Eccleston is a civil parish and a village in Chester District, Cheshire, and close to Chester. according to the 2001 census, the population of the entire civil parish was 184.[1]
It is believed that the name of the village derives from the Latin for 'Meeting Place'
The village is situated on the estate of the Duke of Westminster who maintains his ancestral home at nearby Eaton Hall.
Church
The church at Eccleston is called St. Mary's Church. It was built at the expense of the Duke of Westminster and cost £40,000 in 1899. It was built on the site of an earlier church that was constructed in 1809. Part of the churchyard is unusual in that it is circular in shape, which indicates pagan origins. In 1929 an excavation revealed 20 bodies which are believed to date from 390 AD. They are the earliest known Christian burials in Cheshire.[2]
Two War Memorials exist within the Church, one of Bronze recording those that fell during World War I and a wooden memorial recording those that fell during World War II
The Churchyard is also the resting place of Alfred Ernest Ind VC, who died on 29th November 1916.[3] Ind was a Farrier Sergeant in the Royal Horse Artillery. He was awarded the Victoria Cross on 20th December 1901 at Orange River, South Africa during the Second Boer War.
Notes
See also
Vorlage:Cheshire, Borough of City of Chester Vorlage:Cheshire
- ↑ Official 2001 Census Figures. Retrieval date: 27 July, 2007.
- ↑ Photographs and history of St. Mary's Church and brief information about the village. Retrieval date: 27 July, 2007.
- ↑ Location of Alfred Earnest Ind's grave and VC medal. (Cheshire) Retrieval Date: 27 July, 2007.