A History of Brereton Hall - Brereton Family

A HISTORY OF BRERETON HALL: Researched and compiled by Faye Brereton-Goodwin Page 1 of 43 

BRERETON HALL ESTATE 

Brereton, holmes chapel, cheSHIRE, ENGLAND 

A History of Brereton Hall 

Researched and Compiled by Faye Brereton-Goodwin, Canada 

Property of Faye Brereton-Goodwin, Canada (contact: brereton.faye @gmail.com) November 2012 version


INTRODUCTION 

This history of Brereton Hall is part of a larger history I completed in 2001, after years of research and three 

visits to the hall. 

During our first trip to England, in 1993, my husband and I visited Brereton Hall in Cheshire where we met 

owners, Mary and Derrick Creigh. For many years Brereton Hall had functioned as a private girls’ school with 

Mary as Principal of the school. 

However, by the early 1990’s, much updating was needed to continue as a school so the Creigh’s decided to 

convert the hall back to a private residence. During this trip we also visited the Bear’s Head Inn and Brereton 

Heath Park. For me it was a wonderful, exciting time! 

In 1999, during a second trip to Britain, we returned to Cheshire to find that Brereton Hall had been sold and 

the Creigh’s former private residence, the Gate House, a few houses around the perimeter of the building and 

the Coach House had all been severed and in some cases the properties had changed hands. 

With the property sub-divided once again (many of the single residences and farms, originally part of the 

Brereton holdings, had been sold over time) the once extensive Brereton Estate was no longer a single entity. 

In 2001, we revisited Brereton Hall while attending the Worldwide Brereton Reunion (coordinated by Pamela and 

Derek Brereton). As a group the attendees visited Brereton Hall; Handforth Hall; Bowden Church in 

Altrincham; St. Mary's Church in Nantwich; St. Oswald's Church and Brereton Chapel at Brereton; St. Mary's 

Church in Astbury; Gawsworth Hall, Malpas; and a church in Harthill which was home to Breretons. 

FOREWARD 

As long as I can remember I heard the story of Brereton Hall - a bit of history that fascinated me and eventually 

led me to Cheshire, the Hall and extensive research into my ancestors. 

The information contained herein is neither new nor an ‘authored’ piece. It is quite simply a way of sharing my 

experiences and the archival information that I have gathered over the years. Hopefully, other Breretons will 

enjoy the story and the photos; perhaps finding new information about their ancestors. If you are interested in 

contacting me to discuss this history, share photos or provide additional information my email address is 

brereton.faye@gmail.com 

NOTES ABOUT THE TRANSCRIPTION 

Given the age of some the information found during my research, not surprisingly, the print was not always 

clear. Further, the use of archaic spelling and uncommon words (i.e. coigns), older style punctuation and 

sentence structure as well as the use of British legal terms and currencies, led to some challenges. However, I 

did persevere and while I often retained the archaic spelling of words I have provided footnotes whenever I 

thought it would help the reader to better understand the information. I have also used Canadian spelling for 

words such as colour, and of course my own writing style may at times not meet editorial standards. 

Importantly, this history is not intended as an authoritative guide nor is it intended for sale or publication. 

Questions regarding my research, sources, use of my photos etc. should be sent to me at my email address 

(noted above). 

BRERETONS OF CHESHIRE 

The name Brereton appeared in the Domesday Book 1 as: a Manor of Gilbert Venables, Baron of Kinderton. There is 

nothing to indicate its previous history except the name itself: enclosure among the briars. This description suggests a 

clearing in the inhospitable Cheshire heartland 2 . It has been suggested that the knoll above the River Croco, 

where a hall and church now stand, was the original site. 

1 The Domesday Book, now held at The National Archives, Kew, in South West London, provides the record of the great survey which 

was carried out in much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 

2 Dating from the Anglo-Saxon settlement (7th century AD onwards) 



After the Norman Conquest the name Brereton was applied to a large township, within the parish of Astbury. 

The parish of Brereton-cum-Smethwick 3 was created about 1540. Although the author cannot confirm this 

information, apparently the site of the medieval village may still be seen on a terrace opposite the Hall. 

When the present Hall was under construction, in 1585, land on the site of the old village was cleared and the 

Bear’s Head Inn and Brereton Green 4 were subsequently developed. 

Identified sites: Brereton Hall, Brereton Heath and Brereton Green 

BRERETON LANDS IN SANDBACH, CHESHIRE (Pre 1900) 

It is difficult to grasp the breadth of the land in Brereton hands in the 1600's. It was said that Sir Randal 

Brereton VII (also of the Malpas line) was able to ride from Malpas to Chester, a distance of about fifteen miles, 

without leaving his own property. 

Over the years the Brereton holdings increased significantly due to marriages with other families of the 

aristocracy. For example, when Lady Elizabeth Savage married William Brereton she brought with her all the 

Savage family property. The holdings included eight manors and lordships in Cheshire (mainly in the Dane 

3 Brereton-cum-Smethwick (now called Smithwick) is located midway between Sandbach and Holmes Chapel (along A534). 

4 Site of a medieval Lammastide (festival of the wheat harvest) held each August 1 



and Weaver Valleys from Bostock and Minshull, and also Vernon to Clifton) also important estates and coal 

mines in Derbyshire, and lesser holdings in Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. 

Today we can find remnants of the holdings in Cheshire by visiting Brereton Hall, St. Oswald's Church, the 

Bear's Head Inn, Brereton Green and Brereton Heath, Handforth Hall and other related venues. 

Map of Brereton Hall area 


BRERETON HALL 


Author Faye Brereton, standing at the entrance to Brereton Hall in 1993 

For nearly 45 years, Brereton Hall (built circa 1585) was home to Sir William Brereton (1550-1630) 5 and his wife 

Margaret Savage. 

A persistent tradition 6 states that Queen Elizabeth laid the foundation stone of Brereton Hall, and that in later 

years paid a visit to the Sir William (Lord Brereton) and Margaret. The fact that the hall was designed in the 

shape of an E, for Queen Elizabeth and that the Royal Arms with the initials ER have a prominent place both 

outside and inside the hall all tend to support a visit by the Monarch. 

It has also been suggested that the Queen’s visit to the Hall may have been prompted by sentiment reasons, 

since Sir William Brereton (of the Malpas Line and a relative of Lord Brereton, of Brereton Hall) and the 

Queen’s mother, Anne Boleyn, were put to death under suspicion of adultery. 

Tradition also states that during Queen Elizabeth's visit she presented her fan to the Breretons, as a memento of 

the visit. In order to preserve it, it is said that Sir William built it into the wall of the room in which the Queen 

had slept. It is true that in the traditional Bedroom, which would have been used if the Queen visited; there 

was some carving and inlay work in the form of a fan or possibly a facsimile of the fan. Alternatively, it has 

been suggested that the carving may have been the Brereton arms, fashioned in coloured inlaid wood upon an 

ermine mantle and bordered by carving; which would resemble a fan. To add more mystery, the sculptured 

stone over the entrance distinctly resembles a fan. 

In 1817, Ormerod wrote - The Brereton arms, surrounded with a triangular mantle, the form of which is traditionally 

reported to be copied from the fan of Queen Elizabeth. 

Around 1830, an anonymous authority stated that the original panel was still in the house, though much 

dilapidated; but the heraldic achievements had been reproduced by the hands of the painter. He also said that, 

5 William was knighted and became Lord Brereton of Leighlin in 1624 

6 Ormerod mentions the tradition, and perhaps others borrowed it from him and have passed it on. George Ormerod (20 October 1785 – 

9 October 1873) was an English antiquary and historian. Among his writings is a major account of the History of Cheshire. 



the sculptured chimney-piece with the paneling had been removed from Queen Elizabeth's room to a good apartment 

opening into the corridor, on the left on the ground floor. 

