Shotwick is a village and civil parish on the Wirral Peninsula

Wirral Peninsula

Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...

 in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester

Cheshire West and Chester

Cheshire West and Chester is a unitary authority area with borough status, in the ceremonial county of Cheshire. It was established in April 2009 as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health...

 and the ceremonial county of Cheshire

Cheshire

Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...

, England. The village is situated close to the border with Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 (Map)

History

Henry II

Henry II of England

Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...

 left from Shotwick for Ireland and Edward I

Edward I of England

Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...

 used the port to leave for Wales in 1278.

Shotwick Castle

Shotwick Castle

Shotwick Castle was a medieval fortification near the village of Saughall, Cheshire, England. It is a scheduled monument.-History:Hugh Lupus, 1st Earl of Chester had Shotwick Castle built about 1093. The design encompassed an earth motte with an outer bailey above the River Dee...

 was built about 1093 by Hugh Lupus, 1st Earl of Chester, sited at what is now Shotwick Park

Shotwick Park

Shotwick Park is a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. Located near the village of Shotwick, it is four miles north west of Chester and close to the Welsh border....

 and near the River Dee

River Dee, Wales

The River Dee is a long river in the United Kingdom. It travels through Wales and England and also forms part of the border between the two countries....

, before the area succumbed to the effects of silting. The Norman

Normans

The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...

 castle lay in ruins by the 17th century and now only the foundations remain.

The village, including part of the hamlet of Two Mills was within the Wirral Hundred, with a population of 95 in 1801, 100 in 1851, 82 in 1901 and 70 in 1951.

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