Betley is a village and civil parish in the Newcastle district of Staffordshire, England, about halfway between Newcastle-under-Lyme and Nantwich. Betley forms a continual linear settlement with Wrinehill. School Betley School Transport Betley lies on the A531 from Madeley to Weston. There is an hourly bus service, run by D&G Bus (route 85 ) which runs through Betley from Hanley and Newcastle-under-Lyme to Crewe and Nantwich. History Betley - meaning the 'clearing in the woods' of Bette (a Saxon woman's name) - is an ancient settlement. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book. It is one of several villages - including Buddileigh, Audley, and Madeley - which seem to be named after women. It had a major market, the charter for which was granted in the thirteenth century. At Betley Hall, a now-demolished country house, Charles Darwin conducted some of his zoological observations and Florence Nightingale visited. At another country house in the village, Betley Court (which is still standing), lived the Romantic poet Elizabeth Tollet. The church, dedicated to St Margaret of Antioch, is a beautiful medieval building (reasonably well-restored by George Gilbert Scott), with oak beams and a cricket ground to the rear. See also Betley Court Nearest places Nantwich Twin towns Betley is twinned with: Agny, France See also Listed buildings in Betley References Sources Betley: A Village of Contrasts, ed. Robert Speake (Keele University, 1980). External links Betley Local History Society Betley Local History Information Parish Council Community Website Betley Village Hall Website St Margaret's Church Website Villages in Staffordshire Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme