Forest of Lyme
Encyclopedia
The Forest of Lyme is a former forest in the present day counties of Cheshire
, Staffordshire
and parts of Derbyshire
. Parts of the forest remain and its name is preserved in many local place names.
all the way roughly along Cheshire's border to the town of Audlem
on the Cheshire/Shropshire
border. Macclesfield Forest is a part of it which remains, although most of it now consists of non-native conifers. It takes in the modern towns and villages of Ashton-under-Lyne, Macclesfield
, Lyme, Congleton
, Madeley
, Newcastle-under-Lyme
and others.
It is found in early records of the Honour of Lancaster which refer to those parts of the honour outside Lancashire
as being "extra Limam" i.e. beyond the Lyme. Lyme Handley is recorded as "Lyme" in 1313. The name is derived from a British word for elm which is also the word from which Welsh "llwyf" is derived.
s who would have been a part of the Cornovii
tribe, or more probably the Brigantes
tribe. The Forest seemed to act as a barrier to Anglo-Saxon conquest of Cheshire because when Cheshire finally came under Anglo-Saxon control, the army which effectively captured it came from the North, Northumbria
.
There is also evidence in the continuity of ancient pagan festivals into the modern age as well. One of these was Beltaine, practised around Leek
. Another pagan custom is well dressing
which formerly took place in the Forest of Lyme is the Derbyshire-connected well dressing, which was formerly carried out in Rushton Spencer near Biddulph
. Indeed a lot of pagan festivals have been Christianized and continue to be carried out.
There is also some evidence for the towns and land located around Biddulph
and Leek
as formerly belonging to Cheshire in the early Middle Ages
.
Today the forest survives as large tracts of ancient woodland, particularly in the valley of the River Dane
, the Western Peak District
and in a few other areas.
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, 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 parts of Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
. Parts of the forest remain and its name is preserved in many local place names.
Location and toponymy
The Forest of Lyme was an historic tract of forest land stretching from Ashton-under-LyneAshton-under-Lyne
Ashton-under-Lyne is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines...
all the way roughly along Cheshire's border to the town of Audlem
Audlem
Audlem is a large village and civil parish located in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire in the north west of England, approximately south of Nantwich. Close to the border with the neighbouring county of Shropshire, the village is eight miles east of...
on the Cheshire/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...
border. Macclesfield Forest is a part of it which remains, although most of it now consists of non-native conifers. It takes in the modern towns and villages of Ashton-under-Lyne, Macclesfield
Macclesfield
Macclesfield is a market town within the unitary authority of Cheshire East, the county palatine of Chester, also known as the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The population of the Macclesfield urban sub-area at the time of the 2001 census was 50,688...
, Lyme, Congleton
Congleton
Congleton is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Dane, to the west of the Macclesfield Canal and 21 miles south of Manchester. It has a population of 25,750.-History:The first settlements in...
, Madeley
Madeley, Staffordshire
Madeley is a village and ward in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, North Staffordshire, England. It is split into three parts: Madeley, Middle Madeley, and Little Madeley. Madeley Heath is also considered by many to be part of Madeley...
, Newcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme is a market town in Staffordshire, England, and is the principal town of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme. It is part of The Potteries Urban Area and North Staffordshire. In the 2001 census the town had a population of 73,944...
and others.
It is found in early records of the Honour of Lancaster which refer to those parts of the honour outside Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
as being "extra Limam" i.e. beyond the Lyme. Lyme Handley is recorded as "Lyme" in 1313. The name is derived from a British word for elm which is also the word from which Welsh "llwyf" is derived.
History
In historic times the forest was inhabited by the British CeltCelt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
s who would have been a part of the Cornovii
Cornovii
The Cornovii were a Celtic people of Iron Age and Roman Britain, who lived principally in the modern English counties of Cheshire, Shropshire, north Staffordshire, north Herefordshire and eastern parts of the Welsh county of Powys. Their capital in pre-Roman times was probably a hill fort on The...
tribe, or more probably the Brigantes
Brigantes
The Brigantes were a Celtic tribe who in pre-Roman times controlled the largest section of what would become Northern England, and a significant part of the Midlands. Their kingdom is sometimes called Brigantia, and it was centred in what was later known as Yorkshire...
tribe. The Forest seemed to act as a barrier to Anglo-Saxon conquest of Cheshire because when Cheshire finally came under Anglo-Saxon control, the army which effectively captured it came from the North, Northumbria
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
.
