 Your treasured old photographs expertly restored at the Black & White Picture Place Fine photography for all occasions. Click on the boys to find out more |
aving
read
Lucian
the
Monk's
comments
about
Chester,
here
are
some
extracts
from
the
accounts
of
other
travellers
who
have
passed
through
the
city
over
the
centuries.
We
preface
our
exploration
with
a
modern
translation
of
The
Ruin,
the
first
English
meditation
on
old
stones:
the
Saxon
poet
strolls,
not
through
Chester-
the
Roman
Deva-
but
immediately
post-Roman
Aqua
Sulis
(modern
Bath-
although
the
exact
location
is
disputed):
"Down
brambled
streets,
past
oozing
pipes,
carved
walls
and
columns,
sculpted
heads-
and
seeing
in
them
not
something
mute,
but
a
society
like
his
own
writ
large,
a
place
of
weapons
and
gems
and
beery
halls"
(Ronald
Wright:
A
Scientific
Romance)
His
words
would
have
applied
equally
well
to
Deva
and
the
hundreds
of
other
abandoned
Roman
towns
and
fortresses
throughout
5th
century
Britain:
| The city buildings fell apart, the works Of giants crumble. Tumbled are the towers Ruined the roofs, and broken the barred gate, Frost in the plaster, all the ceilings gape, Torn and collapsed and eaten up by age. And grit holds in its grip, the hard embrace Of earth, the dead-departed master-builders, Until a hundred generations now Of people have passed by. Often this wall Stained red and grey with lichen has stood by Surviving storms while kingdoms rose and fell. And now the high curved wall itself has fallen. The heart inspired, incited to swift action. Resolute masons, skilled in rounded building Wondrously linked the framework with iron bonds. The public halls were bright, with lofty gables, Bath-houses many; great the cheerful noise, And many mead-halls filled with human pleasures. Till mighty fate brought change upon it all. |
Slaughter was widespread, pestilence was rife, And death took all those valiant men away. The martial halls became deserted places, The cities crumbled, its repairers fell, Its armies to the earth. And so these halls Are empty, and this red curved roof now sheds Its tiles, decay has brought it to the ground, Smashed it to piles of rubble, where long since A host of heroes, glorious, gold-adorned, Gleaming in splendour, proud and flushed with wine, Shone in their armour, gazed on gems and treasure, On silver, riches, wealth and jewellery, On this bright city with its wide domains. Stone buildings stood, and the hot streams cast forth Wide sprays of water, which a wall enclosed In its bright compass, where convenient Stood hot baths ready for them at the centre. Hot streams poured forth over the clear grey stone, To the round pool and down into the baths. |
Despite
the
centuries
of
occupation,
today,
we
possess
no
surviving
Roman
references
to
the
fortress
of
Deva
apart
from
its
listing
in
the
Antonine
Itinerary
and
all
the
'Dark
Age'
references
are
mere
mentions
rather
than
descriptions.
The
author
of
the
early
ninth
century
History
of
the
Britons,
sometimes
attributed
to
Nennius,
lists
Cair
Legion
as
one
of
the
twenty
eight
cities
of
Britain-
not
Caerlleon-ar-Wysg
in
South
Wales,
by
the
way,
as
that's
also
listed
as
Cair
Legion
guar
Uisc:
"Camp
of
the
Legion
on
the
(river)
Usk".
The
Annales
Cambrie
(Annals
of
Wales)
mention
a
Synod
of
The
City
of
the
Legion
in
a
year
which
might
be
603
or
606-
they
follow
an
eccentric
chronology
all
of
their
own,
and
it's
often
difficult
to
place
an
event
into
the
correct
calendar
year.
Everyone
seems
to
agree
that
this
'City
of
the
Legion'
is
Chester
and
that
the
Synod
is
the
one
Bede
mentions
when
describing
how
the
British
church
rejected
Saint
Augustine's
authority.
In
Bede-
who
refers
to
"The
City
of
the
Legion,
which
is
called
Carlegion
by
the
Britons
and
Legacaistir
by
the
English"-
this
then
becomes
the
cause
of
the
Battle
of
Chester
(in
the
year
613
or
616),
when
the
monks
from
Bangor-is-y-Coed
were
slaughtered
by
the
pagan
Aethelfrith.
