Guilden Sutton

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Overview

Roman marching camps have been found in one cluster to the north of Chester and another to the east. These are probably "practice" camps.

Guilden Sutton, a village with around 1700 inhabitants, lies three miles to the east of Chester. It has grown substantially over the past century, but remains a rural village, surrounded by fields and totally within the Green Belt. Some have suggested that the village name means:

  • "the southern homestead in the hollow where the marsh marigolds grow"

The Survey of English Placenames states that the name means "The southern farm", from sūð and tūn , with the affix gylden "golden", meaning "splendid, wealthy". It is distinguished from Great Sutton and Little Sutton. The description 'southern' probably arose from Sutton's position at the southern extremity of the Hundred of Wilaveston .

A Brief History

Roman coins have been found behind the Bird in Hand pub. These included a bronze coin of Licinius I (Gaius Valerius Licinianus Licinius Augustus AD307-324). Temporary marching camps (see: http://www.roman-britain.org/places/guilden_sutton.htm) have also been found.

The village is mentioned in Doomsday - "there is land for three ploughs" - and must have been devastated to some extent during the Chester rebellion against the Normans as the income from it fell considerably. Picton in Domesday was the land of Richard of Vernon and had six households comprising 3 smallholders, 2 other population and 1 "riders". It had previously belonged to Toki of Picton. Toki (or Tochi) appears to be a Scandinavian name and is either a short form of a name such as Þórkell or possibly a pet-form of name such as Þór- "the god’s name Þórr" with the addition of the suffix -ki. Toki, in contrast to the other pre-conquest land-holders in the parish of Plemstall also seems to have held land in Guilden Sutton (which was not part of the parish), as well as in Elton, Hooton, Manley, and Norton. The lands were distrubuted after the Conquest as follows:

  • to William fitzNigel: Norton;
  • to Earl Hugh: Manley and Elton;
  • to Richard of Vernon: Hooton and Picton; and
  • to Robert fitzHugh: Guilden Sutton.

It would appear that Robert donated the manor to the church (to the Bishop of Chester), but accounts vary and are discussed by H Arthur (see links below).

There may be a mediaeval "hollow way" behind the Bird in Hand.

Cromwell's troops apparently couldn't find the village at all (which was good, because they wanted to burn it). Local legend states there is a mysterious hoard of silver said to be still buried under an oak (which one, isn't known!).

John Marius Wilson, in his Gazetteer of England and Wales (c1870) describes it thus:

  • "GUILDEN-SUTTON, a parish in Great Boughton district, Cheshire; 3 miles ENE of Chester. Post town, Chester. Acres, 934. Real property, £2, 049. Pop., 223. Houses, 36. The property is subdivided. The living is a p. curacy in the diocese of Chester. Value, £50. Patron, Sir J. T. Stanley, Bart. The church is good."

Links