Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Newbold & Astebury 1320 Plea

• Astebur' Neubold 1344 Eyre

• Newbold Astbury 1348 ChRR

Etymology

It looks as though the original name of the township was Newbold .Astbury is not mentioned in DB, whereas Newbold appears there with a priest. Astbury seems to have been the name of a small manor within Newbold, including the site of the parish church, and belonging to St Werburgh's Abbey, Chester, v. Orm2 iii21, cf. ecclesia de Astbury cum medietate bosci et plani et omnium quæ pertinent ad Newbold 1093ib 25. The ecclesiastical and manorial importance of Astbury would have caused the name Newbold to be superseded by that of Astbury. However, there remains a possibility that Astbury is in fact the more ancient name, but that by 1086 the manorial centre had been moved to a new site at Newbold, and that the old name and site returned to pre-eminence as a result of St Werburgh's possession of Astbury and the site of the parish church there.