In
the
Anglo-Saxon
Chronicle,
at
the
end
of
the
entry
for
the
year
893,
we
read,
"on
anre
westre
ceastre
on
Wirhealum,
seo
is
Legaceaster
gehaten":
"in
a
deserted
fort
on
Wirral,
which
is
called
Legaceaster".
Arguments
have
raged
for
years
about
whether
the
old
fortress
had
been
deserted
since
the
end
of
the
Roman
period
or
if
its
inhabitants
had
recently
fled
at
the
approach
of
the
Danish
army.
There's
also
the
possibility
that
the
local
population
actually
colluded
with
the
Danes,
letting
them
in,
and
this
is
something
the
writer
of
the
Chronicle
would
evidently
rather
pass
over
in
silence!
The
archaeological
evidence,
however,
shows
that
there
were
certainly
people
living
in
the
fort
before
the
arrival
of
the
Danish
army.
In
972
(really
the
following
year),
Manuscript
E
of
the
Anglo
Saxon
Chronicle
says-
"And
soon
after
that
(his
consecration
at
Bath
at
Pentecost),
the
king
led
all
his
navy
(ship-army)
to
Legeceaster.
And
there
came
six
kings
to
him,
and
all
with
promises
that
they
would
forever
be
his
vassals
on
sea
and
on
land".
Then,
in
the
year
1000
"Her
on
issum
geare
se
cyng
ferde
in
to
Cumerlande...
his
scipu
wendon
ut
abuton
Legceastre"-
"In
this
year,
the
King
went
into
Cumberland
(probably
Lancashire!).
And
his
ships
went
out
from
Legceaster".
Five
hundred
years
after
the
Legions
withdrew
from
Deva,
their
Saxon
successors
knew
the
city
as
Legecaester,
a
translation
of
part
of
the
British
(Welsh)
Caer
Lleon
Vawr
ar
Ddyfrdwy
or
'Camp
of
the
great
Legion
on
the
Dee'-
also
called
Caerleon-ar-Dour.
A
fascinating
and
convincing
body
of
evidence
was
propounded
by
Robert
Stoker
in
his
book
The
Legacy
of
Arthur's
Chester
(1965)
which
points
out
that
there
were
actually
two
Caerleons
(see
Henry
Bradshaw's
poem
below)
and,
after
the
departure
of
the
Romans,
it
was
Chester
that
became
the
ecclesiastical
and
civil
capital
of
the
Kings
of
Britain
and
the
city
of
the
coronation
of
the
not-so-legendary
King
Arthur,
not
Caerleon-on-Usk
(Isca)
in
South
Wales.
The
confusion
apparently
lies
with
Arthur's
medieval
chronicler,
Geoffrey
of
Monmouth,
whose
patron,
Robert
of
Gloucester,
was
Lord
of
the
Monmouth
Marches,
where
Caerleon-on-Usk
is
situated.
It
seems
that
Geoffrey,
doubtess
partly
in
order
to
please
his
Lord,
attributed
all
references
dealing
with
'Caerleon-ar-Dour'
(Chester)
to
'Caerleon'
without
qualifying
which
one
was
meant.
Historians
have
ever
since,
for
example,
been
crediting
Isca
with
having
an
archbishop
since
AD180
because
the
local
boy
of
Monmouth
said
so
in
AD1100,
and
nobody
has
ever
checked
the
record...
Whatever
the
case,
think
of
the
still-magnificent
old
fortress
on
the
Dee
as
you
read
Geoffrey's
description
of
Arthur's
coronation
in
the
early
years
of
the
seventh
century:
"From
the
approach
of
the
Feast
of
Pentecost,
Arthur...
resolved
the
whole
magnificent
court,
to
place
the
crown
upon
his
head
and
to
invite
all
the
Kings
and
Dukes
under
his
subjection
to
the
solemnity...
He
pitched
upon
the
City
of
Legions
as
a
proper
place
for
this
purpose,
for
beside
the
great
wealth
of
it,
above
all
other
cities
its
situation...
was
most
pleasant,
for
on
one
side
it
was
washed
by
the
noble
river
so
that
Kings
and
Princes
from
countries
beyond
theseas
might
have
the
convenience
of
sailing
up
to
it;
on
the
other
side
the
beauty
of
the
meadows
and
groves,
and
the
magnificence
of
the
Royal
palaces
with
lofty
gilded
roofs
that
adorned
it
may
even
rival
the
grandeur
of
Rome.
