Cheswardine
Encyclopedia
Cheswardine is a rural village
and civil parish in north east Shropshire
, England
. The village lies close to the border with Staffordshire
and is about 8 miles north of Newport
and 5 miles south east of Market Drayton
. At the 2001 Census
, the parish (which also includes the villages of Chipnall and Soudley as well as several small hamlets such as Goldstone
and Ellerton
), had a population of 991 people.
Cheswardine was mentioned in the Domesday book
, when the manor
was held by Robert of Stafford, but is probably a much older settlement, with the church likely being built on an ancient fortified site. There was once a castle here, probably built for the Anglo-Norman Lestrange family, who had considerable land holdings in the area; only the moat now remains.
The parish church, dedicated to St Swithun, overlooks Cheswardine from the hill at the top of the village. This is at least the third church on this site, and was rebuilt in 1887 - 1889 under the direction of the esteemed architect John Loughborough Pearson
, who died before the work was completed. The work was completed with the assistance of funding by the then squire of the Cheswardine Estate, Charles Donaldson-Hudson
, who evidently provided half of the estimated cost of £8,500.
several times. It was also home to the late MBE
award winner Winnie Goodwin, who also starred in a Müller
advertisement.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish in north east Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The village lies close to the border with Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
and is about 8 miles north of Newport
Newport, Shropshire
Newport is a market town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England. It lies some north of Telford and some west of Stafford sitting on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border...
and 5 miles south east of Market Drayton
Market Drayton
Market Drayton is a small market town in north Shropshire, England. It is on the River Tern, between Shrewsbury and Stoke-on-Trent, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" and earlier simply as "Drayton" ....
. At the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, the parish (which also includes the villages of Chipnall and Soudley as well as several small hamlets such as Goldstone
Goldstone, Shropshire
Goldstone is a small hamlet in eastern Shropshire, England, in the civil parish of Cheswardine. It lies in an isolated rural area north of Hinstock and Ellerton, around 5 miles south of the nearest town, Market Drayton....
and Ellerton
Ellerton, Shropshire
Ellerton is a small hamlet in Shropshire. It lies in a rather isolated rural area several miles north of the town of Newport, close to the village of Sambrook, and is part of the civil parish of Cheswardine...
), had a population of 991 people.
History and architecture
The name Cheswardine, recorded in 1086 as Ciseworde and in 1189 as Chesewordin, is probably derived from the Old English for "cheese-producing settlement".Cheswardine was mentioned in the Domesday book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, when the manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
was held by Robert of Stafford, but is probably a much older settlement, with the church likely being built on an ancient fortified site. There was once a castle here, probably built for the Anglo-Norman Lestrange family, who had considerable land holdings in the area; only the moat now remains.
The parish church, dedicated to St Swithun, overlooks Cheswardine from the hill at the top of the village. This is at least the third church on this site, and was rebuilt in 1887 - 1889 under the direction of the esteemed architect John Loughborough Pearson
John Loughborough Pearson
John Loughborough Pearson was a Gothic Revival architect renowned for his work on churches and cathedrals. Pearson revived and practised largely the art of vaulting, and acquired in it a proficiency unrivalled in his generation.-Early life and education:Pearson was born in Brussels, Belgium on 5...
, who died before the work was completed. The work was completed with the assistance of funding by the then squire of the Cheswardine Estate, Charles Donaldson-Hudson
Charles Donaldson-Hudson
Charles Donaldson-Hudson was an English Conservative politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1880 to 1885....
, who evidently provided half of the estimated cost of £8,500.
Public bus services
The 323 Market Drayton - Telford bus used to run through the village but was discontinued in May 2010, due to poor usage, resulting in subsidy being dropped by the council. School busses still operate to the grove, using Happy Dyas coaches and Bennetts.Local amenities
Local amenities include a primary school, St Swithun's Church, as well as two village pubs, the Red Lion, with its own brewery, and the Fox and Hounds, which serves food. There is also a village hall, bowling green and playing fields. However, the local post office was forced to close down in 2006 to be turned into a residential building. A new community village shop opened in its place in 2010.People and Awards
The village has been runner up in Britain in BloomBritain in Bloom
RHS Britain in Bloom, supported by Anglian Home Improvements, is the largest horticultural campaign in the United Kingdom. It was first held in 1963, initiated by the British Tourist Board based on the example set by Fleurissement de France. It has been organised by the Royal Horticultural Society ...
several times. It was also home to the late MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
award winner Winnie Goodwin, who also starred in a Müller
Müller (company)
Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller is a multinational producer of dairy products, with a headquarters in Fischach in the German state of Bavaria. The group includes a number of companies operating under the Müller name, including the original Molkerei Alois Müller GmbH & Co. KG and Müller Dairy ...
advertisement.