The landscape of the county is dominated by theCheshire Plain, an area of relatively flat land divided by theMid-Cheshire Ridge. To the west, Cheshire contains the south of the Wirral Peninsula, and to the east the landscape rises to thePennines, where the county contains part of thePeak District. The River Mersey runs through the north of Cheshire before broadening into its wide estuary; theRiver Dee forms part of the county's border with Wales, then fully enters England and flows through Chester before re-entering Wales upstream of its estuary. RedTriassicsandstone forms the bedrock of much of the county, and was used in the construction of many of its buildings.
Cheshire's name was originally derived from an early name for Chester, and was first recorded asLegeceasterscir in theAnglo-Saxon Chronicle,[4] meaning "the shire of the city of legions".[5] Although the name first appears in 980, it is thought that the county was created byEdward the Elder around 920.[5] In theDomesday Book, Cheshire was recorded as having the nameCestrescir (Chestershire), derived from the name for Chester at the time.[4] Through the next few centuries aseries of changes that occurred in the English language, which have included simplifications andelision, has resulted in the name Cheshire.[6]
Because of the historically close links with the land bordering Cheshire to the west, which became modernWales, there is a history of interaction between Cheshire and North Wales. The Domesday Book records Cheshire as having two completeHundreds (Atiscross and Exestan) that later became the principal part ofFlintshire. Additionally, another large portion of the Duddestan Hundred later became known asEnglish Maelor (Maelor Saesneg) when it was transferred to North Wales.[7] For this and other reasons, theWelsh language name for Cheshire,Swydd Gaerlleon, is sometimes used.[6]
The counties of England following theNorman Conquest. Cheshire held a strategic position on the Welsh border with thehundreds between the riversMersey andRibble (Inter Ripam et Mersam) to the north.The strategic location of theEarldom of Chester; the onlycounty palatine on the Welsh Marches.[8]
Marchia Wallie (lands controlled by Norman Marcher barons)
After theNorman Conquest of 1066 byWilliam I, dissent and resistance continued for many years after the invasion. In 1069 local resistance in Cheshire was finally put down using draconian measures as part of theHarrying of the North. The ferocity of the campaign against the English populace was enough to end all future resistance. Examples were made of major landowners such as EarlEdwin of Mercia, their properties confiscated and redistributed amongst Norman barons.
The earldom was sufficiently independent from the kingdom of England that the 13th-centuryMagna Carta did not apply to the shire ofChester, so theearl wrote up his ownChester Charter at the petition of his barons.[9]
William I made Cheshire acounty palatine and gaveGerbod the Fleming the new title ofEarl of Chester. When Gerbod returned toNormandy in about 1070, the king used his absence to declare the earldom forfeit and gave the title toHugh d'Avranches (nicknamed Hugh Lupus, or "wolf"). Because of Cheshire's strategic location on theWelsh Marches, the Earl had complete autonomous powers to rule on behalf of the king in the county palatine.
Hundreds of Cheshire in Domesday Book. Areas highlighted in pink became part ofFlintshire in Wales.