There
came...
the
Archbishops
of
the
three
Metropolitan
Sees-
London,
York
and
Dubricius
of
the
City
of
the
Legions,
this
Prelate
who
was
Primate
of
Britain
and
Legate
of
the
Apostolic
See,
was
so
eminent
for
his
piety
that
by
his
prayers
he
could
cure
any
sick
person"
* Go here to read T. H. White's lively description of Arthur's entry into 'Carlion' from his great novel The Once and Future King.
Half
a
millennium
later,
Chester
was
the
last
city
in
England
to
fall
to
William
the
Conqueror's
army-
a
full
three
years
after
the
Battle
of
Hastings.
In
around
1086,
the
city
was
visited
by
William's
commissioners
for
assessment
as
part
of
the
great
Domesday
Survey.
Soon
after
the
completion
of
the
Domesday
Book
was
born
William
of
Malmesbury
(c.1095-1143),
a
monk
of
that
Abbey,
who
was
of
mixed
Anglo-Norman
birth.
He
spent
most
of
his
life
as
a
librarian
at
Malmesbury,
but
he
also
travelled
widely
throughout
England.
He
is
considered
the
first
English
historian
after
Bede
(c.672-735)
William
wrote
this
account
around
1125...
"Chester
is
called
the
city
of
the
Legions
because
the
veterans
of
the
Julian
legions
were
settled
there.
It
adjoins
the
country
of
the
northern
Britons.
The
region,
like
much
of
the
north,
is
barren
and
unproductive
of
cerials,
especially
corn,
though
it
is
rich
in
beasts
and
fish.
The
natives
greatly
enjoy
milk
and
butter;
those
who
are
richer
live
on
meat
and
are
much
attached
to
bread
made
from
barley
and
wheat.
Goods
are
exchanged
between
Chester
and
Ireland,
so
that
what
the
nature
of
the
soil
lacks,
is
supplied
by
the
toil
of
the
merchants.
In
the
city
there
was
once
a
monastery
of
holy
nuns,
now
re-established
for
monks
by
Hugh,
Earl
of
Chester."
In
1189
Gerard
Barry,
better
known
as
Giraldus
Cambrensis
('Gerald
of
Wales'),
accompanied
Archbishop
Baldwin
on
an
epic
journey
around
Wales,
preaching
the
Crusades,
and
kept
a
record
of
his
impressions.
He
wrote
of
Chester:
"A
genuine
city
of
the
Legions,
surrounded
by
walls
of
brick,
in
which
many
remains
of
its
pristine
grandeur
are
still
apparent,
namely
immense
palaces,
a
gigantic
tower,
beautiful
baths,
remains
of
temples
and
sites
of
theatres,
almost
entirely
enclosed
by
excellent
walls
in
part
remaining.
Also
both
within
and
without
the
circumference
of
the
walls
subterranean
constructions,
watercourses,
vaulted
with
passages.
You
may
also
see
furnaces
constructed
with
wonderful
art,
the
narrow
sides
of
which
inhale
heat
by
concealed
spiracles."
He
added
that
he
saw
there
"an
animal
partly
an
ox
and
partly
a
stag,
and
a
woman,
born
without
arms,
who
could
sew
with
her
feet"...
Ranulf
Higden,
also
a
Benedictine monk
of
St.Werburgh's
Abbey,
who
died
about
1364,
was said to have been the author of the celebrated Chester Mystery Plays but he is better remembered for his
Polychronicon.
Originally a compilation from old chronicles and books upon natural history and other subjects penned by one Roger, a fellow monk of the Abbey at the beginning of the 14th century, Higden expanded greatly upon this, dealing with the countries of the known world, especially Britain, and a history of the world from the Creation down to his own time.
The work was first translated into English in 1387 and later added to by the famous early printer William Caxton, who continued the narrative down to the year 1460. He printed this expanded translation "a lytel embelysshed fro tholde" in 1482. It
remained
the
standard
reference
work
for
hundreds
of
years. Only 26 copies of the book are know to exist, of which only two are perfect. This
description
is
a
digression
in
an
early
section
of
the
work
and
is
quoted
from
the
edition
printed
by
Winkyn
de
Worde
(a
pupil
of
Caxton)
around
1495...