There is also evidence in the continuity of ancient pagan festivals into the modern age as well. One of these was Beltaine, practised around Leek
Leek, Staffordshire
Leek is a market town in the county of Staffordshire, England, on the River Churnet. It is an ancient borough and was granted its royal charter in 1214.It is the administrative centre for the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council...
. Another pagan custom is well dressing
Well dressing
Well dressing is a summer custom practised in rural England in which wells, springs or other water sources are decorated with designs created from flower petals...
which formerly took place in the Forest of Lyme is the Derbyshire-connected well dressing, which was formerly carried out in Rushton Spencer near Biddulph
Biddulph
Biddulph is a town in Staffordshire, England, north of Stoke-on-Trent and south east of Congleton, Cheshire.-Origin of the name:Biddulph's name may come from Anglo-Saxon bī dylfe = "beside the pit or quarry"...
. Indeed a lot of pagan festivals have been Christianized and continue to be carried out.
There is also some evidence for the towns and land located around Biddulph
Biddulph
Biddulph is a town in Staffordshire, England, north of Stoke-on-Trent and south east of Congleton, Cheshire.-Origin of the name:Biddulph's name may come from Anglo-Saxon bī dylfe = "beside the pit or quarry"...
and Leek
Leek
The leek, Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum , also sometimes known as Allium porrum, is a vegetable which belongs, along with the onion and garlic, to family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Allioideae...
as formerly belonging to Cheshire in the early Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
.
Today the forest survives as large tracts of ancient woodland, particularly in the valley of the River Dane
River Dane
The River Dane is a river mainly in Cheshire in the north west of England.The river rises in Derbyshire, close to the source of the River Goyt just to the south west of Buxton, on Axe Edge Moor...
, the Western Peak District
Peak District
The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England, lying mainly in northern Derbyshire, but also covering parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, and South and West Yorkshire....
and in a few other areas.
Name in modern place names
The name "Lyme" is preserved in various forms in many local place names. These include:- Ashton-under-LyneAshton-under-LyneAshton-under-Lyne is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it lies on the north bank of the River Tame, on undulating land at the foothills of the Pennines...
(a corruption of "Lyme") - AudlemAudlemAudlem is a large village and civil parish located in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire in the north west of England, approximately south of Nantwich. Close to the border with the neighbouring county of Shropshire, the village is eight miles east of...
(Old Lyme or perhaps Alda's Lyme) - BurslemBurslemThe town of Burslem, known as the Mother Town, is one of the six towns that amalgamated to form the current city of Stoke-on-Trent, in the ceremonial county of Staffordshire, in the Midlands of England.-Topography:...
(Burgheard's Lyme) - Lyme ParkLyme ParkLyme Park is a large estate located south of Disley, Cheshire, England. It consists of a mansion house surrounded by formal gardens, in a deer park in the Peak District National Park...
near DisleyDisleyDisley is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is located on the very edge of the Peak District, in the Goyt Valley, very close to the county boundary with Derbyshire at New Mills, and south of Stockport, Greater...
(considered by some to be the ancestral home of the English MastiffEnglish MastiffThe English Mastiff, referred to by virtually all Kennel Clubs simply as the Mastiff, is a breed of large dog perhaps descended from the ancient Alaunt through the Pugnaces Britanniae. Distinguishable by enormous size, massive head, and a limited range of colors, but always displaying a black mask,...
) - Lyme Handley, Sutton (unofficially called Lyme Green)
- Newcastle-under-LymeNewcastle-under-LymeNewcastle-under-Lyme is a market town in Staffordshire, England, and is the principal town of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme. It is part of The Potteries Urban Area and North Staffordshire. In the 2001 census the town had a population of 73,944...