The story of Dutton Hall which Oliver Cromwell had repaired during the Civil War

If you take a stroll along the canal from Acton, you will eventually come to a canal bridge with a steep path down to the River Weaver opposite.

If you cross the bridge here, you will come to the gated community that was once Dutton Hall.

It can also be reached from the A533 Northwich Road, a few miles from Bartington. The village sign for Dutton can be found a bit further on.

Once, this was the location of the historically significant Dutton Hall. The signpost leading to this community is seen in the photo, although a gate bars access.

Here our story starts as once there stood Dutton Hall, a moated black-and-white timbered mansion dating from the 10th century and overlooking the River Weaver and later the Trent and Mersey canal.

The original hall was built around 1150 by Sir Geoffrey de Dutton.

In the tumultuous 16th century, Sir Piers Dutton kept 50 servants and rebuilt Dutton Hall in 1539. Sir Piers Dutton's great hall was 42ft long, 21ft wide, and 25ft high.

There was a large minstrel's gallery, and here the fiddlers, violers (a stringed instrument of the violin family, albeit larger), and pipers played for the dancing and feasting that went on constantly in this hospitable house.

Sir Piers was Sheriff of Cheshire and Mayor of Chester and was knighted by Henry VIII. He was also one of Henry VIII's commissioners for the dissolution of the monasteries. His brother was Governor of Barbados.

During the English Civil War, much damage was caused to the structure by Cromwell's Roundheads, after which Cromwell himself ordered it to be rebuilt or repaired.

One of the Duke of Hamilton's titles is Baron Dutton. Sir Peter Leycester, the Cheshire antiquary, who was himself related by marriage to the Duttons and whose book 'Historical Antiquities' dated 1673 (that I have an original copy of), provides full details of the Dutton family and Dutton Hall.

Over the years, Dutton Hall passed through several hands. In 1827 William Okell was a resident; in 1845, James Goodier; in 1863, John Taylor; in 1890, John Campkin, who served time in Kirkdale prison for bankruptcy.

The window in the Leigh Arms pub

However, his wedding received much public interest in 1915 due to his popularity in the district.

The Leigh Arms public house is just down the river, another building enjoying much local history.

If you check out the small room on the left, you will find some fascinating cut window glass with interesting images.

One of these images is of Dutton Hall, as it was originally.

A photo of this glass can be seen above. Next week we have the second instalment of this rather interesting story when Dutton Hall makes national news.