"
CHESTRE,
where
this
cronicle
presente
was
laborede,
in
the
coste
of
Wales
betwene
two
armes
of
the
sea
whiche
be
callede
Dye
and
Meresie
(Dee
and
Mersey)
whiche
was
the
chiefe
cite
of
Northe
Wales
in
the
tyme
of
Britones,
the
firste
founder
of
whom
is
not
knowen.
For
hit
scholde
seme
to
a
man
beholdenge
the
fundacion
of
hit
that
werke
to
be
rather
of
the
labor
of
gigantes,
other
Romanes,
then
of
Britones.
That
cite
was
callede
somme
tyme
in
the
langage
of
Britones,
Caerelyon,
in
Latyn
Legecestria,
and
hit
is
callode
now
Chestre,
other
the
Cite
of
Legiones,
in
that
the
legiones
of
knyghtes
tariede
ther
in
wynter,
whom
Julius
Cesar
sende
to
Yrlonde
to
subdue
hit
to
hym.
This
cite
habundethe
in
euery
kynde
of
vitelles,
thaughe
William
Malmesbury
dreamede
in
other
wise,
as
in
corne,
flosche,
fische,
and
specially
in
salmones,
whiche
cite
recoyvethe
and
sendethe
from
it
diuerse
marchandise,
whiche
hathe
nye
to
hit
waters
of
salte
and
metalles.
That
cite,
somme
tyme
destroyede
by
men
of
Northumbrelonde,
but
reedificate
by
Elfleda,
lady
of
the
marches,
hathe
under
the
erthe
voltes
to
be
meruailede
thro
the
werke
of
ston,
and
other
grete
stones
conteynenge
the
names
and
pryntes
of
Julius
Cesar,
and
of
other
nowble
men,
with
the
wrytyinge
about."
Higden
was
buried
in
the
South
Choir
Aisle
of
the
Abbey.
In
1873
his
tomb
was
opened
to
reveal
"the
exact
form
of
a
body
still
wrapped
in
coarse
woolen
cloth
of
a
reddish-brown".
The
great
Welsh
bard
Lewys
Glyn
Cothi
(c.1420-1489),
whose
works
re-awoke
a
consciousness
of
nationhood
among
the
war-torn
and
subjugated
people
of
Wales,
lived
for
a
time
in
Chester
until
he
was
evicted,
perhaps
as
a
result
of
the
law
which
denied
Welshmen
the
right
to
settle
in
the
boroughs-
or
maybe
as
a
result
of
his
having
married
a
widow
from
the
city
without
the
consent
of
the
burgesses.
He
referred
to
his
experiences
in
his
poem
The
Coverlet:
| Go, complaint, to Gwynedd's sun, I complain of the mongrels, So crafty they were, so cold, Mobs in the town of Chester. It's they who plundered my house Of my bed and fine bedspread, And they have left me barer Than salmon swimming a stream. |
| The
lion
with
the
golden
mane Who lives down in Croes Oswallt, Mighty Dafydd ap Gutun, May he never grow white hair.
This
request
I
make
of
Dafydd,
It
has,
for
proper
gripping, |
Blue
blade,
when
it
is
displayed, Sheet of glass like a razor, A light it is, a long crutch, And like true gold it glitters, Killer, like a Jew's dagger, And keen as a lion's tooth.
This
I
request
of
Dafydd, |
Fellow Welsh poet Guto'r Glyn observed, as quoted by George Borrow that the women of London itself were never more "carn strumpets" than those of Chester..
Henry
Bradshaw
(d.
1513),
born
in
Chester
and
educated
at
Gloucester
College,
Oxford,
was
also
a
monk
of
St.Werburgh's Abbey.
