CHESHIRE. ROADS
OXFORD COUNTY HISTORIES
CHESHIRE
BY CHARLES E. KELSEY, M.A.
WITH TEN MAPS AND FORTY-NINE ILLUSTRATIONS
OXFORD
AT THE CLARENDON PRESS
1911
HENRY FROWDE, M.A.
PUBLISHER TO THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
LONDON, EDINBURGH, NEW YORK
TORONTO AND MELBOURNE
PREFACE
The aim of the present volume in the Oxford Series of County Historiesfor Schools is to assist the study of the progress of the English peopleby an examination of local antiquities, visits to ancient sites andbuildings, and suggestions of big national movements from localincident. An attempt is made to foster the powers of observation inchildren by showing them how to connect various styles of architecture,for instance, with successive stages in the story of their county, andto construct from familiar objects the broad outlines of nationalhistory. Thus it is hoped that sooner or later the teaching of historymay become, to some extent, an out-of-school subject and take itsplace side by side with outdoor Nature-study and Practical Geography inthe curriculum of our schools.
In rural districts this end is obviously more easily attainable than inlarge industrial centres. In the latter the expense of moving classes ofchildren from their schools to visit a site some miles distant would beno doubt considerable; but is it too visionary to hope that before longa motor-bus, capable of carrying a class of thirty or forty boys andgirls, will be deemed by Educational Committees a necessary part oftheir 'apparatus'?
Apart from the educative value of such work there would, as the childrengrow up, arise a body of public opinion which could give valuable helpin saving historic sites and buildings from loss or destruction, andpreventing the removal of antiquities from their natural home. Cheshirehas suffered perhaps more than her share of both these evils, and lookswith sorrowful eyes at many of her treasures housed in the museums oftowns beyond her borders.
6All students of Cheshire history owe much to Ormerod's great work. Buthis history is largely genealogical, and personally I wish toacknowledge a greater debt to the labours and transactions of localsocieties, particularly the Chester Archaeological Society and theLancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society. Many learned members ofthese two bodies have made most important contributions to our knowledgeof ancient and mediaeval Cheshire within the most recent years. Amongother works consulted I may mention the Palatine Note Book, CheshireNotes and Queries, and Morris's Diocesan History of Chester. I havereceived kindly assistance from several Cheshire clergymen, and to allwho have given me permission to take photographs within their churches Iexpress my thanks.
The maps, drawings, and photographs are original, with few exceptions. Iam indebted to the Council of the Chester Archaeological Society, andthe Grosve