Cheshire in theDomesday Book (1086) is recorded as a much larger county than it is today. It included twohundreds, Atiscross and Exestan, that later became part of NorthWales. At the time of the Domesday Book, it also included as part of Duddestan Hundred the area of land later known asEnglish Maelor (which used to be a detached part ofFlintshire) in Wales.[10] The area between theMersey andRibble (referred to in the Domesday Book as "Inter Ripam et Mersam") formed part of the returns for Cheshire.[11][12] Although this has been interpreted to mean that at that time south Lancashire was part of Cheshire,[12][13] more exhaustive research indicates that the boundary between Cheshire and what was to become Lancashire remained theRiver Mersey.[14][15][16] With minor variations in spelling across sources, the complete list ofhundreds of Cheshire at this time are: Atiscross, Bochelau, Chester, Dudestan, Exestan, Hamestan, Middlewich, Riseton, Roelau, Tunendune, Warmundestrou and Wilaveston.[17]
There were 8 feudal baronies in Chester, the barons of Kinderton, Halton, Malbank, Mold, Shipbrook, Dunham-Massey, and the honour of Chester itself. Feudal baronies or baronies by tenure were granted by the Earl as forms offeudal land tenure within the palatinate in a similar way to which the king grantedEnglish feudal baronies within England proper. An example is the barony of Halton.[18] One of Hugh d'Avranche's barons has been identified as Robert Nicholls, Baron of Halton and Montebourg.[19]
In 1182, the land north of the Mersey became administered as part of the new county ofLancashire, resolving any uncertainty about the county in which the land "Inter Ripam et Mersam" was.[20] Over the years, the ten hundreds consolidated and changed names to leave just seven—Broxton, Bucklow, Eddisbury, Macclesfield, Nantwich, Northwich and Wirral.[21]
In 1397 the county had lands in themarch of Wales added to its territory, and was promoted to the rank of principality. This was because of the support the men of the county had given to King Richard II, in particular by his standing armed force of about 500 men called the "Cheshire Guard". As a result, the King's title was changed to "King of England and France, Lord of Ireland, and Prince of Chester". No other English county has been honoured in this way, although it lost the distinction on Richard's fall in 1399.[22]
TheRedcliffe-Maud Report of 1969 suggested that Cheshire be abolished as an administrative county, with its parts subdivided between Merseyside, Stoke-on-Trent and [what was then called] South-East Lancashire & North East Cheshire (SELNEC). A series of compromises between the report and its implementation retained Cheshire as an administrative county.
Winsford is a major administrative hub for Cheshire with the Police and Fire & Rescue Headquarters based in the town as well as a majority of Cheshire West and Chester Council. It was also home to the former Vale Royal Borough Council and Cheshire County Council.
On 25 July 2007, the Secretary of StateHazel Blears announced she was 'minded' to split Cheshire into two new unitary authorities,Cheshire West and Chester, andCheshire East. She confirmed she had not changed her mind on 19 December 2007 and therefore the proposal to split two-tier Cheshire into two would proceed. Cheshire County Council leader Paul Findlow, who attempted High Court legal action against the proposal, claimed that splitting Cheshire would only disrupt excellent services while increasing living costs for all. On 31 January 2008The Standard, Cheshire and district's newspaper, announced that the legal action had been dropped. Members against the proposal were advised that they may be unable to persuade the court that the decision of Hazel Blears was "manifestly absurd".
The Cheshire West and Chester unitary authority covers the area formerly occupied by the City of Chester and the boroughs of Ellesmere Port and Neston and Vale Royal; Cheshire East now covers the area formerly occupied by the boroughs of Congleton, Crewe and Nantwich, and Macclesfield. The changes were implemented on 1 April 2009.[32][33]
Congleton Borough Council pursued an appeal against the judicial review it lost in October 2007. The appeal was dismissed on 4 March 2008.[34]
The western fringes of thePeak District - the southernmost extent of the Pennine range - form the eastern part of the county. The highest point (county top) in the historic county of Cheshire wasBlack Hill (582 m (1,909 ft)) nearCrowden in the Cheshire Panhandle, a long eastern projection of the county which formerly stretched along the northern side ofLongdendale and on the border with theWest Riding of Yorkshire.[37][38] Black Hill is now the highest point in the ceremonial county ofWest Yorkshire.
Within the current ceremonial county and the unitary authority ofCheshire East the highest point isShining Tor on the Derbyshire/Cheshire border betweenMacclesfield andBuxton, at 559 metres (1,834 ft) above sea level. After Shining Tor, the next highest point in Cheshire isShutlingsloe, at 506 metres (1,660 ft) above sea level. Shutlingsloe lies just to the south ofMacclesfield Forest and is sometimes humorously referred to as the "Matterhorn of Cheshire" thanks to its distinctive steep profile.
