High Ercall
Encyclopedia
High Ercall, also known in the past as Ercall Magna, is a village in the borough of Telford and Wrekin
and ceremonial county of Shropshire
, England
. The civil parish
is still called Ercall Magna, and had a total population of 1,679 at the 2001 census. The parish also includes the villages of Rowton
, Ellerdine
, Cold Hatton
, and a number of small hamlets. Its name is locally pronounced "Arkle".
The village lies on the junction of the B5062 and B5063 roads.
) is obscure, though it may be derived from a Welsh
word ercal, perhaps once applied to the whole area.
High Ercall was recorded in Domesday
as "Archelou": it was stated to have been held by Earl Eduin in the time of Edward the Confessor
, when it was worth £20. At the time of the survey it contained two mills and a fishery yielding "1502 great eels" annually.
It is thought a church may have stood in High Ercall since Saxon times, but the present St.Michael's church shows mostly medieval work with a tower dating from the 14th century. The base of the tower is badly weather-beaten. The parishioners, however, have a more romanticised explanation, that the damage is due to people sharpening their weapons on it in ancient times. In the churchyard, as well as graves covering several centuries, there is a sundial from the 18th-century which records the time in Jerusalem, Rome and Plymouth in Massachusetts.
The village is clustered around what remains of High Ercall Hall, originally a fortified 13th-century manor owned by the Arkle family; in the seventeenth century the house was owned by the Newport family, having been rebuilt in 1608 for Richard Newport, 1st Baron Newport
. The Newports were prominent royalists and during the English Civil War
Francis Newport, 1st Earl of Bradford
garrisoned the Hall for the King. Between 1644 and 1646 the house withstood repeated attacks by local Parliamentarian forces, culminating in a prolonged siege, using artillery, from July 1645. The Royalist commander at High Ercall, Sir Vincent Corbet, eventually surrendered on 28th March 1646.
The village also contains some almshouses of 1694, built in brick with small dormer windows.
A short distance from the village is a World War II
airfield which was the home of 29MU, a maintenance unit. The airfield later became the headquarters for the Road Transport Industry Training Board (RTITB) Multi Occupational Training and Educational Centre (MOTEC 1), home of the RTITB National Junior Mechanic Competition 1987
.
in the village (used by Ercall Magna BC) and a pub, the Cleveland Arms.
Telford and Wrekin
Telford and Wrekin is a unitary district with borough status in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. The district was created in 1974 as The...
and ceremonial county of Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
is still called Ercall Magna, and had a total population of 1,679 at the 2001 census. The parish also includes the villages of Rowton
Rowton, Shropshire
Rowton is a small village located seven miles north of the Market Town of Wellington, Shropshire. The area is a Chapelry Division of High Ercall Parish.-History:...
, Ellerdine
Ellerdine
Ellerdine is a small hamlet located six miles north of the Market Town of Wellington, Shropshire.It is located at the convergence of six ancient footpaths and comprises two small communities; Ellerdine and Ellerdine Heath and is located within the parish of Ercall Magna, the administrative centre...
, Cold Hatton
Cold Hatton
Cold Hatton is a small village in Shropshire, located around 6 miles south of Hodnet near the confluence of the River Tern and River Meese. It is in the civil parish of Ercall Magna, and since 1998 has been part of the Telford and Wrekin unitary district....
, and a number of small hamlets. Its name is locally pronounced "Arkle".
The village lies on the junction of the B5062 and B5063 roads.
History, architecture
The etymology of the name Ercall (also seen in Child's ErcallChild's Ercall
Child's Ercall is a village and civil parish in Shropshire, England. It is located in a rather remote rural area between the small towns of Market Drayton and Newport: the civil parish had a total population of 599 at the 2001 census...
) is obscure, though it may be derived from a Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
word ercal, perhaps once applied to the whole area.
High Ercall was recorded in Domesday
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as "Archelou": it was stated to have been held by Earl Eduin in the time of Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
, when it was worth £20. At the time of the survey it contained two mills and a fishery yielding "1502 great eels" annually.
It is thought a church may have stood in High Ercall since Saxon times, but the present St.Michael's church shows mostly medieval work with a tower dating from the 14th century. The base of the tower is badly weather-beaten. The parishioners, however, have a more romanticised explanation, that the damage is due to people sharpening their weapons on it in ancient times. In the churchyard, as well as graves covering several centuries, there is a sundial from the 18th-century which records the time in Jerusalem, Rome and Plymouth in Massachusetts.
The village is clustered around what remains of High Ercall Hall, originally a fortified 13th-century manor owned by the Arkle family; in the seventeenth century the house was owned by the Newport family, having been rebuilt in 1608 for Richard Newport, 1st Baron Newport
Richard Newport, 1st Baron Newport
Richard Newport, 1st Baron Newport was an English peer, politician and royalist.He was the son of Sir Francis Newport and his wife Beatrix Lacon, daughter of Rowland Lacon. Newport was educated in Brasenose College, Oxford from 1604 to 1607 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts...
. The Newports were prominent royalists and during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
Francis Newport, 1st Earl of Bradford
Francis Newport, 1st Earl of Bradford
Francis Newport, 1st Earl of Bradford PC , styled The Honourable between 1642 and 1651, was an English soldier, courtier and Whig politician.-Background:...
garrisoned the Hall for the King. Between 1644 and 1646 the house withstood repeated attacks by local Parliamentarian forces, culminating in a prolonged siege, using artillery, from July 1645. The Royalist commander at High Ercall, Sir Vincent Corbet, eventually surrendered on 28th March 1646.
The village also contains some almshouses of 1694, built in brick with small dormer windows.
A short distance from the village is a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
airfield which was the home of 29MU, a maintenance unit. The airfield later became the headquarters for the Road Transport Industry Training Board (RTITB) Multi Occupational Training and Educational Centre (MOTEC 1), home of the RTITB National Junior Mechanic Competition 1987
RTITB National Junior Mechanic Competition 1987
The 1987 National Junior Mechanics Competition event for the Road Transport Industry Training Board National Mechanics Competition was held on 24 June 1987 at located at High Ercall, a former RAF base.The RTITB's Chairman, John Armstrong, revealed that 230 teams entered 1987's...
.
Present day
In addition to a primary school and the church, there is a bowling greenBowling green
A bowling green is a finely-laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of lawn for playing the game of lawn bowls.Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep on them...
in the village (used by Ercall Magna BC) and a pub, the Cleveland Arms.