Lower Withington through time.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, Lower Withington was described in terms of “half a hide paying geld. It was and is a waste”. (Keith and Mavis Plant “Chelford and its Neighbours”) Researchers conclude this meant that Lower Withington and the adjacent village Chelford had about 60 acres supporting some 6 families or a population of about 24. Putting this in perspective, Lower Withington is an area of about1600 acres and Chelford about 800 acres. Although described as waste, Norman scholars describe the land as cultivated.
William the conqueror had problems with Cheshire. Swein of Denmark, also laying claim to the throne, invaded England in 1069 and “massacred 500 Norman knights at Durham, captured York and burned the Minster down”. Because of their historic connections with the Danes, Cheshire men and the Welsh took this as a signal and attacked Shrewsbury and Hereford. In response, William reacted fiercely with the intention of wiping out the rebels, bribing the Danes to leave England and then wasting the local resistance by torch and by the sword until the countryside was said to resemble a field in winter. It was well into the 13th century before the population returned to re-cultivate the land.
So who were the people who populated Lower Withington at the time of William the conqueror and what was life like? They were probably a mixture of Anglo Saxon and Danes who thought of themselves as Danish English. The Cheshire dialect in the 18th century continued to use root language of their Anglo Saxon and Viking ancestors. There was an Anglo Saxon settlement in Chelford, there was a further small Anglo Saxon settlement at Snelson adjacent to Chelford, a larger settlement two mules distant at Great Warford.and another ancient Anglo Saxon village (Tunstead) near Wheltrough located in Lower Withington. From the Old English language, Withington could mean settlements among the willows, or it could mean an outlying settlement of persons with the family name Wine. So the local population is probably a scattering of settlements distant from more built up villages/towns. These settlements would have been wattle and daub timber framed single storey buildings with the family habiting one end and the domestic animals, the other. There would have been no chimney, the smoke from the fire finding its own way out through the thatched roof.
Danish Background from 833AD to 1086
The Norwegian Vikings burst upon the life of the Cheshire Anglo Saxons in 833 AD when they landed on the Deeside – where present day Wales and Cheshire borders meet the sea. The Vikings made an alliance with the Welsh to attack Cheshire. The Anglo Saxons had just completed a period of fierce fighting and were settling down. In response to the Viking/Welsh incursion, the English King Egbert brought a great force from Wessex (mid England) and cleared the Welsh from Cheshire, with the Vikings retreating and settling in Ireland.
On the other side of England, the Danish Vikings were raiding local towns and penetrating their influence inland, reaching East and Mid Cheshire. It is possible that during the late 9th century, Lower Withington was ruled from Danish York. The 10th century was more settled, but then in the early part of the 11th century (1015), King Canute from Denmark sought the English Throne and in his battles in England passed through Cheshire – particularly the town of Knutsford – which was named after him – located about 5 mile from Lower Withington. Canute became King of England in 1017, and his family reigned until 1066, when Earl Harold assumed the throne. Harold was defeated by William the conqueror in 1066 and he established himself on the throne.
The local market town Congleton has origins back to the Bronze Age as witnessed by a rare find of axes and canoe of that period. The village of Davenport between Congleton and Lower Withington was burned by the forces of the Danish King Sihtric in AD 920. Both Davenport and Congleton sit on the banks of the river Dane and could have been settled by Scandinavian merchants.
Davenports of Davenport from about 1100 to 1658.
Ormus do Davenport was listed in witness lists of two twelfth century charters. Richard de Davenport moved up the social scale with marriage to Amabilia, sister of the Baron of Kinderton. Amabilia brought dowry of half of Marton - probably about 1176. Marton is nearby Davenport and Congleton. In the next generation, between 1217 and 1226 Vivian de Davenport was granted hereditary office of Master Sergeant of Macclesfield in exchange for Vivian's land in Macclesfield Park. The crest with the felon's head appeared about this time. Vivian's son Roger de Davenport married Mary daughter of Roger Salmon who brought lands in Withington and other places in Macclesfield hundred. Roger died about 1291/6. Thomas Davenport son and heir of Vivian married Agnes daughter of Thomas de Macclesfield who brought dowage lands in Swettenham and Somerford, near Davenport. This Thomas gave lands in Withington to his brother John. Thomas's son Thomas de Marton received lands in Wheltrough in Withington. The Davenport of Davenport line expired with the last of the male issue of the male issue in 1658 - see below. However other branches of the Davenport family had become well established in other areas of Cheshire including the Davenports of Bramhall.
