Civil parishes in Cheshire

A map of Cheshire, showing the Boroughs : (1) Cheshire West and Chester; (2) Cheshire East; (3) Warrington; and (4) Halton.

A civil parish is a country subdivision, forming the lowest unit of local government in England. There are 333 civil parishes in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, most of the county being parished. Cheshire East unitary authority is entirely parished. At the 2001 census, there were 565,259 people living in 332 parishes, accounting for 57.5 per cent of the county's population.

History[]

Parishes arose from Church of England divisions, and were originally purely ecclesiastical divisions. Over time they acquired civil administration powers.^[1]

The Highways Act 1555 made parishes responsible for the upkeep of roads. Every adult inhabitant of the parish was obliged to work four days a year on the roads, providing their own tools, carts and horses; the work was overseen by an unpaid local appointee, the Surveyor of Highways.^[2]

The poor were looked after by the monasteries, until their dissolution. In 1572, magistrates were given power to 'survey the poor' and impose taxes for their relief. This system was made more formal by the Poor Law Act 1601, which made parishes responsible for administering the Poor Law; overseers were appointed to charge a rate to support the poor of the parish.^[3] The 19th century saw an increase in the responsibility of parishes, although the Poor Law powers were transferred to Poor Law Unions.^[4] The Public Health Act 1872 grouped parishes into Rural Sanitary Districts, based on the Poor Law Unions; these subsequently formed the basis for Rural Districts.^[5]

Parishes were run by vestries, meeting annually to appoint officials, and were generally identical to ecclesiastical parishes,^[6] although some townships in large parishes administered the Poor Law themselves; under the Divided Parishes and Poor Law Amendment Act 1882, all extra-parochial areas and townships that levied a separate rate became independent civil parishes.^[7]

Civil parishes in their modern sense date from the Local Government Act 1894, which abolished vestries; established elected parish councils in all rural parishes with more than 300 electors; grouped rural parishes into Rural Districts; and aligned parish boundaries with county and borough boundaries.^[7] Urban civil parishes continued to exist, and were generally coterminous with the Urban District, Municipal Borough or County Borough in which they were situated; many large towns contained a number of parishes, and these were usually merged into one. Parish councils were not formed in urban areas, and the only function of the parish was to elect guardians to Poor Law Unions; with the abolition of the Poor Law system in 1930 the parishes had only a nominal existence.^[8]

The Local Government Act 1972 retained civil parishes in rural areas, and many former Urban Districts and Municipal Boroughs that were being abolished, were replaced by new successor parishes; urban areas that were considered too large to be single parishes became unparished areas.^[9]

The current position[]

Recent governments have encouraged the formation of town and parish councils in unparished areas, and the Local Government and Rating Act 1997 gave local residents the right to demand the creation of a new civil parish.^[10]

A parish council can become a town council unilaterally, simply by resolution;^[9] and a civil parish can also gain city status, but only if that is granted by the Crown.^[9] The chairman of a town or city council is called a mayor.^[9] The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 introduced alternative names: a parish council can now choose to be called a community; village; or neighbourhood council.^[11]

Alsager

Bollington

Congleton

Crewe

Knutsford

Middlewich

Nantwich

Poynton-with-Worth

Sandbach

Frodsham

Neston

Northwich

Winsford

Birchwood

Civil parishes with town status

List of civil parishes and unparished areas[]