Unfortunately, a few years later (circa 1850) a maid, with the intention of saving coal, took smoldering coals 

from the fire one evening and placed them in the coal-box; with disastrous results. The next morning, the 

servants discovered the room was on fire, and full of smoke. By the time the fire was extinguished considerable 

damage had already occurred. Much of the floor and tragically, the famous chimney-piece and mysterious, fan 

of Queen Elizabeth were also destroyed. 

As attractive as the tradition is, there does not appear to be documentary evidence for Queen Elizabeth visiting 

Brereton, or in fact for ever having travelled to Cheshire. It is possible to trace her visits to Coventry, 

Kenilworth and Stamford in 1567, and in 1575 she passed through Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, 

staying for 19 days with the Earl of Leicester. She returned through Staffordshire, the nearest county to 

Cheshire, and then through Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. 

Some historians believe Queen Elizabeth remained quietly at Westminster, from 1582 to 1588, the period of 

time when Brereton Hall was being built. During this time it has been suggested that she suffered from an 

attack of smallpox which left scars on her face and made her unwilling to undergo the publicity of Royal 

Progresses (visits). 

Old drawing of Brereton Hall, by P. de Witt of Brereton Hall (the cupolas shown in the drawing were removed in the 1800’s) 



THE GROUNDS 

Centuries ago there was a river in front of Brereton Hall – that had been artificially broadened for effect. The 

water flowed past the hall until it reached a waterfall, then meandered through woods before widening out 

into a shallower body of water - a mere. The river eventually became part of the River Weaver which emptied 

into sea. 

This river passed by the Rock Savage, the home of the father-in-law of the first Lord Brereton. 

There is a legend concerning the body of water (known as Bog Mere, Blackmere or Brereton Lake) which could 

be seen from the front of the Hall. According to a text from 1693; when any heir in the Worshipful Family of the 

Breretons in Cheshire is neer his Death there are seen in the Pool adjoyning Bodies of Trees swimming for certain days 

together. William Camden in his Britannia also refers to the legend: I have heard, he says, an extraordinary 

circumstance attested by many persons of credit and generally believed that before the death of any heir of this family 

(Brereton), trunks of trees are seen to swim on the surface of the adjoining lake. 

Following is a quotation on the same subject from Drayton's poem, Polyolbion, dated 1612 

That black, ominous mere, 

accounted one of those that England's wonder make, 

of neighbors Blackmere nam'd, of strangers Brereton's lake 

whose property seems farre from reason's way to stand, 

for, neere upon his death that's owner of the land, 

she sends up stocks of trees, that on the top do float, 

by which the world her first did for a wonder note. 

The lake was drained and brought under cultivation in the 1900s. 

At one time there were many varieties of flora in the gardens of Brereton Hall including a walled-in fruit 

garden also a stream for watercress, which emerged from one rockery and journied between stone flags to another 

where it dove underground. Over time other buildings and facilities were added - a cobbled yard, triple garage, 

former gymnasium (for the girls’ school), workshop, stores and a gardening room. A gravel path meandered 

between flowerbeds, shrubbery, and superb mature trees and evergreen shrubs. Against the high garden wall 

there was a greenhouse and a path to the main lawn flanked by rhododendron, shrubbery and borders. 

Beyond the main lawn there was a double ‘hard surface’ tennis court and more lawn leading to the boundary 

interspersed by deciduous trees. To the southern side of the Hall is a lawn which adjoins St. Oswald’s Church. 



THE EXTERIOR OF BRERETON HALL - An Outstanding Historic Grade I Elizabethan Manor 

The Hall, which is situated on a slightly elevated piece of land, in a lovely rural location, is typically 

Elizabethan in architecture. Camden 7 in speaking of Brereton says that Sir William Brereton, added much credit 

and honour to the place by a magnificent and sumptuous house that he had there built. 

It was originally built in the shape of an 'E' (for Elizabeth) but its centre bar was removed when the 

conservatory was added, in 1829 8 . The western facade of the building is dominated by the magnificent 

Octagon twin towers (similar to those of Rock Savage 9 ) flanking the arched entrance. 

Brereton Hall was fashion after Rock Savage 

seen above in very old drawing by P de Wint 

The Hall, believed to be one of the first Elizabethan brick buildings erected in Cheshire, has a brick exterior, 

decorated with stone facings. Ashlar 10 stone has been used for mullions, coigns 11 and ornamentation. 12 The 

turrets or towers, which resemble other gate towers found in the east of England, would have been built for 

defence, but also enjoyed as ornamentation. 

Originally the towers were surmounted with cupolas, in place of the present battlement turrets. An engraving 

reproduced in Ormerod work shows the turrets in their former state with the twin towers crowned with 

cupolas having lookout windows in them. The cupolas were of copper and in the summer sunshine it is 

written that they shone like burnished gold and could be seen from Middlewich, six miles away. 

7 Camden, William (1551-1623): author of Brittania descriptio (published 1586 to 1607) 

8 The Hall was significantly altered by the Howard family at that time. 

9 Rock Savage was the house built Sir John Savage and his wife; they became William Brereton’s guardians. Their daughter Margaret 

later married William. 

10 Refers to cut and dressed stone used in masonry 

11 Refers to the keystone of an arch 

12 This is in contrast to the work of Sir William Brereton's cousin, who thirty years previously had built old Moreton Hall, 6 miles from 

Brereton. Moreton was a half-timbered house protected with a moat. It is a study in black-and-white, with a courtyard in the centre. 



1993 photo by Faye Brereton 

Photo titled Brereton Hall Twentieth Century is from the wonderful history by Arthur L. Moir titled 

The Story of Brereton Hall, Cheshire. The book can be read on line. 



Carved in stone, in the central panel above the entrance arch is the Royal Arms with lion and dragon 

supporters; on the left (sinster) panel the Tudor rose, on right (dexter), the Beaufort Portcullis 13 . Immediately 

below but in more modest proportion, are the Brereton Arms, bearing two bars sable being suspended over an 

ermine mantle, from a helmet supporting the Brereton Crest. The carving is dated 1585. A threefold panel 

with the Royal Arms is repeated above the first floor window. By comparison, the remainder of the building is 

plain which accentuates the carved stonework. 

In his book the Old Mansions of England (circa 1846) Samuel Carter Hall, F.S.A., describes Brereton Hall 14 as 

consisting of a long front, graced by two octagonal turrets (on each side of the door-way) and two wings. 

Immediately over the doorway, in the spandrels of the eliptical arch of this entrance the sculptures begin with 

the shield of the Brereton Arms (dated 1586) repeated with different quarterings; a rose being superadded on 

each side. The division which reaches from turret to turret is richly adorned and in the middle - the place of 

honor – is the arms of Queen Elizabeth with the garter bearing the motto, the crest and supporters. On one 

side of these is a large Tudor Rose with the letters ER. 

Hall also commented on the placement of a chalice (in high relief) situated on the front pane of each turret, just 

below the battlement (note chalice in the right corner of photo). He also drew attention to a change in the 

architecture with respect to the roof line, writing that in place of an open ballastrade (series of wooden 

13 The portcullis (grill design) was the heraldic badge of the House of Beaufort, and the first Tudor king, Henry VII, who was of 

matrilineal Beaufort descent, adapted both the portcullis and the Tudor rose as the Tudor badge. The portcullis became a moderately 

common motif of English heraldry, especially in heraldry dating from the Tudor period. 

14 Please note – As this is not an architectural history I have only included selected excerpts from Halls book. You can read a more 

complete description on the internet: Old Mansions of England – Samuel Carter Hall 



balusters or spindles which would have spanned the area between the roofs of the wings) there was a parapet 

(wall like barrier at the edge of the roof). 

He also described the area at the top of the turrets as being cojoined by a closed gallery occupied by borders 

and other decorative sculptures and supported by a depressed arch of some magnitude. 

In a 1909 issue of Country Life 15 , the Brereton Estate was described as follows: 

The whole setting of Brereton Hall is lovely. By its side, there stands within the ground a Church of great charm and 

antiquity, with its tower half hidden in the trees. A park, rich in oak and alder trees, stretched away to the north, but most 

of the valuable timber was cut down in the nineteenth century. 

