Boughton is a neighbourhood to the east of
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
city centre, part of the unitary authority of
Cheshire West and Chester
Cheshire West and Chester is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It was established on 1 April 2009 as part of the 2009 str ...
and the ceremonial county of
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
, England. It is located atop the steep banks of the
River Dee as it turns the meadows bend for the last time around the 'Earls Eye' before flowing into Chester.
Most of Boughton forms part of an
unparished area
In England, an unparished area is an area that is not covered by a civil parish (the lowest level of local government, not to be confused with an ecclesiastical parish). Most urbanised districts of England are either entirely or partly unparish ...
which until 1974 comprised the county borough of
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
. The adjoining areas of Boughton Heath and Vicars Cross lie within the separate civil parish of
Great Boughton
Great Boughton is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It includes the villages of Boughton Heath and Vicars Cross. It had a population of 2,627 according to the 20 ...
, which is outside the boundaries of the city of Chester.
History and landmarks
The name 'Boughton' or 'bluestone' may have originated from the placement of a blue boundary stone (now lost) alongside the road similar to the Gloverstone which stood outside
Chester Castle
Chester Castle is in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. It is sited at the southwest extremity of the area bounded by the city walls. The castle stands on an eminence overlooking the River Dee. In the castle complex are the remaining par ...
.
The
Romans
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
were known to have used water flowing from a well in the area. The water was piped directly into the centre of the Roman fortress of
Deva
Deva may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Deva'' (1989 film), a 1989 Kannada film
* ''Deva'' (1995 film), a 1995 Tamil film
* ''Deva'' (2002 film), a 2002 Bengali film
* Deva (2007 Telugu film)
* ''Deva'' (2017 film), a 2017 Marathi film
* Deva ...
(present day Chester). How long this waterway operated is unknown, but by medieval times it had been either restored or rebuilt, for the use of the
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
Abbey of St Werburgh
Chester Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral and the mother church of the Diocese of Chester. It is located in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. The cathedral, formerly the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery dedicated to Sai ...
in Chester (later Chester Cathedral).
Water was conveyed to the fortress by a lead pipeline. Part of the aqueduct was found during the construction of the Grosvenor Park Lodge.
A major find from Boughton was a large Roman altar standing almost four feet high. It was discovered by workmen in 1821 toppled over in a field (now lost) called 'The Daniels' near the present day water works. The altar was damaged by a pickaxe before it was realised what it was. The altar marked the position of the wellhead for the springs for the Roman fortress. It is dedicated to the 'Nymphs and fountains of the
Twentieth Legion (Legio XX Valeria Victrix)'. The inscription is on both sides. The altar was purchased privately by the
Duke of Westminster
Duke of Westminster is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created by Queen Victoria in 1874 and bestowed upon Hugh Grosvenor, 3rd Marquess of Westminster. It is the most recent dukedom conferred on someone not related to the ...
and is now in the private grounds of Eaton Hall.
In medieval times the area was home to Spital Boughton, a community which grew around a
Leper
Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damage ...
hospital founded there in the 12th century by
Ranulph de Gernon, 2nd Earl of Chester
Ranulf II (also known as Ranulf de Gernon), 4th Earl of Chester (1099–1153), was an Anglo-Norman baron who inherited the honour of the palatine county of Chester upon the death of his father Ranulf le Meschin, 3rd Earl of Chester. He was de ...
. The word (ho)Spital gave Spital Boughton its name. The hospital operated for over 500 years and today its location is marked by the old cemetery of St Giles.
The inscription is visible from the road:
''St Giles Cemetery. Here stood the leper hospital and chapel of St Giles. Founded early in the 12th century and endowed by successive Norman earls of Chester they remained in constant use until 1643. When defensive measures during the siege of Chester necessitated the demolition of buildings outside the city walls. The cemetery remained to mark the site and in time the little village of Spital Boughton clustered around it. In 1644 the royalist defenders suffered great loss of life in a gallant sortie in Boughton and many of the fallen were buried here. It was also used for victims of the plagues which ravaged the city in the 16th and 17th centuries. Being extra parochial the site was granted to the corporation by Charles II in 1685. As a burial ground and through for a period in the charge of St Johns parish. It remains in their hands. When Protestant martyr
George Marsh was burned at the stake on gallows hill close by his ashes were collected by his friends and buried here. The last burial took place in 1854.''
