Spotlight on Local History with James Balme
It was a pleasant early summer afternoon when I wandered into the picturesque village of Great Budworth.
Standing just nine miles to the south of Warrington I had read so much about this chocolate box village in the past but the history of its creation had passed me by. I knew that the name of Great Budworth was derived from the Saxon term ‘Bode Wurth’ meaning ‘a place by the water’.
My first stop had to be the imposing church of St Mary and All Saints’ that stood proudly on the high ground overlooking the village and greeted any would be visitor to the village. But how old was the church and what was the history of this clearly archaic structure ?
The earliest documented history of Great Budworth appears in the Domesday book when it mentions that a priest was in residence. The church was given to the Augustinian Canon of nearby Norton Priory back in the year of 1130AD by William FitzNigel, Constable of Chester and Baron of Halton. The lord of the manor during the reign of Henry III was Geoffrey De Dutton and he donated to Norton Priory a third of his land to endow masses for his soul. It was after the dissolution of the monasteries that King Henry VIII granted the estate to a John Grimsditch.
But what about the village that we see today on our travels through Great Budworth ? It’s documented that a school existed here in the year 1578 and for several centuries the village was owned by the head of Arley Hall who would regularly collect rent from the villagers, but it was Rowland Egerton-Warburton of Arley Hall who in the 1850’s paid for the restoration and further improvements to the church. He then also undertook to ‘Render it Picturesque’ to make it more pleasing to Victorian eyes.
To help in his task Rowland Egerton-Warburton decided to commission architects including a Mr John Douglas. It was John who was to restore some of the cottages as well as his notable work in remodelling the old Georgian inn we know today as the George and Dragon, adding tall rubbed chimneys as well as mullioned windows and a steep turret.
The village that we see today is the culmination of centuries of building, loving restoration and a village that is proud of its heritage deep in the heart of Cheshire, why not take a look for yourself I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. Make sure to go and see the stocks outside the church, the restored Georgian Inn and of course pay a visit to the Old Schoolhouse built circa 1600AD that still stands today in the churchyard.
You can view my history video feature ‘Historic Great Budworth’ for free by simply visiting my history channel at youtube.com/@tvpresenter4history and searching for Great Budworth.
