First of all, let me start by saying this post is pure and utter conjecture! There are very few records even mentioning this subject, and those that do don't shed any light on the matter. A fellow member of Adlington Heritage Society first brought up the subject a month or two ago. She had noticed that Castle House Lane in lower Adlington, was named after a property called Castle House, that stood nearby until the late 1960s. Apart from people's memories of it as a farmhouse in its later life, we know very little about it. We have found it on an aerial map from around 1950.
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| An aerial view of Castle House from 1950 |
She looked at old maps and records, and found records from 1745 and 1766, referring to a property in Adlington as 'Castle House or Bailey Hillock.' Were these two castle-related names a coincidence? Did one get its name from the other? Or was there something in the area, with no (apparent) surviving records?
There was an Adlington family first found mentioned in the early thirteenth century, where they are found owning land in Adlington and the surrounding areas. Sir Adam de Adlington was mentioned in 1203. He would have been knighted by either Henry II, or his sons Richard the Lionheart or John, presumably for his bravery. He would have needed somewhere to live. Did he have, or build a castle here?
By 1469, there is a direct mention that the Manor of Adlington was given from Hugh de Adlington the elder, to his son Robert. We know of a black and white Tudor building, built during the time of Elizabeth I (1558 - 1603). Was this earlier manor a fortified manor, castle-like in appearance? Was it demolished and the stone used to build the new manor. Was part of it left standing until the 1960s, as an old farmhouse? Perhaps the castle stood on the site of where the newer Adlington Manor and Adlington Hall were built, and Castle House was a part of the estate?
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| An example of a fortified manor house, complete with moat. Link (Image by Richard Luschek (C) 2017 - www.richardluschek.com) |
By the 1700s when it is found in records, it is a part of the Allanson estate. The Allansons were a prominent Adlington family. Their abode, Allanson Hall is still standing, and was built in 1618. The Allanson family were in the village earlier than this - did they leave the old fashioned castle and build a newer residence? Or did the Allansons acquire the building when Adlington Hall and the land was sold in 1688?
This post has opened up a lot of questions, and hasn't really answered anything! It really is a work in progress, and something I will keep adding to over the months and years. If you have a different outlook on it, please get in touch.