Cheshire contains portions of twogreen belt areas surrounding the large conurbations of Merseyside and Greater Manchester (North Cheshire Green Belt, part of the North West Green Belt) and Stoke-on-Trent (South Cheshire Green Belt, part of the Stoke-on-Trent Green Belt), these were first drawn up from the 1950s. Contained primarily within Cheshire East[39] and Chester West & Chester,[40] with small portions along the borders of the Halton[41] and Warrington[42] districts, towns and cities such as Chester, Macclesfield, Alsager, Congleton, Northwich, Ellesmere Port, Knutsford, Warrington, Poynton, Disley, Neston, Wilmslow, Runcorn, and Widnes are either surrounded wholly, partially enveloped by, or on the fringes of the belts. The North Cheshire Green Belt is contiguous with thePeak District Park boundary inside Cheshire.
Based on the Census of 2001, the overall population of Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester is 673,781, of which 51.3% of the population were male and 48.7% were female. Of those aged between 0–14 years, 51.5% were male and 48.4% were female; and of those aged over 75 years, 62.9% were female and 37.1% were male.[45] This increased to 699,735 at the 2011 Census.[46][47] The population for 2021 is forecast to be 708,000.[48]
In 2001, the population density of Cheshire East and Cheshire West and Chester was 32 people per km2, lower than the North West average of 42 people/km2 and the England and Wales average of 38 people/km2.Ellesmere Port andNeston had a greaterurban density than the rest of the county with 92 people/km2.[45]
Population totals for Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester[a]
In the 2001 Census, 81% of the population (542,413) identified themselves as Christian; 124,677 (19%) did not identify with any religion or did not answer the question; 5,665 (1%) identified themselves as belonging to other major world religions; and 1,033 belonged to other religions.[51]
GVA and GDP by local authority district in 2021[54]
District
GVA (£ billions)
GVA per capita (£)
GDP (£ billions)
GDP per capita (£)
Cheshire East
£14.6
£36,559
£16.1
£40,142
Cheshire West and Chester
£11.7
£32,846
£13.1
£36,518
Warrington
£8.5
£40,085
£9.3
£44,205
Cheshire*
£34.9
£35,957
£38.5
£39,689
*Excluding Halton which forms part of the Liverpool City Region for economic purposes
Cheshire has a diverse economy with significant sectors including agriculture, automotive, bio-technology, chemical, financial services, food and drink, ICT, and tourism. The county is famous for the production ofCheshire cheese,salt and silk. The county has seen a number ofinventions and firsts in its history.
A mainly rural county, Cheshire has a high concentration of villages. Agriculture is generally based on the dairy trade, and cattle are the predominant livestock. Land use given to agriculture has fluctuated somewhat, and in 2005 totalled 1558 km2 over 4,609 holdings.[55] Based on holdings by EC farm type in 2005, 8.51 km2 was allocated to dairy farming, with another 11.78 km2 allocated to cattle and sheep.
A resident ofKnutsford sanding the street in celebration ofMay Day in 1920
The chemical industry in Cheshire was founded inRoman times, with themining of salt in Winsford, Middlewich and Northwich. Salt is still mined in the area byBritish Salt. The salt mining has led to a continued chemical industry around Northwich, withBrunner Mond based in the town. Other chemical companies, includingIneos (formerlyICI), have plants atRuncorn. The Essar Refinery (formerlyShellStanlow Refinery) is at Ellesmere Port. The oil refinery has operated since 1924 and has a capacity of 12 million tonnes per year.[56]
Crewe was once the centre of theBritish railway industry, and remains a major railway junction. TheCrewe railway works, built in 1840, employed 20,000 people at its peak, although the workforce is now less than 1,000. Crewe is also the home ofBentley cars. Also within Cheshire are manufacturing plants forJaguar andVauxhall Motors in Ellesmere Port.
