Frodsham
Frodsham | |
---|---|
Town and civil parish | |
Frodsham from Overton/Frodsham Hill | |
Location within Cheshire | |
Population | 9,300 (2021)[1] |
GSS code | E04011099 |
OS grid reference | SJ 5151 7776 |
Civil parish |
|
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | FRODSHAM |
Postcode district | WA6 |
Dialling code | 01928 |
Police | Cheshire |
Fire | Cheshire |
Ambulance | North West |
UK Parliament | |
Website | frodsham |
Frodsham
In
History
Toponymy
The etymology of Frodsham's name is not entirely clear. It is called Frotesham in the Domesday Book.[2] A literal translation of the Old English would give personal name of Frod or an old spelling of ford, and ham which means a village or homestead; hence Frod's village or the village on the ford (ford-ham). However, an alternative, more obscure etymology exists which suggests the name means "promontory into marsh", which would make sense considering that Frodsham had a promontory castle very close to marshland. Frodsham is unique as the name of a settlement in the British Isles.[3][4] Earlier spellings of the name have included Fradsham, Frandsham, Frodisham, Ffradsam and Ffradsham.[5]
Early history
Frodsham Hill is the location of an Iron Age promontory fort, the outline of which can still be seen.[6]
The town is of Saxon origin; its 11th-century church is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Frodsham was an important manor of the medieval Earls of Chester and was created a borough in the early 13th century, probably by Earl Ranulf III. The mouth of the River Weaver, where it joins the Mersey, made Frodsham into a significant port for the coasting trade, particularly for the export of Cheshire salt, brought down the river from Northwich and Nantwich. The site of the manor house was in Castle Park; the building was of stone and was fortified. In an account of 1315 it is called 'castellum' (little castle), although 'manerium' (manor house) was the usual designation.
Recent history
Frodsham was the headquarters of
In 1992 the parish council became Frodsham Town Council and Frodsham was no longer a village. The chair of the parish council became the mayor of Frodsham. The majority of powers were held by Cheshire County Council and Vale Royal Borough Council who were replaced by Cheshire West and Chester Council on 1 April 2009.
Frodsham was home to
Frodsham, like the neighbouring village of Helsby, has a hill overlooking the Mersey estuary, which is popular with dog walkers and naturalists. Frodsham Hill, overlooking Frodsham and the Liverpool skyline, is a large sandstone hill, home to many farms, prestige homes and the Mersey View nightclub (commonly known as 'the View') and Forest Hills Hotel. Before the construction of the hotel and nightclub, famously hosting one of the Beatles' first appearances, the site was home to a very large helter skelter and a fine collection of vintage coin-operated amusement machines.
The Frodsham Caves are found in the sandstone foundations of Frodsham Hill.
Geography
Frodsham sits beneath the imposing wooded
The northern boundaries of the modern parish are defined by the
The town is close to the junction of the
Geology
The parish, like most in Cheshire, is underlain by a suite of
Several
Overlying the
Climate
Being close to the west coast and the
Demography
The population of Frodsham parish at the 2021 census was 9,300.[1]
97.1% of the population identified as White, 1.3% Mixed, 1.0% Asian, 0.3% Black and 0.3% other.[1]
Christianity was the most common religion in the 2021 census at 57.5%. 36.2% said they had no religion. Minority religions were 0.4% Buddhism, 0.3% Islam, 0.2% Hinduism, 0.2% Judaism, 0.0% Sikhism and 0.3% other.[1]
Transport
There is a railway station in
Bus services are available to Chester, Runcorn, Ellesmere Port, Hatchmere (adjacent to Delamere Forest) and to Northwich.[20] Frodsham is 14 miles (23 km) from Liverpool John Lennon Airport and 22 miles (35 km) from Manchester Airport.
Education
There are four primary schools in Frodsham, namely Frodsham Manor House Primary School, St Luke's Catholic Primary School, Frodsham Church of England Primary School and Frodsham Weaver Vale Primary School.[21] The only secondary school in the town, Frodsham School, a science and technology college, has now closed[22] and has been converted into a health clinic, library and leisure centre.
Religion
There is one
Local government arrangements
Frodsham lies within the administrative area of Cheshire West and Chester Council. Two councillors are elected from the Frodsham ward to serve on that Council. The Frodsham ward has the same boundaries as the Town's own parish boundaries. The current Councillors are Cllr Chris Basey and Cllr Lynn Riley, both Conservatives, who were both elected to serve until the 2023 Local Government Elections for Cheshire West and Chester.
