Weaverham History Society

Weaverham History Society promotes the study of and interest in history and archaeology with particular reference to Weaverham and the surrounding area.


1066, England’s Game of Thrones

Our speaker this month will be Chris Green, also known as “the History Chap”. His talk will be entitled “1066, England’s Game of Thrones”. How did Weaverham fare in the turmoil of that period?

Weaverham in 1066 was owned by Edwin Earl of Mercia.  At the time the village was estimated to be worth £10 a year and had a church and a mill and was simply one of Edwin’s many properties.

Edwin’s sister Ealdgyth was married to King Harold who was killed at the Battle of Hastings, but the battle at Hastings was not the end of English resistance.  Between 1069 to 1070 the Normans swept though the north west during a period known as the Harrying of the North and unfortunately, Weaverham lay in the path of Norman forces heading to attack Chester.  By 1086 in the Domesday book Weaverham was reported as being “partial waste”, meaning it had been burnt to the ground but rebuilt somewhat and at that time it was estimated to be worth only £3 a year.

No wonder the story is that William the Conqueror wept when he heard how much income had been lost through the violence.


. . .

The Society, Meetings, Membership, Visits

The Society meets at Weaverham Primary Academy, Northwich Road, Weaverham, Northwich, Cheshire, CW8 3BD.

Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month and we invite a guest speaker to talk to us on a topic of historical or archaeological interest, though sometimes the subjects range further afield.  You can see what’s planned on our Programme page.

Membership is £15.00 per year with renewals in September. Payments can be made by BACS sort code 09-01-29 a/c 26685458. Meetings are free to members of the Weaverham History Society, children and students. Visitors are requested to pay £3 at each meeting.

We also organise highly enjoyable visits to local places of interest in spring and summer usually by coach from the village and we seem to have started a tradition of having a yearly canal boat trip as well. The Society normally invests in the services of Blue Badge guides on our visits.  We also have a very enjoyable Christmas event every year, the talk commonly having a seasonal flavour.

We have articles on a range of topics, mainly about Weaverham, but also covering the surrounding areas. Although not a dedicated family history group, we do have some information on local families, and are always interested to hear from you.


We are continually developing our Archives and we have an array of items (objects, maps, and photos).  We are always grateful to receive any contributions.

As we expand our new website you will be able to see some of what we have by visiting our Weaverham Archives page.

The Weaverham History Society also has a Facebook page.

We launched this website in January 2016, but while we move things across you can still find the old website at http://history.weaverham.org.uk/index2015.htm

 

. . .

Next Meeting

Sarah Smith and Primitive Methodism

April is here at last to greet the longer evenings of spring and with that positive outlook we can look forward to the next meeting of the Society will be held on Tuesday, 9 April , at 7.30 pm at the Weaverham Primary Academy, Northwich Road.

This month we have Elizabeth Morris returning to perform the character of Sarah Smith from Englesea Brook.  Using this persona and her wonderful abilities to inhabit and bring to life the person she is playing, Elizabeth will be telling the story of Primitive Methodism in Cheshire and Staffordshire.   Elizabeth always gives us a true insight into the character and life of her subjects and it will be a performance not to be missed.

Comments are closed.