Farndon is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Dee, south of Chester, which here forms the

England–Wales border The England–Wales border ( cy, Y ffin rhwng Cymru a Lloegr; shortened: Ffin Cymru a Lloegr), sometimes referred to as the Wales–England border or the Anglo-Welsh border, runs for from the Dee estuary, in the north, to the Severn estuary i ...

. The Welsh town of Holt lies just over the River Dee from Farndon. In the 2001 census, the village had a population of 1,517, increasing to 1,653 by the 2011 census.

Toponymy

The village's English name was first recorded in

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...

in 924AD. It has been recorded as ''Fearndune'', ''Farndune'', ''Pharndoon'', ''Ferentone'', ''Ferendon'', ''Faryngdon'' and ''Ferneton''. The name means "Fern Hill". As Farndon is adjacent to the

( Farndon Bridge across the River Dee separates the village from

Holt, Wrexham Holt is a medieval market town and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It is situated on the border with England and in the historic county of Denbighshire. Holt Castle was begun by Edward I shortly after the English invasion of Wale ...

), it is also known as ''Rhedynfre'' in Welsh. Its dual name reflects the area's historical importance as a place of conflict and cultural exchange since the

Angles The Angles ( ang, Ængle, ; la, Angli) were one of the main Germanic peoples who settled in Great Britain in the post-Roman period. They founded several kingdoms of the Heptarchy in Anglo-Saxon England. Their name is the root of the name ...

settled the area in the 8th century. As the political border moved back and forth during the following centuries, Farndon has been either part of Wales or England several times.

History

The area was inhabited during the Roman occupation of Britain. Archaeological assessments in the village have concluded there was a

Roman villa A Roman villa was typically a farmhouse or country house built in the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, sometimes reaching extravagant proportions. Typology and distribution Pliny the Elder (23–79 AD) distinguished two kinds of villas n ...

in the area or even a small military outpost.

Edward the Elder Edward the Elder (17 July 924) was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 899 until his death in 924. He was the elder son of Alfred the Great and his wife Ealhswith. When Edward succeeded to the throne, he had to defeat a challenge from his cousin ...

, King of the Anglo-Saxons, died in the ancient parish of Farndon in AD 924, shortly after quelling a revolt of an alliance of Mercians and Welshmen. This involved Edward successfully taking Chester from the occupying Mercians and Welshmen, and then re-garrisoning it, and this happened shortly before his death.Dodgson, J. McN. (1972). page 74. Up to the 14th century, Farndon also included the chapelry of Holt in

Denbighshire Denbighshire ( ; cy, Sir Ddinbych; ) is a county in the north-east of Wales. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name. This part of Wales contains the country's oldest known evidence of habitation – Pontnewydd (Bontnewy ...

, Wales. Referenced in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...

as ''Ferentone'', the settlement consisted of 34 households. Ownership was divided between the

Bishop of Chester The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York. The diocese extends across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the ...

( Robert de Limesey) and Bigot de Loges (from Les Loges in France). Some historians believe that Farndon was the location of the first ever competitive horse race with riders, in a local field on the banks of the River Dee. Nearby Chester Racecourse is said to be the oldest racecourse in Britain. During the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

, Farndon was the scene of bitter fighting over the Bridge that was controlling access to Chester from Wales. There is a fine memorial window in the parish church to the Civil War

Royalists A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...

. The village was at one time renowned for its strawberries, which were grown in the surrounding fields. This is no longer the case. The nearest fields are now in Holt.

Governance

There is an electoral ward that has the same name. This ward stretches from Saighton in the north to Church Shocklach in the south. The total population of this ward at the 2011 census was 4,011.

Landmarks

Farndon Bridge spans the Dee connecting Farndon to the nearby Welsh village of Holt on higher ground. The bridge, made of

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

and originally of

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

construction, is said to be haunted. Holt Castle is located on the opposite side of the river; it was constructed in the 13th and 14th centuries. The castle fell to the forces of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three K ...

in 1647. Next to Farndon Bridge is a small picnic area beside the river. At the entrance to the picnic area are Farndon Cliffs. This area has been classed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The sandstone cliffs contain interesting rock formations. St Chad's is the old parish church in Farndon. It is thought that some portions of the church date back to Sir Patrick de Bartun, a knight of King Edward III, whose effigy lies in the nave. The Church was damaged during the

and later repaired. The church contains a unique Civil War memorial window, and features an image thought to be that of William Lawes, the famous court musician, who was slain at the battle of Rowton Heath. The church tower still shows signs of Civil War

musket ball A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually di ...

damage. The churchyard contains

war graves War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regu ...

of two British soldiers of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Sergeant Joseph Easter and Private Thomas Harrison. The village used to have four

public houses A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

: the Hare (formerly the Greyhound), the Nags Head, the Masons Arms and the Farndon Arms (formerly the Raven). Two of these, the Farndon Arms and the Nags Head, closed in the summer of 2007, though the Farndon Arms has since reopened as The Farndon; the Nags Head was demolished to make way for a small retail development. The Masons Arms closed in 1928 and has been a private residence since that time. A restaurant called The Brasserie closed late 2008. Since that time, the premises have reopened under the name of Little Churtons. The village also has a Methodist Chapel at nearby

Crewe by Farndon Crewe-by-Farndon is a settlement and former civil parish, now in the parish of Farndon, in the borough of Cheshire West and Chester and ceremonial county of Cheshire in England. In 2001 it had a population of around 45. The civil parish was a ...

, a short walk from the village. Crewe was a civil parish in its own right until it was merged into Farndon in 2015.

Notable residents

* Major Roger Barnston (1826–1857), served in the Crimean War and was killed in the

Indian rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

. *

Paul Burrell Paul Burrell (born 6 June 1958) is a former servant of the British Royal Household and latterly butler to Princess Diana. Background and Royal Household career Burrell was born and raised in Grassmoor, Derbyshire, a coal-mining village. His ...

, former butler to Diana, Princess of Wales, maintained a home in the village and had a shop bearing his name, which he has since sold. It is now an antique shop called Botany House. * Bob Mills, comedian and host of ''In Bed With Medinner'' and ''Win Lose or Draw'', spent his childhood in the village and attended the old site Primary School. * John Speed (1542–1629), cartographer, was born in Farndon.Bendall (2004). *

Matt Hancock Matthew John David Hancock (born 2 October 1978) is a British politician who served as Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General from 2015 to 2016, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport from January to July 201 ...

attended Farndon County Primary School. *

Ricky Tomlinson Eric "Ricky" Tomlinson (born 26 September 1939) is an English actor. He is best known for his television roles as Bobby Grant in '' Brookside'', DCI Charlie Wise in ''Cracker'' and Jim Royle in '' The Royle Family'', and playing the titular cha ...

has a holiday chalet on the banks for the River Dee, on the outskirts of Farndon.

Gallery of images

File:Barnston's Monument - geograph.org.uk - 58484.jpg, Barnston monument File:Farndon Civil War Window.jpg, Farndon Civil War Memorial Window File:Farndon bridge.jpg, Farndon bridge

Notes and references

Notes

Bibliography

* * *
www.farndon.org.uk
Website of Farndon Local History Pages *Royden, Mike, (2016). ''Village at War – The Cheshire Village of Farndon During the First World War,'' Reveille Press'',''

External links

{{authority control Villages in Cheshire Civil parishes in Cheshire