The Norman Period 1066-1154
The beginning of Sandon All Saints.
The defeat of Harold at the Battle of Hastings marked the end of the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain. Until then, Sandon had formed part of the land of the Saxon Earl of Mercia. Following the Norman conquest, King William gave most of the land to his followers. He made his nephew, Hugh Lupus, the 1st Earl of Chester. Hugh Lupus subsequently created several feudal baronies, two of which are entwined with the history of Sandon, William de Malbanc, 1st Baron of Wich Malbanc, now named Nantwich, and Hugh de Vernon, 1st Baron of Shipbrook, Cheshire.
Hugh de Malbanc, founded the Norman church at Sandon, and is traditionally credited with building a nave for the church around 1100.
A number of Saxon crosses and other artefacts have been found in the areas of the church ground s, suggesting that the Norman church was built on the foundations of the earlier Saxon church.
Certainly, we know that Hugh founded the Cistercian Abbey of Combermere in Cheshire in 1130, together with three churches, namely St Mary’s Acton, All Saints Sandon and St Peter’s Alstonefield, and gifted with it " one plough-land in Sandon and The Church and common pastures with all my cattle in the Forest of Sandon."
The first Ecclesiastical valuation of the Abbey c.1291 noted rent payable from
“The Archdeaconry of Stafford, the appropriate Church of Sandon £8.00. Rents Sandon there in ordinary years £4.13.4.”
The gift of the church to the abbey is written into the original deed of foundation of the Abbey in 1130 and witnessed by Roger de Clinton Bishop of Coventry, Ranulph de Gerons (the 2nd), 4th Earl of Chester and William de Malbank, 3rd Baron Malbank, son of Hugh and this was later confirmed by Hugh’s son William de Malbanc. A 17th century copy of the original charter was found in Sandon Hall.
These records provide evidence that there was a well-established church in Sandon by 1130, possibly with one or more dependant chapels, serving the adjacent Anglo-Saxon settlement and explains why a now remote, isolated church, exists in this location.
Patronage by Combermere Abbey.
There are two settlements for Sandon listed in the Domesday Book of 1086, a great survey of England and parts of Wales ordered by the king. Great Sandon, in the area of the church, was noted as being the largest with a population of 26 households, while Little Sandon was far smaller with just 6 households.
As the first Lords of the Manor of Sandon, the Malbanc family have left quite a legacy behind them. William de Malbanc,1st Baron of Wich Malbank, founded the Hospital of St Nicholas in Nantwich in c.1100. Hospital Street in Nantwich is a prominent shopping area today.
Bishop Peche, Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield from 1161 – 82, licensed the monks to minister to the churches. There would likely have been a dwelling available near the church for their use. Later maps show a building, complete with well, in the north-east quadrant beside the churchyard, beside the bend in the lane. Subsequently the Bishop licensed the churches of Sandon, Alstonefield and Acton together with their chapels, probably in the early 1180’s, after the initial endowment to establish the house, had ceased.
Combermere Abbey was the Patron of All Saints, Sandon up until the Reformation in 1536. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII, future owners of the Sandon Estate became patrons of the church.
Things to see in the church.
Today, the Lady Chapel stands on the site of the original Norman church, but suggestions of the original building remain.
A recess inside the southwest corner marks the ancient entrance, and a stone, built into the tower, is marked with Norman zig zag work. The west window of the tower seems to have a rounded head. If you look closely, you can find a weather-beaten smiling head above the middle pillar of the Lady Chapel that is possibly a remnant of the ancient building.
Historical connections.
Great Sandon no longer exists, but the remnants of a medieval village, structures and pottery have been excavated to the east of the church. A church would have been built to serve the community.
The Domesday Survey also mentions Robert de Baskerville (tenant of Earl Roger of Shrewsbury). Robert held lands and property at Aston by Stone and Yarlet. All Saints was at one time joined with Aston-by-Stone in a parish, and even in Norman times there was a close association.
The Baskervilles lived at Baskerville Hall, near the village of Clyro, on the edge of the Brecon Beacons. They came to England with William the Conqueror. There is a hostelry in the village called ‘The Baskerville Arms’. A certain Arthur Conan Doyle was a great friend of the Baskerville family and his book ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ was named after them.
