Adderley before the French Norman conquest of 1066 would have been Anglo-Saxon. Adderley was held and owned by Edric, known as Edric the Wild.
Adderley was then known as Eldredelei, which means a forest or wood clearing. There are other versions but this seems to be the accepted one. It fits in with the landscape at that time and would, over the years be mispronounced and changed to its current form Adderley.
There would have been a few people living in houses made of wood with straw or reed-thatched roofs. These people would have mainly been farmers. They would clear and chop down trees and plough the land to plant crops. So this was probably how Adderley was formed. With cattle sheep and pigs, there were wild animals such as boar, red deer, beaver, wolves and even bears.
After the conquest of 1066 where William the First defeated the Anglo Saxon King Harold, Adderley was held by a number of different Lords. After Bartholomew’s death in 1322, Adderley was restored to his son Giles de Badlesmere and on his death, the estate passed to the younger of his four sisters, Margery, wife of William (Lord Rous) of Hamlake. Their descendants were Lords of the Manor and Patrons of the Church.
Adderley even rivalled Market Drayton in size due to it being on a salt route from Nantwich to the Midlands. Salt was one of the most valuable products in those times. Nantwich was a major salt town and as Adderley lay on the route between Nantwich and The Midlands, there was a constant stream of pack animals passing through Adderley. This enabled Adderley to rival Market Drayton in importance and size.
In the 13th century, Adderley was granted a weekly market on Thursdays and an annual fair on St Peter’s Day. The Normans were fond of this Saint, so this is part of the origins of Adderley Church.
In the Sixteenth Century Adderley belonged to Sir Rowland Hill who was Lord Mayor of London in 1549. His estate then passed to one of his sisters and her husband, John Gratewood. Eventually, their son William, Sheriff of Shropshire died in 1572 and as he had no children he was succeeded by his sister Alice. Alice was the wife of Reginald Corbet of Fits, third son of Sir Robert Corbet of Morton Corbet.
And thus Adderley passed down to the Corbeau family. They had come from Normandy in France during the 1066 conquest. The Corbeau name became Corbet and the symbol on its family crest was a black raven. They became Lords of the Manor and shaped Adderley as we know it today…
Sir Robert Corbet was succeeded at Adderley by his son William and he was succeeded by his brother Henry who was the Rector of the Parish. After his death, the estate passed to his nephew, Corbet d’Avenant who took the name of Corbet. He was created baronet in 1786.
Sir Corbet died in 1823 leaving his estates to Richard, second son of Sir Andrew Corbet of Acton Reynald.
Richard Corbet died in 1877, and his son Henry Reginald Corbet inherited the estate, His son Reginald succeeded him on his death in 1902. When Reginald Corbet died in 1945, The estate went to Archer Corbet, his cousin. This was because Reginald had no male heir.
Archer Corbet died in 1950, so Sir John Vincent Corbet his son succeeded him. Sir John died in 1996 and with him The Baronetcy.