He
wrote
a a
verse
life
of
St.Werburgh
in
1500 and a
chronicle
of
Chester-
now sadly
lost- the
De Antiquitate et Magnificentia Urbis Cestriae in the year of his death, 1513. This
extract
is
taken from the earlier work, which
survives
only
in
a
printed
edition
of
1521,
of
which
only
five
copies
are
known...
|
"This
'cite
of
legions'
so
called
by
the
Romans,
|
And here
is
Bradshaw's
description
of
the
two
old
Roman
fortresses
sharing
the
British
(Welsh)
name
of
Caerleon- "Two Cities of Legions in chronicles we find; One in South Wales in the time of Claudius Called Caerusk by Britons had in mind; Or else Caerleon built by King Belinus: Where sometimes was a Legion of Knights Chivalrous. This City of Legions was whilom the Bishop's See To all South Wales nominate Venedocie. Another City of Legions we find also In the West part of England by the waters of Dee Called Caerleon of Britons long ago, After named Chester by great authority... This City of Legions so called by Romans... Proved by buildings of old antiquity... Each house like a castle, sometimes of great pleasure" |
John
Leland
wrote
of
Cheshire
folk
in
his
Itinerary
of
1540: The
following
lengthy
and
interesting
description
was
written
in
about
1575,
and
is
taken
from
an
account
of
Cheshire
by
William
Smith
(c
1550-1618),
a
local
man
who
lived
for
periods
in
London
and
Nuremberg,
and
became
a
herald
(rouge
dragon
pursuivant)
in
1597...
"The
Walles
of
the
Cittie,
containe
at
this
present
day
in
Circuite
Two
English
myles.
Within
the
which
in
some
places,
there
is
certayne
void
ground
and
Corne
feilds,
Wherby
(as
also
certaine
Ruines
of
Churches,
and
such
Lyke
great
places
of
Stone)
it
Appeareth
that
the
same
was,
in
old
tyme
all
Inhabited.
But
Looke
what
it
wanteth
at
this
day
within
the
walles:
It
hath
without,
In
very
faire
and
Large
Suburbes"
Right:
Eastgate
Row
North
by
George
Cuitt
(1779-1854)
"It
hath
foure
principall
gates.
The
Estyate,
towards
the
Est.
The
Bridge
gate,
towards
the
Sowth.
The
Watergate
towardes
the
West.
And
the
Northyate
towardes
the
North.
These
gates
in
tymes
past,
and
yet
still,
according
to
an
Antient
order
vsed
here
in
this
Cittie:
Are
in
the
protection
or
deffence,
of
dyvers
noble
men,
Which
hold,
or
have
their
Landes
Lying
within
the
Countie
pallatine.
As
first,
the
Erle
of
oxford,
had
(till
of
Late
yeares,
but
now
Sir
Christopher
Hatton)
the
Estyate.
The
Erle
of
Shrewsbury,
the
Bridge
gate.
The
Erle
of
Darby
hath
the
Watergate,
who
in
the
Right
of
the
Castell
of
Hawarden
(not
farr
of)
is
Steward
of
the
Countie
pallatine.
And
the
northyate
belongeth
to
the
Cittie,
where
they
kepe
their
prisoners.
The
Estyate,
is
the
fayrest
of
all
the
Rest.
ffrom
which
gate
to
the
Barres
(which
are
also
of
Stone)
I
ffynd
to
be
160
paces
of
geometrie,
And
from
the
Barrs,
to
Boughton
almost
as
much.
Besydes
these
4
principall
gates:
There
are
certaine
other
lesser,
Lyke
postern
gates,
And
namely
St.
John's
gate,
(
Newgate
or
Wolfgate)
betwene
Estyate
and
Bridge
gate,
So
called,
because
it
goeth
to
the
said
Church
of
St.
John,
which
standeth
without
the
walles.
The
Bridge
gate,
is
at
the
Southpart
of
the
Cittie,
At
the
entring
of
the
bridge
(Comonly
called
Dee
Bridge)
which
Bridge
is
builded
all
of
Stone,
of
viij.
Arches
in
length.
Att
the
furthest
end
wherof,
is
also
a
gate.
And
without
that
(on
the
other
syde
of
the
water)
The
Suburbes
of
the
Cittie,
called
Handbridge.
Thc
Watergate,
is
on
the
west
syde
of
the
Cittie.
whereunto
in
tymes
past,
great
Shipps
and
vessells
might
come,
at
a
full
Sea.
But
now
scarce
small
boates
are
able
to
come,
The
Sandes
have
so
Choaked
the
Chanell.
