Zoom meeting

Nantwich as a town is in touch with its historical roots and traditions. One of the more unusual features of Nantwich history is the Beam Heath Trust.  The Beam Heath is the ancient common lands of Nantwich which lay to the north and east of the town on both sides of the Middlewich Road from the Barony to the Rising Sun Inn.  The heath has a long and interesting history and was available to the town’s people for grazing their animals from ancient times. The heath was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 and in local documents over the years.

The framework of the modern Trust was set out in 1557 and was last updated by the Beam Heath Act 1823. The enclosure of the common land in the early nineteenth century was to allow more modern agricultural methods to be used to improve the land and its fertility. The townspeople of Nantwich were entitled to the income from the land in place of their right to graze their animals on the heath, hence the dividend.

In recent years, the lands and capital funds of the Trust have been added to as a result of the building of the Nantwich bypass and the Sainsbury’s superstore and the Barony Employment Park.  The trustees now manage approximately 600 acres of agricultural land which is let to farming tenants.

The trustees are elected by the Beam Heath recipients and only those entitled to receive the dividend are eligible for election. The trustees hold a claims meeting in the Nantwich Parish Rooms usually in June every year to allow new claimants to prove their right to receive a dividend. A successful claimant will receive the dividend in following years hand-delivered to their home address by the Trust’s distributor, so long as they are in when he calls. Two weeks before the meeting, notices are placed around the town and in the Chronicle giving details of the claims meeting and its procedure.

Payment criteria to have been born within the old town boundary. Or have lived there for at least 7 years. Approx 1750 household recipients at present 40 pound household/ year. The trust has 900 acres managed by 12 Trustees plus ,land agent , Clerk, claims distributor. Approx old boundary Welsh row to football club, to beam bridge, barony, end of London road across Cronkinson to Audlem road, down to bridge on Whitchurch road and back across to Marsh lane and Welsh row. Anyone thinking they maybe eligible look out for advertised claims day. The trust dates back to Saxon times, beam meaning tree and Heath meaning waste. Originally started with the forest of Alvaston allowing Nantwich townsfolk to gather wood for their homes