Monument record 4549/3/0 - Backford Hall - Sixteenth Century House

The 1863 house (CHER 4549/1/0) is located on the site of the earlier 1565 hall built for the Birkenhead family (1 & 2).

Backford was a medieval manor, which was bought by the Birkenhead family c.1557-8. A reference is made to 'Le Old Hall of Backford' in a fine dating from 1571-2. Ormerod records that the Old Hall ‘was mostly taken down’, presumably during the construction of the eighteenth century house which occupies part of its site (3).

An L shaped pond (CHER 4549/0/5) depicted on the tithe map may be an associated moat (4 & 5).

<1> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 55390 (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

<2> de Figueiredo P & Treuherz J, 1988, Cheshire Country Houses, p.214-5 (Book). SCH785.

<3> Ormerod, G., 1882, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, vol.2 p.366 (Book). SCH1389.

<4> Various, Various, Oral communication to the HER, Edwards R 07/08/2012 (Oral Communication). SCH2330.

<5> See map for surveyor, c.1837-51, Cheshire Tithe Maps and Awards, EDT 31/1 & 2 (Maps and Plans). SCH3266.