Acton, Cheshire Genealogy

History
Acton St Mary near Nantwich is an Ancient parish including Worleston, Stoke, Sound, Poole, Newhall, Hurleston, Henhull, Faddiley, Edleston, Edlaston, Coole Pilate, Cool Pilate, Cholmondestone, Baddington, Brindley, Burland, Cholmondeston, Aston juxta Mondrum, Austerson, and Aston.

A church has been present on this site since before the time of the Domesday Survey. The tower is the oldest in Cheshire, although it had to be largely rebuilt after it fell in 1757. One unusual feature of the interior of the church is that the old stone seating around its sides has been retained.

The presence of a church with two priests on the site is recorded in the Domesday Book. The church and its lands were given by the second Baron of Wich Malbank to Combermere Abbey early in the 12th century. Following the dissolution of the monasteries, the advowson was granted to Richard Wilbraham and it then passed to the Lords Tollemache.

The tower was built about 1180, which makes it the oldest tower in Cheshire. When it was built it was over 100 feet high but its top collapsed in a storm in March 1757 damaging the roof of the church and the clerestory. It was rebuilt but only to a height of 80 feet. The north aisle was built in the last quarter of the 14th century in Decorated style and the south aisle and chancel were built early in the 15th century. The internal fittings of the church were damaged in the Civil War.There were restorations in the 17th and 18th centuries, and a further restoration in 1897–98 by Austin and Paley.

Church Records
Parish registers for Acton-near-Nantwich, 1653-1999

Bishop's transcripts for Acton, 1586-1886 Some text in Latin.Cheshire Record Office Call number: EDB 1

Poor Law Unions

 * Nantwich

Registration Districts

 * Nantwich (1837–1937)
 * Crewe (1937–74)
 * Congleton and Crewe (1974–88)
 * South Cheshire (1988–98)
 * Cheshire Central (1998+) Registration events can be searched online at Cheshire BMD