15 The author, Faye Brereton has the article in her Brereton collection 



Photos taken by author in 1993 

Aerial view of Brereton Hall 



Rear of Hall – solarium addition to original building- in place of the middle bar in the “E” 

1993 photo taken near the Coach House 

St. Oswald Church steeple can be seen to the right of the Hall, through the trees. 



THE INTERIOR OF BRERETON HALL 

While the interior was considerably altered (particularly in 1829, by Mr. Howard) there are still several rooms 

with architectural merit or heraldic interest ranging from the magnificent drawing room to the much smaller 

but no less interesting Lord William Brereton’s bedroom and dressing room. 

ENTRANCE HALL 

The front doors open on to an Entrance Hall with a stone flagged floor and wonderful set of stone tread stairs 

leading to the Galleried Hall on the Ground Floor. The ceiling (as shown in the following photo) has an 

intricate central ceiling rose framed in a star shaped molded frieze on a curved basket ceiling. Steps on both 

sides of the main stairway, lead to the cellars. 

Photo from 1993 visit to the Hall 



GROUND FLOOR 

The Gallery at the top of the stairs spans nearly the entire length of the building: its black and white tile floor 

and elegant arched doorways, opening up to various rooms. The following areas/rooms are located on the 

ground floor: 

A large Bedroom is situated to the right of the stairs. Features include a marble fireplace with tiled inset, 

fitted wardrobes, recessed cupboards and two windows with seats. An ensuite bathroom is located in one of 

the central towers and a door leads to the Sitting Room which is located in the adjacent corner room. 

The Sitting Room, which is wood-paneled features a cast iron fireplace, grate hearth and marble surround. 

A large mirror, which hangs above the mantelpiece, is adorned with carved panels depicting the Brereton 

Bear. Coats of arms reputedly to be of estates within riding distance of the Hall adorn the panels. A bay 

window and seat overlook the southern garden and St. Oswald’s Church. 

A Kitchen and Breakfast Area is situated across from the bedroom and there is a small study and 

cloakroom located nearby. 

A Drawing Room is located in the south wing and forms part of the ‘E’ design. It is one of the finest rooms 

in the Hall. The centerpiece is a fireplace with cast iron grate surround, hearth and pillars. The mantelpiece, 

dated 1585 was constructed in honour of Queen Elizabeth I. The Queen’s coat of arms (which has been 

carved, painted and gilded) with fluted supports to either side is prominently displayed on the mantelpiece, 

and is surrounded by carved panels. Above the Coat of Arms is a Globe of Heavens 16 flanked by scrolls and 

roses. There are also two friezes just below the Coat of Arms, one with a wolf's head issuing from a ducal 

coronet, a badge suggestive of Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester, the other with a lion-mask 17 . Around the room 

is a remarkable cornice with crowns and shields representing the arms of 43 different states and 

principalities. To each shield is attached a scroll with the name of its King or Emperor in Latin and in the 

windings of every scroll is a red and white rose. The shield of the King of Jerusalem bears an ornamented 

cross and a crown of thorns. The floors in this room are polished oak. Two large windows look onto the 

gardens on the south and east of the Hall. 

16 Copernicus had recently made his discovery concerning the solar system. 

17 The lion-mask was a favourite device with Sir William Brereton, perhaps in remembrance of his Egerton ancestors, who bore a lion 

rampant on their coat-of-arms. 



Fireplace in the Drawing Room 

Featuring the Coat of Arms of Queen Elizabeth I 



The Minstrels Gallery is located at the end of the hallway. It has polished floors, corniced ceiling with 

a painted border depicting coats of arms and a central ceiling rose. Doors lead to the southern garden 

and the paneled Sitting Room. 

A Victorian Conservatory, which replaces the original center wing was probably added, in 1829, when 

Mr. John Howard carried out extensive renovations and upgrades to the hall. Double doors open onto 

the rear gardens. 

The north wing contains a Banqueting Hall with magnificent stone fireplace. As with many fireplaces 

in the Hall this one is unique. There are dressed stone uprights, a stone hearth and a canopy with a 

carved panel depicting the Green Man 18 and his motto. The Green Man, an ancient pagan symbol of 

spring, new birth and fertility, sprouts leaves (typically alcalpa leaves) from his mouth and ears. In the 

Banqueting Hall there are quarry-tiled floors. Steps lead from the Banqueting Hall to the Main Kitchen. 

There is a dining room in this wing. 

Built into the wall of the Kitchen (which was likely the original winter parlour) are panels with 

elaborate carved cartouches 19 . Inside are moralistic reminders such as: Doe nothing this day whereof thou 

mayest repent tomorrow and knowest him well whom thou makest thy councel lest he betray thy secret. 

The Brereton Creed can be found in the kitchen: 

Though thou be for thy 

pedegre accompted as ancient 

as Saturn, in wisdom as wise as 

Solomon, in power as mightie as 

Alexander, in wealth as riche 

as Croessus, or for thy beauty 

as Flora, yet if thou be careless 

of religion and neglect the 

true sarvice of the ever living 

God thou arte a caytiffe 

most vile and miserable. 

In his book The Story of Brereton Hall, Cheshire, Arthur L. Moir, wrote: The table in the kitchen is unique, without 

doubt original to the house. It had a central rail of great weight and solidity and with cross-pieces about two feet from each 

end: the top consists of a large number of slips with herringboned ends, in the manner of marquetrie; said to be 365 in 

number, i.e. the days of the year. The table is 16 feet long and one of a pair. 

Moir also suggested that the famous stained glass window depicting two Earls of Mercia and seven Earls of 

Chester would have resided in this room until it was removed to Aston Hall. There is still some stained glass 

remaining in this room with shields of famous families, and the Brereton muzzled bear. 

FIRST FLOOR 

From the ground floor an elegant staircase with stone treads leads to the first floor where there are eight 

bedrooms and six bathrooms. One of the notable features of the Hall is reported to be its fine collection of 

chimney pieces found in various rooms. There is a fine stone fireplace with central carving of the Brereton Bear, 

a stone hearth with a cast iron fire surround and grate in one of the bedrooms; also polished floor boards, a 

18 Long held folk tradition myths die hard and examples of the Green Man can be found in churches and cathedrals across Western 

Europe built from the 11th - 16th centuries i.e. St. Mary's Church, Cheadle. They can be found in wood, stone, glass and other building 

materials 

19 A cartouche is an oval with a horizontal line at one end, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name 



deep bay window, corniced ceiling and dado rail. The Brereton Coat of Arms mounted above the fireplace 

graces another bedroom. 

The Lord Brereton bedroom is a small square, paneled room located in the north wing. The principle point of 

interest in this room is also a mantelpiece, which incorporates the Brereton Arms with a sevenfold shield 

recording connections of the Breretons with the Egertons, Belward, Corbet and Orreby families. 

The adjoining Dressing Room (which became a bathroom) has an even more elaborate mantelpiece which 

celebrates the marriage of the Second Lord Brereton to Elizabeth Goring, daughter of George Goring 20 . Above 

the date, 1633, flanked by the Brereton bear and wolf supporters and topped by a crested helm, is a shield on 

which the Brereton bars impale 21 the Goring chevron between three annulets. The Brereton motto is 

conspicuous, Opilulante Deo. Twelve minor shields record the arms of Lady Ada, the Earls of Chester, and 

other families. 