![Boughton Stpauls](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Boughton_Stpauls.jpg)
St. Paul's Church in Boughton was redesigned by the Victorian architect
John Douglas, who also lived in Boughton.
George Marsh, a preacher from Bolton was martyred in Boughton by being burned at the stake on 24 April 1555. In 1898 Nessie Brown erected an obelisk as a memorial to him. Nessie Brown was a member of the influential Brown family of Chester, and lived in the area. The obelisk was moved to the current location after the road was widened. The inscription reads:
''George Marsh born Dean Co. Lancaster. To the memory of
George Marsh martyr who was burned to death near this spot for the truth sake 24 April 1551. Also
John Plessington
John Plessington (c. 1637 – 19 July 1679), also known as John Plesington, William Scarisbrick and William Pleasington, was an English Catholic priest who was executed by the English Crown for violating the ban on the presence of Catholic pri ...
19 July 1679. Canonised saint 25 October 1970.''
![Chester shot tower](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Chester_shot_tower.jpg)
1–5 Christleton Road (between the A41 and the A51 roads ) was designed for the Co-Operative society by the Cheshire architect John Douglas in 1900. A more elaborate building and a fountain were planned but not constructed.
The 'Lead
Shot Tower
A shot tower is a tower designed for the production of small-diameter shot balls by free fall of molten lead, which is then caught in a water basin. The shot is primarily used for projectiles in shotguns, and for ballast, radiation shielding ...
', where molten lead was once dropped over 40 metres to form perfect spheres for use in guns, is today a landmark. The
Shropshire Union Canal
The Shropshire Union Canal, nicknamed the "Shroppie", is a navigable canal in England. The Llangollen and Montgomery canals are the modern names of branches of the Shropshire Union (SU) system and lie partially in Wales.
The canal lies in ...
, a means of transportation in the industrial age, passes through Boughton.
The leadworks is currently (as of 2019) being redeveloped as a apartment complex retaining the original shot tower.
Notable residents
*
John Douglas The famous Victorian architect.
*
Thomas Hughes
Thomas Hughes (20 October 182222 March 1896) was an English lawyer, judge, politician and author. He is most famous for his novel ''Tom Brown's School Days'' (1857), a semi-autobiographical work set at Rugby School, which Hughes had attended. ...
author of '
Tom Brown's Schooldays
''Tom Brown's School Days'' (sometimes written ''Tom Brown's Schooldays'', also published under the titles ''Tom Brown at Rugby'', ''School Days at Rugby'', and ''Tom Brown's School Days at Rugby'') is an 1857 novel by Thomas Hughes. The stor ...
' lived for a time in a large house overlooking the River near Barrel Well Hill.
*
Ian Blair
Ian Warwick Blair, Baron Blair of Boughton, (born 19 March 1953) is a British retired policeman who held the position of Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis from 2005 to 2008 and was the highest-ranking officer within the Metropolitan Pol ...
former Commissioner for Metropolitan Police, when he was Sir Ian Blair, now Lord Blair of Boughton, grew up in a house on Sandy Lane.
*Jeff Fleet, current chairman of the Cenny Club (now hosted weekly in the Cherry)
*
Curtly Ambrose
Sir Curtly Elconn Lynwall Ambrose KCN (born 21 September 1963) is an Antiguan former cricketer who played 98 Test matches for the West Indies. Widely acknowledged as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, he took 405 Test wickets at ...
lived for a time at the top of Stocks Lane while playing cricket for Boughton Hall.
References
External links
A brief history of BoughtonChester Boughton Hall Cricket Club
{{authority control
Areas of Chester
Villages in Cheshire