Betley in 1868

[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer (1868)]

"BETLEY, a parish in the north division of the hundred of Pirehill, in the county of Stafford, 7 miles to the W. of Newcastle-under-Lyme. It is situated in a beautiful country on the confines of Cheshire, and was formerly a market town. The Grand Junction railway passes near it. A considerable extent of land is laid out in market gardens, from which supplies are sent to the Newcastle market. Near the village is a piece of water called Betley Mere.

The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Lichfield, of the value of £150, in the patronage of G. Tollett, Esq. The church is an ancient edifice, with chancel and tower of more recent date. It is timber framed, and contains columns and arches of wood, and several monuments of the Egertons, Tolletts, &c. The chancel appears to have been erected about 1610, and the tower a century later. The Wesleyan Methodists have a chapel in the village. The parochial charities, including the endowment of a free school, amount to £15 a year. The principal seats are Betley Hall, the residence of the Tolletts, and Betley Court. An annual fair is held on the 31st July."

 

[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) - Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]