The 12 shields surrounding the Brereton Coat of Arms represent the following families: 

(Counter clockwise from top left side) 

Brereton: Argent crest with two bars sable 

Lady Ada Huntington: Double tressure glory on an inescutcheon 

Scot, Earl of Chester: Or (gold), three piles gules 

Earls of Chester, quarterly: Kevelioc and Lupus 

Belward: Gules, three pheons (arrow-heads); argent 

Kevelioc: Azure, three garbs (sheaves of wheat); or (gold) 

Lupus: Azure, a wolf's head erazed; agent 

Malpas: Argent (silver), a cross patence azure 

Egerton: Argent, a lion rampant, gules, with an orle of pheons, sable 

Corbet: Or, two ravens, proper 

Orreby: Argent, five chevrons, gules; on a canton of the second, a lion passant: or 

Orreby: Gules, two lions, passant 

These are reproduced from a monument set up in 1618 in St. Oswald’s Church, Brereton by the first Lord. At 

one side of the mantelpiece is the figure of a man, with the Brereton arms imposed, and on the other the figure 

of a lady, with the Goring chevron, presumably the bridegroom and his bride. In the next year, 1634, three bells 

with inscriptions were hung in the Church, perhaps also in honour of this marriage. 

On the right, as you enter the dressing room, is a small door which provides access to the wig room. 22 

20 Note: The Breretons of Malpas were not well disposed towards the Royal Family (or to Generals such as George Goring) they were 

probably not well disposed of a marriage that brought Lord William Brereton even closer to the King and his inner court. Only a 

century ago, a relative of Sir William Brereton of Malpas (William the Parliamentary General) had been executed by King Henry VIII. 

21 Impaling refers to the heraldic combination of two coats of arms, side by side in one shield or escutcheon to denote union. 

22 Wigs would be stored in the room until needed by Lord Brereton and then a servant would enter the wig room, Lord Brereton would 

tip his head back slightly into the room and the servant would place the wig on his head, keeping much of the wig powder within the 

wig room. 



Mantle in Lord Brereton’s Dressing Room, Brereton Hall 

Ceiling detail showing Brereton Crest on ceiling mounding 

Photo by author, in 2001 



There is also a Minstrels Gallery, where the musicians could look down on the room below 23 as they played for 

guests who would be partying. The Minstrels Gallery was a common feature in Elizabethan halls. The cornices 

in the dancing area are also adorned with the Coats of Arms of many distinguished families. Overlooking the 

gallery is a window with heraldic devices of five families: 

Leigh of Boothes 

Manfaring of Croerton 

Trowtebeke, 1577 

Corbet of Leigh 

Radeliffe, 1577. 

As this window predates the Hall it would have been moved from another place, perhaps Rock Savage. 

23 Also rreferenced in the description of the ground floor layout 



OTHER FEATURES OF INTEREST 

Mantelpieces: 

One, of alabaster and stone with the head of the muzzled bear is in a bedroom; another, also in a bedroom, 

has a muzzled bear and greyhound supporters. Each of the panels at the side bears a coronet, from which 

is suspended a medal with flourished initials of William Brereton; the family motto is inscribed, Opitulante 

Deo. 

In the south wing on the ground floor is a room with oak paneling and a bay window in the recess, 

providing views of the winter garden of evergreen trees and shrubs. The chimney-piece is divided by 

pilasters into three panels, with the head of the muzzled bear in each and in the centre the Brereton sable 

bars below the bear. 

Stained Glass Windows: 

The above glass was originally at Brereton Hall in Cheshire. Together with full-length portraits of the Earls of 

Chester are now housed in Stoneleigh Abbey. The glass was purchased by Abraham Bracebridge in 1818 and 

originally installed at Atherstone Hall. He bequeathed all the Brereton glass to Lord Leigh of Stoneleigh 

Abbey. 

Following is an excerpt from a letter written by the Honourable Agnes Leigh of Stoneleigh Abbey to Arthur 

Moir: 



There is an erroneous idea that this glass is of great antiquity and identical with the representations of the Earls which 

formerly graced the windows of Chester Abbey. But drawings of that glass, reproduced by Ormerod from some in the 

Harleian MSS show considerable difference in the two styles. It is suggested that the one at Stoneleigh that came from 

Brereton Hall was probably made for the decoration of that Hall towards the end of the sixteenth century, but that the 

figures may have been copied from paintings - stained glass or monkish illustrations of the period. Each figure is 

represented as standing out in a kind of arch or niche - a style which coincides with the architecture of the period in which 

the Hall was build. 

Portraits 

By 2001 there were no portraits of the Breretons visible in Brereton Hall; however, a few can be seen at other 

locations: 

Portraits of the 1st Lord William Brereton; the 2nd Lord Brereton and his wife Elizabeth Goring; and one 

presumed to be Sir John Brereton (son of the 1st Lord) together with his wife Anne Fitton and two other ladies 

now hang in Atherstone Hall, the former home of Mr. J. E. C. Bracebridge. 

The portrait of William, the 3rd Lord Brereton 24 (circa 1650) was painted when he was a lad of about nineteen. 

While writing on the back of the frame (on an old label) identifies the man as Francis, Lord Brereton, the subject 

of the painting, according to the list of pictures bequeathed by Mr. Charles H. Bracebridge of Aston Hall, in 

1872, is William Brereton. It has been suggested that there were two portraits as one of Lord William Brereton 

was sold at Shotover, Oxford, in 1855. 

In 1872, Mr. C. H. Bracebridge bequeathed a portrait to Aston Hall Gallery. It has been as: female resembling 

Queen Elizabeth. Ormerod in describing this portrait wrote: a curious painting of Elizabeth with full sleeves, a rich 

tiara, and chains of jewels, hanging down from her neck to her waist; her hair extremely red; on one side the royal arms 

and over them ER. 

Ormerod describes another portrait originally hanging in Brereton Hall as: a fine picture of a lady richly habited 

with an infant son and daughter. Arms, Fitton impaling Barrett, with Holcroft on a shield of pretence. It appears to 

represent Lady Fitton, with her eldest son, the last Sir Edward Fitton 25 , slain at Bristol and her eldest daughter, wife of the 

Earl of Macclesfield. 

A portrait of the First Baron Brereton of Leighlin (Lord Brereton) now hangs in the Detroit Museum and a 

portrait of a young William, Second Baron Brereton, in the City of Birmingham Museum. 

Portrait of the First Lord Brereton (housed in the Detroit Museum) 

24 The painting is attributed to Cornelius Jansen but may be the work of a local Dutch artist 

25 Sir John Brereton, son of the first Lord, married Anne, daughter of Sir Edward Fitton, of Gawsworth 



Elizabethan Pedigree 

At Atherstone Hall 26 there is an Elizabethan pedigree of the Brereton family (by William Flower) with the arms 

in colours and patent of the Barony granted to the first Lord Brereton. There is also a silver seal that is said to 

belong originally to the First Lord Brereton. 

Atherton Hall 

According to my research, it appears that Atherstone Hall, Burmington, Warwickshire, was renamed Aston 

Hall (see photo above 27 ). Sir Thomas Holte commenced construction of the building in April 1618, moving into 

the hall in 1631 while it was still under construction. The hall was completed in April 1635. A few years later, 

in 1643, the house was severely damaged after an attack by Parliamentary troops. The hall remained in the 

family of Sir Thomas Holte until 1817 when it was sold. In 1858 it was purchased by the Aston Hall and Park 

Company Ltd for use as a public park and museum. In 1864 it was purchased by the Birmingham Corporation 

becoming the first historic country house to pass into municipal ownership. 

26 The Bracebridge family was of Atherstone Hall – and through marriage the Holte family acquired ties to Atherstone Hall. 

27 Photo from Wikipedia 



GATE HOUSE ENTRANCE TO BRERETON HALL 

The private road to Brereton Hall takes you through gates and the Gate House which opening onto a driveway 

which passes the Church (on your right) and farmland (on the left). 

The very interesting double gatehouse, a gatekeepers quarters when the early years of Brereton Hall, was 

converted to a private residence during the time the Hall was a private school. In July 2000, the Gatehouse was 

listed for sale as a two-bedroom dwelling. 

Photos by Author 



COACH HOUSE 

Around 1829, a Grade II listed Coach House was built adjacent to the Hall. It was approximately 468 sq. meters in 

size (over two floors) with brick exterior and stone slate roof. Behind the coach house is an L-shaped range of 

brick buildings forming an open-ended courtyard. In 1993 there was also a pond flanked by mature deciduous 

trees and shrubs and a walled garden on the property. When the private school was in operation there were 

classrooms in the Coach House. 

