Betley Common

Which states 'in 1717 the benefice was augmented with 20 acres of common land, given by Lord Powlett and others, and with £200 of Queen Anne's Bounty.'

In 1797 an order recorded 'housing of the impotent poor on the Common' In those days 'Impotent' meant those who were unable to sustain themselves, i.e. the old, weak & unemployed.

These developed into small farms, originally predominantly arable land but with the advent of the enclosure act these soon became traditional livestock holdings.

Betley Mere is a nearby Site of Special Scientific Interest, managed by Natural England it is the habitat of several rare and important fauna & flora.

The underlying Triassic mudstones carry a mantle of glacial drift which has given rise to neutral or acidic stagnogleys with pockets of sandy soils.