corner towards Walgherton. Park Lane connects the A529 and the B5071, and Hunsterson Road runs eastwards from this junction on the B5071 to the hamlet of Hunsterson in the adjacent parish. Lodge Lane runs south-east from the B5071 to Hunsterson Road. Bridgemere Lane runs eastwards from the A529 to Hunsterson, and Birchall Moss Lane cuts from the A529 to Bridgemere Lane. The hamlet of Hatherton is centred at the crossroads of Park Lane/Hunsterson Road with the B5071, extending along both unclassified roads. The

South Cheshire Way The South Cheshire Way is a long-distance footpath running east–west mainly through Cheshire, England, though parts lie in Shropshire and Staffordshire. The western section from Grindley Brook, near Whitchurch, runs through farmland; the e ...

long-distance footpath runs through the south of the parish, partly following Bridgemere Lane and the A529. Epipactis palustris-01-Kaernten-2008-Thomas Huntke

Epipactis palustris-01-Kaernten-2008-Thomas Huntke

The

runs north–south forming the western boundary of the parish, Artle Brook runs on or near the northern boundary, and Birchall Brook forms part of the south-western boundary. The terrain is undulating, sloping more steeply down to the Weaver in the west, with a lowest

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...

of around along the Weaver. The highest area is in the south of the parish, around Birchall Moss and south of Bridgemere Lane, at around . The entire civil parish is classified by

Cheshire Wildlife Trust The Cheshire Wildlife Trust (CWT) is a wildlife trust covering the county of Cheshire and parts of the counties of Greater Manchester and Merseyside, England. The trust's chairman is Bill Stothart. It manages 43 nature reserves totalling over 470 ...

as "Lower Farms and Woods", and the area in the south of the parish around Birchall Moss has been identified as a key area for wildlife. There are numerous small meres or ponds, as well as small areas of deciduous and mixed woodland, including Birchall Moss, Birchenhill Wood, Acton's Rough, Lane Wood, Gorse Wood, Chestnut Wood and Blackthorn Wood. Chestnut and Blackthorn Woods, which line Birchall Brook on the boundary with

, are marked on

tithe map The term tithe map is usually applied to a map of an English or Welsh parish or township, prepared following the Tithe Commutation Act 1836. This act allowed tithes to be paid in cash rather than goods. The map and its accompanying schedule gave the ...

s and might represent small patches of

ancient woodland In the United Kingdom, an ancient woodland is a woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (or 1750 in Scotland). Planting of woodland was uncommon before those dates, so a wood present in 16 ...

is a

on the bank of the Weaver south of Acton's Rough (at ), designated for its variety of

plants. It is the largest example of its kind of

flush Flush may refer to: Places * Flush, Kansas, a community in the United States Architecture, construction and manufacturing * Flush cut, a type of cut made with a French flush-cut saw or diagonal pliers * Flush deck, in naval architecture * Flu ...

in the county.Cheshire Wildlife Trust, pp. 7, 22 The flush is set in partly unimproved acidic grassland. The site supports abundant

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

s, including the locally rare species marsh helleborine, as well as seven species of

sedge The Cyperaceae are a family of graminoid (grass-like), monocotyledonous flowering plants known as sedges. The family is large, with some 5,500 known species described in about 90 genera, the largest being the "true sedges" genus ''Carex'' wit ...

; other locally rare species include marsh lousewort and tubular water-dropwort, and the locally scarce species

bog pimpernel ''Anagallis tenella'', known in Britain as the bog pimpernel, is a low growing perennial plant found in a variety of damp habitats from calcareous dune slacks to boggy and peaty heaths in Eurasia. In the United Kingdom it is mostly restricte ...

marsh valerian ''Valeriana dioica'', the marsh valerian, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Valeriana ''Valeriana'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caprifoliaceae, members of which may by commonly known as valerians. It contains many ...

and

spiny restharrow ''Ononis spinosa'' is a plant belonging to the family Fabaceae, that is commonly known as spiny restharrow or just restharrow. It is found throughout much of Europe including Britain, but seldom as far north as Scotland. Description Spiny rest ...

are also found at the site.

