Eccleston

A Brief History


Eccleston has a name which is a compound of the latin for church (ecclesia) and the English word for settlement (tun). This may indicate some kind of religous settlement, possibly relocated from the Roman village at Heronbridge or otherwise associated with it. St. Mary's Church was built at the expense of the Duke of Westminster and cost £40,000 in 1899. It was built on the site of an earlier church that was constructed in 1809. Part of the churchyard is unusual in that it is circular in shape, which indicates pagan origins. In 1929 an excavation revealed 20 bodies which are believed to date from AD 390. They are the earliest known Christian burials in Cheshire.

Nearby, is a mound of uncertain purpose and date; claimed variously as a round barrow, a Roman 'botontinus' or roadside exploratory mound, a medieval motte, or a civil war mount. The mound lies at about 20m above OD on a natural knoll above the west side of the Dee valley. It is 2.5m high and 15m-20m in diameter, although much mutilated by disturbances which can all be identified as modern. It is close to church and had marshland to east. Eccleston was the site of a ferry crossing of the Dee and the other crossings of the Dee are overlooked by castles (e.g. Aldford, Holt, Shocklach, Chester). It was rescheduled as motte in 1993.

Related pages

 * Battle of Chester;
 * Heronbridge;
 * Grosvenors;

Links

 * Wikipedia;
 * Eccleston: at Thornber.net;
 * Gatehouse: Eccleston;
 * Ormerod on Eccleston;