In 2000, when the property was offered for sale 28 , the Coach House property and the Hall were expected to be 

sold separately. 

The real estate listing identifies the Coach House as including 2 acres of land and indicates that the owners had 

planning consent for conversion of the Coach House to a 6 bedroom house with courtyard and walled garden. 

Photos by the Author 

28 Listed by Strutt and Parker, Chester and London. 



BRERETON HEATH PARK, CHESHIRE 29 

The park, which is located in the borough of Congleton fronts on Davenport Lane, across from Brereton Green 

(also along A54). Initially, this area was part of the Brereton estate; however when visited in 2001 it was owned 

and financed by the Congleton Borough, Cheshire. 

Originally comprising lowland heath, Brereton Heath Park has had an interesting history. At one time this area 

would have been covered with Scots pine trees and was probably used as a hunting area for the Lord 

Brereton’s and also for harvesting some timber. However, during WWI, much of the hardwood was cleared to 

provide timber for use in the coalmines. Following the war, the birch trees that remained became a reserve 

where pheasants were raised for shooting. 

In 1959, very pure silica sand was found on the site and for the next ten years approximately 500 tons of sand 

was extracted daily with the silica being used by the motor industry for the production of moulds and castings; 

also in the glass industry. The finely crushed sand was used in the manufacturing of face powder, talc and 

cleaning powders. 

Quarrying ceased in 1973 and the site was abandoned for a number of years until it was purchased by 

Congleton Borough Council (with the help of a Department of Environment Derelict Land Grant). 

Brereton Health Park was opened to the public in 1982. 

Today, there is a range of habitats, supporting plants and animals. There is extensive silver birch woodland 

and remnants of a Scots pine plantation, an alder coppice, heath land and a wildflower meadow. The Cheshire 

County Council Countryside Management Services, aided by local conservation groups, continues to improve 

the parkland. 

BRERETON ESTATE HOUSES AND FARMS 

Over time, the Brereton estate grew to include a number of residences and farms, on the land adjoining 

Brereton Hall; however, most if not all the properties have been sold. In 1984, the following ad appeared in a 

local Sandbach newspaper: 

"tenants of Brereton Estate - its hall was built in the days of the first Queen Elizabeth, and it has a history going back 500 

years before then - should become their own landlords by purchasing the farms and cottages in which they live, rather than 

see them go to an "outsider", and the 280,000 pound deal has been made possible because of a sympathetic landlady, Mrs. 

R. Dugdale, of Newton, Montgomeryshire, who inherited the estate, and on deciding to dispose of it, preferred the tenants 

themselves to purchase it. (Note – other properties were sold over time) 

29 Information concerning the park from a booklet produced by the Congleton Borough. 



1993 photo of one of the Brereton Estate Houses 

(House is located outside the wall surrounding Brereton Hall) 

BRERETON ESTATE FARMS 

When Mrs. Corbet Winder sold the Brereton Hall property, it appears that she retained the real estate 

associated with the farms. However, there is a 1969 record of Mrs. Winder selling twelve farms together with 

the buildings situated on the farms. 



OWNERS AND OCCUPANTS OF BRERETON HALL 

1 ST LORD BRERETON of BRERETON HALL (1585 – 1722) 

Brereton Hall was built by the first Lord William Brereton 30 and his wife Lady Margaret Savage, circa 1585. 

Following his death in 1630 his title and estates passed to his youngest son William (a youth of 19 years of age). 

William’s four older brothers had all predeceased their father. 

In 1632, at the age of twenty—two years William, the second Lord Brereton married Elizabeth Goring. 

Elizabeth’s father George Goring was famous as a Cavalier leader in the Civil War. He took over the Mulberry 

Gardens in London from Lord Aston and this house eventually became known as Buckingham Palace. As 

noted in the description of Brereton Hall, the mantel-piece in the dressing room off Lord Brereton’s bedroom 

celebrates the marriage of Elizabeth to Lord Brereton. 

In 1664, upon the death of the second Lord Brereton, his son William became heir. This William married 

Frances Willoughby, daughter of Lord Willoughby of Parham. They had three sons; William, John and Francis. 

William was a man of learning and influence and is considered a founder of the Royal Society. He died in 

London, in 1679 and is buried in St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields. 

Following his father’s death, son John Brereton became the fourth Lord Brereton; his older brother William had 

died. When John died in 1718 he had no issue. Consequently, his unmarried brother Francis (the last male heir 

of Lord William Brereton II) became the fifth and last Lord Brereton. Francis died in 1722. 

HOLTE FAMILY (1722-1769) 

In 1722, upon the death of Francis Brereton, after 600 years of male ownership, the Hall passed to the Holtes 

family of Aston in Warwickshire, in right of the female line, through Jane Brereton (daughter of Sir John 

Brereton and Anne Fitton 31 . 

The Holte-Brereton connection arose with the marriage of Jane Brereton (sister of the second Lord Brereton and 

great-aunt of Francis, the last Lord Brereton) to Sir Robert Holte 32 . Their married life which began in 1646 was 

brief; she died two years later after giving birth to a son Charles; who became the second Baronet, Sir Charles 

Holte 33 . 

While Jane Brereton’s marriage to Robert Holte was short lived, the impact of this event and the legacy of the 

Brereton estate passing through a female relative of the last Lord Brereton was significant and very interesting. 

According to Ormerod the facts of the will of the last Lord Brereton were as follows: 

John, fourth Lord Brereton, and Francis, fifth Lord Brereton, his brother having died issueless (the latter in 1722) Brereton 

passed to the Holtes of Aston in Warwickshire, in right of Jane, wife of Sir Robert Holte, daughter of Sir William Brereton 

and great-aunt, and finally heir of Lord Francis, which Jane died in 1648. Under the will of Sir Lister Holte, Bart., (died 

October 12, 1769) the manors of Brereton and Aston with other estates were settled on his brother Sir Charles Holte, for 

30 In 2002, Faye Brereton completed a history of the Breretons of Cheshire, titled In Search of my Ancestors. She expects to upload this 

history onto the Brereton.org website in the fall of 2012. Additional information about the grandfather of the first Lord Brereton and 

the Irish connection can be found in the Breretons of Ireland also compiled by Faye Goodwin and available on the Brereton.org website. 

31 Anne was the sister of the second Lord Brereton 

32 Sir Robert Holte was the grandson of Sir Thomas Holte, a Knight and Baron, who began building the Elizabethan Manor, Aston Hall in 

Warwickshire, in 1618 moving in to the Hall in1631 

33 Charles was succeeded by Sir Clobery Holte, and later his two sons Charles and Lister. 



life, remainder to his issue, remainder to Heneage Legge Esq., with similar remainder; remainder to Lewis Bagot, clerk 

(successively bishop of Norwich and St. Asaph, who died without issue) with similar remainder; remainder to Wriothesley 

Digby, Esq. with remainder to the right heirs of Sir Lister Holte, with authority to the persons successively seized to grant 

leases of the Cheshire estates for one life and 12 months after. 

Sir Charles Holte left issue one daughter, Mary Elizabeth, representative of the families of Holte, Brereton, and the eldest 

line of the Egerton or Egertons, and her husband Abraham Bracebridge, Esquire, held leases of Brereton Hall and demesne, 

and of other parcels of the estate (to which Mary Elizabeth was ultimately heir) from Heneage Legge, Esquire, who had 

succeeded on the death of Sir Charles Holte to the estates comprehended in the will of Sir Lister Holte. 

While the above is very formal and legalistic, it does provide an indication of the passing on of the Brereton 

estate. Arthur Moir, in his book, summed it up as follows: On the death of the last Lord Brereton, in 1722, the estate 

of Brereton Hall passed into the female line, and was in the hands of the Holtes and Bracebridges for a hundred years. 

