Balderton
Balderton has one of the shortest entries in Wikipedia, but some important historical associations. It is said to take its name from the Old English name "Bealdhere" and it lends its name to Balderton Brook.
Balderton Brook
In 1868 the Town Council of Chester attempted to have the boundary of Chester extended to Balderton Brook, then otherwise known as "Stoop Bridge Brook". In the Boundary Commission papers this is mentioned as:
- "You may describe this brook as a certain brook commencing at the Lache Eyes and running under a certain bridge in Green lane or Common lane leading westward past Saltney District Church thence on under the Chester and Mold Turnpike road to the Stoop Bridge Stage on the River Dee adjoining the works of Messrs Proctor & Ryland's manure manufactures and which said Brook is sometimes called the Stoop Bridge Gutter or Balderton Brook."
It is possible that the Welsh/English border once stood on Balderton Brook as this appears to be what is shown in Saxton's map of Chester from 1574-8.
The Bridge of Baldert
In 1170 the Chester Chronicle noted:
- "In this year also Hugh, earl of Chester, slew a great multitude of Welshmen, near the bridge of Baldert, of whose heads one of the mounds at the hospital for the sick outside Chester is formed."
The said hospital for the sick stood close by the site of St Giles Cemetery. The 'bridge of Baldert' where Hugh de Kevelioc, (1141/1147 – June 30, 1181), did his slaying was possibly at Balderton (near Dodleston), south of Chester, or on Balderton Brook with the mound actually having been built at Broughton, not Boughton.
Sir John Glynne's Canal
The Bretton Canal (also known as Sir John Glynne’s Canal) was built in the 1760’s and extended across the Saltney Marsh for an approximate distance of two miles to link Sir John Glynne's coal yard in Bretton with the river Dee. The canal was used to transport coal from mines in Flintshire owned by the Glynne family to Chester. It entered Balderton Brook near Saltney Wharf. The canal was abandoned in 1775 being partly filled in 1822. While not depicted on the 1839-1844 Tithe map (Hawarden) the fields through which it extended were denoted as "Old Canal Lands". Pennant in his Tour of Wales mentions the canal and suggests that it was first proposed by Andrew Yarranton.
All that is left of the canal is the terminus stone at Bretton.
