High Ercall, also known in the past as Ercall Magna, is a village in the borough of

Telford and Wrekin Telford and Wrekin is a borough and unitary authority in Shropshire, England. In 1974, a non-metropolitan district of Shropshire was created called The Wrekin. In 1998, the district became a unitary authority and was renamed "Telford and Wrekin", ...

and

ceremonial county The counties and areas for the purposes of the lieutenancies, also referred to as the lieutenancy areas of England and informally known as ceremonial counties, are areas of England to which lords-lieutenant are appointed. Legally, the areas i ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

, England. The

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

is still called Ercall Magna, and had a total population of 1,679 at the 2001 census,Ercall Magna CP
ONS reducing to 1,639 at the 2011 census. The parish includes the villages of Rowton, Ellerdine and

Cold Hatton Cold Hatton is a small village in Shropshire, located approximately six miles south of Hodnet near the confluence of the River Tern and River Meese. It is in the civil parish of Ercall Magna. Since 1998 it has been part of the Telford and Wreki ...

, and a number of hamlets including Cotwall, Osbaston, Poynton and

Roden Roden is a name of Germanic origin, originally meaning "red valley" or an anglicization of the Gaelic name "O'Rodain". It may refer to: Places * Roden, Bavaria, a town in the Main-Spessart district of Bavaria, Germany * Roden, Netherlands, a tow ...

. Its name is locally pronounced "Arkel". The village lies on the junction of the B5062 and B5063 roads.

History, architecture

The etymology of the name ''Ercall'' (also seen in

Child's Ercall Child's Ercall ( ) is a village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. It is located in a rural area between the small towns of Market Drayton and Newport: the civil parish had a total population of 599 at the 2001 census,

) is obscure, though it may be derived from a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

word ''ercal'', perhaps once applied to the whole area.Raven, M. ''A Guide to Shropshire'', 2005, p.89 High Ercall was recorded in

Domesday Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

as "Archelou": it was stated to have been held by Earl Eduin in the time of

Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ; la, Eduardus Confessor , ; ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was one of the last Anglo-Saxon English kings. Usually considered the last king of the House of Wessex, he ruled from 1042 to 1066. Edward was the son of Æth ...

, when it was worth £20.Anderson, J. C. ''Shropshire: its early history and antiquities'', p.117 At the time of the survey it contained two mills and a fishery yielding "1502 great eels" annually. It is thought a church may have stood in High Ercall since Saxon times, but the present St Michael's Church shows mostly medieval work with a tower dating from the 14th century. The base of the tower is badly weather-beaten. The parishioners, however, have a more romanticised explanation, that the damage is due to people sharpening their weapons on it in ancient times. In the churchyard, as well as graves covering several centuries, there is a sundial from the 18th-century which records the time in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and Plymouth in Massachusetts. High Ercall Hall - geograph

The village is clustered around what remains of

High Ercall Hall High Ercall Hall or Ercall Hall is the remaining part of a larger complex in the village of High Ercall, Shropshire, 8 miles (13 km) north-east of Shrewsbury. The present structure is a Grade II* L-shaped, three-storey building of 16th-cen ...

, originally a fortified 13th-century manor owned by the Arkle family; in the seventeenth century the house was owned by the Newport family, having been rebuilt in 1608 for Sir Francis Newport, the father of

Richard Newport, 1st Baron Newport Richard Newport, 1st Baron Newport (7 May 1587 – 8 February 1651). was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1614 and 1629. He supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War and was ...

. The Newports were prominent royalists and during the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

Richard garrisoned the Hall for the King.Manganiello, S. ''The concise encyclopedia of the revolutions and wars of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1639-1660 Between 1644 and 1646 the house withstood repeated attacks by local Parliamentarian forces, culminating in a prolonged siege, using artillery, from July 1645. The Royalist commander at High Ercall, Sir Vincent Corbet, eventually surrendered on 28 March 1646. The history and archaeology of this event was covered by the ''

Time Team ''Time Team'' is a British television programme that originally aired on Channel 4 from 16 January 1994 to 7 September 2014. It returned online in 2022 for two episodes released on YouTube. Created by television producer Tim ...