Arthur Moir also commented that: in Washington Irving’s book ‘Bracebridge Hall’ the estate is supposed to refer to 

Brereton Hall, Brereton being thinly disguised under the name of its occupier, Bracebridge. 

EARLY RECORD OF LORD BRERETON AND SIR ROBERT HOLTE 

The following two segments were found in the book 

‘The History of Parliament, the House of Commons 1660-1690’ 

They identify the family connection between 

Lord Brereton and the Holte family 

Lord Brereton 

Brereton’s 34 family had been seated at Brereton since the reign of Henry II, and had first represented the county in 1547. 

Unlike his better-known cousin of the Handforth branch, Brereton was an Anglican and a Royalist. 

Although he held no military command in the Civil War, he was an active commissioner of array and established a 

Cavalier garrison at Brereton. He was taken prisoner at the surrender of Biddulph House in Staffordshire, and 

compounded for an estate of £1,400 p.a. He was fined £2,538 18s which he could raise only by selling land. Although all 

his daughters reached maturity, five of them died unmarried, presumably for lack of portions. Roger Whitley put him 

down as a colonel in his list of Cheshire Royalists and he was involved in the rising of Sir George Booth in 1659. At the 

34 According to my research (See in Search of My Ancestors, for the story of the Breretons of Cheshire) this Brereton would have been Sir 

William, the Second Lord Brereton 



Restoration he was made joint lord lieutenant with the 8th Earl of Derby, an inharmonious partnership since ‘Lord 

Brereton is so wedded to his own humour that nothing else will please’. 

Brereton was returned to the Cavalier Parliament as knight of the shire, and became a moderately active Member in the 

first and second sessions. He was appointed to 49 committees, including those for the security bill, restoring bishops to the 

House of Lords, the Corporations Bill, and the reversal of Strafford’s attainder. His petitions for office or pension were 

rejected, but he was awarded £500 as the King’s free gift. He took a very active part in regulating the Cheshire 

corporations, and in the persecution of Presbyterians. In 1663 he was added to the committee to consider a petition from 

Cheshire concerning the Mersey and Weaver navigation bill. He was listed as a court dependant in 1664, but on 20 Feb. 

his son reported him ill with ‘an excessive cold’, and he was buried at Brereton on 21 Apr. 

Holte 

Holte 35 was brought up by his uncle, William Brereton, Lord Brereton, from whom he derived those principles of the love 

of God and his country ‘which were to guide him in the splendid course of his life’. In this, politics played an altogether 

secondary role; his early years, after succeeding to the baronetcy, were principally devoted to rescuing the encumbered 

Aston estate by prudent management and rigid economy. He declined an invitation from the Warwickshire gentry to 

contest the county in 1681, though Sir Leoline Jenkins wrote to him in 1684: ‘Your affection for the public and your zeal 

for the King’s service being so great ... I wish you frequent occasions to approve yourself what you are’. The Birmingham 

nonconformists did not fail to supply such occasions, and Holte was particularly commended for his care and discretion in 

securing the surrender of the grammar school charter. Under the new charter of 20 Feb. 1685 he was appointed to the 

board of governors. 

Before the general election Holte wrote to Sunderland that ‘our old disturbers are at work under the pretence of great 

loyalty’; but he was returned unopposed for Warwickshire to James II’s Parliament. An active Member, he was named to 

14 committees, including the committee of elections and privileges, and those to recommend expunctions from the Journals 

and to consider the general naturalization of Huguenot refugees. Danby added his name in pencil to his list of the 

Opposition. Holte seems to have evaded answering the three questions on the repeal of the Test Act and Penal Laws in 

Staffordshire and Worcestershire on the grounds that he could not leave home as he was expecting a visit from 

Sunderland. He did not stand again, though his name was retained on the Warwickshire commission of the peace after the 

Revolution. He seems to have cleared the estate by 1692, and occupied his later years with medical studies. ‘By his skill in 

medical science, and by supplying the poor with medicine, he restored many to health who would have fallen a prey to 

disease, had he not charitably administered relief.’ He died on 20 June 1722, and in accordance with his will was buried 

quietly at Aston. 

HENEAGE LEGGE 36 and the BRACEBRIDGE FAMILY (1769-1817) 

Heneage Legge succeeded to the Brereton estate (as per the will of Sir Lister Holte) upon the death of Sir 

Charles Holte. He subsequently, leased the hall to Mary Elizabeth Holte (daughter of Charles) and her husband 

Abraham Bracebridge. 

Upon the death of Heneage Legge the property passed through Mary Elizabeth Holte-Bracebridge to her 

descendants the Holtes of Aston Hall and in 1782 it passed to Abraham Bracebridge. 

35 Holte’s father was Sir John Holte and his mother was Jane Brereton, daughter of Sir John Brereton and Anne Fitton. Jane died in 1648. 

When her father, Sir John Brereton died in 1629 – a few months before his father (the first Lord Brereton) Jane’s young brother William 

(a youth of nineteen ) became the 2 nd Lord Brereton 

36 Heneage Legge was the nephew of Lady Jane Legg, the first wife of Sir Lister Holte 



ACT OF PARLIAMENT AND SALE OF BRERETON HALL - 1817 

On September 18, 1817 the following notice regarding the sale of a property in Cheshire appeared in ’The 

Times’: 

A very valuable and highly important freehold estate, together with the extensive Manor and Advowson of the Rectory of 

Brereton, the latter estimated at 100 pounds sterling per annum, with chief rents, quit rents, courts, etc., situate in the 

parish of Brereton, in the county of Cheshire, on the high road to Liverpool, about 160 miles from London - the estate is 

nearly in a ring fence and comprises the whole parish of Brereton, except one farm, a capital spacious mansion called 

Brereton Hall, seated in a park of considerable extent, in which are two fine sheets of water, and about 1,100 acres of land 

attached, and of value of nearly 2,000 pounds sterling per annum." 

This advertisement followed an Act of Parliament dated 10 July 1817, Cap. 38. An Act for confirming an 

Agreement relating to the Reversion expectant of certain Estates in the Counties of Warwick and Chester, late of Sir Lister 

Holte, Baronet, deceased, and property belonging to Abraham Bracebridge Esquire, and for vesting such Estates and 

Property in Trustees, to convey and assure the same according to the said Agreement. 

The Act directed that the Aston and Brereton property be sold and the money paid to various creditors. Aston 

Hall with its park was sold, in 1817, to a firm of bankers in Warwick, and was eventually converted into a 

Museum and Art Gallery. 

The sale was to take place in a few weeks, ‘by Mr. Adamson, at the Auction Mart’. However, the tradition is 

held that the Brereton property and advowson 37 were not sold by public auction but, instead, remained in the 

care of a lawyer, who resided at the Hall. This situation continued for approximately two years amid hints of a 

potential Brereton heir to the title of the estate; if found to be true it would invalidate any purchase. 

HOWARD FAMILY (1830-1918) 

In 1830, when Mr. John Howard 38 purchased Brereton Hall, the property was in a state of disrepair. 

Howard commissioned extensive renovations and repairs to both the exterior and interior of the Hall. It was at 

this time that the copper cupolas were removed from the towers; apparently the towers were in very poor 

condition and unable to hold the weight of the cupolas. Another interesting change occurred; the bricking in or 

insertion of sham windows in an effort to reduce property taxes. This was not an uncommon action in the 

1830’s as taxes were levied on the number of windows. 

Other significant changes to the property during his ownership included the harvesting and selling a lot of 

timber (from the park) and the building of the Coach House. It is also believed that the Solarium replaced the 

center wing of the Hall during Howard’s ownership. 

John Howard had two sons Aaron Clulow Howard (born 1822) and Robert Clulow Howard (born 1827) and 

several daughters. Only one daughter, Helen Elizabeth Howard, survived to adulthood. Helen married Mr. 

