Madeley: Time Line 
History & Dates.

By Chris Machin

Heighley Castle was the seat of the Lord Audley’s. It was begun by Henry de Audley in 1233. His descendant was the Lord Audley who was killed at the Battle of Blore Heath in 1459 during The Wars of the Roses. In 1644, a Parliamentary Committee in Stafford ordered its destruction to prevent it being garrisoned by Royalists (another version is that it was destroyed by the Royalist Audley family to prevent it falling into Parliamentary Roundhead hands!). It is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument. It is on private land now owned by Lord O’Neill. Before the Second World War, local boy scouts and girl guides held a picnic on the summit on Good Friday.

Three John Offley’s followed Henry Offley, who died in 1613:

Sir John Offley (c1584-1647). In his will, he left endowments that two schoolhouses should be built in Madeley, one for boys and one for girls, and that ten almshouses should be built. The Sir John Offley Primary School was rebuilt in 1875 and 1887 and is a listed building. As is The Offley Almshouses and boundary wall (the Almshouses were extended in 1889 and restored in 1968 and 1987, when modernisation reduced them to eight). He married, Mary, daughter of Thomas Broughton of Broughton Hall.

John Offley (c1617-1658). A friend of Izaak Walton (1593-1683), who dedicated the first edition of his book, ‘The Compleat Angler’ to him. Walton is believed to have fished in Old Madeley Manor’s moat and at Madeley Pool. He was born in Stafford, the son of an inn-keeper. In 1621, he settled in London as an ironmonger and/or linen draper and was friends with John Donne. He retired in 1644. In 1626, he married the great grand niece of Cranmer, and in 1647, Ann Ken, half sister of Thomas Ken. He was said to spend most of his time in the company of the eminent clergymen of England. In 1653, he wrote ‘The Compleat Angler’, or ‘The Contemplative Mans Recreation’. In 1676, the 5th Edition was expanded from 13 to 21 chapters. He also wrote the lives of John Donne (1640), Sir Henry Wotton (1651), Richard Hooker (1665), Richard Herbert (1670) and George Sanderson (1678).

Offley was imprisoned in The Tower Of London from May 1650 to July 1652. He faced charges of supporting and aiding King Charles I (1600-1649) and the Royalist cause during The Civil War, but these were finally discharged.

John Offley (1658-1688) married Anne Crewe of Crewe Hall. The two estates merged and the Manor House at Madeley was eventually abandoned, fell into decay and ruins.

The Holborn area of Madeley was named by the Offley family after the area of London of the same name, where they owned land, and from which they received rental income.

1645 - John Cradock, a bailiff of Lord Gerrard, who lived near Audley, was killed when he and his horse fell into a coal pit in Leycett, returning from Newcastle Market.

1647 - The Old Hall, a listed building, has this date and the legend, ‘Wallk knave, what lookest at.’ The Old Hall was originally a farm house.

1651 - Michael Richards is Vicar of Madeley

1652 - Daniel Littler is Vicar of Madeley

1664 - William Lownes is Vicar of Madeley.

1680 - The iron furnace at Heighley closed around this time. Coke fired furnaces caused the closure of charcoal fired furnaces.

1686 - Robert Plot publishes his ‘Natural History Of Staffordshire’, which has a drawing of the first Madeley Manor House. (Copies of this book are in Newcastle Library Reference Section) Plot says that there was a forge in Madeley at this time, where William Chetwynd of Rugeley cast hollow garden rollers.

1690 - Charles Shaw is Vicar of Madeley

1702 - Thomas Jenkinson is Vicar of Madeley.

1716 - An agreement between John, Lord Crewe and Daniel Cotton established a furnace with an annual output of 400 tons. Present day Furnace Lane would possibly lead to this site. Cotton was to supply oak from Barthomley, Warmingham, Gawsworth, Sandbach, North Rode, Boseley, Madeley, Mucclestone and Muxton, and limestone from Madeley.

1722 - Hugh Wishaw is Vicar of Madeley

1731 - John Mottershead is Vicar of Madeley

1746 - Thomas Barlow is Vicar of Madeley. He died on January 19th 1779, and his wife Mary died on May 12th 1761. He made gifts to the church of a crimson velvet pulpit cloth, a communion cloth, a silver tankard and salvers.

1749 - By this date, Madeley Old Manor was in ruins.

1769 - The date on The Wheatsheaf Inn at Onneley.

1779 - James Greville is Vicar of Madeley

Some time in the late 18th and early 19th Century, the road through Bar Hill was cut. Before this, the road wound towards Moor Hall Farm, then over the ridge and out through Bar Hill Farm.

The Offley Arms is a late 18th Century building. There was a toll house opposite at one time. Rumour has it that the first person to get drunk there was given the title, ‘Mayor of Madeley’ for the day.

Another toll bar was at the bottom of Toll Bar Hill. This name has now been shortened to the current name of Bar Hill.

Records show that tile making was well established in Madeley Heath by the end of the 18th Century.