The township of Arclid, near Sandbach, is described briefly in Wikipedia. It is currently the location of transport company Arclid Transport, which shot to notoriety in March 2010 when one of their lorries pushed a car sideways at speed on the A1(M).
In more ancient times it was the home of the Furnivall and Twemlow families, described in The Furnivalls of Sandbach. The ancient history of Arclid is described in the following extracts.
Ormerod's The history of the county palatine and city of Chester: compiled from original evidences... (Vol 3, published in 1819) says:
The following account of this place, as far as it is marked with inverted commas, is transcribed from the Villare Cestriense of Dr. Williamson: and has been collated with a collection of deeds relating to this place. Harl. MSS. 2077. 239.
Part of this town was in Edward the First's time, the Bernards': for in that king's reign, I find that William, son of Richard Bernard, gave to Alexander, son of Alexander de Bunbury, his whole land in Arclyd, and constituted William de Spurstow, to make livery and seizin thereof.And it gave name to a family (for Randle, son of Ralph de Arclyd, gave to the same Alexander an assart in the same king's time) who were immediate lords or half lords of this place, under the barons of Kinderton, from whom this manor was held, 8 Ric. II. by the 32d part of a knight's fee, by Thomas de Hassal, and others, who, I suppose, had married the daughters and coheirs of Randle and Thomas de Arclyd.
This Thomas Hassal and Ellen his wife (but whether daughter and coheiress to Randle or Thomas Arclyd I know not) 47 Edw. III. past a fine of three messuages, sixty acres of land, &c. &c. and a penny rent here, with the homage and service of Richard del Croft; and 6 Hen. V. I find that Tho. de Withinshaw came into court at Kinderton, and did his fealty to the king as earl of Chester, and acknowledged to hold of the king as of the right of Hugh Venables of Kinderton, then in ward to the king, the fourth part of the manor of Arclyd, cum p'tin' in cap. by knight's service; which Tho. Hassal held in right of his wife, daughter of Tho. de Arclyd, &c.; and 2 Hen. VI. I find Tho. de Withinshaw died seized of three messuages here, held of the baron of Kinderton, &c.
14 Hen. VII. I find Piers Clotton seized thereof, whose daughter and heir Jane, by Edward Beresford, had Elizabeth, daughter and coheir, married Roger, son of Robert and Margery Mainwaring of Slepe, in Shropshire, from whom is descended Peter Mainwaring of Arclyd.
Robert Mainwaring here mentioned was third son of Randle Mainwaring of Carincham, and married Margery, daughter and heiress of Richard Norton of Slepe in Shropshire. The pedigree of this family is brought down to the year 1652 in Harl. MSS. 2077, when this estate appears to have been possessed by the grandfather of Peter Mainwaring mentioned by Williamson, which Peter sold the same about 1670. At the commencement of the last century it passed by purchase to the family of Moreton of Little Moreton, from whom it has descended with the other estates of that family to the Rev. W. M. Moreton, the present proprietor.
The mesne manor noticed by Dr. Williamson is disused. The superior royalty passed with Kinderton to the Vernons, and was sold by lord Vernon to the late Mr. Ralph Leeke of Middlewich. From his representatives it has been recently purchased by Thomas Lowe of Brereton, yeoman.
Arclyd Hall, the property of Mr. Moreton, is now merely a farm house, but unquestionably occupies the site of the antient mansion of the Mainwarings and Arclyds, It stands above a small defile, near the commencement of a romantic valley, watered by one of the principal feeders of the Wheelock, which a little lower down receives an accession from a natural pool called Taxmere. The British name of the stream is still preserved in the last syllable of Arclyd.
Another estate in Arclyd belonging to the Twemlows was originally purchased by Wm. Lingard, 9 Jac. I.
On the marriage of Geo. Twemlow (in 1662) with Mary Lingard (grandaughter and sole heiress of the purchaser) it was settled, and entailed on their issue, and has been made the subject of family settlements ever since. The house formerly inhabited by the family was an antient half-timbered one, situated near the brook which runs through the township, and was called the Brook-house. It was burnt down many years ago, and a new farm-house afterwards erected on a different site, which has been occupied by tenants. This estate is now the property of Mr. Twemlow of Liverpool, representative of the eldest branch of the family.
