Peover Superior known as Over Peover, is just six miles from Northwich and three from Knutsford.
It is a small but spread-out village that boasts a history of interest locally and in the USA.
Peover Hall, originally built of timber in the 12th century, was built in the centre of the village and rebuilt as an Elizabethan Manor House by Sir Randle Mainwaring in 1585.
In 1743 the hall was still in the Mainwaring family, and in that year, James Mainwaring of Beeston Hall in Staffordshire was married to Miss Francis Mainwaring, a close relative of Sir Henry Mainwaring of Peover Hall.
She was described as a lady with great merit and a fortune of £10,000. The house grounds and stables are beautifully presented.
The magnificent stables were a gift from Ellen Mainwaring to her son Thomas who later became a baronet in 1660.
These splendidly allowed the family horses and coaches to reside among carved Tuscan columns and an elegant plaster ceiling.
The adjoining church of St Lawrence has monuments to Ellen and her husband, Philip Mainwaring. The church was built in the reign of King Edward III around 1350 in timber.
William Turner built the tower around 1739 in brick and the nave and chancel in 1811. The church is Grade I listed. The North chapel was created by the above-named Ellen, the widow of Philip Mainwaring.
During WWII, General Patton and his staff and troops will have worshipped there.
A little story featuring the hall in 1873 when Sir Harry Mainwaring was the incumbent.
The game on his estate was rented to Mr J T Emmes, who employed two gamekeepers by the name of Henry Barnard and his son, Arthur.
At about 3am on Friday, January 31, they heard gunfire and went out to investigate.
Three men were discovered by the names of Christopher Gibbons, John Hayes, and Henry Tickle; two were armed with firearms.
In the course of the meeting, Christopher Gibbons ran off, pursued by Arthur. A gunshot was heard and twenty minutes later, Arthur returned carrying Gibbon’s rifle.
He told his father he had stopped him, and Gibbon’s shot him in the thigh. He said he was walking backwards away from Gibbons, who was pointing the gun at his chest.
As the gun went off, he jumped up to get out of the way, and the shot hit him in the thigh. A fight lasting 15 minutes ensued.
After inflicting some injuries on Gibbons and taking his gun from him, he returned to his father and told him what had happened.
All three offenders were arrested the next day and taken to Knutsford Gaol. At 2pm on Monday, February 13, Arthur Barnard unexpectedly died of injuries initially thought not to be life-threatening.
Gibbons was charged with murder and said the gun had been fired accidentally. The only evidence is what Arthur told his father.
The learned lawyers pointed out to the judge at Chester that this evidence was inadmissible as Arthur was unaware that he would die; therefore, it was not a dying declaration.
The charge of murder was dropped due to lack of evidence, and all three were charged with poaching. The judge sentenced all three to five years in prison.
In 1875 Sir Harry Mainwaring of the hall died, leaving £13.000 to his wife, Dame Emma Mainwaring.
In 1906 the hall was occupied by Sir Philip Tatton Mainwaring, each year, it was the practice of Sir Philip and his wife to winter in Biarritz, but in this year, he died whilst there.
Then in 1919, Peover Hall was acquired by Mr J G Peel of nearby Colshaw Hall in Over Peover, a much smaller hall built by the firm of (John) Douglas and Minshull in 1903; it was also used as a wartime hospital.
In June 1919, the contents of Peover Hall were offered for sale by public auction under the direction of Mr Peel.
Colshaw and Peover Halls are now wedding venues and open to the public on set days. Full details are on the websites of both halls.
In 1939, the Brookes family purchased the estate, but WWII was about to start, and the house was requisitioned as the headquarters of US General George Patton.
The plans and training for the D-Day Landings took place, and Patton's Fourth Army troops were based in the hall and tents on the land.
One of his brave soldiers managed to cause a fire in the ancient hall resulting in significant damage, adding to the damage caused by the resident troops. After the war, the Brooke family had to repair it.
The house and grounds were also used as a prisoner of war camp. After the war, Peover Hall was opened as a civilian resettlement centre for ex-prisoners of war.
The aim was to deal with soldiers who had been so long in captivity that for them, life had stood still, rendering them entirely out of touch with conditions at home.
A small, fully equipped hospital with staff was provided for the men on the course.
More up to date, the hall has featured in television programmes such as Peaky Blinders.
Next week we will stay in Peover to look at The Bells of Peover pub in Lower Peover.
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