St Mary’s Church in Acton, near Nantwich, have organised ‘Holly Holy Day’ events on Saturday January 21, on the day of The Sealed Knot Battle of Nantwich re-enactment.
The church will be open from 9am until 11.30am serving hot drinks and buttered toast.
At 10am local historian Mike Lea (pictured) will give a talk: ‘The Civil War explained’ inside the church.
At 11am a guided walk will head off to view the battlefields without treading through the muddy fields!
Please come and enjoy any or all of these events (donations are gratefully received).
The Sealed Knot plan to send some of their soldiers up to the church as well.
The ‘Battle of Nantwich’ occurred during the first English Civil War (1642-1646) and was fought between the Parliamentarians (Roundheads) and the Royalists (Cavaliers) who were loyal to Charles I.
At the end of 1643, the Royalist Army had secured much of the North West and Cheshire with the exception of Nantwich where, surrounded by Royalists, the Parliamentarian garrison held out under siege.
Namptwiche, as it was then called, was Cheshire’s second major town and very important due to its strategic position on the road to Chester.
A Parliamentarian force under the command of Sir Thomas Fairfax (1612-71) advanced from Lincolnshire to relieve the town.
This army engaged the Royalists in the Henhull area to the west and defeated them in the Battle of Namptwiche.
As Fairfax’s forces marched on Acton, Col Richard Gibson deployed four Royalist regiments of infantry to meet them.
The Royalists fell back to Acton Church where Col Gibson surrendered to Fairfax.
Many of the Officers took refuge in Acton Church and were also taken prisoner after surrendering.
The battle took place on 25th January 1644 and it was a Parliamentarian victory. To celebrate the Parliamentarian victory people wore sprigs of holly in their hair and hats.
A representative from St Mary’s Church, Acton said: “Mike Lea has a unique and engaging style; he does a wonderful job explaining the civil war – and why the Battle of Nantwich was so significant.”
Future events at St Mary’s Church, Acton:-‘Tea at the Tower’ community café – run by church volunteers and takes place EVERY Sunday afternoon (2:30-4:30pm) throughout the year. Hot drinks and cakes are available. Donations are gratefully received.-‘Tea at the Tower’ guided monthly walks. The walks are at a relaxed pace and the route will mainly involve canal towpath and lane walking and only a small number of stiles will be negotiated. Stout outdoor shoes or walking shoes/boots are recommended. Ample car parking is available in the Acton village car park. All are welcome, including dogs on leads. Donations are gratefully received. All walks start from St Mary’s Church, Acton at 1pm (please meet for 12.45pm at the Church), and for those who wish to indulge in cake and a drink, walkers will be back in time to visit the Acton Church ‘Tea at the Tower’ community café. The future dates for the walks are this Sunday 8th January 2023, Sunday 5th February, Sunday 5th March, Sunday 2nd April, Sunday 14th May, Sunday 4th June, Sunday 2nd July, August (no walk), and Sunday 3rd September.
All the events raise valuable funds for St Mary’s Church, Acton, a Grade 1 listed building.
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