Earlier titles in this series of histories of Cheshire villages are:— 'Alpraham' 1969 FARNDON 'Tilstone Fearnall' 1970 'Tiverton' 1971 By Frank A. Latham. 'Tarporley' 1973 'Cuddington & Sandiway' 1975 'Tattenhall' 1977 'Christleton' 1979 The History of a Cheshire Village By Local History Groups. Edited by Frank A. Latham. CONTENTS Page FARNDON Foreword 6 Editor's Preface 7 PART I 9 An Introduction to Farndon 11 Research Organiser and Editor In the Beginning 12 Prehistory 13 FRANK A. LATHAM The Coming of the Romans 16 The Dark Ages 18 The Local History Group Conquest 23 MARIE ALCOCK Plantagenet and Tudor 27 LIZ CAPLIN Civil War 33 A. J. CAPLIN The Age of Enlightenment 40 RUPERT CAPPER The Victorians 50 HAROLD T. CORNES Modern Times JENNIFER COX BARBARA DAVIES PART II JENNY HINCKLEY Church and Chapel 59 ARTHUR H. KING Strawberries and Cream 66 HAZEL MORGAN Commerce 71 THOMAS W. SIMON Education 75 CONSTANCE UNSWORTH Village Inns 79 HELEN VYSE MARGARET WILLIS Sports and Pastimes 83 The Bridge 89 Illustrations, Photographs and Maps by A. J. CAPLIN Barnston of Crewe Hill 93 Houses 100 Natural History 106 'On Farndon's Bridge' 112 Published by the Local History Group 1981 and printed by Herald Printers (Whitchurch) Ltd., Whitchurch, Shropshire. APPENDICES Second Edition reprinted in 1985 113 ISBN 0 901993 04 2 Hearth Tax Returns 1664 Houses and their Occupants — The Last Hundred Years 115 The Incumbents 118 The War Memorial 119 AH rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, The Parish Council 120 electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the editor, F. A. Latham, Hilbre Grange, Alpraham, Tarporley, Cheshire. Bibliography 121 EDITOR'S PREFACE Probably the most illustrious son of the village of Farndon was John Speed who was born here about 1552. He is best remembered for his maps of Great Britain which were published in 1606 but he was also the author of a History which was written a few years later and in which he wrote of Cheshire as follows: 'The shire may well be said to be a seedplot of Gentilitie, and the producer of many most ancient and worthy families; neither hath any brought more men of valour into the Field than Cheeseshire hath done, who, by a generall speech, are to this day called the Chiefe of men, and for nature's endowments (besides their noblenesse of mindes) may compare with any other nation in the world; their limmes strait and well- FOREWORD composed; their complexions faire, with a cheerfull countenance; and the Women of a grace, feature and beautie, inferior unto none.' Of course it might be argued that he was biased, but it is unfortunate Although my Mother's family have lived in Churton and for Farndon that he wrote nothing specifically about his birthplace. Instead, the most comprehensive collection of historical notes to which Farndon for many generations, I did not come to live at Crewe Hill the present authors have had access are those from the pen of the former until my Great Aunt died after the war. vicar of the parish, the Rev. L. E. Owen, which were written at the end of It was difficult to discover very much of the history of Farndon, as the last century. A later writer states that Mr. Owen attempted to 'gather most of it was hearsay, and even that was conflicting. together what scraps of material he could from registers, etc. and thus Now, thanks to Mr Frank Latham and his Local History Group, make a history of the place, but soon gave up the idea and hoped that some successor would succeed where he had failed'. The same writer felt it there is all that I wanted to know in one book. was unlikely that Mr. Owen's dream would be accomplished because so I would like to congratulate them all for the work they have put little had been left on record by past generations. into this book, which is both interesting and, I believe, important There is nothing like a challenge to inspire enthusiasm but it would be for all of us who live in Farndon. It will be even more important in pleasant to think that the ghosts of both Speed and Owen had the future when much of what is known today would otherwise encouraged the present work. Whether or not it can be described as a dream fulfilled can only be judged by its readers. have been forgotten. As the editor of the book I believe the authors have successfully dispelled any doubts that may have existed in the past regarding the wealth of historical records available for research. Thanks to the Record P. E. Trevor-Barnston Offices many hitherto