Tourism in Cheshire from within the UK and overseas continues to perform strongly. Over 8 million nights of accommodation (both UK and overseas) and over 2.8 million visits to Cheshire were recorded during 2003.[58]
At the start of 2003, there were 22,020 VAT-registered enterprises in Cheshire, an increase of 7% since 1998, many in the business services (31.9%) and wholesale/retail (21.7%) sectors. Between 2002 and 2003 the number of businesses grew in four sectors: public administration and other services (6.0%), hotels and restaurants (5.1%), construction (1.7%), and business services (1.0%).[58] The county saw the largest proportional reduction between 2001 and 2002 in employment in the energy and water sector and there was also a significant reduction in the manufacturing sector. The largest growth during this period was in the other services and distribution, hotels and retail sectors.[58]
Cheshire is considered to be an affluent county.[59][60] However, towns such as Crewe and Winsford have significant deprivation.[61] The county's proximity to the cities ofManchester andLiverpool meanscounter urbanisation is common. Cheshire West has a fairly large proportion of residents who work in Liverpool and Manchester, while the town of Northwich and area of Cheshire East falls more within Manchester's sphere of influence.
As part of a 2002 marketing campaign, the plant conservation charityPlantlife chose thecuckooflower as thecounty flower.[104] Previously, a sheaf of golden wheat was the county emblem, a reference to the Earl of Chester's arms in use from the 12th century.
Prehistoric burial grounds have been discovered atThe Bridestones nearCongleton (Neolithic) and Robin Hood's Tump nearAlpraham (Bronze Age).[105] The remains of Iron Agehill forts are found on sandstone ridges at several locations in Cheshire. Examples includeMaiden Castle onBickerton Hill,Helsby Hillfort and Woodhouse Hillfort atFrodsham. The Roman fortress and walls ofChester, perhaps the earliest building works in Cheshire remaining above ground, are constructed from purple-grey sandstone.
The distinctive local red sandstone has been used for many monumental and ecclesiastical buildings throughout the county: for example, the medievalBeeston Castle,Chester Cathedral and numerous parish churches. Occasional residential and industrial buildings, such asHelsby railway station (1849),[106] are also in this sandstone.
Many surviving buildings from the 15th to 17th centuries are timbered, particularly in the southern part of the county. Notable examples include the moated manor houseLittle Moreton Hall, dating from around 1450, and many commercial and residential buildings in Chester,Nantwich and surrounding villages.
Early brick buildings includePeover Hall nearMacclesfield (1585),Tattenhall Hall (pre-1622), and thePied Bull Hotel in Chester (17th-century). From the 18th century, orange, red or brown brick became the predominant building material used in Cheshire, although earlier buildings are often faced or dressed with stone. Examples from the Victorian period onwards often employ distinctive brick detailing, such as brick patterning and ornate chimney stacks and gables. Notable examples includeArley Hall nearNorthwich,Willington Hall[107] near Chester (both by Nantwich architectGeorge Latham) andOverleigh Lodge, Chester. From the Victorian era, brick buildings often incorporate timberwork in a mock Tudor style, and this hybrid style has been used in some modern residential developments in the county. Industrial buildings, such as the Macclesfield silk mills (for example, Waters Green New Mill[108]), are also usually in brick.
Notable places in Cheshire – red. Towns historically in Cheshire – orange.
