N OT E S ON T HE PA R I SH OF BU R T O N I N WI R R A L Y S F . C . BEAZ L E , F A . I L L U ST R A T E D WI T H S E V EN P LAT ES AN D N U M E RO US COATS OF A RM S DRAWN BY GRAHAM JOHNSTON HE RA L D PA I N T E R T O T HE LYON C OU RT (é L I V E R POO L HE N R Y Y O U N G £5 SO N S 1 908 L I ST O F PL A T E S V BURTON V ILLAGE F rontzicpieee d BURTON WOOD To face page 7 “ ’ ST . N C ICHOLAS HURCH , BURTON “ E C B U S PULCHRAL ROSS SLA , B RTON V ’ I W E B SHOP ILSON S BIRTHPLAC , BURTON J W ’ BISHOP ILSON S SCHOOL , BURTON BISHOP WILSON ’ S BOOK-PLATE Tbc C oats qf Arm: are reproduced from D rawings by GRAHAM JOHNSTON . N OT E S ON T HE PA RI SH OF B U RT ON I N WI RRA L ROM fie ld name s o ld a no tic e s in c o unt , m ps, y F hi sto rie s a nd o c c u nc o f a c o f , the rre e p t hes a and v n little oo in a u in ff n he ther , e e r ts p st res di ere t a s o f un o ne to c o nc u o n p rt the H dred , is led the l si that the v illages o f Wirral were anc iently small and o o r le ss o a c o un o r n m re is l ted mm ities , little gree c ultivated o ases in a setting o f r usse t mo o rland a nd u a ac in ac o o o f p rple he ther, b ked pl es by w ds o r o ac c o n to na u o f firs ther trees , rdi g the t re the so il . I n a n o o f a a nd these d ys, whe the pr blem r pid c a an i i s a a a o v i s diffi he p tr s t lre dy p rtly s l ed , it c ult fo r us to realise the iso latio n o f v illage fo lk I n I n a va a very early times . medi e l d ys ro ad m aking and repai ring fell upo n the lando wners and their nan s and was o o u o n as a o u and te t , l ked p pi s meri to rio us wo rk befo re G o d : me n saw in them a tr ue c a fo r c a n un o una o na h rity ert i f rt te pe ple , mely, n u nc an travellers . I d lge es were gr ted by the Churc h n to ro ad makers a d bridge builders . The ro ads were mere trac ks leading o ver the higher gro und to avo id 1 o . fo r ans o f o c o o o n o u b gs As the me l m ti , th gh ho rse litters and c o vered waggo ns were so metimes used by ro yalty and the great no bles I n very early and o u a c o ac was u a s e arl as times , th gh h b ilt y I fo r a o f u an and u n z a 555 the E rl R tl d , Q ee Eli beth sho wed herself to her lo v ing s ubjec ts thro ugh the 1 “ ” E n lish Wa farin Life in the F ourteenth C entur b g y g y, y J J . usserand I 0 1 . J , 9 4 N otes on M e Paris/z of Burton i n Wi rral n a n o f o a c o ac c um slidi g p els her r y l h , these l sy vehic les did no t c o me into general use until the a a o f v n n c n u and av e rly p rt the se e tee th e t ry , tr el ling befo re and fo r lo ng after that perio d m ust c hiefly have bee n undertaken o n ho rsebac k . u o f o f W a 111 a The sq ire the time illi m . kept family c o ac h drawn by fo ur o r even six Of his c art o a nd o n av c a o o m n h rses, the m der st es rried by f t e are the surv i val Of the sto ut levers used by their rustic antec esso rs to ho ist the wheels o ut o f the 1 ua . o a c a v n in q gmire The r ds were exe r ble, e e the n o u o o o f o n o n n o n eighb rh d L d , well i t the eightee th c n u . a o m a u no t e t ry Vill ge f lk , we y be s re , did fa un c travel very r less o mpelled . I t is in iso latio n suc h as this that we m ust thi nk o f a a o f Bu o n in W a n as the e rly d ys rt irr l . Lyi g it did o ver a mile fro m the mai n ro ad running between and no v a Of N o n Chester the rtherly ill ges est , Hes a and W u hav n c u w ll , est Kirby , it m st e bee se l ded , a nd have c o me but little in c o nta c t with the stream o f life c o nstantly c o ming and go ing between Ireland a nd c fo r o w n was Chester, ex ept the peri d he it itself a po rt and market o r the o c c asio nal a rrival o f a vessel . a o f Bu o n in un o f W a The p rish rt , the H dred irr l , c o o n Of Bu o n and Pu n o n mprises the t w ships rt ddi gt , and the tithe map o f 1 843 gi ves the fo rmer as c o nsisti ng Of Arable land M eado ws and pasture s Wo o dland Marshland f maki ng a to tal o f 1 8 52 ac res o r the t o wnship . The large ac reage o f marshland is ac c o unted fo r by the fac t that the parish bo unda ry runs o ut into a ua f lands re c l imed fro m the est ry o the Dee . - ” Old ime s R e visite d b harle s . in 1 00 . 6. T , y C T K g, 9 , p 9 ' N otes on M e Pa ms/z of Burton in Wi rral 5 The ac reage o f Puddingto n to wnship is give n as Arable land abo ut 3 1 5 ac res Meado w o r pasture 8 53 ° H h m st a s c 2 o use s, o e e d , & . 4 Wo o dland and plantatio ns 45 a n a o a fo r o n o f 1 2 ac m ki g t t l the t w ship 3 7 res, n fo f a d r the parish O 3089 ac res. M uc h o f the parish must fo rmerly have been a as a n se e . two o n he th , we sh ll prese tly The t w ships lie o n a slo pe lo o king o ver the bro ad estuary o f the Dee to wards the slo pes a nd pea ks o f the W o un a n and c u u v a o f elsh m t i s , the pi t resq e ill ge Bu o n c o n n o f a o n o ld rt , sisti g l g street with its ho uses o f warm red bric k and red sandsto ne a nd ua n ro c - c c o a o Of h a q i t k per hed tt ges , s me t em h lf a nd a c a a and c u c n timbered th t hed , h ll h r h , estles n a a o o a nd un o c Of be e th w ded hill , der the p li y suc c essive sq uires defying the greed o f the jerry u a n c a n Old- o a a b ilder , still ret i s its h rmi g w rld ppe r an a avo u o o fo r c c c e.