Image	Name	Status	Population	District	Former local authority[12]	Refs
	Acton	Civil parish	311	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Adlington	Civil parish	1,081	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Agden	Civil parish	146	Cheshire East	Bucklow Rural District	[17] [16]
	Alderley Edge	Civil parish	4,409	Cheshire East	Alderley Edge Urban District	[18] [16]
	Alpraham	Civil parish	373	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Alsager	Town	12,578	Cheshire East	Alsager Urban District	[19] [20]
	Arclid	Civil parish	199	Cheshire East	Congleton Rural District	[21] [20]
	Ashley	Civil parish	261	Cheshire East	Bucklow Rural District	[17] [16]
	Aston by Budworth	Civil parish	281	Cheshire East	Bucklow Rural District	[17] [16]
	Aston juxta Mondrum	Civil parish	133	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Audlem	Civil parish	1,790	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Austerson	Civil parish	145	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Baddiley	Civil parish	226	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Baddington	Civil parish	98	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Barthomley	Civil parish	202	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Basford	Civil parish	266	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Batherton	Civil parish	36	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Betchton	Civil parish	620	Cheshire East	Congleton Rural District	[21] [20]
	Bexton	Civil parish	9	Cheshire East	Bucklow Rural District	[17] [16]
	Bickerton	Civil parish	234	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Blakenhall	Civil parish	125	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Bollington	Town	7,095	Cheshire East	Bollington Urban District	[22] [16]
	Bosley	Civil parish	406	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Bradwall	Civil parish	166	Cheshire East	Congleton Rural District	[21] [20]
	Brereton	Civil parish	1,012	Cheshire East	Congleton Rural District	[21] [20]
	Bridgemere	Civil parish	133	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Brindley	Civil parish	134	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Broomhall	Civil parish	206	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Buerton	Civil parish	492	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Bulkeley	Civil parish	240	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Bunbury	Civil parish	1,308	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Burland	Civil parish	582	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Calveley	Civil parish	269	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Checkley cum Wrinehill	Civil parish	104	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Chelford	Civil parish	1,254	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Cholmondeley	Civil parish	136	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Cholmondeston	Civil parish	153	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Chorley	Civil parish	100	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Chorley	Civil parish	399	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Chorlton	Civil parish	113	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Church Lawton	Civil parish	2,201	Cheshire East	Congleton Rural District	[21] [20]
	Church Minshull	Civil parish	431	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Congleton	Town	25,750	Cheshire East	Congleton Municipal Borough	[23] [20]
	Coole Pilate	Civil parish	60	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Cranage	Civil parish	1,130	Cheshire East	Congleton Rural District	[21] [20]
	Crewe	Town	48,592	Cheshire East	Crewe Municipal Borough	[24] [25] [26]
	Crewe Green	Civil parish	140	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Disley	Civil parish	4,301	Cheshire East	Disley Rural District	[27] [16]
	Dodcott cum Wilkesley	Civil parish	380	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Doddington	Civil parish	44	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Eaton	Civil parish	289	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Edleston	Civil parish	53	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Egerton	Civil parish	81	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Faddiley	Civil parish	163	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Gawsworth	Civil parish	1,673	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Goostrey	Civil parish	2,201	Cheshire East	Congleton Rural District	[21] [20]
	Great Warford	Civil parish	615	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Handforth	Civil parish	6,266	Cheshire East	Wilmslow Urban District	[28] [29]
	Hankelow	Civil parish	272	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Haslington	Civil parish	6,781	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Hassall	Civil parish	281	Cheshire East	Congleton Rural District	[21] [20]
	Hatherton	Civil parish	344	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Haughton	Civil parish	223	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Henbury	Civil parish	594	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Henhull	Civil parish	71	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	High Legh	Civil parish	1,632	Cheshire East	Bucklow Rural District	[17] [16]
	Higher Hurdsfield	Civil parish	688	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Holmes Chapel	Civil parish	5,669	Cheshire East	Congleton Rural District	[21] [20]
	Hough	Civil parish	783	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Hulme Walfield	Civil parish	140	Cheshire East	Congleton Rural District	[21] [20]
	Hunsterson	Civil parish	156	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Hurleston	Civil parish	64	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Kettleshulme	Civil parish	315	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Knutsford	Town	12,656	Cheshire East	Knutsford Urban District	[30] [16]
	Lea	Civil parish	25	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Leighton	Civil parish	4,863	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Little Bollington	Civil parish	162	Cheshire East	Bucklow Rural District	[17] [16]
	Little Warford	Civil parish	275	Cheshire East	Bucklow Rural District	[17] [16]
	Lower Withington	Civil parish	492	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Lyme Handley	Civil parish	151	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Macclesfield	Town	49,531	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Municipal Borough	[31] [32]
	Macclesfield Forest and Wildboarclough	Civil parish	201	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Marbury cum Quoisley	Civil parish	244	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Marthall	Civil parish	165	Cheshire East	Bucklow Rural District	[17] [16]
	Marton	Civil parish	222	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Mere	Civil parish	601	Cheshire East	Bucklow Rural District	[17] [16]
