Thelwall Town Defences

Has been described as a Questionable Urban Defence

There are cropmark/slight earthwork remains

NameThelwall Town Defences
Alternative NamesThelwella; Thidewell; Thelowell; Tolwell
Historic CountryCheshire
Modern AuthorityWarrington
1974 AuthorityCheshire
Civil ParishGrappenhall And Thelwall

Leland suggested, "not at all conviningly" that town may have been walled. Cullen writes an Anglo-Saxon Burh was order to be built in 919. Bond puts this in his list of burh of no significance after 1066. Turner says did not retain its military importance into late Middle Ages. PastScape records 'Earthwork remains of a bank in the grounds of Chaigeley School - possibly representing the remains of the defences of the burh documented at Thelwall.' Camden records it as walled by tree trunks.

Gatehouse Comments

Questionable that this had C11 or later use.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSJ655875
Latitude53.3841094970703
Longitude-2.52237010002136
Eastings365530
Northings387500
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Salter, Mike, 2013, Medieval Walled Towns (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 157 (mention)
  • Creighton, O.H. and Higham, R.A., 2005, Medieval Town Walls (Stroud: Tempus) p. 269
  • Bond, C.J., 1987, 'Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Defences' in Schofield, J. and Leech, R. (eds) Urban Archaeology in Britain (CBA Research Report 61) p. 92-116 online copy
  • Harris, B.E. and Thacker, A.T. (eds), 1987, VCH Cheshire Vol. 1 p. 291
  • Cullen, P.W. and Hordern, R., 1986, Castles of Cheshire (Crossbow Books) p. 5
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 1 p. 250 (placed in Lancs)
  • Grealey, S., 1976, The Archaeology of Warrington's Past p. 36, 39, 83
  • Turner, H.L., 1971, Town Defences in England and Wales (London) p. 209
  • Ormerod, G., 1819, History of the County Palatine and city of Chester (London) Vol. 2 p. 546-7 (tenurial history) online copy

Antiquarian

  • Camden, Wm, 1607, Britannia hypertext critical edition by Dana F. Sutton (2004)
  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England  (Sutton Publishing) p. 269
  • Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (London: Bell and Sons) Vol. 5 p. 41 online copy

Journals

  • Angus, W.S., 1938, English Historical Review Vol. 52 p. 199

Other

  • Shaw, M and Clark, J., 2003, Thelwall Archaeological Assessment (Cheshire County Council and English Heritage) online copy