684 CHESHIRE. [KELLY'S

. ~ ~ . c~ntury by the late Thomas Cholmondeley esq. who pure ; a vacuum plant has been laid. down and lhe dted 2 June, 177~, and his descendant, Lord Delamere, whole works have been electrified. The land on the of Vale Royal, lS the present proprietor. Woodford banks of the Weaver,· above Winsford, has g1adually Hall, in this township, now the property of the sunk many feet below the level of 'the river; over 200 trustees of the late Mr. John Cookson, is occupied by acres of land are submerged, and the flooded area forms Mr. Cyrus Slater, farmer. Lord Delamere, Wmiam 3 large lakes~· this subsidence is caused partly by the Roylance Court esq.. of the Manor House, Middlewich, gradual meltmg of the rock salt, but also b:JO the Hugh Edward Wllbraham esq. of Delamere House, immense cavities occasioned by the constant pumping Northwich; William Henry Verdin esq. of Darnhall of brine for · the production of salt. Flat and boat Hall, and R. N. H. Verdin esq. of Stoke Hall, Nant­ building is carried on here ; there are also clothing and wich, are the principal landed proprietors. The area fustian factories. ·The Market· Hall, erected in x85g, of of Over township is 4·439 acres of land, which are brick, was partly reconstructed in 1876, when the upper mostly applied to grain and pasture, and 88 of water ; portion w~s taken down and rebuilt in li'O:Jd. A general rateable value, £30,733 ; the population in 19II was m:\rket is held here every Saturday, commencino- at four 7,3oo. The population of the ecclesiastical parishes in m. t h e afternoon. The police station is a small"' brick 19II was :-St. Chad, Over, 3,054• and .St. John the building, and has an attached house for the • resident Evangelist, Over, 3,782. ' sergeant. The '' Verdin" Public Baths, in the Market .SW.ANLOW is a hamlet in the township of Over, place! were given to the town in 1887 by Sir Jo~t>ph bounded bv the township of Weaver on the east. Here Vt>rdin ba.t"t. of the Brockhurst-, Northwich, snd William is a Wesliyan chapel. Lord Delamere, W. H. Verdin Henry Veifdin esq. of Darnhall Hall: the building is of esq. of Darnhall Hall, and H .. E. Wilbraham esq. of wood and brick with an ornamental front, and contains Delamere House; Northwich, are the chief landowners. private swimming and medicinal brine baths, which are WHARTON is a market town, and with the town­ widely celebrated for their curative properties. The ship of Stanthorne was formed into an ecclesiastical Albert Infirmary, opened in October, I8g8, was presented parish in 1843 from the parish of Davenham; it is on by William Henry Verdin esq. D.L., J.P. of Darnhall the eastern bank of the river Weaver; it has a station Hall, and a new operating theatre has been built and about a mile distant on the London and North Western £urnished at a total cost of £826 6s. gd. which was railway and another station in the town, called Over and opened on the 8th June,· Igro, by the Countess Gros­ Wharton, which is the terminus of a branch of the venor. The public recreation grounds, in Wharton road, same line from Hartford, and is 3 miles west-north-west comprising 5 acres, were the gift of the late John Knight from Middlewich and 6 south from Northwich: the A.rmstrong esq. of Wharton Hall. Wharton Hall is the township is in the Northwich division of the county, tesidence of Mrs. Newall. The principal landed proprie­ hundred, union and county court district of North­ tors of this township are the trustees of the late John wich, in the petty sessional division of Winsford, and Dudley esq. William Roylance Court esq. J .P. ol Middle­ in the rural deanery of Middlswich and archdeaconrv wich, Hugh Edward Wilbraham esq. of Delamere House, and diocese of Chester. The river Weaver is her~ W. H. Verdin esq. of Darnhall Hall, Lieut.-Col. F. C. crossed by a substantial iron girder bridge, erected in France-Hayhurst, of Bostock Hall, and the Salt Union. 