The Davenports in Lower Withington
The Davenport family became involved in Lower Withington about 1250 when Roger de Davenport, the son of Thomas Davenport of Davenport received a part of Withington, Tunstead and Wheltrough as part of a marriage settlement. The family settled at Wheltrough Hall , adjacent to Tunstead where they lived until shortly after 1677. Wheltrough.htm
Earwaker makes the observations that the family left the area – possibly succumbed by generations of mortgages. Shortly after, Wheltrough Hall was vested in the Hollinsheads of Sutton, Cheshire, whose family sold it to Rev. John Parker of Astle in 1792. His son Thomas Parker sold the property in 1833 to the Baskerville Glegg family.
In 1642, there were many Davenports listed in the Cheshire Grand Remonstrance Rolls for Lower Withington and neighbouring villages:
Siddington Withington Davenport/Marton Alderley
John Davenport Richard Davenport John Davenport William Davenport
Thomas Davenport William Davenport William Davenport
Richard Davenport Richard Davenport Richard Davenport
John Davenport William Davenport Thomas Davenport
Thomas Davenport Edward Davenport
William Davenport
By 1723, the population of Davenports in this region had fallen to the following adults.
Siddington Withington Davenport/Marton Alderley
Nil Mary Davenport Vivian Davenport nil
Thomas Davenport
Anne Davenport
Richard Davenport
The period of late 17th century saw the demise of the Davenport influence in Lower Withington and Davenport/Marton. Coincident with the exit of the Davenports of Wheltrough, the Davenports of Davenport and Marton sold their lands and rights to Thomas Swettenham in August/September 1671 to Thomas Swettenham. The male line at Davenport/Marton came to an end with the death of John Davenport in 1658, which was recognised in the 1671 sale of the Swettenham property. The heiress of this line married into the Davenports of Woodford in 1676, and they retained the Marton properties. Possibly the shift in influence away from the local family meant the loss of influence of the Davenports and the subsequent exit of many of the family from the area.
Other Families in Lower Withington – 16th and 17 centuries.
Other families in Lower/Old Withington – Oaths and Allegience 1723
John Acton William Davies Hannah Smallwood
Thomas Bailey John Dean John Stubbs
Samuel Barber Edward Ellis Peter Summerfield
Robert Barns Sarah Foden Edward Whittaker
Daniel Bartington John Gallimore
Mary Baskerville Margaret Henshaw
John Bradford Ellen Kettle
Charles Bunn Edward Lee
Jane Dale Edward Leigh
John Dale Peter Lowndes
John Davies John Oakes
Thomas Davies Thomas Shawcross
Based on the Oath of Allegiance of 1723, the number of people in each village signing the oath was: Chelford 14, Marton 70, Davenport 11, Lower and Old Withington 51, Siddington 21. This would mean that Marton and Withington, larger in area, contained many farming families and Chelford and Siddington were smaller villages serving the farming communities, i.e. Blacksmiths, Grocers, Butchers, Millers etc (Keith Plant).
The population of Lower Withington was estimated at 295 in 1664 (KMP) which grew to 574 in the 1811 census. Since then the census returns have shown a steady non itinerant population of about 500-600. On this basis, the population of Lower Withington virtually doubled during the eighteenth century. In the 1861 census, there were no Davenport families recorded at Lower Withington.
Documents relating to pre 1700 Lower Withington.
1. William Davenport of Lower Withington - an interesting report of an assault in 1678