A BOOK on sale in the museum tells of the life of Richard Illidge, described by the author, Nantwich historian, Peter Jones, as "one of the real characters of old Wybunbury.

   Says Peter Jones: "But for the survival of a fragile diary and the somewhat curious publication of two books about him, no one would have heard of Lieutenant Richard Illidge. This would have been a tragedy.

   "He deserves a place in the annals of the parish, the County of Chester and England - in the most turbulent period of its history, with eight rulers in his lifetime."

   According to Peter Jones, Richard Illidge (1637 - 1709) was apprenticed to a Nantwich shoemaker. Having served his time, he became restless and, following in the footsteps of Edmund Wright (an earlier inhabitant of Nantwich, later Sir Edmund Wright, Lord Mayor of London 1640-1), he, too, made for the capital in the hope of making his fortune. He failed to find the streets paved with gold, and returned to Nantwich.

   Peter Jones' book, a private publication, is on sale in the museum, price £20. The author can be contacted by writing to: Peter Jones, PO  Box 119, Nantwich, Cheshire, CW5 5UD.

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