A KNUTSFORD fine art auctioneer is seeking the descendants of a prominent Cheshire family to take back possession of part of its history.

Wright Marshall Auction House, in Church Hill, is auctioning off the Hewitt family armorial scroll – dating back to the 17th century – on November 7.

Expected to fetch up to £300, the lot is described as a 160cm parchment armorial relating to the Hewitt and Allen families of Knutsford, Northwich and Brindley circa 1700.

With the first date falling under the reign of Edward III, the scroll contains individual hand written histories of each member through periods including Henry VIII, with the crests and the final coat of arms dated around 1675.

Simon Nuttall, specialist at Wright Marshall, said: “It came up on a standard valuation day, and relates to two families – the Allens from Brindley and the Hewitts, who lived in Knutsford and then Northwich.

“It starts around the reign of Edward III, and each circle relates to members of the family and their coat of arms.

“I have never come across such an item selling, but they do exist for important families.

“We want to see if there are any members of either the Hewitt or Allen families who may be interested. I would love for it to go back to the family if it can.”

The scroll details where members of the two families were born and lived, before the Allen family eventually died out and was inherited by the Hewitts.

Such scrolls were usually reserved for important families, and it is thought they may have owned farmland in the area.

The name remains a popular one in the area, with a number of streets in Northwich containing ‘Hewitt’.