Audlem (/ʊərdləm/ORD-ləm) is a village and
civil parish located in the unitary authority of
Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of
Cheshire in
North West England, approximately 7 mi (11 km) south of
Nantwich. Close to the border with the neighbouring county of
Shropshire, the village is eight miles (13 km) east of
Whitchurch and seven miles (11 km) north of
Market Drayton. According to the 2001 census, the population of the entire civil parish was 1,790,[1] increasing to 1,991 at the 2011 Census.[2]
History
Audlem was mentioned in the
Domesday Book as Aldelime, and
Edward I granted it a market charter in 1295.[3]
Isabella Whitney (c.1546/48–after 1624), the first woman known to have published secular poetry in the English language, grew up in Ryle Green when her father took a lease of a farm there.[5] Her brother,
Geoffrey Whitney (c.1548–c.1601), is likewise believed to have been brought up there; also a poet, he is known for his collection Choice of Emblemes.[6]
William Baker (1705–71), architect, surveyor and building contractor, lived at Highfields from the 1740s.[7]
Peter McGarr (born 1953), classical composer and teacher; he has written several pieces inspired by Audlem ('Audlem Sonatas', 'Night-time' and 'Mourning Gamelan'), as homage to his mother, who lived in the village when she was a child.[13]