Although I've lived in the Wirral all my life,sad to say there are a lot of places there I've never been to. Just been looking at these maps 1577 click
Historically part of Cheshire, the Wirral's boundary with the rest of Cheshire was officially "Two arrow falls from Chester City Walls", according to the Domesday Book. Under that definition, places such as Ledsham, Puddington and Saughall would be part of Wirral.
Administered by the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral
Barnston Bebington Bidston Birkenhead Brimstage Bromborough Caldy Clatterbridge Claughton, Merseyside Eastham Egremont, Merseyside Frankby Gayton Grange, Merseyside Greasby Heswall Hoose (present day Hoylake) Irby, Merseyside Landican Larton Leasowe Liscard Meols Moreton, Merseyside New Brighton, Merseyside New Ferry Newton, Merseyside Noctorum Oxton, Merseyside Pensby Port Sunlight Poulton Prenton Raby Raby Mere Rock Ferry Saughall Seacombe Spital, Merseyside Storeton Thingwall Thornton Hough Thurstaston Tranmere, Merseyside Upton Wallasey Wallasey Village West Kirby Woodchurch Woodside, Merseyside
Also on the Wirral but administered by Cheshire West and Chester include:
Burton Capenhurst Ellesmere Port Great Sutton Hooton Little Sutton Ness Neston Overpool Parkgate Puddington Shotwick Willaston
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Here's an explanation of Wirral's Crest.
The central shield symbolises the Wirral Peninsula, with a green background between white and blue waves for the Mersey and Dee estuaries. The central charge is the trident from the crest of Wallasey, epitomising the varied maritime activities of the Wirral - ports, shipbuilding, ferrying, fishing, sailing, seaside holiday resorts. Suspended from the trident is a conventionalised representation of the Wirral Horn, seen in the arms of Wallasey and the device of Wirral U.D.C. This recalls the tenure of the Master Forestership of the Forest of Wirral by 'cornage', the actual horn eventually coming to the Stanley family. The trident and horn are gold. Above the shield is the closed helm proper to civic arms, with its twisted crest-wreath and decorative mantling in the green and gold of the shield, typifying the rural parts of the Wirral and the sands of the coastal area. Upon the wreath is the crest, symbolising some of the special natural features of the Wirral. On a sandstone rock representing Hilbre Island and the high rocky areas of the middle of the peninsula is the oystercatcher from Hoylake's crest, the bird that is seen in huge numbers on the Deeside area particularly. Flanking the rock are two sprigs of the Bog Myrtle or Sweet Gale, typical of the area, and the whole is enclosed within a gold 'palisado' crown - a coronet of palings signifying protection of these distinctive features of the district. Five points indicate the five areas of the Borough. The supporters represent the main early influences in the history of the Wirral. On the left is the red lion of Randle Meschines, Third Earl of Chester, who formed the entire Hundred of Wirral into a Forest administered by the Master Foresters from Storeton in the modern Bebington area. The crosier in the lion's paw represents St. Werburgh's Abbey at Chester, whose manors, churches or lands in Wirral included Bebington, Bromborough (site of an earlier Saxon monastery), Eastham, Childer Thornton, Raby and Neston, all or parts of which were also in Bebington Borough. On the other side is the white lion of the Masseys, founders of Birkenhead Priory, in whose arms, as in those of the former County Borough, the lion and crosier appear, though in the civic arms the colour of the lion was changed. The white lion is also that of the Domvilles who held Brimstage in Bebington. For necessary distinction, each lion wears a collar in the form of a letter W, white on the red lion and vice versa. The motto, By faith and foresight, a good principle for a new authority, is suggested by words in the mottoes of Birkenhead (Fides - 'Faith') and Hoylake(Prospice - 'Look ahead'). The Armorial Bearings were designed by Mr. H. Ellis Tomlinson, M.A., F.H.S.
Lovely maps nice find, the 1600 map seems to show us an an island,as the Mersey and the Dee are connected, I think like the perambulations of Wirral says something about the tidal flow along the river,when they built the canal they used the river as a route.
Great find! Its interesting to see how the names and the area has changed over the years! I remember reading about the history of Birkenhead a while ago and how it got its name from a bircen tree located at Woodside. Not sure when it was named though.
The 1577 map clearly shows a building on the banks of the inlet at Poulton. I wonder if this could be on the same site as Bird's House, Poulton?. My thoughts are 'yes'.
Last edited by granny; 29th Oct 20122:28pm.
Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. ~Chief Seattle
The link below to 'The Wapentake of Wirral' shows the list of Officers and Lords of the Hundred of Wirral. Going back to 1300's where it shows Edisbury, Bucklow and Broxton were part of the Hundred of Wirral.
Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. ~Chief Seattle
Looking at the earlier maps either the name Birkenhead didn't exist or was too insignificant to be put on a map
Deredwc, it has Morton Priory on the 1610 map, which,as I understand was Birkenhead Priory, because of the lands in Moreton which supported it.Being closed in 1536 by Henry VIII and so it would have been 'destroyed'.
Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. ~Chief Seattle
On that 1610 map, with so few places marked, the Priory, which doesn't seem to be in the same place as the Priory now, was important enough to be shown, although "decayed".
Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect. ~Chief Seattle
i was born in birkenhead,cheshire,my birth certificate doesnt mention wirral.they even say that tranmere rovers are from wirral when they are from birkenhead.i am a birkonian and proud of it,i will never lose my identity.
i was born in birkenhead,cheshire,my birth certificate doesnt mention wirral.they even say that tranmere rovers are from wirral when they are from birkenhead.i am a birkonian and proud of it,i will never lose my identity.
I too was born and brought up in Birkenhead and am also proud of it. But as children we were always taught that our address was 'Birkenhead, Wirral, Cheshire'. That was when Wirral was simply a geographical location and not a local government area, as it became in 1974. The fact is that if you're from Birkenhead, you're also from Wirral - and there's nothing wrong with that.
Great find! Its interesting to see how the names and the area has changed over the years! I remember reading about the history of Birkenhead a while ago and how it got its name from a bircen tree located at Woodside. Not sure when it was named though.
I'd always thought it was named for a birch tree on the headland, which was shortened to birch on head etc etc. I didn't read it anywhere it was just my mum who'd told me it years ago so it could be that she made it up!