Betley
| Betley | |
| Staffordshire | |
|---|---|
 St Margaret's Church | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SJ754485 |
| Location: | 53°2’0"N, 2°22’2"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 1,033 (2011[1]) |
| Post town: | Crewe |
| Postcode: | CW3 |
| Dialling code: | 01270 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Newcastle-under-Lyme |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Newcastle-under-Lyme |
Betley is a village and parish in Staffordshire, adjacent to the border with Cheshire. The village lies about halfway between Newcastle-under-Lyme and Nantwich. Betley forms a continual linear settlement with Wrinehill.
Transport
The A531 road passes through Betley as a non-primary route. It connects with the A525 road to the south and with the A500 road to the north.
Betley was once served by Betley Road railway station on the present West Coast Main Line a few miles south of Crewe, but the station was inconveniently located some distance west of the village where it saw little use; despite being generously provided with four platforms it closed in October 1945.
History
Betley - meaning the 'clearing in the woods' of Bette (a Saxon woman's name) - is an ancient settlement. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book. It is one of several villages - including Buddileigh, Audley, and Madeley - which seem to be named after women. It had a major market, the charter for which was granted in the thirteenth century. At Betley Hall, a now-demolished country house, Charles Darwin conducted some of his zoological observations and Florence Nightingale visited. At another country house in the village, Betley Court (which is still standing), lived the Romantic poet Eliza Tollet. The church, dedicated to St Margaret of Antioch, is a beautiful mediæval building (reasonably well-restored by George Gilbert Scott), with oak beams and a cricket ground to the rear.
References
Sources
- Betley: A Village of Contrasts, ed. Robert Speake (Keele University, 1980).
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Betley) |