'' episode ''Siege House in Shropshire'' (series 9, episode 8). The village also contains some

almshouses An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain ...

of 1694, built in brick with small dormer windows. A short distance from the village is a

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

airfield which as

RAF High Ercall Royal Air Force High Ercall or more simply RAF High Ercall is a former Royal Air Force sector station situated near the village of High Ercall, northeast of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. History Construction of the airfield began in 1938 ...

was the home of 29 MU, a

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

maintenance unit. 68 Squadron operated from High Ercall from April 1941 for eleven months before moving to Catterick. The MU opened in 1941 and closed in 1957. The airfield site later became the headquarters for the Road Transport Industry Training Board (RTITB) Multi Occupational Training and Educational Centre (MOTEC 1), home of the RTITB National Junior Mechanic Competition 1987. An outdoor war memorial to 59 servicemen from the parish of Ercall Magna who have died in wars since 1914, in African iron Greystone granite, was unveiled in the village in April 2017.

Amenities

In addition to a

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

and the church, there is in the village a tennis club.

Notable people

* Sir Richard Newport (by 1511-1570), politician, of family who owned the manor of High Ercall. * Magdelen Newport (1561 – 1627) estate manager and literary patron, daughter of Richard * Sir Francis Newport (c1555-1623), politician, son of Richard, lived High Ercall Hall, which he had rebuilt 1608. *

(1587-1651), latter's son, Civil War Royalist politician, who held Ercall Hall as fortress, made peer in 1642 as Baron Newport of High Ercall. *

Francis Newport, 1st Earl of Bradford Francis Newport, 1st Earl of Bradford PC (23 February 1620 – 19 September 1708), styled The Honourable between 1642 and 1651, was an English soldier, courtier and Whig politician. Background Born at Wroxeter, he was the eldest son of Richard ...

(1620-1708), latter's son, Royalist soldier and politician, owned Ercall Hall. *

Andrew Newport Andrew Newport JP (baptised 30 November 1622 – 11 September 1699), styled The Honourable from 1642, was an English Tory politician, courtier and royalist. Background He was the second son of Richard Newport, 1st Baron Newport, and his wife R ...

(1622-1699), latter's brother, Royalist politician, baptized at the church. *

Richard Baxter Richard Baxter (12 November 1615 – 8 December 1691) was an English Puritan church leader, poet, hymnodist, theologian, and controversialist. Dean Stanley called him "the chief of English Protestant Schoolmen". After some false starts, he ...

(1615-1691), puritan divine, born at Rowton in the parish and baptized at the church. *

Sir Francis Geary, 1st Baronet Sir Francis Geary, 1st Baronet (1709 – 7 February 1796) was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the War of the Austrian Succession, the Seven Years' War, and the American War of Independence, eventually rising to the rank of Admiral. ...

(1709-1796),

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

Admiral, brought up in High Ercall. * John Douglas (1721-1807), later

Bishop of Salisbury The Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The see is in the City of Salisbury where the bishop's seat ...

, was vicar of High Ercall 1750-62. *

Archibald Alison (author) Archibald Alison FRS FRSE (13 November 175717 May 1839) was a Scottish episcopalian priest and essayist. Early life He was born in Edinburgh, to Patrick Alison a Edinburgh magistrate, himself a younger son of an Alison of Newhall, near Coup ...

(1757-1839), Scottish essayist, was vicar of High Ercall. *

Bertha Steedman Bertha Steedman (20 July 1866 – 11 January 1945) was a British tennis player who won nine double titles at the All England Championships, a precursor to the Wimbledon Championships, between 1889 and 1899. Steedman won the All England Champions ...

(1866-1945), born at High Ercall, tennis player, nine times winner of All England Championships at

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...

. *

John Beard (trade unionist) John Cecil Beard (9 December 1871 – 25 September 1950) was a British trade unionist and politician. Life Beard was born in Ellerdine Heath in Shropshire in 1871,Derek Hammond-Stroud Derek Hammond-Stroud (10 January 192614 May 2012) was an English baritone opera singer best known for his performances of German lieder and his international performances in opera, particularly the roles of Alberich in Richard Wagner, Wagner's '' ...

(1926-2012), baritone opera singer, died resident at Roden Hall care home in the parish.

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Shropshire Telford and Wrekin

History, architecture

Amenities

Notable people

See also

References

External links