Frodsham Town Council is the local council or
The then Frodsham Parish Council resolved to style itself a town in 1992. From 1992 to May 2012 the chairman of the council has served as the Town Mayor but using the courtesy title of 'Mayor of Frodsham'. However, strictly, the chairman is only entitled to be known as 'town mayor'.
In April 2012 the council resolved to split the roles of chairman and Mayor of Frodsham and separate votes are now held for each position. The council also resolved to create a convention offering the mayorship to the councillor who had served the longest since last being Mayor, or having been first elected regardless of any political or personal affiliations.
Media
Local news and television programmes are provided by
Local radio stations are
The town's local newspaper is the Chester and District Standard.[29]
In November 2014 Frodsham made national headlines due to a hoax in which it was claimed that actor William Shatner would be turning on the town's Christmas lights.[30][31] A Twitter account, @Frodshamxmas, having spent the preceding weeks presenting itself as (though never directly claiming to be) the official social media account for the town's festivities, tweeted that the Star Trek actor would be making an appearance.[32] Several local news outlets, local councillors and the local MP unwittingly retweeted the claims until Shatner issued a tweet confirming them to be false.[33] The perpetrator(s) of the hoax have never come forward.
Notable people
- Ebenezer Latham (c.1688-1745) presbyterian minister, medical doctor and educationalist born in Mickledale[34]
- Bridge Frodsham (1734–1768) was an English actor, born in Frodsham [35]
- William Charles Cotton (1813–79), who introduced beekeeping to New Zealand, was vicar of Frodsham 1859–1879.[36]
- Holbrook Gaskell II (1846–1919) a chemical industrialist, he died at his house Erindale in Frodsham
- Harriet Shaw Weaver (1876–1961), feminist political activist and patron of James Joyce, was born in Frodsham.[37]
- Bob Carolgees (b. 1948), 1980s TV entertainer, owns a candle shop at the Lady Hayes Craft Centre, near Frodsham.[38]
- Patrick Larley (b. 1951), classical composer, conductor, organist and solo singer, was born in the town.[39]
- Caradog Jones (b. 1962), the first Welshman to reach the summit of Mount Everest, lives in Frodsham.[40]
- Paul Marsden (b. 1968), former MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham 1997 to 2005, was born in Frodsham.[41]
- Alice Coote (b. 1968) mezzo-soprano was born in Frodsham.[42]
- Daniel Craig (b. 1968), actor, lived in Frodsham from 1972 to his early teens, at the Ring o' Bells pub where his father was landlord.[43]
- Gary Barlow (b. 1971), singer, pianist, songwriter and producer, was born in Frodsham.[44]
- Emma Cunniffe (b. 1973) is a British film, stage and television actress.[45]
- Djibril Cissé (b. 1981), ex-Liverpool, Sunderland and France footballer, lived in the town as Lord of the Manor of Frodsham.[46]
See also
- Bear's Paw Hotel, Frodsham
- Frodsham Castle
- Frodsham railway station
- Frodsham School
- Listed buildings in Frodsham
- St Laurence's Church, Frodsham
References
Notes
- ^ a b c d e "Area profile for Frodsham". Office for National Statistics - Census 2021. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
- ^ "Place name: Frodsham, Cheshire Folio: 263v Great Domesday Book". The National Archives. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
- ^ The exact quote in Latham page 14 reads: "Frodsham is unique in the British Isles in that the name does not occur anywhere else."
- ^ Though a nearby township was referred to during the period of the ancient parishes of Cheshire as "Newton by Frodsham", its current name is now just "Newton". See Dunn, F. I. (1987), page 27, which states that, at the time, the Newton township near to Frodsham was referred to as "Newton by Frodsham". Furthermore, see Ordnance Survey (2004), which refers to the modern settlement which was Newton by Frodsham township just as "Newton" without any Frodsham component: SJ531751
- ^ Latham 1987, p. 14.
- ^ Historic England. "Monument No. 71527". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 28 November 2017.
- ^ Ordnance Survey, Explorer map sheet 267
- ^ a b Phillips & Phillips 2002, pp. 4–5.
- ^ Natural England: Frodsham Railway And Road Cuttings . Retrieved 16 April 2010.
- ^ Natural England: Nature on the Map: Frodsham Railway & Road Cuttings SSSI. Retrieved 16 April 2010.
- ^ Dodd 1987, p. 4.