And
although
the
Citezens
have
bestowed
marvelous
great
charges,
in
building
The
New
Tower,
which
standeth
in
the
very
River,
betwene
this
gate,
and
Northyate:
yet
all
will
not
help.
And
therefore
all
the
Shipps,
do
come
to
a
place,
called
The
New
Kay,
6.
myles
from
the
Cittie.
(Neston)
The
Castle
of
Chester,
Standeth
on
a
Rocky
hill,
within
the
Wall
of
the
Cittie,
not
farr
from
the
Bridge.
Which
Castell,
is
a
place
having
privelege
of
it
selff.
And
hath
a
Constable.
The
building
thereof
seemeth
to
be
very
Ancient.
At
the
first
coming
in,
is
The
gate
house,
which
is
a
pryson
for
the
whole
County,
having
dyuers
Roumes
and
Lodgings.
And
hard
within
the
gate,
is
A
howse,
which
was
somtimes
the
Exchekor:
but
now
the
Custome
house.
Not
farr
from
thence,
in
the
base
court,
is
A
deepe
well,
and
thereby,
Stables
and
other
howses
of
office.
On
the
left
hand
is
A
Chapell.
And
hardby
adioyning
thervnto,
The
goodly
ffayre
and
Largo
Shyre
hall.
newly
Repayred.
Where
all
matters
of
Law,
touching
the
Countie
pallatine,
are
hard,
and
judically
determyned.
And
at
the
end
thereof
is
The
Brave
new
Exchequer,
for
the
said
Countie
pallatine.
All
these
are
in
the
Base
Court.
Then
there
is
A
draw
Bridge
into
the
Innerward,
wherein
are
dyvers
fayre
and
pleasant
Lodgings,
for
the
justices,
When
they
come.
And
herein
The
Constable
hym
selff
dwelleth.
The
Theeves
and
Fellons,
are
Arraigned
in
the
said
Shire
hall,
And
being
Condemned:
Are
by
the
Constable
of
the
Castell,
or
his
deputie,
delyvered
to
the
Shireffs
of
the
Cittie,
a
Certayne
distance,
without
the
Castlegate,
At
a
Stone,
called
The
Glovers
Stone
ffrom
which
place,
The
said
Sheriffs
do
Convay
them
throwgh
the
Citty,
to
the
place
of
Execution,
called
Boughton.
PARISH
CHURCHES
IN
CHESTER
Tho
Cittie
is
devyded
into
ix
Parishes.
The
first
wherof
is
named
St.
Werburgs.
otherwise
called
The
Abbay,
or
Minster,
And
is
The
Cathedrall
Church,
having
the
parish
Church
in
the
South
yle
of
the
same.
This
is
a
goodly,
fayre
and
Large
Cross
Church,
having
a
square
Steple
in
the
middest,
And
at
the
West
end,
is
A
Steple
begon,
but
not
halff
finished.
Hardby
adioyning,
is
the
Bishopps
pallace,
and
not
farr
of
The
Deanes
howse.
Tho
Second
parish
Church,
is
called
St.
Johns.
and
is
hard
without
the
Walles
vppon
tho
banck
of
the
River
Dee.
A
very
fayre
and
Large
Church,
with
a
fayre
brode
Steple
at
the
West
end
therof,
Which
Steple
the
yeare
past
Anno
1574,
did
halff
of
it
fall
downe,
from
the
very
topp
to
the
Bottome.
Two
squares
did
fall
downe,
And
two
squares
do
stand
still.
but
it
is
building
upp
agayne.
St.
Peters,
at
the
high
Cross,
In
the
middest
of
the
Cittie,
A
ffayre
Church,
with
a
Spyre
Steple,
vnderneath
which
Church
is
The
Pendice,
wherof
more
shalbe
said,
shortly
after.
St.
Trinities,
betwene
St.
Peters
Church,
and
the
Watergate,
A
ffayre
Church,
with
a
Spyre
Steple
also.
St.
Michaells,
in
the
Bridge
Strete.
St.
Brydes,
Right
over
against
St.
Michaells.
St.
Olaffs,
comonly
called
St.Tolas,
in
the
same
streete
nerer
to
the
Bridge.
St.
Maries,
on
the
Hill,
by
the
Castle
gate,
a
very
ffayre
[sic]
with
a
square
brode
Steple.