unknown documents have come to light during the past 100 years and most have been examined. I should like to say what a pleasure it has been to work with the Local History Group and to November 1981 congratulate them on their keenness and on their two years' hard work. Crewe Hill In conclusion, and on behalf of all of us, I should like to thank Maj. P. E. Trevor-Barnston for writing the Foreword, the inhabitants of the parish of Farndon for their co-operation, the W.E.A., the County and City Libraries, and the Grosvenor Museum for their continued support. A word of thanks must also be given to the following who have been of special assistance: The County and City Archivists, Dr. A. T. Thacker, B.A., The Cheshire Planning Dept., Mr. and Mrs. A. Pridding, Mr. and Mrs. J. Powell, Mr. G. Redrope, the P.C.C., Mrs. P. Butler, Major J. Fletcher and Mr. Laurie McKenna. We hope that you will enjoy reading this book and that you will forgive any errors and omissions. F. A. LATHAM, HILBRE GRANGE, ALPRAHAM 9 PART I INTRODUCTION 'Doubtless God could have made a better berry than the strawberry, but doubtless God never did'. (Izaak Walton) At the beginning of the century if a man was asked what he knew about Farndon, his reply, almost certainly, would have been 'strawberries'. Before the first World War several hundred acres in the parish were devoted to this fruit and many roadside cafes in the vicinity made a living in the summer time by providing strawberry teas. These were particularly popular at the weekends and on Saturdays and Sundays folk would travel to the Farndon area from all over the County. In those times the pace of life was more leisurely, however, and latterly, not only has Farndon declined as a fruit growing area for a number of reasons, but, with the advent of the motor car, tourists from Cheshire are prepared to travel further afield; particularly over the border to the seaside resorts of North Wales. Both Holt and Farndon are still famous for their strawberry crops but today if a man was asked that same question his reply would probably be 'the Bridge' or, to be strictly accurate, 'Holt Bridge'. For some years now this ancient structure has caused problems for villagers and travellers alike. Its preservation is imperative and yet its narrowness makes it quite unsuitable for the ever-increasing volume of modern traffic. Outside Chester it provides one of the few passages from Cheshire to Wales and although, as this book is written, a Farndon by-pass and a further modern bridge away from the village have both been discussed no decisions have yet been made. Its claim to fame, however, will be discussed in later chapters and the purpose of this introduction is to give certain geographical facts about this very charming village of Farndon which stands on the bank of the River Dee. Like so many other Cheshire villages its main street, and the houses bordering it, have changed very little during the last century but it has expanded. Most of the new properties have been built during the last 30 years and these are mainly occupied by commuters who live in the parish but who work in the neighbouring towns of Wrexham and Chester. In the first instance the expansion of any village always results in apprehension by those families who have lived in it for many generations, but nowadays the influx of new people with new ideas is the only way a village can survive. The newcomers to Farndon have fitted into the community well and fully participate in its affairs. Farndon is both a parish and township. The village is situated on the road from Nantwich to Wrexham and on the east bank of the Dee. It is connected with the village of Holt by a fine old bridge of nine arches, is six miles east of Wrexham and eight miles south of 10 Chester. It was, prior to 1974, in the petty sessional division and IN THE BEGINNING rural district of Tarvin, Chester county court district, the rural deanery of Malpas and archdeaconry and diocese of Chester. Since When a man is digging his garden in Cheshire in the winter time, 1974, for civil purposes it has been in the Chester district within the and when the land is bare and devoid of vegetation, he may well ask new administrative county of Cheshire. From the historian's point himself about those oddly shaped stones that he sometimes turns up. of view it is in the higher division of Broxton hundred which, at the Where did they come from? By no means all have been left there by time of Domesday, was known as Dudestan.