The county is home to some of the most affluent areas of northern England, includingAlderley Edge,Wilmslow,Prestbury,Tarporley andKnutsford, named in 2006 as the most expensive place to buy a house in the north of England. The former Cheshire town ofAltrincham was in second place. The area is sometimes referred to asThe Golden Triangle on account of the area in and around the aforementioned towns and villages.[109]Holmes Chapel has increasingly become a sought out tourist destination due to being the former hometown of celebrityHarry Styles, and is also undergoing a planned population increase.[110]
Thingwall, currently in the county ofMerseyside but historically part of Cheshire until 1974, is known for having once been the base of a Viking parliament established byNorse settlers in the area.[111]
There is currently one city in the county officially,Chester. However, it remains a disputed piece of folklore that the village ofThelwall (today administratively paired with its neighbourGrappenhall in acivil parish) was at one time considered a city.[112][113]Warrington is currently the largest urban settlement in the county overall despite its town status, and was one of thethird wave of post-Second World War UK new towns designated for expansion. Other core settlements across Cheshire are:
Some settlements which were historically part of the county now fall under the ceremonial counties of Derbyshire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester:[24][114][115][116]
The main railway line through the county is theWest Coast Main Line. Trains on the main London to Scotland line call atCrewe (in the south of the county) andWarrington Bank Quay (in the north of the county). Trains stop at Crewe and Runcorn on the Liverpool branch of the WCML; Crewe and Macclesfield are each hourly stops on the two Manchester branches. The major interchanges are:
Warrington stations (Central andBank Quay) for suburban services to Manchester Piccadilly,Chester and Liverpool Lime Street and regional express services to North Wales, London, Scotland, Yorkshire, the East Coast and the East Midlands
Cheshire has 3,417 miles (5,499 km) of roads, including 214 miles (344 km) of theM6,M62,M53 andM56 motorways; there are 23 interchanges and four service areas. It also has theA580 "East Lancashire Road" at its border withGreater Manchester atLeigh. The M6 motorway at theThelwall Viaduct carries 140,000 vehicles every 24 hours.[117]
Bus transport in Cheshire is provided by various operators. The major bus operator in the Cheshire area is D&G Bus. Other operators in Cheshire include Stagecoach Chester & Wirral and Warrington's Own Buses.
There are also several operators based outside of Cheshire, who either run services wholly within the area or services which start from outside the area. Companies include Arriva Buses Wales, Aimee's Travel, High Peak, Metroline Manchester, D&G bus and Stagecoach Manchester.
Some services are run under contract to Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire East, Borough of Halton and Warrington Councils.
TheManchester Ship Canal is a wide, 36-mile (58 km) stretch of water opened in 1894. It consists of the riversIrwell andMersey made navigable to Manchester for seagoing ships leaving the Mersey estuary. The canal passes through the north of the county via Runcorn and Warrington. Rivers and canals in the county are:
^Hewitt, Herbert James (1929).Mediaeval Cheshire: An Economic and Social History of Cheshire in the Reigns of the Three Edwards. Manchester: Manchester University Press. p. 9.
^Davies, R. (2000).The Age of Conquest: Wales 1063–1415.
Certainly there were links between Cheshire and south Lancashire before 1000, whenWulfric Spot held lands in both territories. Wulfric's estates remained grouped together after his death when they were left to his brother Aelfhelm, and indeed there still seems to have been some kind of connexion in 1086, when south Lancashire was surveyed together with Cheshire by the Domesday commissioners. Nevertheless, the two territories do seem to have been distinguished from one another in some way and it is not certain that the shire-moot and the reeves referred to in the south Lancashire section of Domesday were the Cheshire ones.
The Domesday Survey (1086) included south Lancashire with Cheshire for convenience, but the Mersey, the name of which means 'boundary river' is known to have divided the kingdoms of Northumbria and Mercia and there is no doubt that this was the real boundary.
^Harris, B. E., and Thacker, A. T. (1987); pages 340–341.
^Sanders, I.J. English Baronies, a Study of their Origin and Descent 1086–1327, Oxford, 1960, p.138, refers to the "Lord" of Halton being the hereditary constable of the County Palatine of Chester, but omits Halton from both his lists of English feudal baronies
^Davies, R. R. 'Richard II and the Principality of Chester' inThe Reign of Richard II: Essays in Honour of May McKisack, ed.F. R. H. Du Boulay and Caroline Baron (1971)
^Roberts, J F (2014).The True History of the Black Adder: At Last, the Cunning Plan, in All Its Hideous Hilarity. Random House UK. p. 23.ISBN9780099564164.
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