Brereton, Cheshire

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Brereton
Brereton shown within Cheshire
Population	1,012[1]
OS grid reference	SJ777642
Parish	Brereton
District	Congleton
Shire county	Cheshire
Region	North West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SANDBACH
Postcode district	CW11
Dialling code	01477
Police	Cheshire
Fire	Cheshire
Ambulance	North West
European Parliament	North West England
UK Parliament	Congleton
List of places: UK • England • Cheshire

Coordinates: 53°10′28″N 2°20′05″W / 53.174437, -2.334632

Brereton is a civil parish, containing the hamlet of Brereton Green in the Borough of Congleton, Cheshire, England. It also contains the hamlets of Brereton Heath and Smethwick Green. According to the 2001 census, the population of the entire civil parish was 1,012.^[1] Brereton is mentioned in the Domesday book as the Manor of Bretune.^[2]

It also contains Brereton Hall, a Grade I Listed Elizabethan House that is in private ownership and not open to the public. This hall used to be the family seat of the Lords Brereton, but the Lordship ended in 1722 when Lord Francis Brereton died a bachelor.^[2]

Contents 1 History 2 Culture 3 References 3.1 Notes 3.2 Bibliography 4 See also

[edit] History

The civil parish was created in 1936 by uniting the civil parishes of Brereton cum Smethwick and Davenport. Brereton cum Smethwick was an Ancient Parish in Northwich Hundred. Davenport began as a township in Astbury Ancient Parish (which has had no separate civic identity since 1866.^[3]) Davenport was created a separate civil parish in 1866 which existed until the merger in 1936.^[4] Both these "parent civil parishes" of Brereton had similar administrative histories: both were in Northwich Hundred, and they both later became members of Congleton Poor Law Union and Rural Sanitary District. Later still, they became part of Congleton Rural District, in which they remained until they merged.^[5]

[edit] Culture

The parish council ebraces the heritage of the area from the legend of Lord Brereton and the bear, in which for his punishment from the King for murdering a man, was to have three days to invent a muzzle for a bear. After three days a bear was let loose on the lord, and luckily for him, the muzzle proved to be successful, and so the emblem for the Brereton's from this day has been a muzzled bear. In more recent times, the council has orgaised a 'bear' hunt in the area, with local residents putting out teddy bears throughout the area during the summer months, in an event entitled 'The Brereton Bear Festival'.

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

[edit] Bibliography

• Youngs, F. A. (1991). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England. Volume I: Northern England. London: Royal Historical Society. ISBN 0861931270.

[edit] See also

• St Oswald's Church, Brereton
• Brereton Hall

v • d • e The Borough of Congleton, Cheshire Principal Settlements Alsager • Congleton • Holmes Chapel • Middlewich • Sandbach Civil Parishes Alsager • Arclid • Betchton • Bradwall • Brereton • Church Lawton • Congleton • Cranage • Goostrey • Hassall • Holmes Chapel • Hulme Walfield • Middlewich • Moreton cum Alcumlow • Moston • Newbold Astbury • Odd Rode • Sandbach • Smallwood • Somerford • Somerford Booths • Swettenham • Twemlow

v • d • e Ceremonial county of Cheshire Cheshire Portal Unitary authorities Halton • Warrington Boroughs or districts Chester • Congleton • Crewe and Nantwich • Ellesmere Port and Neston • Macclesfield • Vale Royal Cities and towns Alsager • Bollington • Birchwood • Chester • Congleton • Crewe • Ellesmere Port • Frodsham • Knutsford • Macclesfield • Middlewich • Nantwich • Neston • Northwich • Runcorn • Sandbach • Warrington • Widnes • Wilmslow • Winsford See also: List of civil parishes in Cheshire Rivers Bollin • Croco • Dane • Dean • Dee • Gowy • Goyt • Mersey • Weaver • Wheelock