Wheelock to Church Lawton

 

This was sun rise this morning as we set off.

 

Well what ever had been stuck to the bottom of my boots has worn off as nearly every lock this morning was against us, and there were 20 of them. At one point a dark cloud loomed in behind us and I thought we were going to get dumped on, but it passed over us, but someone somewhere was going to cop it, especially as it passed over Mow Cop. We have moored above the top Church lock, at Church Lawton, in the picture below, a place we have stopped at a few times before.

After coffee we will be exploring the churchyard here, as this was probably the first churchyard we explored when we first started out. We may well discover new things since we have been into exploring churchyards since our last visit. You can learn a lot about local villages, people, etc. from their churchyards, and especially the people who used to live there in times past.

We have had a great walk after lunch. This is St. Mary’s church at Church Lawton.

 

We found this interesting gravestone in the churchyard.

It has the following inscription:-

IN
MEMORY
OF
HUGH LANYON OF TRURO,
IN THE COUNTY OF CORNWALL.
HE DIED AT LAWTON ON THE
15TH OF JUNE A.D.1846;
AGED 41 YEARS.

He was an Assistant Surveyor to the
Trent and Mersey Company.
As a record of his Zeal in the
discharge of his duties, the
Company have raised this Stone.

 

Some further investigation I think is necessary. Then we followed a foot path behind the church and came across Lawton Hall, ancestral home of the Lawton Family, some of whom are buried in the churchyard.

 

And further along the path we came across Lawton Pool, a manmade lake created by a dam across the valley, the foot path becomes a track across the dam.

 

On the other side of the pool we noticed these remains tucked away in the trees, anyone know what it might have been? It is the only part of the building still standing, the rest is the piles of bricks strewn in front of it.

On the other side of this wall was this cross built in to it.

It is surprising what little gems can be found so close to the canals.

Keith.