Geographical insights into Cholmondeley.

Cholmondeley has been a village for some 900

years, and has been inhabited for over a thousand years. The name ‘Cholmondeley’ is derived
from the Anglo-Saxon ‘Colmere’ which comes from the ‘colon’s meadow’. There are two
possible theories to explain this – one is that the village of ‘Colmere’ was the area around the
castle that was occupied by the colon who kept the livestock here, the other theory is that it is
derived from the ‘colum’s land’ meaning ‘The area of the cow’. The manor of ‘Colmere’ was
held in the 13th century by Henry de St. Briavel, the same Henry who had been granted the
manor of Cholmondeley during his tenure as Constable of Chester. Henry de St. Briavel sold
his part of ‘Colmere’ to Gilbert Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury in the 14th century. Gilbert
Talbot became the Warden of the Honour of Cholmondeley and was granted the lordship of
the manor in 1342. The Talbot family had been at the forefront of the conquest of North
Wales and the area of Cholmondeley was the only land in Cheshire which was not taken by
force during the Welsh campaigns in the late 12th century. Cholmondeley Manor, or
Cholmondeley Court as it is more commonly known is still the main part of the Talbot estate
and the family still own this part of the land as a whole. The Talbot family is amongst the
longest lived family in Cheshire with the most recent being the 9th Earl of Shrewsbury, Lord
Lieutenant of Cheshire. The manor house at Cholmondeley is believed to be Norman in
origin, and is a rare surviving example of an early timber house. It was built by William de
Colmere, the grandson of Henry de St. Briavel, to replace a house which existed in the same
location but had been burnt down. The original ‘Colmere’ was not only occupied by Henry’s
descendants but it also served as a base from which troops and people would be sent to war in
Wales. Although it is a large and impressive building it was not built as a manor house, the
house was built as a private residence. Many times when people come into Cholmondeley
they are given the impression that the house is a manor house. The ‘Colmere’ is only used as
a private residence and not used as a manor house. It is actually a good example of the Tudor
style of architecture. The ‘Colmere’ still has many of the features of the Norman times such
as the arches and the fireplace in the kitchen, it is a good example of the Tudor architecture
style that was brought in during the late 15th century. Cholmondeley is also known for being
the home of the Gaunt family. The first Earl of Tankerville was born in Cholmondeley in the
13th century. He received his title from the King in 1177 when he became the Earl of Kent.
He then took his title from his second marriage with Isabel de Gaunt, who was born in
Cholmondeley in 1176. Earl Gaunt was the son of Thomas de Gaunt, and Isabel was the
sister of King Richard I. Earl Gaunt was also uncle to King Henry III.