Demography

According to the 2001 census, Hatherton civil parish had a population of 344, increasing to 360 in 143 households at the 2011 census. This represents a small decline from the mid-19th-century peak, but an increase compared with the mid-20th-century population; historical population figures are 191 (1801), 394 (1851), 367 (1871), 290 (1901) and 321 (1951).

Landmarks

A small mid-19th-century

chapel is located on Crewe Road; as of 2020, it forms part of the Methodist ministry of nearby

. Several

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

s are located within the parish, one of which is designated as grade II*, the middle of the three grades, denoting "particularly important buildings of more than special interest": Hatherton Manor, off Audlem Road (A529), is a farmhouse of five

bays A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...

in orange-red brick with stone dressings, dating from 1703. There are two storeys, plus a basement and attics, under a tiled roof, and the main entrance is approached by a flight of stone steps. Of the buildings listed at grade II, the oldest is Yew Tree Farmhouse on Audlem Road, a 16th-century,

house with a tiled roof, featuring small framing infilled with brick. Birchall Moss Hall, also on Audlem Road, is a timber-framed, rendered former farmhouse with small framing and a tiled roof, dating originally from the late 16th or 17th century. Bank House, Hatherton

Several brick houses built between the 17th and mid-19th centuries are also listed at grade II. Part of Park House on Park Lane dates from the 17th century and is in brick described by

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked wit ...

as "plum coloured". The three-bay main façade dates from the early 19th century and uses orange-red brick with stone dressings; it features a Tuscan porch. Bank House, on Audlem Road by Oakes Corner, dates originally from the late 17th or early 18th century, and is in plum-coloured brick with stone dressings under a tiled roof. Hatherton House on Broad Lane dates originally from the late 18th or early 19th century. Its three-storey, three-bay main façade is in red brick with stone dressings, with decorative yellow-brick

quoin Quoins ( or ) are masonry blocks at the corner of a wall. Some are structural, providing strength for a wall made with inferior stone or rubble, while others merely add aesthetic detail to a corner. According to one 19th century encyclopedia, t ...

s. The arched

ashlar Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...

doorway features

pilaster In classical architecture Classical architecture usually denotes architecture which is more or less consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or sometimes even more specifically, from the ...

s and carved wreaths; above it is a first-floor window whose stone surround is topped with a

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedimen ...

. The early 19th-century Hatherton Lodge stands on Lodge Lane, on the site of an earlier lodge, and is described by Historic England as an example of the Picturesque Movement. The L-shaped

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became s ...

has a

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

-rendered front façade of three bays with stucco quoins. The central limestone

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

with Tuscan columns has a

bow window A bow window or compass window is a curved bay window. Bow windows are designed to create space by projecting beyond the exterior wall of a building, and to provide a wider view of the garden or street outside and typically combine four or more w ...

above it. The Broomlands on Birchall Moss Lane is a large mid-19th-century former

, now divided into three, which has a rendered finish and a slate roof. The entrance front has a

colonnade In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or curv ...

porch with stone

Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

columns, and the five-bay garden façade features two small bows. A disused 19th-century road bridge over Birchall Brook, on the boundary with Hankelow, is also listed; it is in red brick with stone dressings.

Education

There are no educational facilities in Hatherton. The civil parish falls within the catchment areas of

Brine Leas School Brine Leas School is an academy school in Nantwich, Cheshire, England. The school has 1,287 pupils enrolled, and has technology and language status. The school opened in 1977 as a comprehensive co-educational establishment. The first head te ...

, and Stapeley Broad Lane Church of England Primary School.

References

;Sources * * *B. M. C. Husain (1973), ''Cheshire under the Norman Earls: 1066–1237''. ''A History of Cheshire'' Vol. 4 (J. J. Bagley, ed.), Cheshire Community Council *

External links

Hatherton and Walgherton Parish Council
{{Authority control Civil parishes in Cheshire Villages in Cheshire