THE PARISH CHURCH OF WEAVERIiAM AND ITS REGISTERS ,

By CHARLES E. BEBBINGTON

ORMEROD says, " There ii nothing at Weavcrham of interest except the Church."¹ While strongly disagreeing with him in thus curtly dismissing the subject of the village, I readily agree that the church is the most worthy object, and I will add, that if lie had been living now lie would have been able to add many pages of matter of considerable interest and he would liave been more accur ate in his description and assertions.

This additional matter has been made available through my own good fortune in finding a quantity of old documents, lost for nearly a ccntury, also an ancient Horn Book, and the discovery of various architectural features hidden away out of sight of casual visitors. 1 shall endeavour to place my story before you in simple terms and I shall assert nothing which I cannot vouch for cither by documentary evidence or by the " silent language of the stones." I shall be obliged, though, to touch here and there on matters secular and political, for a parish which for a thousand years was a Royal Manor and was the residence of one if not more of its Saxon rulers, and later on received its King and Queen in hospitality for three days, cannot possibly have lived in seclusion from national affairs.

Although the name Weaverham (the homestead on the Weaver) is of Saxon origin, there are certain indications of an occupation here by an earlier race. Two branches of the Watling Street pass through the churchyard, and only last year (1938) two Roman silver coins

¹ Geo. Ormerod, Hist, of the Co. Pa____of Chester (2nd ed. by Thos.

Helsby, 1882), ii, 113.