A brief bit of history:
Mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1183, it is thought that Macclesfield got its name from "Michael's field" - referring to St. Michael, as in the St. Michael's church. Later, Macclesfield was granted a borough charter by the Lord Edward, the future King Edward I in 1261. The parish church of St Michael was built in 1278, an extension of a chapel built in approximately 1220.
Macclesfield was the administrative centre of the later Hundred of Macclesfield, which occupied most of east Cheshire. The Earl of Chester's manor of Macclesfield was very large, and its boundary went as far as Disley. The manor house was situated on the edge of the deer park, on the west of the town.
At one point, Macclesfield was the world's biggest producer of finished silk; now, the four Macclesfield Silk Museums display a huge range of information and products from that period. At one time the silk manufacture was home-based but as machinery was introduced large sheds were built to accommodate it and the workers were expected to move into them.
Macclesfield is said to be the only Mill Town left unbombed in the Second World War.
Geography:
Macclesfield is located in the east of Cheshire, on the River Bollin, a tributary of the River Mersey. It is close to the county borders of Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east and Staffordshire to the south. It is near the towns of Stockport to the north, Buxton to the east, and Congleton to the south. To the west of the town lies the Cheshire Plain and to the east lie the hills of the Peak District.
Sun set over Macclesfield with a view east towards the Peak District:
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