1857, and connecting this township with that of Over, The •parish of Wharton contained in 1901 a population but in consequence of the subsidence of the ground of 3,319, the greatest part of whom are engaged in the this bridge has had to be three times raised, viz. in salt works: it comprises 1,189 statute acres, a great -z871, 1876 and 1882: the Weaver is navigable as high part of whic-h are occupied by the numerous salt :as Winsford for vessels of 300 tons burthen and is works ; and the agricultural portion is chiefly applied ·under the control of a trust. Christ Church, rebuilt to dairy purposes and the cultivation of grain, and 33 -in 1849, is an edifice of brick and stone, in the ·Per­ of water; rateable value, £23,r6o. The area of the ]_)endicular style, consisting of chancel, nave, transepts ecclesiastical parish is 2,257 acres ; the population in and an embattled tower on the north-east with figures I9II was 3,66r. :at th.e . angles, representing the four Evangelists, and The area of the Urban District is 5,779 acres, viz.: contammg a clock, presented in 1849 by the late John Wharton civil parish, 1,252 acres; Over civil parish, :Dudley esq. of Wharton, in memory of Elizabeth his 4,527 ; the population m 19IL was 10,770, viz. : Whar­ wife, and 8 tubular bells, given by Mrs. Lea, of Wins­ ton civil parish, 3,470; Over civil parish, 7,300. ·fard Lodge: the transepts are the remains of a former The population of the Urban District wards in I9II ,chapel of ease, erected by James France France esq.: was: Gravel, 2,718 ; Swanlow, 5,243 ; Vale Royal, the church affords 530 sittings. The register dates 2,057; Wharton, 752. from the year 1843. The living is a vicarage, net yearly value £2o8, with residence, in the gift of the DARNHALL is a township and small village, formerly rector of Davenham, and held since 1891 by the Rev. in the parish of White~ate, but now in Over, but not Robert Eden Henley M.A. of St. Mary Hall, Oxford, included in Winsford U:r.ban District; it is s! miles ·and surrogate. There is a Wesleyan chapel on Winsford south-west from Middlewich, in the first division of ·hill, erected in r884, and a Primitive Methodist chapel E~di~bury hundred, Northwich uni?n and county court in Station road, erected in 1893; in the same road is d1strzct. Here was once a Oistercian monastery :·a United Methodist chapel, built in 186o. Winsford founded in 1266 by Edward I. and translated to Va.l~ is remarkable for the extensive salt works in this Royal in 1277. The manor of Dernha.ll formerly be­ locality on the banks of the Weaver, partly in the longed to the Earl of Chester, John Scot, the last of the -township of Wharton and partly in that of Over on the Palatinate Earls, who was poisoned, as is believed', by his · opposite side of the river : the pans used in th~ manu­ wife Heleon, daughter of Llewellin, prince of North Wale&, facture of salt in the various works number about 620 and died here in 1244: on the foundation of Dernhall and give employment to about 2,000 workmen, so that Abbey the manor wa& given to the mon:ks, and continued · salt forms the staple trade of this district ; the brine is their propertv until they :removed to Vale Royal; and: a found at a depth of from 30 to 6o ya.rds, and in some cases curious· account is giv·en in the Ledger-book of the Abbey, rises to within 12 yards of the surface: it is generally of showing the services to be rendered to the abbots, as lords ·good quality, producing 42 ounces of salt to the imperial of the manor, by the tenants the-reof: at the time of the gallon. Several attempts have been made to work rock D~sS'Olution Dernhall became the property of Sir Rowland '~~t mi?es in the neighbourhood, but they have generally Hill kt. lorold '{){ bluish stone several yards in depth, called by the work­ hy auction in lots; the Hall and a large portion Qf the men "metal·; " the lower bed of rock salt extends to the lanrl being purchase? by James Haigh e!'q. of Mayfield, depth of about 110 yards from the surface, and is about Ashhourne, Derbyshire. W. Wood esq, Nathaniel 'l'om­ 10 yards thick, and is found to be far superior to that linson esq. and others also became purchai'ers. Mr. H1igh rmri other u wners repaired· and greatly improved found in the upper mine. The white salt' made from brme. pumped out of the earth, is conveyed in barges the appearanre of the Hall, made PXtensive improvements and steamers to Liverpool, and from thence shipped in the lanrl, farm hon>oes and hniJdings: the Hall and the to India and other parts. The rock salt is chiefly dis­ whole of the township, with the exception of about 123 patched to Lancashire, but is also conveyed to Liver­ acres, was purchased in 1875 from Captain Cunliffe by pool, in the same manner as above mentioned, for. the late Thomas Knowles esfJ. M.P., J.P.; but in Feb. shipment to Bel~ium and Prussia. The average ton­ r88g it was sold to W. H. Verdin esq. D.L., J.P. who nage of white salt shipped from Winsford annually is is now lord of the manor and sole owner of the town­ shiiJ : .his seat, Darnhall Hall, is a fine mansion of red nearly soo,ooo tons, a portion of which is chemicallv•