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The origins of Bewsey Old Hall, in the Royal Forest of Burtonwood,
probably lie in the late twelth or early thirteenth century, when
it was held by the influential Butler family, barons of Warrington.
Although much altered and diminished, Bewsey Old Hall still stands,
beginning its existence as an aisled hall, surrounded by
out-buildings. It is not clear when the site was moated, but a
local watercourse was probably diverted at an early stage. Badly
damaged by fire in the fourteenth century, the hall was
substantially rebuilt, wholly or partially in stone. Parts of this
complex of medieval buildings survived into the sixteenth or
seventeenth century. Having been owned by the Butlers until 1586,
ownership passed briefly to the Earl of Leicester, but it was soon
sold on to the Ireland family, later passing to their successors,
the Athertons. In the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century,
a fashionable new brick house was built on the site, incorporating
or reusing elements of the medieval hall. It was much enhanced in
the seventeenth century by the creation of a formal terraced garden
furniture, although the terracing had been levelled by 1724.
Bewsey's remaining medieval structures were demolished during the
eighteenth century, when the hall was extended, and landscaping
works filled in parts of the moat and enlarged others as water
features. In 1863, a 'New Hall' was built, and Bewsey Old Hall was
left in the hands of tenants, until, in considerable disrepair, it
was acquired by Warrington Development Corporation in 1974. During
the late 1970s and until the mid-1980s, the site's development was
traced through examination of the building, extensive excavation,
and documentary research. This volume paints a vivid picture of
Bewsey's development, the trials and tribulations of its
inhabitants, and their relationship with the world around them.
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