	Middlewich	Town	13,101	Cheshire East	Middlewich Urban District	[33] [20]
	Millington	Civil parish	244	Cheshire East	Bucklow Rural District	[17] [16]
	Minshull Vernon	Civil parish	224	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Mobberley	Civil parish	2,546	Cheshire East	Bucklow Rural District	[17] [16]
	Moreton cum Alcumlow	Civil parish	150	Cheshire East	Congleton Rural District	[21] [20]
	Moston	Civil parish	375	Cheshire East	Congleton Rural District	[21] [20]
	Mottram St Andrew	Civil parish	629	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Nantwich	Town	12,515	Cheshire East	Nantwich Urban District	[34] [14]
	Nether Alderley	Civil parish	571	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Newbold Astbury	Civil parish	475	Cheshire East	Congleton Rural District	[21] [20]
	Newhall	Civil parish	669	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Norbury	Civil parish	190	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	North Rode	Civil parish	178	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Odd Rode	Civil parish	5,552	Cheshire East	Congleton Rural District	[21] [20]
	Ollerton	Civil parish	323	Cheshire East	Bucklow Rural District	[17] [16]
	Over Alderley	Civil parish	335	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Peckforton	Civil parish	116	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Peover Inferior	Civil parish	102	Cheshire East	Bucklow Rural District	[17] [16]
	Peover Superior	Civil parish	658	Cheshire East	Bucklow Rural District	[17] [16]
	Pickmere	Civil parish	541	Cheshire East	Bucklow Rural District	[17] [16]
	Plumley	Civil parish	649	Cheshire East	Bucklow Rural District	[17] [16]
	Poole	Civil parish	101	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Pott Shrigley	Civil parish	220	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Poynton-with-Worth	Town	14,433	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Prestbury	Civil parish	3,324	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Rainow	Civil parish	1,282	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Ridley	Civil parish	120	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Rope	Civil parish	2,155	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Rostherne	Civil parish	160	Cheshire East	Bucklow Rural District	[17] [16]
	Sandbach	Town	17,630	Cheshire East	Sandbach Urban District	[35] [20]
	Shavington cum Gresty	Civil parish	4,849	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Siddington	Civil parish	376	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Smallwood	Civil parish	491	Cheshire East	Congleton Rural District	[21] [20]
	Snelson	Civil parish	157	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Somerford	Civil parish	343	Cheshire East	Congleton Rural District	[21] [20]
	Somerford Booths	Civil parish	175	Cheshire East	Congleton Rural District	[21] [20]
	Sound	Civil parish	233	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Spurstow	Civil parish	394	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Stapeley	Civil parish	1,048	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Stoke	Civil parish	201	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Styal	Civil parish	1,051	Cheshire East	Wilmslow Urban District	[28] [36]
	Sutton	Civil parish	2,464	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Swettenham	Civil parish	248	Cheshire East	Congleton Rural District	[21] [20]
	Tabley Inferior	Civil parish	137	Cheshire East	Bucklow Rural District	[17] [16]
	Tabley Superior	Civil parish	316	Cheshire East	Bucklow Rural District	[17] [16]
	Tatton	Civil parish	35	Cheshire East	Bucklow Rural District	[17] [16]
	Toft	Civil parish	81	Cheshire East	Bucklow Rural District	[17] [16]
	Twemlow	Civil parish	168	Cheshire East	Congleton Rural District	[21] [20]
	Walgherton	Civil parish	121	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Wardle	Civil parish	181	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Warmingham	Civil parish	175	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Weston	Civil parish	969	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Wettenhall	Civil parish	135	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Willaston	Civil parish	2,973	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Wilmslow	Town	30,326	Cheshire East	Wilmslow Urban District	[28] [37]
	Wincle	Civil parish	164	Cheshire East	Macclesfield Rural District	[15] [16]
	Wirswall	Civil parish	76	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Wistaston	Civil parish	8,222	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Woolstanwood	Civil parish	723	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Worleston	Civil parish	404	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Wrenbury cum Frith	Civil parish	1,060	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Wybunbury	Civil parish	1,474	Cheshire East	Nantwich Rural District	[13] [14]
	Daresbury	Civil parish	216	Halton	Runcorn Rural District	[38] [39]
	Hale	Civil parish	1,898	Halton	Whiston Rural District	[40] [39]
	Halebank	Civil parish	1,046	Halton	Widnes Municipal Borough	[41] [42] [43]
	Moore	Civil parish	807	Halton	Runcorn Rural District	[38] [39]
	Preston Brook	Civil parish	716	Halton	Runcorn Rural District	[38] [39]
	Runcorn	Unparished area	58,503	Halton	Runcorn Urban District	[44] [45]
	Sandymoor	Civil parish	1,761	Halton	Runcorn Urban District	[44] [46] [43]
	Widnes	Unparished area	53,261	Halton	Widnes Municipal Borough	[41] [47]
	Appleton	Civil parish	10,477	Warrington	Runcorn Rural District	[38] [48]
	Birchwood	Town	11,395	Warrington	Warrington Rural District	[49] [48]
	Burtonwood and Westbrook	Civil parish	11,265	Warrington	Warrington Rural District	[49] [48]
	Croft	Civil parish	2,920	Warrington	Warrington Rural District	[49] [48]
	Cuerdley	Civil parish	105	Warrington	Warrington Rural District	[49] [48]
	Culcheth and Glazebury	Civil parish	8,534	Warrington	Golborne Urban District	[50] [48]
	Grappenhall and Thelwall	Civil parish	9,377	Warrington	Runcorn Rural District	[38] [48]
	Great Sankey	Civil parish	24,211	Warrington	Warrington Rural District	[49] [48]
	Hatton	Civil parish	316	Warrington	Runcorn Rural District	[38] [48]
	Lymm	Civil parish	10,552	Warrington	Lymm Urban District	[51] [48]
	Penketh	Civil parish	8,699	Warrington	Warrington Rural District	[49] [48]
	Poulton-with-Fearnhead	Civil parish	17,019	Warrington	Warrington Rural District	[49] [48]
	Rixton-with-Glazebrook	Civil parish	1,884	Warrington	Warrington Rural District	[49] [48]
	Stockton Heath	Civil parish	6,396	Warrington	Runcorn Rural District	[38] [48]
	Stretton	Civil parish	1,009	Warrington	Runcorn Rural District	[38] [48]
	Walton	Civil parish	1,594	Warrington	Runcorn Rural District	[38] [48]
	Warrington	Unparished area	53,093	Warrington	Warrington County Borough	[52] [53]
	Winwick	Civil parish	4,366	Warrington	Warrington Rural District	[49] [48]
	Woolston	Civil parish	7,868	Warrington	Warrington Rural District	[49] [48]

