page_title: Congleton
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Congleton / History
caption_attribution_description: Congleton- Bear Town, East Cheshire. Many textile mills were built here for silk and cotton, powered by the water of the River Dane, and later by steam. Old Mill (1753) was demolished around 2003. Here we see the twin pediments,the second added in 1830, also to the right is the Town Corn Mill. http://www.francisfrith.com/congleton/photos/old-mill-1902_48675
context_page_description: Congleton is a town and civil parish in Cheshire, England, on the River Dane, 21 miles south of Manchester and west of the Macclesfield Canal. At the 2011 Census, it had a population of 26,482.
context_section_description: The first settlements in the Congleton area were Neolithic. Stone Age and Bronze Age artefacts have been found in the town. Congleton was once thought to have been a Roman settlement, although there is no archaeological or documentary evidence to support this. Congleton became a market town after Vikings destroyed nearby Davenport.
  Godwin, Earl of Wessex held the town in the Saxon period. The town is mentioned in the Domesday Book, where it is listed as Cogeltone: Bigot de Loges. William the Conqueror granted the whole of Cheshire to his nephew the Earl of Chester who constructed several fortifications including the town's castle in 1208. In the 13th century, Congleton belonged to the de Lacy family. Henry de Lacy, 3rd Earl of Lincoln granted the town its first charter in 1272, enabling it to hold fairs and markets, elect a mayor and ale taster, have a merchant guild and behead known criminals.
  In 1451, the River Dane flooded, destroying a number of buildings, the town's mill and wooden bridge. The river was diverted, and the town was rebuilt on higher ground.
  Congleton became notorious in the 1620s when bear-baiting and cockfighting were popular sports. The town was unable to attract large crowds to its bear-baiting contests and lacked the money to pay for a new, more aggressive bear.  Legend tells that Congleton spent the money they were going to spend on a bible on a bear. This legend earned Congleton the nickname 'Beartown'. The chorus of 20th-century folk song "Congleton Bear", by folk artist John Tams, runs:
  Congleton Rare, Congleton Rare
  Sold the Bible to buy a bear.
  During the Civil War, former mayor and lawyer, John Bradshaw, became president of the court which sent Charles I to his execution in 1649. His signature as Attorney General was the first on the king's death warrant. A plaque on Bradshaw House in Lawton Street commemorates him. Almost opposite the town hall, the White Lion public house bears a blue plaque, placed by the Congleton Civic Society, which reads: "The White Lion, built 16–17th century. Said to have housed the attorney's office where John Bradshaw, regicide, served his articles."
  King Edward I granted permission to build a mill. Congleton became an important centre of textile production, especially leather gloves and lace. Congleton had an early silk throwing mill, the Old Mill built by John Clayton and Nathaniel Pattison in 1753. More mills followed, and cotton was also spun. The town's prosperity depended on tariffs imposed on imported silk. When tariffs were removed in the 1860s, the empty mills were converted to fustian cutting. A limited silk ribbon weaving industry survived into the 20th century, and woven labels were still produced in the 1990s. Many mills survive as industrial or residential units.
  The town hall was designed in the Gothic style by Edward William Godwin. It was completed in 1866.
caption: The Old Mill and the town corn mill photographed in 1902; the mill became unstable and Roldane Mill was built on the site in 1923. The mill was demolished in 2003, and sheltered housing is being built here.
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