- ^ British Geological Survey 1:50K map sheet 97, 'Runcorn'
- ^ Mean Temperature: Annual Average 1971–2000, Met Office, archived from the original on 3 February 2012, retrieved 22 May 2007
- ^ Sunshine Duration: Annual Average 1971–2000, Met Office, archived from the original on 4 February 2012, retrieved 22 May 2007
- ^ Rainfall Amount: Annual Average 1971–2000, Met Office, archived from the original on 19 July 2013, retrieved 22 May 2007
- ^ Days of Snow Lying: Annual Average 1971–2000, Met Office, archived from the original on 9 August 2007, retrieved 22 May 2007
- ^ Days of Air Frost: Annual Average 1971–2000, Met Office, archived from the original on 5 July 2007, retrieved 22 May 2007
- ^ Station Facilities: Frodsham (FRD), National Rail Enquiries, retrieved 17 May 2007
- ^ Timetable (PDF), Northern Railway, retrieved 30 November 2017
- ^ Bus Service Timetables, Cheshire West and Chester, archived from the original on 6 September 2010, retrieved 7 July 2010
- ^ Schools in the Vale Royal area, Vale Royal Borough Council, archived from the original on 13 August 2007, retrieved 17 May 2007
- ^ Ellams, Barry (16 July 2009), "Frodsham High School to close on Friday", Chester Chronicle, Trinity Mirror North West & North Wales, retrieved 7 July 2010
- ^ Frodsham Methodist Church. "Church History". Frodsham Methodist Church. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
- ^ Churches in Frodsham, Frodsham Churches Together, retrieved 31 January 2017
- ^ Frodsham Town Council www.frodsham.gov.uk, accessed 12 August 2021
- ^ "Full Freeview on the Winter Hill (Bolton, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ "Full Freeview on the Moel-Y-Parc (Flintshire, Wales) transmitter". UK Free TV. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ "Radio Stations". Cheshire West and Chester Council. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ^ "The Ellesmere Port Standard)". British Papers. 12 August 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2024.
- ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
- ^ "Captain Kirk not trekking to Cheshire". BBC News. 25 November 2014. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
- ^ "Frodsham Xmas 2014 (@Frodshamxmas) | Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
- ^ Shatner, William (24 November 2014). "The village of Frodsham UK is promising I will turn on holiday lights? There's a reason why the word Sham is in the name! Sorry, not true". @williamshatner. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
- ^ Burden, Mark (2013). A Biographical Dictionary of Tutors at the Dissenters' Private Academies, 1660–1729 (PDF). Londonn: Dr Williams’s Centre for Dissenting Studies.
- ^ Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 20, Frodsham, Bridge retrieved 14 July 2018
- ISBN 1-901231-81-X
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, [1]Retrieved on 9 March 2007
- ^ Why you should move to Frodsham, Archant Life Limited, archived from the original on 5 July 2008, retrieved 7 October 2008
- ^ "Patrick Larley: Biography", Patrick Larley, www.patricklarley.com, archived from the original on 4 March 2016, retrieved 11 June 2008
- ^ Garfield, Simon (30 March 2003), "High society", The Observer, London: Guardian News and Media Limited, retrieved 7 October 2008
- ^ BBC Profile of Paul Marsden
- ^ Barnett, Laura (16 August 2010), "Portrait of the artist: Alice Coote, mezzo-soprano", The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, retrieved 24 March 2015
- ^ Daniel Craig (I) – Biography
- ^ Gary Barlow: Official website, www.garybarlow.com, retrieved 2 October 2008 (One needs to choose the biography section after the animated introduction finishes.)
- ^ Flint, Rachel (17 February 2011). "Frodsham born Emma Cunniffe will be performing in Ibsen's ground-breaking play A Doll's House". Chester Chronicle. Chester. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
- ^ Herbert, Ian (19 May 2005), The Independent: Football's lord of the manor bans hunting on his nine acres, London: Independent News and Media Limited, retrieved 6 October 2008
Bibliography
- Dodd, J. Phillip (1987), A History of Frodsham and Helsby, Frodsham: J. Phillip Dodd
- Dunn, F. I. (1987), The ancient parishes, townships and chapelries of Cheshire, Chester: Cheshire Record Office and Cheshire Diocesan Record Office, ISBN 0-906758-14-9
- Latham, F. A., ed. (1987), Frodsham, Frodsham: Local Historians, ISBN 0-901993-06-9
- Ordnance Survey. (2004). Northwich and Delamere Forest, Winsford and Middlewich. (1:25000 scale map). Southampton United Kingdom: Ordnance Survey. ISBN 0-319-23567-X.
- Phillips, A.D.M.; Phillips, C.B. (2002), A New Historical Atlas of Cheshire, Chester: ISBN 0-904532-46-1