The history of the ancient parish of Sandbach, Co. Chester by John Parsons Earwaker, 1890, says this about Arclid:
Of the past history of this Township very little is now known, There are a few deeds relating to in preserved in Harl MS 2077 f. 239, of which I have copies, but they do not throw much light on its early possessors. The following account of the descent of the manor is based on that given by Dr Williamson in his MS Villare Cestriense in the British Museum. In the reign of Edward I, [1272-1307] William, the son of Richard Bernard, gave to Alexander, son of Alexander de Bunbury, all his land in Arclyd, and appointed William de Spurstow, attorney, to deliver seisin thereof. A family, which bore the local name, are occasionally met with, of whom Randle, son of Ralph de Arclyd, Alexander his son, and John de Arclyd, the latter living 33 Edward I [1305] are instances. Thomas de Arclyd, who held lands here under the Baron of Kinderton (but how obtained is uncertain), had a daughter and heiress, Ellen, who married Thomas Hassall, and they were both living in the 47th Edward III [1373], when a fine was levied to which they were parties. In the 6th Henry V [1418] Thomas de Withenshaw appeared in the court at Kinderton
and did his fealty to the King, as Earl of Chester, and acknowledged to hold of the King, as of the right of Hugh de Venables, of Kinderton, then in ward to the King, the fourth part of the manor of Arclyd, with its appurtenances in capite by knight's service.This Thomas de Withenshaw, as appears by his Inquisition post mortem, taken in January, 1424, had died in December, 1423, seised of 3 messuages and 80 acres of land in Arclyd, worth per annum 53s 4d, held of Hugh de Venables, of Kinderton, then a minor and a ward of the King, by knight's service. His grandson, John de Withenshaw (son and heir of Richard, his son and heir apparent deceased), was his next heir, and then 8 years of age.From the deeds in Harl MS. 2077, it appears that Piers Clotton, living in 1498, but dead in 1503, held lands in Arclyd, which descended to his only child, Jane Clotton. She, by her first husband, Edward Berisford (a younger son of Berisford of Bentley, co. Derby), who was dead before 1495, had two daughters, co-heirs, Elizabeth and Margaret Berisford, the former of whom married Roger Mainwaring, the marriage settlement being dated 29th Jan 1502-3. This Roger MAINWARING was the son and heir of Robert Mainwaring, of Slepe, co. Salop, the third son of the first Randle Mainwaring, of Kermincham, co. Chester, Esq. The descent of this family (as given in Harl MS 2077) is shown in the pedigree on page 109, brought down to George Mainwaring, of Arclid, gent., who was living in 1652. They were not resident in this parish, and most likely lived on their estate at Slepe. There are no entries relating to them in the Sandbach Registers till the year 1635, when between that year and 1642 the baptisms of four of the children of George Mainwaring occur. There are no wills relating to this family now at Chester, as far as I can ascertain, which is also strong evidence of their residence outside the county palatine. George Mainwaring appears to have sold his estate in Arclid before 1671 to John Furnivall, of Betchton. It shortly afterwards passed into the family of Moreton, of Little Moreton Hall, near Congleton, and is now held by Mrs. Moreton-Craigie, the widow of John Moreton-Craigie, Esq.
Arclid Hall is now a farm-house, but probably stands on the site of the ancient seat of the Arclyds and Mainwarings, being placed in a well-chosen situation in a valley near the river Wheelock. There is a nice old staircase in the Hall.
The following is the list of the freeholders in this township in 1671, taken from Harl. MS. 2010.
Arclid.— Roger Berrington, William Turner, George Twemlow, Robert, Lord Cholmondeley, Thomas Mainwaring, of Calveley, gent., and John Furnivall, of Betchton, late Geo. Mainwaring, of Arclid, gent.
The lands held in this township by the Mainwarings of Calveley, passed to them as shown in the pedigree of the Mainwarings of Arclid, from Maud Smethwick, the daughter and heir of Jane Clotton by her second husband Thomas Smethwick. It was probably only a small estate.
George Twemlow, above mentioned, acquired his lands in this township by his marriage with Mary Lingard, the grand-daughter and heiress of William Lingard, who had purchased them about the year 1612. This marriage took place on the 7th Aug. 1654 as thus entered in the Sandbach Register.
George Twemlowe ye sonne of John Twemlowe of Betchton yeoman and Mary Lingard of Arclid spinster were published three Market dayes that is to say the 20th day of July and the 27th of July and the 3rd day of August. And the said George Twemlowe and Mary Lingard were married the seventh day of August [1654].His direct descendant, Mr. Thomas Twemlow, of Liverpool, owned this estate in 1820, but it was sold by his son and heir, the late Rev. William Hamilton Twemlow in 1874, in small lots. A younger branch of this family, as shown in the pedigree on pages 110-111, is represented by Thomas Fletcher Twemlow, of Betley Court, co. Stafford, Esq. He is also the lord of the manor of Arclid, which, having passed with the lordship of Kinderton to the Vernons, was sold by Lord Vernon, early in this century, to Mr. Ralph Leeke, of Middlewich. From his representatives it passed, about 1817, to Thomas Lowe, of Brereton, yeoman, by whom it was sold to the Rev. W. H. Twemlow, and in 1874 was purchased by T. F. Twemlow, of Betley Court, Esq.
The ancient residence of the Twemlow family in Arclid is called the Brook House. It is a timber and plaster building, placed on the side of the little brook, which runs through the township.
At the time of the Sandbach Tithe Defence Fund (1828-1835) the chief landowners in this township were the Rev. M. Moreton, the Rev. W. H. Twemlow, Mr. John Twemlow, and Mr. J. M. Barrington.
Francis Twemlow's The Twemlows, their wives and their homes says:
Note on Arclyd Families
In 1671 there were six freeholders in Arclyd, viz:
Roger Berrington, William Turner, George Twemlow, Robert Lord Cholmondeley, Thomas Mainwaring of Calveley, gent., and John Furnivall of Betchton, late George Mainwaring of Arclyd gentlemen.Harl. M.S.S. 2010.As to these, R. Berrington may have been a cadet of the Bradwall family, and he may have been related to Ellen Berrington who married William Lingard in 1611. He was not a resident in Arclyd.
William Turner may have been descended from Katherine Turner, sister of William Lingard Rector of Warmincham. He may have been one of the family of that name who lived at the Lyn-house.
George Twemlow owned the
Brook,in right of Mary his wife.Lord Cholmondeley's property in Arclyd seems to have been bought by the second George Twemlow of Arclyd probably about 1740. (See George Twemlow's will.)
Thomas Mainwaring of Calveley owned
Leake's tenement,and sold it 28th December 1695, to Thomas Moore. Additional charters, British Museum, Nos. 37308 and 37309. The second deed is witnessed by John Twemlow, son of the first George Twemlow of Arclyd.George Mainwaring's estate was sold 4th April 1674, by Edward Mainwaring of Wrexham, to John Furnival for £1040. Additional charters, 37302.