Abridged from White’s Directory of Staffordshire.

Betley is one of the smallest and pleasantest market towns in the county, consisting of one wide street, on the Nantwich Road, 7½ miles, west north west of Newcastle-under-Lyme, near the confines of Cheshire; the boundary line between the two counties extending here through the middle of a fine lake of 80 acres, called Betley Mere, abounding in pike, perch and other fish. The appearance of the houses is uncommonly neat, and the town is greatly ornamented by two very handsome seats, Beltey Hall and Betley Court, the former of which is the residence and property of George Tollet esq and the latter of Miss Fletcher.

The parish contains about 1200 acres of land and 870 inhabitants. Mr Tollet is lord of the manor and the other principal proprietors are Sir T. F. F. Boughey, who has a large estate here, and the Earl of Wilton, who owns Betley Mere.

The market on a Friday has long been of such trivial consequence, that it may be said to be obsolete, but a large cattle fair is held here on July 31, and another is about to be established, to be held yearly in May. The parish wake is on the first Sunday after October 6.

The church, though inferior to many in the neighbourhood, deserves notice, as affording the earliest attempt at Gothic architecture in this kingdom.

The Methodists have a small chapel in town; and the parishioners have the benefit of an endowed school.

A yearly rent charge of £4 4s for apprenticing poor children of Betley is paid out of land called Rushy Heys, being purchased for that purpose with £75, left in 1674 by William Palmer. The poor parishioners have the following yearly doles, viz 10s as the interest of £10 left by Joseph Cope in 1692; 40s for bread, 30s for clothing, and 40s for schooling, left by Marmaduke Jolly; 10s for bread left by Richard Gorton; and 4s for bread left by William Abnet.

The school was rebuilt partly by subscription, in 1826, and has four acres of land. It is now conducted on Dr Bell’s system, and in it is kept a parochial library of 200 volumes.

Here is also opened, once a month, a branch of the Pirehill Savings Bank, which has its principal establishment at Stone.

Source

William White, History, Gazetteer and Directory of Staffordshire (Sheffield: 1834), 616–17