McLean of Aston Manor, Shifnal, Shropshire. Upon John Howard's death his eldest son Aaron inherited the 

Brereton property and younger son Robert Howard inherited the Malpas estate; which his father had 

purchased for him. 

Aaron Clulow Howard died in 1861. His widow continued to live at Brereton Hall until 1889 when, for health 

reasons, she moved to Blackpool 39 . Brereton Hall remained vacant until 1891. 

37 The right to appoint the parish priest 

38 Howard was born in 1781 and died in 29 December 1849. He is buried in the St. Oswald, Churchyard. 

He was one of England’s leading English cotton manufacturers & merchants. He was a magistrate for the counties of Chester and 

Lancaster. In 1830 he acquired Brereton Hall 

39 The house which she named ‘Brereton’ is located on the North Promenade close to the Hotel Metropole. 



LEASED BY THE MOIRS 

In 1891, Mrs. Howard leased the Hall to Mr. and Mrs. Moir 40 who remained tenants of the Hall for the next 

thirty years. 

Mrs. Howard died in December 1897 and her son John Aaron Howard died the following year. As his heir, 

John Brereton Howard, was only three years of age, the Brereton estate was placed in the hands of trustees. 

In 1911, while John Brereton Howard was still a minor, the Hall was found to be in very poor condition; 

including an outbreak of dry rot and damp. Over the next six months, or so, extensive and costly repairs were 

carried out. 

When World War I broke out in 1914, John Brereton Howard took a commission with the 4th Royal Welsh 

Fusiliers. Although he was wounded in 1915 he returned to the battlefield and on April 6th, 1918 was killed in 

action. 

NORMAN MCLEAN (1918-1937) 

John Brereton Howard's ‘willed’ all his estates in Cheshire, including the Brereton Hall property, to his 

younger second cousin, Mr. Norman McLean, for life. There was a stipulation in the will that should Mr. 

McLean die childless the properties would go to his second cousin Garnet Botfield, wife of Captain Corbett 

Winder. 

In 1922, Mr. and Mrs. Norman Howard McLean moved into Brereton Hall and lived there until McLean’s 

death, in October 1937. As Mr. McLean had no issue, Garnet Botfield-Winder became the next resident of 

Brereton Hall. 

MRS. CORBETT WINDER (1937 - 

With the outbreak of World War II, Brereton Hall, like so many of the great houses in Britain, could no longer 

be retained as a private residence. Brereton Hall became a boarding school when a Head Mistress, Mrs. M. E. 

Massey, brought a group of children (who had been living in the bombed-out centre of Manchester) to the 

property. Under her administration, the well-organized school became very popular a number of buildings 

were added to accommodate the new students. 

In 1969 Mrs. Corbett Winder offered the Brereton farms and buildings for sale to the tenant farmers - thus 

continued the sub-division of the Brereton estate of Lord Brereton. 

MRS. M. E. FLETCHER 41 (? - 1999) 

The next owner of Brereton Hall was Mrs. M. E. Fletcher. With the assistance of her daughter and Principal 

Mary Creigh and son-in-law Derek Creigh, Brereton Hall became a private girl’s school and attracted students 

from many parts of Europe. 

In 1989, when Arthur Moir's book, The Story of Brereton Hall, Cheshire, was being reprinted Arthur asked Mrs. 

M. E. Fletcher, if she would, be good enough to write something about her school by way of a Foreword. She 

responded with the following: 

40 Mrs. Moir and Mrs. Howard had been friends since they were young girls and Esther Ann Mallabar Yate (who became Esther Moir) 

frequently travel from home, Overton House, Congleton, to Brereton Hall 

41 The author has attempted to identify the date when Mrs. Fletcher purchased the property and to date has only found a reference to a 50 

year history as a girl’s school – the school closed in 1994. 



The School which has been here since 1939 continues to flourish, I often reflect on the coincidence that this one-time 

stately home, for hundreds of years a symbol of privilege, still makes its contribution so that hundreds of girls over the 

years can obtain a private education in graceful surroundings - can be taught to uphold the traditions of a gentle way of 

life, can be taught to distinguish between the worthwhile things in life and the empty glitter. We hope that when the girls 

leave here they have come to appreciate some aspects of a bygone age and take with them, perhaps, a new-found interest in 

historic building and history in general. 

The school continued until 1993 when it becomes exceedingly difficult to operate a boarding school for girls, in 

a Grade I building – which was in need of upgrading. The school closed in late 1993 or 1994. 

When Mrs. Fletcher died in 1994, Mary and Derrick Creigh sold their private residence (located on the 

property) and moved into the Hall. After significant restoration and redecorating they opened the refurbished 

Hall for overnight guests, weddings, parties and even carol singing, at Christmas. 

2000 

The Hall was purchased in 2000. The property was sub-divided and the Hall and the Coach House listed for 

sale as separate parcels in 2001 and 2002. The Gate House had also been sold. 



ST. OSWALD’S PARISH CHURCH 42 

According to the booklet, St. Oswald Brereton, Welcomes the Breretons on Their Visit 2001 43 , nothing remains of an 

earlier church 44 (perhaps a chapel) which was built, within the parish of Astbury, about the time of King 

Richard I (1189-99). 

Photos by author 

Initially, St. Oswald's was a donative chapel, a chapel of ease to Astbury, and a domestic chapel to the Brereton 

family; however, during the reign of Henry VIII, the king made it a parochial church. This change meant that 

the Advowson of the rectory became attached to the manor (Brereton Hall) and the Breretons could now 

appoint their own rectors 45 to the chapel and burials would be permitted in the chancel. 

Today, we see a beautiful small family church, built of coarse East Cheshire sandstone; with large stone blocks 

of various colours. It is situated adjacent to Brereton Hall within a wonderful treed property. As you access 

the main door of the church, the path leads through the ancient cemetery. 

It is said that a Brereton setting out on a Crusade vowed that if he returned in safety he would build a Church 

to the glory of God. He returned and kept his vow, building St. Oswald’s Church at Brereton. There is no proof 

of this story, but it appears a reasonable tale given the following list of Rectors: 

42 Much of the details regarding the structure and history of the church has been taken from Arthur Moir’s history and information 

sheets available at the Church 

43 Prepared by the Parish of St. Oswald, Brereton and presented to the reunion attendees 

44 According to the information in the booklet it was likely a timber frame structure 

45 As a donative chapel/church it was at the pleasure of the Venables. 



Gilbert de Brereton 1297 (identified as Albert de Brereton in the Parish book) 

Randle de Brereton 46 1313 

Mathew de Brereton 1330 

Harno de Brereton 1344 

Thomas de Brereton 1433 

Robert Brereton 1459 

The current building 47 can only be dated by its style, late Perpendicular 48 , which belongs to the last period of 

significant Gothic architecture in Cheshire. However, it is also suggested that construction took place in two 

stages, initially pre 1500 with an addition past 1500. According to the St. Oswald Church booklet, the two stages 

of building may be seen in the uncoordinated interior. Stand beside the pulpit and look up: the cancel roof is longer than 

the floor by about four feet. The clumsy connection between nave and chancel is emphasized by the absence of a chancel 

arch; instead, a massive carved beam supports the roof, and, on the outside a half-timbered gable end. Outside parapets to 

the name are plain; those to the chancel are crenellated 

46 Randle (or Ralph) de Brereton and Mathew de Brereton, probably younger siblings of the Brereton heir, both entered The Church. 

During the time of primogeniture when the eldest son typically inherited most of the titles, property and wealth, younger sons chose 

the church or a military career. 

47 An unusually complete late Perpendicular church, comments the Department of Environment report of 1967. 

48 The Perpendicular Gothic period (or simply Perpendicular) is the third historical division of English Gothic architecture is so-called 

because it is characterized by an emphasis on vertical lines; it is also known as International Gothic, rectilinear style, or Late Gothic. 



Window in the Chancel 

A roundel of the Brereton crest, the muzzled bear's head (shown below) can be found in one of the windows. 



