Church Lawton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Church Lawton | |
  Church Lawton shown within Cheshire |
|
| Population | 2,201[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Parish | Church Lawton |
| District | Congleton |
| Shire county | Cheshire |
| Region | North West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | STOKE ON TRENT |
| Postcode district | ST7 |
| Dialling code | 01270 |
| Police | Cheshire |
| Fire | Cheshire |
| Ambulance | North West |
| European Parliament | North West England |
| UK Parliament | Congleton |
| List of places: UK • England • Cheshire | |
Church Lawton is a small village and civil parish (sometimes known as Lawton[2]) located in the Borough of Congleton, Cheshire in England. Its location is such that its eastern boundary forms part of the county boundary between Cheshire and Staffordshire, and, because of its close proximity to Stoke-on-Trent, the parish has a Stoke-on-Trent postcode. The parish also contains the hamlet of Lawton Gate. According to the 2001 census, the population of the entire parish was 2,201.[1]
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[edit] History
There is evidence of human activity within the parish that stretches back into the Neolithic period: a polished axe was found in the parish that was possibly made in Cornwall.[3]
The collection of Church Lawton Barrows, also known as the Church Lawton Complex is a significant Bronze Age site in the parish.[4][5] The complex is made up of three Bronze Age Mounds, of which, today, only two (Church Lawton II and Church Lawton III) survive. Church Lawton III is the more important of the two, having been excavated in the early 1980s. It seems to have been built in two phases: the first phase consisted of one of the few stone circles found in Cheshire, which was roughly 22.5 metres in diameter, and a turf and daub platform in the centre, probably used to place dead bodies on them as part of an excarnation ritual prior to burial. There were gaps to the north and south of the circle serving as entrances, with two of the stones standing upright, with the remainder deliberately placed on their side. The second phase covered the central part with sandy subsoil and surrounded it with a low turf wall.[6]
Church Lawton II was also built in two phases. In the first, a low mound made from sand and gravelly subsoil surrounded by a ditch was constructed. It was about 16 metres in diameter and 1.5 metres high. In the centre of the mound was a sand-filled boat-shaped hollow with a wooden lid. It was found to be empty of any bones, the reasoning being that any bones had probably rotted away in the acidic soil environment. Eighteen pits, most likely cremation pits, were found on the mound, and four outside the surrounding ditch. Most of the contents of these were adults, but a few were children or foetuses.[6] Two food vessels and two "Collared Urns" were also found. In the second phase, the diameter increased to 30 metres, but there were only a number of fire pits and pyres discovered along with one actual cremation.[7] A number of pottery shards were also recovered, though they had been badly damaged by ploughing. Some pottery associated with the Beaker culture was also recovered from what would have been the soil surface at the time of construction, showing that this area had had human habitation for an extended period of time.[7]
Nothing of substance is known about Church Lawton I, as it was partially destroyed by the building of the current A5011[8] Newcastle under Lyme to Sandbach road some time before 1881. The remaining part of it was subsequently destroyed by the building of a petrol station, much later.[5][9]
[edit] Governance
Church Lawton is an Ancient Parish, though there is some evidence that it began by being part of the Ancient Parish of Astbury (now Newbold Astbury.).[10] It also was part of Nantwich Hundred, Congleton Poor Law Union, Rural Sanitary District, and (after 1866) it formed part of Congleton Rural District until 1974, when it became part of the Borough of Congleton. County boundary changes in 1965 led to an exchange of small pieces of land between it and the civil parish of Kidsgrove, in Kidsgrove Urban District, in the neighbouring county of Staffordshire.[2]
In terms of parliamentary representation, Church Lawton was in the Cheshire Southern Division from 1832 to 1867; in the Cheshire Mid Division, from 1867 to 1885; in the Crewe Division, from 1885 to 1948; and from 1948 it was in Knutsford County Constituency,[2] but it is currently in Congleton County Constituency.[11]
[edit] Notes and References
- ^ a b Official 2001 Census Figures. Neighbourhood Statistics website. Retrieval Date: 24 August, 2007.
- ^ a b c Youngs (1991). page 24.
- ^ Morgan and Morgan (2004). page 29.
- ^ Morgan and Morgan (2004). pages 91—93.
- ^ a b Church Lawton Barrows. The Megalithic Portal. Retrieval Date: 24 August, 2007.
- ^ a b Morgan and Morgan (2004). page 92.
- ^ a b Morgan and Morgan (2004). page 93.
- ^ Map showing the Church Lawton Complex, with the A5011 road number marked. Streetmap website. Retrieval Date: 24 August, 2007.
- ^ Morgan and Morgan (2004). page 91. Note that this reference and the Megalithic Portal website supply an incorrect road number (See note attached to road number, above).
- ^ Dunn (1987). pages 23, 26.
- ^ Election Maps website. Source for current Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries. Retrieval Date: 23 August, 2007.
[edit] Bibliography
- Dunn, F. I. (1987). The Ancient Parishes, Townships, and Chapelries of Cheshire. Chester, UK: Cheshire Record Office and Chester Diocesan Record Office, Cheshire County Council. ISBN 0906758149.
- Morgan, V., and Morgan, P. (2004). Prehistoric Cheshire. Ashbourne, Derbyshire: Landmark Publishing Company. ISBN 1843061406.
- 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
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