In
which
Church
are
certayne
fayre
Tombes,
of
dyvers
gentlemen,
and
ospecially
of
the
Troutbecks,
Who
(as
it
should
appeare)
Were
ffounders
therof.
St.
Martins,
not
farr
from
the
freres,
towards
the
west
part
of
the
Cittie.
St.
Thomas,
without
Northyate.
OF
THE
MAIOR,
ALDERMEN
AND
SHERIFFS
OF
THE
CITTIE,
ETC.
The
Estate
that
the
Maior
of
Chester
kepeth
is
great.
ffor
he
hath
both
Swordbearer,
Macebearer,
Sergeants
with
their
Silver
Maces,
in
as
good
and
Decent
order,
as
in
any
other
Cittie
of
England.
His
howsekeping
accordingly,
but
not
so
Chargeable,
as
in
some
other
Citties,
because
all
things
are
bettor
cheape
there.
He
Remayneth
most
part
of
the
day,
at
a
place
called
The
Pendice.
(demolished
1803)
Which
is
a
brave
place,
builded
for
the
purpose,
at
the
High
Cross,
vnder
St.
Peters
Church.
And
in
the
Middest
of
the
Cittie,
In
such
sort,
that
a
man
may
stand
therein,
and
see
into
the
Marketts,
or
4.
principall
streets
of
the
Cittie.
There
was
wont
to
sitt
also
(in
a
Roume
adioyning)
the
clarks
of
the
said
Maiors
Courts,
Where
all
actions
Were
entred,
Recognizances
made,
and
such
Iyke,
but
this
is
now
Removed
into
the
Comon
Hall
of
the
cittie.
There
is
none
chosen
alderman,
except
he
have
byn
first
Maior.
The
Sheriffs
(as
also
the
Maior)
on
the
workdaies,
do
go
in
fayre
Long
gownes,
Welted
with
velvet,
and
Whyte
staves
in
their
handes.
But
they
have
Violett
and
Scarlett
also,
for
festival
daies.
The Canal Packet House c.1840. The building to its right is today a pub & restaurant known as 'Telford's Warehouse'
Not
farr
from
the
Pendice,
towardes
the
Abbay
Gate
is
The
Comon
Hall,
of
the
Cittie,
Which
is
a
very
great
howse
of
Stone.
And
serveth
in
stead
of
their
guildhall,
or
Towne
house.
The
Buildings
of
the
Cittie
are
very
Antient.
And
the
howses
build
in
such
sort:
that
a
man
may
go
dry,
from
one
part
of
the
Cittie,
to
another,
and
never
come
in
the
street,
But
go,
as
it
were
in
galleries,
which
they
call
The
Roes
which
have
Shopps,
on
both
sydes,
and
vnderneath,
with
dyvors
stayres
to
go
vpp
and
downe,
into
the
streets.
Which
maner
of
building,
I
have
not
hard
of,
in
any
p]ace
of
Christendome.
Some
will
say,
that
the
Lyke
is
at
Padua
in
Italy.
But
that
is
not
so,
for
the
howses
at
Padua,
are
builded,
as
tho
Suburbes
of
this
Cittie
be,
that
is
on
the
ground,
vppon
posts,
that
a
man
may
go
dry
Vnderneth
them,
Lyke
as
they
are
at
Billings
gate
in
London.
But
nothing
Lyke
to
these
Roes.
It
is
a
goodly
sight,
to
see
the
nomber
of
fayre
Shopps
that
are
in
these
Roes,
of
Mercers,
grocers,
Drapers
and
Haberdashers.
Especially
in
the
Street
called
the
Mercers
Row.
Which
Street,
with
the
Bridgestreet
(being
all
one
street)
reacheth
from
the
High
Cross,
to
the
Bridge,
in
Length
380
paces
of
geometry,
Which
is
above
a
quarter
of
A
myle.
There
are
certayne
Conduits
of
freshwater.
And
now
of
Late
(following
the
example
of
London)
they
have
builded
one,
at
the
High
Cross,
in
the
middest
of
the
Cittie,
And
bring
the
water
to
it,
from
Boughton"
Onward
to
the
Seventeenth
Century
and
more
traveller's
tales
of
Chester...
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the
Monk
|
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|
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Walls
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