Exterior photo showing a roundel with muzzled team, by author in 1993 

Interior photo of muzzled bear - from St. Oswald’s website 

BRERETON MONUMENT 

Sir William Brereton, who became 1st Lord Brereton, was responsible for the magnificent Brereton Monument (1618) 

on the north wall of the sanctuary. It consists of elaborate carvings surrounding a tablet which records, in 

Latin, the exhumation of the remains of Sir William Brereton’s ancestors from Astbury churchyard and their reinternment 

in the chancel of Brereton. 



The above can be translated as follows: 

Latin inscription: 

Antiquis temporibus quando haec 

ecclesia de Brereton fuit capella 

donativa intra parochiam de 

Asburie, antecessores Gulielmi 

Brereton militis, baronis de Malpas 

et hujus monumenti fundatoris 

anno Domini 1618 sepulti erant in 

coemeterio de Asburie, ubi antiqua 

quorundam eorum monumenta 

adhuc extant Anglice no'i'ta 

Knightes burialls, sed portquam 

dicta capella ecclesia parochialis 

facta fuit, antecessores dicti 

Gulielmi Brereton militis, hujus 

ecclesia de Brereton patroni, in 

hac cancella sepulti fuerunt, proeter 

eos qui in externis regnis 

et comitatibus moriebantur. 

In ancient times when this Church of Brereton was a donative chapel (i.e. presented by a patron without reference to the 

bishop) within the parish of Astbury, the ancestors of William Brereton, knight, Baron of Malpas, who erected this 

monument in 1618 AD, had been buried in the Churchyard of Astbury, where ancient monuments of some of them still 

remain at this date, marked in English with the words Knightes burialls. But after the said chapel was made a parochial 

Church, the ancestors of the said William Brereton, knight, patron of this Chapel of Brereton, were buried in this chancel, 

except those who died in kingdoms and countries abroad. 

In his book, The Story of Brereton Hall, Arthur Moir 49 writes: There is a magnificent Brereton Monument (1618) on 

the north wall of the sanctuary. The flambuoyant carvings surround a table which records, in Latin, the exhumation of 

49 Arthur L. Moir, Prebendary of Hereford Cathedral (Dedicated to the Staff and Scholars of Brereton Hall School) The Story of Brereton 

Hall, Cheshire (Reproduced by Johnsons of Nantwich Ltd., 1989) 



the remains of Sir William Brereton's ancestors from Astbury churchyard and their re-interment in the chancel of 

Brereton church. The Brereton arms, with twelve quarterings, is particularly fine 50 . The family crest (the muzzled bear) 

is featured several times in the surround, as is the Brereton shield (two horizontal black bars.) Above the monument are 

certain pieces of funerary armour from the Brereton family: a helmet (surmounted by a black muzzled bear's head), a pair 

of gauntlets, one spur and a decorative band. 

He also commented on the remains of a suit of armour, with helmet, gauntlets and spurs and stating that: I 

dimly remember that tattered silk hanging from the wall in the chancel in Brereton Church, but it has since disappeared. 

My father in his capacity as churchwarden of the church had the armour and gauntlets restored from their dilapidated 

condition and cleaned by experts in 1905. 

Today there remains a pair of gauntlet, a helmet, rowel (spiked revolving disc) spur and a decorative band. 

There is also a muzzled bear featured above and below the funerary armour. 

Arthur Moir’s describes Lord Brereton’s armour, as follows: The harness is suspended from the north wall of the 

chancel. The shirt of which the rings have been attached remains but they are dropping off. It is surmounted by a helmet 

bearing the family crest. Below these hang the gauntlets and spurs and above the whole a banner is waved, now 

representing only its bare shaft. 

Photos by author 

S 

50 The twelve minor shields – or quarterings are: Brereton; Lady Ada Huntington; Scot, Earl of Chester; Lupus (1 and 4) and Keviloc (2 

and 3); Belward; Keviloc; Lupus; Malpas; Egerton; Corbet; Orreby and Orreby. There are also found on the mantelpiece in Lord 

Brereton’s bedroom. 



SMETHWICKE MONUMENT 

The Smethwicke Monument can be found on the in the south aisle. Carved into the tablet are half-length 

effigies of William Smethwicke and his wife the former, Frances Colclough. Both figures have Jacobean ruffs, 

with hands clasped. A hood is thrown over the lady's head and a book placed on each side of her. 

Unfortunately, at some time the hands, were been broken off (according to the Parish booklet - presumably by 

puritan enthusiasts, who found pious gestures offensive). 

Under the male figure on a tablet of black marble is inscribed, Here lieth interred the body of William Smethwicke, 

of Smethwicke, who mindful of his death, erected this monument for himself and his wife, pious to God, pious in good 

works. 

William Smethwicke, born October 1st AD 1551 and Frances were married for 58 years, a remarkable 

achievement in the 1600’s. William died June 6th, 1643. 

Note: The Smethwicke and Brereton family were when Frances Brereton, daughter of Sir Ranulphus de 

Brereton married Thurston de Smethwicke. Ranulphus gave his daughter the land of Smethwicke, which 

formed a portion of the Brereton demesne, on her marriage. We can also find references to William Brereton of 

Smethwicke. 

Interior photo of St. Oswald’s Church. 51 

51 A special service was held in the church during the 2001 Brereton Reunion. The bells were also pealed for the attendees 



In the church there is a peal of five bells, with dates and inscriptions as follows: 

1. Treble. 1634 Jesus be our speed. 

2. 1634 God save this Church. 

3. 1634 Glory be to God. 

4. 1727 Prosperity to this Parish. (Re-cast 1905) 

5. Tenor 1738 Cast at the expense of Sir Lister Holte, Bart. 

An ancient bell, with inscription, ER 1597, was presented to the church in 1992 and is housed in a niche by the 

south door. Its history has been extensively researched: supposedly it was not part of a peal, but incorporated 

in a clock mechanism in Brereton church, then moved to Brereton Hall. 

Six massive silver pieces that are no longer used for liturgical purposes and are not kept on the church 

premises are also in possession of the Church: a tankard (1664); Chalice (1653) with Smethwick arms; Paten 52 

(1642 or 1664) with Brereton arms impaling another crest; Chalice (1722) with Brereton arms and two patens 

(1722) inscribed The Hon Mrs. Elizabeth Brereton. 

Note: 1722 was the year in which Francis, fifth Lord of Brereton died. 

52 A paten when referring to Ecclesiastical Terms is a plate (on which bread is place in the Eucharist) usually made of silver or gold 



Views of St. Oswald’s Church and Burial Ground – photos by author 



BEAR’S HEAD INN, CONGELTON 

The date carved in the timbered porch the building called The Bear's Head, Brereton Green, Sandbach is 1615. 

The following account can be found on the Cheshire Market Towns website: 

‘It has been described as being "as noble as many an old manor house". In the days of coach travel nearby Brereton was a 

thriving village of 700 inhabitants and this inn was a popular posting house on the London-Liverpool route. As coaching 

declined, the Bear's Head entered a quieter period and by the 1891 survey of Cheshire public houses it was recorded as a 

freehouse. It then had 4 bedrooms and "drinking accommodation for 12 persons", with 2 stables and 6 stalls. However, 

trade must have recovered by the turn of the century since in 1903 facilities were extended to accommodate 6 bedrooms, 4 

stables and 13 stalls.’ 

While at one time, the Bear’s Head Inn 53 , in Congelton would probably have been home to one of the Brereton 

estate families. However, as indicated previously over the centuries properties on the estate was gradually 

sold. As noted above, this home became the Bear’s Head Inn. 

At one time there was the head of a bear over the pub entrance, protected by a small canopy (see below). 

However, the author recently learned that the bear head was removed during a more recent renovation and is 

now at St. Oswald’s Church. 

1993 Photo of the Bear’s Head Inn by Bob and Faye Goodwin (note bear’s head in alcove above door) 

53 Located on Newcastle Road, Sandbach

A History of Brereton Hall - Brereton Family

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