Cheshire West and Chester[]

The former Chester County Borough and parts of the former Ellesmere Port Municipal Borough and Neston Urban District are unparished.

• Acton Bridge
• Agden
• Aldersey
• Allostock
• Alvanley
• Anderton with Marbury
• Antrobus
• Aston
• Bache
• Backford
• Barnton
• Barrow
• Barton
• Beeston
• Bostock
• Broxton
• Burwardsley
• Byley
• Capenhurst
• Carden
• Chester Castle
• Chidlow
• Chorlton
• Chowley
• Christleton
• Churton
• Clotton Hoofield
• Clutton
• Coddington
• Comberbach
• Croughton
• Crowton
• Cuddington
• Cuddington
• Darnhall
• Davenham
• Dodleston
• Duckington
• Duddon and Burton
• Dutton
• Elton
• Farndon
• Frodsham
• Golborne David
• Great Boughton
• Great Budworth
• Guilden Sutton
• Handley
• Hartford
• Harthill
• Helsby
• Huntington
• Ince
• Kelsall
• Kingsley
• Kingsmead
• Lach Dennis
• Lea-by-Backford
• Ledsham
• Little Budworth
• Little Leigh
• Little Stanney
• Littleton
• Lostock Gralam
• Malpas
• Manley
• Marston
• Mollington
• Moston
• Mouldsworth
• Moulton
• Neston
• Nether Peover
• Norley
• Northwich
• Puddington
• Rowton
• Rudheath
• Rushton
• Shocklach Oviatt and District
• Sproston
• Stoak
• Stretton
• Sutton Weaver
• Tarporley
• Tarvin
• Thornton-le-Moors
• Threapwood
• Tilston
• Tushingham-cum-Grindley, Macefen and Bradley
• Upton-by-Chester
• Waverton
• Weaverham
• Wervin
• Whitegate and Marton
• Whitley
• Wigland
• Willington
• Wincham
• Winsford^[54]

See also[]

• List of civil parishes in England

References[]

External links[]

• Office for National Statistics : Geographical Area Listings
• Cheshire East Council : Clerks of Town Councils, Parish Councils and Parish Meetings
• Cheshire West and Chester Council : Contact Details for Local Council Clerks^{[permanent dead link]}
• Halton Borough Council : Parish Councils
• Warrington Borough Council : Parish and Town Councils