The Chamber in the Forest

Has been described as a Possible Palace (Royal), and also as a Possible Fortified Manor House

There are masonry footings remains

NameThe Chamber in the Forest
Alternative NamesCastle Ditch, Merrick's Hill
Historic CountryCheshire
Modern AuthorityCheshire
1974 AuthorityCheshire
Civil ParishDelamere

In 1337, Edward the Black Prince authorised the construction of a new chamber (ie hunting lodge) to serve as an administrative centre for the royal Forest of Delamere. This was eventually constructed circa 1354. The building was disused as such or demolished by the mid C17 but the locale continued to be known as The Chamber in the Forest until the mid C19. Deputations taken in 1652 to establish the exact site of the Chamber concurred that it had lain 'upon the hill' ie within Castle Ditch hillfort. Varley's excavations of 1935-8 exposed the remains of C14/C15 building, possibly of two storeys, which can still be seen on the surface. The current name Merrick's Hill seems to have been used from the late C17 onwards. (PastScape)

Gatehouse Comments

Not suggested as a fortified site by any source but as a hunting lodge in a Iron Age Hill fort is similar to some sites which are so suggested. See also Eddisbury Town defences as this site is suggested as the site of a C9 burghal fort.

- Philip Davis

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceSJ554692
Latitude53.2182006835938
Longitude-2.66838002204895
Eastings355440
Northings369220
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Cocroft, W.D. et al, 1989, 'Castle Ditch hillfort, Eddisbury, Cheshire, reconsidered : the excavations of 1935-38 in the light of recent field survey' in Bowden, M. et al (eds), From Cornwall to Caithness: some aspects of British field archaeology: papers presented to Norman V. Quinnell p. 129-35
  • Dodgson, J.McN., 1971, The Place-Names of Cheshire, Part 3 (English Place-Name Society 46) p. 213
  • Ormerod, G., 1819, History of the County Palatine and city of Chester (London) Vol. 2 p. 50-55 (history of forest) online copy

Journals

  • Hussain, B.M.C., 1955, 'Delamere Forest in Later Medieval Times,' Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire Vol. 107 p. 23-59
  • Varley, W.J., 1950, 'Excavations of the castle ditch, Eddisbury, 1935-1938' Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire Vol. 102 p. 1-68
  • Harrison, W., 1902, Transactions of the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society Vol. 20 p. 1-28

Other

  • Oswald, Al, 2000, An archaeological assessment of Old Pale Farm, Delamere, Cheshire (English Heritage) (AI/1/2000)