Fantastic Mr Foxes v. Tipping and Faulkoner

Another trip to Cheshire Record Office, this time for research into Cheshire Gamekeepers,has yielded one of my favourite document finds yet!  In the catalogue, it is entitled ‘Mock Manorial Presentment of William Tipping’ and is thought to date from around 1715.  It  is signed ‘Peter Shakerley’.  It details a poaching story, with some real life …

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Kermincham and it’s Deer Park

The hamlet of Kermincham lies in the parish of Swettenham, about 5 miles north west of Congleton. The parish consists of several farms with geographic names, e.g Brook Farm, Ashtree Farm and some higher status dwellings. Kermincham Hall, Rowley Hall, and Kermincham House (formerly Lodge).   The accompanying farmland all surround another farmstead named Old …

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Origins and Significance of some Macclesfield Street Names

At first glance, any modern map of Macclesfield shows a jumble of streets, roads, and lanes jostling for position.  Looking closer at individual street names reveals insights into their purpose, origin and age. Some street names have been around from the medieval period and still remain today, for example, Jordangate.  This can be found in …

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The lost canal village of Bartington

To the north of Weaverham, lies the hamlet known as Bartington.  It no longer exists as a civil parish itself, having been absorbed into neighbouring Dutton in 1936.  However before this, Bartington was a settlement with ancient origins, which once had an important position on the canal network. Amongst the University of Salford Archives and Special …

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Scenery or Landscape?

The term ‘landscape’ according to the OED was first used by Dutch painters in 1598 to describe pictoral representations of natural scenes on land.  It came from the original Dutch landschap which simply meant, an area of land.  It was initially translated as landskip: ‘In a table donne by Cæsar Sestius where hee had painted Landskipes.’   R. Haydocke tr. G. …

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